Aekeira watched the male figure step into the room. This was the second time she had been in his presence, and this time, they were alone.
Grand Lord Vladya terrified her deeply.
Her body still ached, though the pain was not as severe as it had been that dreadful night. The herbs had provided some relief, but they had not completely erased the pain.
Aekeira bowed her head slightly. “My lord.”
“You have finally decided to rejoin the living. I was beginning to wonder if you ever would.”
“I did not think I would, my lord,” she replied truthfully, meeting his eyes. “Where is my brother? Is he well?”
“I ask the questions here, human princess. Not you,” Grand Lord Vladya said coldly. “How did you manage to survive being mounted by his beast? Honestly, I did not expect you to live through it.”
Aekeira clenched her fists tightly. By the gods of light, she hated this man. She hated all of them.
“I do not understand what you mean, my lord,” she retorted. Her tone was sharp, and Aekeira realized she was glaring at him.
Grand Lord Vladya’s cold, gray-yellow eyes locked onto hers. “Allow me to rephrase the question. This time, give me a response that satisfies me, or I will summon the nearest slave master to strip you and give you thirty lashes. Do you understand?”
Aekeira believed him. The hint of rebellion in her vanished as her heart raced. “Yes, my lord.”
“Good. Now, tell me everything that happened from the moment you entered the forbidden chambers.”
Aekeira recounted the events in detail, stumbling over her words a few times as she tried to distance herself from the horrible memory as much as possible.
“I lost consciousness several times. I thought I would die. Truly, I do not know how I survived,” she finished.
Grand Lord Vladya studied her intently, and Aekeira made sure to look innocent. To look as if she were not hiding anything.
“Do not celebrate just yet,” Lord Vladya said at last. “Rest well and take your medicines, for in five nights, our people will celebrate the moonlight festival. On that night, you will return to the forbidden chambers.”
What…? Aekeira’s blood ran cold. Just when she had begun to hope for survival, this man shattered it. Tears sprang in her eyes. “Surely, you do not mean that,” she whispered.
“I assure you, I never say what I do not mean,” he replied calmly. “But do not worry; I am not completely heartless. The healer will attend to your needs, providing you with the necessary treatments and herbs.”
Those chilling eyes met hers. “But, make no mistake, your duty remains the same. Whether you choose to return to the forbidden chambers or send your dear little…”
“Brother in your stead is of no concern to me. But one thing is certain, one of you will be there.” To hell with the consequences.
“You have no soul,” Aekeira spat, venom dripping from her tone. “A manifestation of the devil himself.”
“Compliments, slave princess. Compliments.” There was no remorse or anger in his eyes, only indifference.
He stood and turned to leave, glancing over his shoulder. “Until we meet again, human princess. If we meet again.” As the door closed behind him, tears streamed down Aekeira’s face.
By the gods of light, she had never cried easily. Not for anything. And she refused to start now-not because of a male like him.
Her body ached as if she had been immersed in boiling water overnight.
The area between her legs was raw and bruised, and the thought of being mounted by the beast again made her feel as though she might die.
But she would rather go back herself than allow Emeriel to be sent there.
Especially because the king’s beast wanted Emeriel. It may have mounted Aekeira, but it was Emeriel’s scent it was hungry for. Why? Aekeira had no idea.
Nevertheless, she would do everything within her power to keep her sister away from that chamber.
Even if it meant being raped to death by a feral beast.
PRINCE EMERIEL
Emeriel carefully wiped the stained glass with a washcloth. He had been assigned to clean the fourth layer of the southern wing this morning and had been working on it for the past hour.
Last night, Emeriel had dreamed of the king’s beast. It was baffling.
He had never even seen the beast before, yet somehow, for some reason, it occupied Emeriel’s thoughts. To the point of invading his dreams.
But why?
A question he had asked himself numerous times since morning, with no answer in sight.
As he diligently scrubbed the glass, he hummed to himself, running the cloth repeatedly until the dirt was wiped clean. Just as he was about to reach for his rinsing water, he heard voices growing closer.
“What about the land beyond Crystal Waters?” a feminine voice asked.
“It is not within my power to grant you that land, and you know it,” Grand Lord Vladya said.
His tone was somewhat gentle, devoid of the usual hard edge Emeriel associated with that grand lord.
“But you are also a grand lord. Surely, you can make this happen without all those unnecessary stresses and lengthy processes?” the female whined, her tone filled with anger.
“It is not as simple as that. Everything that belonged to Daemonikai still belongs to him. Until he is officially declared dead, no one can touch his possessions or his will,” Lord Vladya explained.
Emeriel found it difficult to believe that the indulgent and patient tone he was hearing belonged to Grand Lord Vladya. It was a side of him that Emeriel had never witnessed before, nor did he think the grand lord was capable of.
Who is that woman?
Just then, both of them came into view.
Emeriel pretended to be engrossed in his cleaning task, though he could feel their eyes on him. Casually, he raised his head to acknowledge their presence, silently bowing before continuing his work.
“Who is that slave? I haven’t seen that face before,” the woman said, her footsteps echoing as she approached Emeriel. “Who are you?”
“He is a new slave I purchased some days ago. He belongs to the grand king,” Grand Lord Vladya answered in a neutral tone.
“My Daemon?” The woman’s perfect brows furrowed.
Emeriel felt a prickle of… something under his skin.
Not ‘your’ Daemon, he almost shouted.
Wait. What in the lights was wrong with him? Emeriel didn’t care about these things.
“Oh, is he the sex slave you mentioned? The one you acquired for my Daemon’s pleasure? To fulfill his beast’s lust?” She paused, tilting her head as she surveyed Emeriel. “I thought you would get a female for that purpose.”
A sex slave? Emeriel resented being labeled as such.
He took a thorough look at the female. She possessed the haughty demeanor of an aristocrat, adorned in an expensive and sophisticated gown with unique, beautiful designs unfamiliar to Emeriel.
The woman carried herself with an air of importance, striding as if she owned the place. Reluctantly, Emeriel had to admit she was also breathtakingly beautiful.
Lord Vladya waved his hand dismissively. “I did acquire a female. He is the female’s brother.”
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