Chapter 4

Danika’s ears still rang from everything he said to her. Her eyes stung with tears. Why did her father have to do all those things? Why did he have to be addicted to gaining power?

Her hands trembled as she stood naked in before him. Tonight, she’d lose her virginity in the cruelest way: in the hands of the coldest man she had ever known. But she’d bear it with dignity. She is a princess. No—she was a princess. She was born with regality and was trained to carry herself with pride and to be a proper lady.

But this was her fate now. A fate she couldn’t escape. She raised her chin and awaited his next command.

“Get on to the bed. Face down. Legs spread.” There was no expression in his eyes. Just hate.

She climbed onto the bed, pressed her face into the linen and spread her legs. She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. Her arms trembled slightly.

Being optimistic, she tried to focus that this was the first soft bed she was lying on in a long time. She allowed the pleasure of it to wash over her.

Then he grabbed her hips, his fingers bit into her flesh, and she felt the head of his phallus nudge at her opening. Her eyes snapped open at the feel of his large penis.

Danika was no stranger to a man’s anatomy—she had seen a lot of naked slaves before—but she never thought one could be as big as what was pressing into her body, searching for something.

He must have found what he was looking for because he grunted his approval. As he adjusted his knees on the bed, the small pleasure she felt disappeared when he pulled back out and pushed in.

She sucked in a startled breath as his short thrusts quickly became painful, and she held her breath and waited for it to happen.

Breathing hard, he held her by the hips, and when he pulled back and then pushed forward with one long, hard thrust, bottoming out inside of her, she cried out in agonizing pain, gritting her teeth until her jaw went numb.

He stilled completely, and she let out a tear-filled whimper she couldn’t control. It hurt more than she expected it would. So, so much more.

He pulled back and shoved into her again. She buried her face in the bed, and screamed, twisting her trembling body away from his brutal possession. But his powerful hands caged her, holding her body immobile. He covered her with his body and plunged into her repeatedly, the force of his thrusts pressing her unrelentingly deeper into the bed.

Only her pained cries were heard in the golden room. He made no sound. Not even a grunt.

Although he took her fiercely like an animal, Danika would have sworn he was restraining himself. It made her wonder if he’d break her in two if he didn’t.

The fierce thrusts went on and on, then suddenly, he pulled away from her completely.

Danika stilled, lying on the bed, unable to move her body. She sobbed to the bed.

“Get out of my room,” he commanded, walking away without a backward glance at her. She heard the door open and close behind him with a bang.

She knew he didn’t finish, and she wondered why. The man hated her; he had no remorse for her. So why didn’t he keep plundering her body until he gained his satisfaction? She didn’t know the answer to that, and it was the least of her problems. Alone, she wept aloud. For the first time since they ambushed her kingdom, killed her father, and they took her into slavery, she felt pain. Real raw pain.

Heart-wrenching sobs wracked her body. She had always dreamed of flowers. Her husband making love to her under the moonlight. Her losing her virginity to him while he loved her body tenderly.

This was nowhere near what she imagined. Reality hurt like a knife to the heart. Father, why did you have to do this to me?

She didn’t know which pain was greater: the one coming from her body or the one from her heart. The one from her body was physical. What he did to her hurt. But the one to her heart hurt too, because she knew that this was her life now.

Danika got off the bed, glad that he was not around. She didn’t know what she’d do if he had to watch her trying to stagger her way out while openly crying.

She wrapped the robe around her body and left the room.

Blood smeared her thighs, still dripping out from her womanhood. She made it to her cold cell, and the guard opened it. Danika entered the empty confinement, walked towards the old bunk without a mattress, and huddled on it.

She repeatedly sniffled, trying to control her tears. She didn’t want to cry anymore. She didn’t want to look broken…because she wasn’t.

Survival. She will survive this place.

She might be his slave on the outside, but inside she was still Princess Danika. He would not break her! She wouldn’t allow it. It was the only thing she had.

Just then, the cell opened and Baski entered. The older woman gave her a polite smile. “The king said to extract you.”

What? Again? “W-what?”

“He said to get you out of here and—”

She lost it. “What does he want with me again!?” Danika raged, shooting up from the bed.

“He wants–” Baski started.

“He can go to hell for all I care! Stay away from me! Go!” the princess screamed beyond reasoning.

Baski pursed her lips in displeasure but didn’t go anywhere. Instead, pity flashed in her eyes. “You really must let go of that attitude if you ever wish to make it as a slave. That was what we all did when we were trying to survive your father. That was how we survived.”

“Your king is a monster!” Danika cried.

Baski shook her head adamantly. “King Lucien is nowhere near the monster you think he is. You have no idea what he’s been through. You have no idea!”Baski’s eyes found hers. “He’s holding back with you.”

Danika scoffed. “How can you say that? You have no idea what that monster did to—”

“He’s restraining himself because if he truly wanted to give you back all your father did to him, he’d start by roasting your feminine parts,” she stated curtly.

“W-what?” Danika wasn’t sure she heard the woman correctly.

“Never mind.” She turned away. “If you’re done raging, you’ll hear me out. The king said to escort you to your quarters.”

Danika blinked twice, wondering what was wrong with her ears. “What?”

“Follow me.” Baski began walking away.

What’s going on?

Danika got up with a wince and followed the woman out. The older woman escorted her to another part of the enormous palace and into a room that was small but nice-looking and tidy.

“What am I doing here?” she asked the older woman.

“It’s your new room.”

“M-mine?” Danika stared around, wondering what these people were up to.

“Clean up and go to bed. The king will request for you on the morrow.” Then Baski turned and walked away.

Danika, too tired and emotionally stressed to think about anything, laid down on the bed and allowed herself to pass out. Escaping reality was always a good choice.

But what did she mean by he was holding back? And whatever the hell did she mean by him roasting out her feminine parts?