**(Warning: Chapter contains mature themes and language that may not be suitable for some readers)
The morning sun didn't bring peace; it brought a searing, hangover-like clarity. Seraphina woke up in her own bed at the palace, her body aching in places she didn't know could ache. Her sheets were tangled around her legs like a condemned prisoner's chains, and the scent of sandalwood and sex still clung to her skin, stubborn despite her frantic scrubbing in the bath.
She felt dirty. She felt terrified.
And beneath it all, she felt a hungry, throbbing emptiness in her groin that terrified her more than the shame.
She dressed with shaking hands. Her maids noticed the change in her—the way she jumped at sudden noises, the flush that stained her cheeks even in the cold morning air. When she strapped on her armor, the steel against her skin felt wrong. It felt heavy, like a cage, whereas Kaelen's hands had felt freeing.
Stop it, she ordered herself, gripping the edge of her washbasin until her knuckles turned white. He is a monster. He used magic. He tricked you.
But she remembered the way he had looked at her. Not with the adoration of the sycophants at court, but with a raw, consuming hunger that had burned away her identity as Princess and left her only as a woman.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: QUEST ACTIVE ]
[ LOCATION: THE ROYAL BANQUET HALL ]
[ OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC PLAY ]
Kaelen stood by a marble pillar in the grand hall, nursing a glass of expensive wine. The nobility of Oakhaven was out in force, dressed in their finery, laughing at jokes that weren't funny. He scanned the crowd, his senses heightened by his stats.
He saw her the moment she entered.
King Aldric sat at the high table, a jovial but weak man. To his right sat the Princess. Seraphina looked pale, her posture rigid. She was refusing to meet anyone's eyes. And then, her gaze drifted across the room and locked onto his.
Kaelen smirked. He raised his glass slightly in a mocking toast.
He watched her swallow hard. He saw the spark of panic ignite in her blue eyes.
Come here, little bird, he thought, projecting the Aura of Allure with pinpoint precision. It was a invisible hook, snagging her by the navel and reeling her in.
Seraphina stood up abruptly, murmuring something to her father. She descended from the dais, her movement jerky, almost robotic. The partiers parted for her, bowing, but she didn't seem to see them. She was walking directly toward him.
Kaelen turned to face her fully, leaning back against the pillar. "Princess," he drawled, loud enough for the nearby nobles to hear. "You look ravishing. Did you sleep well?"
Seraphina stopped in front of him. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides. For a second, she looked like she might slap him. The nobles nearby went silent, sensing the drama.
"My Lord Kaelen," she said, her voice tight. "I... I would speak with you regarding the estate guard recruitment."
"A private matter?" Kaelen raised an eyebrow.
"Y-yes."
"Then by all means," he stepped aside, gesturing to a secluded alcove behind a heavy velvet curtain that led out to the gardens. It was dark, shadowed, and completely inappropriate for a Princess to be seen entering with a man of his reputation.
But she followed him.
The moment they stepped behind the curtain, the noise of the party faded into a dull murmur. The air was cool, smelling of night-blooming jasmine. Kaelen turned on her, his amusement vanishing instantly, replaced by a predatory intensity.
"You came," he whispered, backing her up against the stone wall.
"I had to," she breathed, her back hitting the cold stone. "The King expects a report."
"Bullshit."
Kaelen crowded her, placing a hand on the wall beside her head, boxing her in. He leaned down, his nose tracing the line of her jaw. She smelled of soap and that underlying musk of arousal that he had planted inside her.
"You came because you wanted to," he murmured, his lips brushing the sensitive shell of her ear. "You've been thinking about me all morning, haven't you? Thinking about my hands."
"Stop," she whimpered, but her head tilted to the side, exposing her neck to him. "We're in public. Anyone could..."
"Then you better be quiet," Kaelen growled.
He grabbed her hand. It was trembling. He guided it downward, pressing her palm against the front of his breeches. She gasped when she felt him—hard, thick, and straining against the fabric.
"Feel that?" he hissed, grinding his hips against her hand. "That's what you do to me, Seraphina. That's what you've been doing to me since you walked in looking like a guilty little slut."
Seraphina's eyes rolled back. The crude word hit her like a physical blow, but instead of offending her, it made her knees weak. She could feel the heat of him through the leather, the sheer size of the ridge pressing into her palm.
"I... I'm not," she denied weakly, her fingers involuntarily curling around the bulge.
"Prove it," Kaelen challenged. He stepped back slightly, giving her room to move, but his eyes dared her to run. "If you hate it, if you're so pure, then walk away. Go back to your daddy and your dull little friends."
She didn't move. She stood there, her hand hovering in the air, her chest heaving. The silence stretched, thick and heavy.
Slowly, agonizingly, she sank to her knees.
The stones were hard against her knees, but she didn't care. The sight of her, the Crown Princess, kneeling in the dirt before him in her expensive gown, made Kaelen's cock twitch with violent need.
"Good girl," he rasped.
Seraphina looked up at him with watery eyes. Her hands, shaking with a mix of shame and desperate hunger, reached for the laces of his breeches. She fumbled with them, her fingers clumsy, but Kaelen didn't help her. He watched her struggle, enjoying the sight of her degrading herself for him.
Finally, the laces gave way. She pulled the fabric down, and his heavy cock sprang free, slapping against his stomach. It was angry and flushed, the head already leaking precum.
Seraphina stared at it. She had never... she had never seen a man like this. It was beautiful and terrifying.
"Go on," Kaelen commanded, his voice low and rough. "Put it in your mouth."
She hesitated, looking at the entrance door, terrified they would be discovered.
"Now," he said, grabbing a fistful of her blonde hair and guiding her forward. "Or I'll drag you out there and finish you on the banquet table."
The threat shattered her resistance. She leaned in and stuck out her tongue, giving the tip a tentative lick. The taste of him—salty, musky, male—exploded on her tongue. It was intoxicating.
She opened her mouth wider and took the head inside. It was hot and smooth, filling her mouth completely. She didn't know what to do with her tongue, so she just swirled it around the ridge, listening to the sharp intake of breath above her.
"Fuck," Kaelen groaned, his head falling back. "That's it. Take it."
He tightened his grip on her hair and pushed her head down, forcing more of his length into her mouth. Seraphina gagged as the thick shaft hit the back of her throat, her eyes watering.
"Relax your throat," he ordered, not letting her pull away. "Breathe through your nose."
She tried to obey, swallowing around him. The sensation of her throat constricting around his cock was incredible. He began to move, thrusting his hips slowly, fucking her face with a deliberate, rhythmic pace.
Gluk. Gluk. Gluk.
The wet, obscene sounds of her sucking echoed in the quiet alcove, barely masked by the music from the hall. Saliva dribbled down her chin, coating his shaft in a glossy sheen.
"Look at me," he snapped.
Seraphina looked up, her blue eyes wide and tearful, her mouth stretched wide around his girth. She looked so innocent, so corrupted. The sight of her on her knees, subservient and eager, nearly made him lose his mind.
"Play with yourself," he commanded, his voice strained with pleasure. "Touch your clit while you choke on my cock."
Seraphina moaned around his mouthful, the vibration sending shivers down his spine. She let go of his thigh—one hand was braced against his leg for support—and hiked up her heavy skirts. Her hand disappeared beneath the layers of silk and velvet.
Kaelen could tell the moment her fingers found her slick folds because her body jerked and she let out a muffled whine. She was wet. He could smell her arousal rising up, mixing with the smell of the garden and his own musk.
"That's it," he growled, fucking her face harder now, pushing deeper, testing her limits. "Rub that little cunt for me. Show me how much you love being a whore for me."
She was panting through her nose, her face red, her neck straining