Ellanor had figured she would get the kiss over with so she could move on with the conversation unaffected, but the moment Marken actually pressed their lips together, she forgot to breathe and grew completely rigid, her eyes wide open. This kissing business was much more pleasant than she had anticipated, forcing her to relax and become giddy at the same time. Her heartbeat became just as erratic, pounding wildly against Marken's chest as she willingly leaned into his kiss more.
The woman hadn't even realized that she had stopped breathing completely until the two pulled back a little and she exhaled and then gasped in more air. After breathing normally for a few moments, she closed her eyes and kissed Marken a bit more properly. She realized that she was allowed to breathe when she felt the air from his nose lightly tickling her face and copied him, now able to enjoy the feel of their mouths moving against each other more coherently now that her brain was getting oxygen. Finally, Ellanor had her fill of experimentally rubbing her lips against Marken's and allowed herself to pull back, her expression completely dazed as she looked up into his face.
She stayed like that until she sobered up, begrudgingly pulling herself from the prince's arms and walking with unsteady legs to the other side of the plush loveseat. She made sure to keep her face turned away and her body leaned back against it as she composed herself. No, no, no, no, this was very bad. There was no denying that she was attracted to the prince now, so she'd have to be more careful. She hadn't expected Marken to be so gentle with her, and good at it. If she wasn't careful, she was going to end up shooting herself in the foot.
"D-do you think that was acceptable?" Ellanor murmured as her heart began to ease its pounding. Half of her wanted Marken to tell her they needed more practice, and she mentally kicked herself when she thought it. No, she couldn't foster such thoughts in her mind. They were using each other, and then Marken would leave her. Odd; it hurt a little when she thought of him leaving, rather than rationalizing their separation.