Author’s Note:
Hey everyone ❤️
Just a quick note about a small edit I made: Due to platform content guidelines, I changed the family relationship between Princess Aurora and Prince Kael from siblings to cousins (Kael is now the son of the Emperor’s deceased elder brother’s son, raised in the palace).
This is a technical change only.
Nothing else in the story has been altered — the curse, the harem dynamics, the emotional tension, the spice, the plot, the teasing, or any scenes remain exactly the same.
The story you love is still 100% intact
****
Thank you so much for your understanding and continued support!
It means the world to me that you’re here on this journey with me.
In his private chambers, Kael sat cross-legged on the floor in simple gray linen robes — plain and unadorned, the kind given to low-ranking servants rather than a prince.
He closed his eyes and tried to breathe in the mana floating in the air as everyone else could.
He focused, strained, and willed his Void Core to respond.
Nothing happened.
No matter how hard he tried, his core remained stubbornly silent, refusing to absorb even a trace of mana.
Kael’s eyes snapped open.
He clenched his fists tightly.
“And here I thought I could just ascend the ranks like nothing,” he muttered bitterly.
“But I’m barely starting…”
He stood up and began pacing left and right.
“Wait… maybe I need a better absorption technique? No, no… I should be able to feel something at least. But my mana core has always been this stubborn…”
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Kael stopped.
“Come in.”
Dork entered, his pimply face flushed with excitement.
“Prince!
The Empress’s personal maids ordered you to go to the hero’s quarters immediately.” He leaned in and whispered with a lewd grin, “I think they want to do it again…”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
Then something clicked in his mind.
Wait… It’s not that I can’t absorb mana.
My method was wrong all along.
A dark smile slowly spread across his face.
“I can’t do it like everyone else. I need to ruin them… The more I break and corrupt them, the more mana I absorb. Is that it?”
His face brightened with realization.
Dork thought Kael was excited about sleeping with Aurora again and looked visibly envious.
Kael suddenly said, “Tell them I won’t come.”
Dork blinked, stunned.
“Prince…?”
Kael gestured dismissively with his hand.
“Leave.”
Dork left the room completely confused.
Outside, he even cleaned his ears.
“No… my ears are working fine…” He muttered in disbelief, “Who the hell rejects banging the royal princess? For fuck’s sake, he rejected fucking Aurora Vossarian… Has his screw gone loose?”
“Those twin devils will demand answers if the prince doesn’t go… What should I do? They’ll kill me…”
With determination, Dork re-entered the room.
Kael was doing light exercises in the middle of the room.
“Why did you come back without my permission?” Kael asked coldly.
Dork rushed forward and knelt.
“Prince, if you don’t go, they will roast me alive!”
Kael twitched.
“Fuck off before I cut off your limp dick.”
Dork flinched and backed away quickly.
He didn’t doubt the threat for a second.
Just as he reached the door, he turned meekly.
“Prince… what should I tell them as the reason?”
Kael paused, then answered flatly, “Tell them I don’t want to be beaten again.”
Dork looked confused but nodded and left.
Kael sighed and walked over to his clothes drawer.
It contained only a few plain pieces of clothing.
“Is this how a prince is supposed to dress?” he clicked his tongue.
“What a stingy mother I have…”
Then his lips curled into a grin.
“Stingy as she is… she is still my mother.”
In the purification chamber, the air hung heavy with tension that refused to lift.
Elarion sat in the corner chair, visibly tense.
His fists remained clenched, his jaw tight as he fought to keep his emotions under control.
The memory of the previous night still burned in his mind.
Aurora stood beside him, noticeably more composed than before.
After hearing her mother’s cold plan, she had decided that the less she dwelt on Kael, the sooner this nightmare would end.
Yet the longer they waited, the heavier the silence became.
Aurora glanced at Elarion, then called out softly, “Kai…”
The door opened quietly.
Kai entered the room with graceful steps.
The pink-haired fox demi-human maid had long flowing pink hair, sharp white fox ears, and nine large, fluffy white tails with pink tips swaying behind her.
Her elegant black-and-gold uniform hugged her figure as she bowed deeply, her expression calm and neutral.
“Yes, Imperial Princess?” she asked in a smooth voice.
Aurora’s voice came out cold and firm.
“Bring that idiot here. Doesn’t he understand how important this is?”
Kai bowed once more and left without a word.
Elarion let out a long sigh and slumped deeper into his chair.
Back at Kael’s quarters, Dork stood shivering outside the door when a cold voice suddenly echoed from the side.
“You! Where is the prince?”
Dork jumped in fright.
Kai stood there, eyes narrowed.
Dork spoke rapidly, voice shaking.
“The prince said he won’t come… because he doesn’t want to be beaten again.”
Kai blinked, momentarily stunned.
“What?”
Dork repeated the message exactly as Kael had said it.
Kai clicked her tongue in annoyance, turned sharply, and walked away.
Back in the purification chamber, another knock sounded.
Rei, the black-haired twin maid, entered.
Like her sister, she was a fox demi-human with long flowing black hair, white fox ears, and nine large fluffy white tails.
Her violet eyes gave her a distinct, slightly more mysterious presence as she bowed gracefully in her matching black-and-gold uniform.
“Princess,” she said in a neutral tone, “the prince refused to come. He stated that he does not want to be beaten again.”
Aurora’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“What?, That bastard said what again?”
Back at Kael’s private quarters, the door burst open moments after Kai left.
Dork stumbled inside, breathing hard, his back drenched in sweat.
“Thank the Goddess… she finally left. For a second there, I thought I was done for.”
Kael stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring out the tiny window at the sprawling palace grounds.
Beyond the walls, distant mountains rose under the sky, while enchanted ships glided gracefully through the air like magical wonders.
Dork approached cautiously.
“Prince… is it really wise to anger the princess? What if they decide to hurt you?”
Kael didn’t turn around.
“Don’t worry. They won’t. Not while they still need me.”
He explained briefly, his voice calm but cold, how the heroines and the Empress had no choice but to keep him alive and functional until the curse was fully lifted.
Dork’s eyes brightened with sudden ambition.
“Then couldn’t we just demand whatever we want? Prince, maybe we can ask them to assign an Ascendant-rank power as your personal guard. Imagine a legion of Elite-rank guards with an Ascendant leading them, all bowing to your royal self… hehe…”
Kael finally turned, his expression flat.
“Idiot. They need me alive. That doesn’t mean I get royal treatment. They can just tie me up and use me as a dildo if they feel like it.”
Dork froze, the lewd grin vanishing from his face in an instant.
He stared at Kael, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Kael turned away from the window, his expression calm but cold.
“Don’t look so surprised. They need me alive for now, but that doesn’t mean they’ll treat me like royalty. One wrong move and they can chain me up and use me however they like.”
Dork swallowed hard, sweat still dripping down his back.
“B-But Prince… if you refuse them, the twin maids will come looking for me. Those two devils don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
Kael walked over to the small table and poured himself a cup of water, taking a slow sip.
“Let them come. I’m not their toy to summon whenever they feel like it. If they want my cooperation, they’ll have to learn some patience.”
He set the cup down and looked at Dork with a faint, calculating smile.
“Besides… I’ve figured something out. My Void Core doesn’t work like everyone else’s. Forcing it won’t help. I need to break them properly — corrupt them, make them crave it. The more I ruin the hero’s precious women, the stronger I’ll become.”
Dork’s eyes widened, a mix of fear and twisted admiration on his face.
Kael glanced toward the door, his voice dropping.
“Go tell the maids whatever you want. Just make sure they understand I’m not coming today. If they push too hard… well, they can wait.”
Dork bowed quickly, still shaken, and hurried out of the room.
Alone once more, Kael stared at the plain gray robes hanging in his wardrobe and let out a low chuckle.
The game had only just begun.