Spending two days inside the Crown Prince’s master bedroom felt like a hellish torment disguised in luxury for Elena Rose.
Officially, her status had been abruptly changed.
On Alexander’s direct orders, Elena was appointed as his personal maid tasked with attending to the Prince’s every need during his stay at the Dracox estate.
To Elena, however, that duty was merely a thin guise to conceal the reality that she was an exclusive prisoner.
Throughout those two days, Elena was not permitted to step out of the room without strict supervision.
Her every move was monitored by Alexander’s covert spies.
When night fell and the doors were locked from the inside, Elena was forced to endure Alexander’s insatiable dominance–a man who vented his political tensions and exhaustion by trapping and possessing her without restraint.
Yet, the fragile peace inside that room shattered on the third day.
Alexander suddenly announced his departure back to the capital.
What stunned every inhabitant of the Dracox estate was his decision to take Elena Rose with him to the Imperial Palace.
In the main courtyard of the Dracox estate, the royal carriage processional stood ready.
Dozens of armored guards formed a rigid perimeter.
Servants and estate residents gathered along the pathways, holding their breath as they watched the Crown Prince’s departure ceremony.
Clementine Dracox–the Grand Duke’s beautiful only daughter–stood beside her father with immaculate makeup adorning her face.
Yet beneath her graceful smile, her eyes gleamed with sharp malice as she watched Elena being dragged out of the manor’s main doors.
Clementine had observed Elena over the past two days with burning jealousy, suspecting that Alexander held a special interest in the dull, red-haired servant.
Alexander understood the suspicious glances from Clementine and the surrounding nobles all too well.
As a shrewd future ruler, he could not allow Elena to become a target or a political liability due to the Dracox family’s envy.
Thus, the Prince put on a charade of cruel brutality before the public eye.
Srettt!
With a rough movement that appeared merciless, Alexander grabbed a fistful of Elena’s dull red hair from behind.
He yanked her head back, forcing her to look up as he dragged her steps across the cobbled path toward the carriage.
“Aaghh!” Elena cried out softly, her hands reflexively grasping Alexander’s wrist at her head.
Her eyes widened in shock mixed with terror.
From the perspective of Clementine, the Grand Duke, and the watching servants, Alexander’s actions looked thoroughly inhumane and humiliating.
They saw a Crown Prince treating a worthless servant with harsh brutality and absolute contempt.
Yet Elena alone felt the truth.
Alexander’s grip on her hair was not tight at all.
The Prince’s firm fingers merely rested between her strands, carefully supporting the weight of her head so not a single root was pulled.
The harsh drag was nothing more than a visual illusion executed flawlessly by Alexander’s physical dexterity.
“Walk faster, useless servant,” Alexander whispered directly against Elena’s ear.
His voice sounded icy and sharp to onlookers, but his warm breath against her neck delivered a completely different message.
“Play along if you don’t want them getting suspicious.”
Elena swallowed down her bitter saliva, her trembling body following every simulated pull of Alexander’s hand.
She allowed herself to be shoved into the grand imperial carriage, vanishing from public view.
Outside the carriage, Clementine watched the scene with a satisfied gaze.
The burning jealousy that had consumed her chest over the last two days slowly dissipated, replaced by a cold sense of superiority.
Clementine smirked internally.
‘I was foolish to ever feel jealous of a wretched servant like her,’ Clementine thought, relieved.
‘Alexander treats her as nothing more than a dog to be mistreated and discarded at will.’
The primary reason Clementine ultimately abandoned her jealousy was not merely Alexander’s show of cruelty.
The biggest factor was the outcome of the secret negotiations between Alexander and her father, Grand Duke Dracox, which had extended late into the previous night.
That high-level summit yielded a monumental political resolution.
$The acceleration of the marriage between Crown Prince Alexander and Clementine Dracox, to be held within one week in the capital.”
For Clementine and the Dracox family, this decision was an absolute political victory.
In a week’s time, Clementine would officially hold the title of Crown Princess and future Empress.
The territorial legitimacy and pure nobility of the Dracox line would be firmly locked to the imperial throne.
With her position secured and the wedding date just days away, Clementine felt no reason to concern herself with a dull maid Alexander brought along merely as an outlet for stress or temporary amusement.
Grand Duke Dracox stepped toward Alexander, who had just shut the carriage door.
The Grand Duke bowed his head respectfully.
“We shall proceed with all wedding preparations in the capital as agreed, Your Highness,” the Grand Duke stated in a deep, dutiful voice.
“The Dracox family will grant full territorial endorsement as you face the northern faction.”
Alexander adjusted his black leather gloves, nodding coldly.
“Ensure your daughter arrives in the capital three days prior to the ceremony, Grand Duke.
I will not tolerate delays of any kind.”
Clementine stepped forward, curtsying gracefully in her stunning gown.
“I shall await that glorious day in the capital, Your Highness Crown Prince.”
Alexander met Clementine’s words with an unreadable, expressionless gaze, then turned to ascend the carriage steps.
Thud.
The carriage door closed firmly from the outside.
The thundering hooves of dozens of escort horses began to echo, marking the departure of the royal procession from the Dracox estate toward the heart of the Imperial capital.
Inside the spacious, secluded carriage lined with thick velvet, the atmosphere shifted drastically.
The moment the carriage cleared the gates of the Dracox territory, the icy, cruel aura Alexander had displayed outside evaporated completely.
Elena collapsed weakly against the plush seat, her breath ragged from the panic of the performance.
Her small hands trembled as she touched her red hair where Alexander had held it.
A warm, muscular hand reached out, pulling Elena’s wrist gently yet firmly.
Before Elena could react, Alexander pulled her plump body onto his lap.
He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder from behind.
“Does it hurt?” Alexander whispered in a deep, low tone.
The harsh snaps were gone, replaced by a possessive warmth and craving.
Elena leaned stiffly against Alexander’s broad chest, tears tracing down her pale cheeks.
“Why…
why did you bring me to the capital?” Elena whispered softly, her voice heavy with despair.
“You got your marriage agreement with Lady Clementine…
You are marrying her in a week…
Why couldn’t you just leave me at the Dracox estate?”
Alexander closed his eyes, inhaling deeply of Elena’s scent—a fragrance that calmed his mind, constantly strained by political intrigue.
His thumb gently wiped away the tear on Elena’s cheek with a softness that stood in stark contrast to his earlier act.
“Clementine Dracox is merely a title and political legitimacy I require to destroy Helios,” Alexander stated flatly, without a trace of hesitation.
“That marriage is a business transaction and imperial law.”
He tilted his head, pressing a protective kiss to Elena’s tear-stained temple.
“But you…” Alexander whispered close to Elena’s ear, his grip on her waist tightening to lock her completely within his dominant embrace.
“You are mine, Elena.
You will never leave my side, no matter who becomes Crown Princess in that palace.”
Elena squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the vibration of Alexander’s chest against her back.
A thick despair crept over her soul.
Alexander’s cruel performance before Clementine might have saved her life from the Lady’s envy, but it had also ensured that her path to escape was sealed shut.
The carriage continued to speed along the dirt road toward the Imperial capital.
Elena was dragged deeper into the vortex of danger, palace politics, and the boundless obsession of the future ruler.