Aurora slipped into the imperial bath chamber and locked the door behind her with trembling fingers.
The vast marble pool steamed gently, fed by enchanted hot springs.
Soft golden lanterns cast a warm glow across the mosaic floors and vaulted ceilings, while fragrant rose petals and night-blooming jasmine floated on the surface.
It was a place of luxury meant for renewal and peace.
Tonight, it felt like a tomb.
She tore off the ruined black-and-gold lingerie as if it were poisoned, flinging the delicate pieces aside.
They landed in a crumpled, stained heap.
Without hesitation, she plunged into the steaming water, submerging herself completely.
When she surfaced, she grabbed a rough sponge and began scrubbing with frantic intensity — across her breasts, her stomach, the insides of her thighs — as though she were covered in thick, clinging mud.
Tears came hard and fast.
She cried so violently her shoulders shook, sobs echoing off the marble walls.
How could I…?
How could my body react like that?
I hate him… I despise him… yet a disgusting thing keeps tearing me… Elarion saw everything.
He saw me moaning under that worthless trash…
She scrubbed between her legs with vicious intensity, trying to wash away every trace of Kael’s cum, every drop of her own shameful arousal.
He must think I’m a whore now.
The proud princess who spreads her legs for her own brother while he watches.
I told him I was doing this for him… but what if he believes I enjoyed it?
What if he can never look at me the same way again?
The sponge slipped from her fingers.
Aurora curled in on herself in the water, hugging her knees to her chest as the sobs wracked her body.
“I’m sorry… Elarion… I’m so sorry…” she whispered between gasps, voice breaking.
“I only wanted to save you… I only wanted to protect you…”
She cried until her throat hurt and her eyes burned, the luxurious bath doing nothing to cleanse the stain she felt on her soul.
At the same moment, outside the quarters, Elarion suffered in silence.
He leaned against the wall, still on the floor where he had slumped after Aurora left for the bath.
His golden aura flickered weakly around him.
The curse tugged at his core with less ferocity than before — a strange, unwelcome relief spread through his body.
The mana drain had eased more than it had after the first purification.
He stared at the ceiling, brow furrowed in confusion and growing dread.
Why…?
Aurora and Kael did the same thing as last time… so why did my curse release more mana than before?
The thought made his stomach turn.
He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, trying to banish the images that refused to leave: Aurora’s flushed face, her broken moans, the way her body had moved beneath Kael despite the pain.
She told him to continue… She said it was becoming easier…
Jealousy and guilt clawed at him in equal measure.
He had stood there like a statue, watching the woman he loved endure that humiliation for his sake.
The people who had raised him like their own son were now slaves to the same man who had just taken her.
The weight of it all crushed him.
What have we become…?
Meanwhile, Kael walked back toward his modest quarters, a soft, satisfied smile on his face.
There is still a lot of resistance from Aurora, but there is progress… I can feel her body responding.
She is craving it, even if she refuses to admit it.
Keke, my dear sister… When I tame you completely, you will understand what a true slave means.
And trust me, I will make your stupid hero watch every second of it.
As he neared his door, Dork stood waiting with a cocky grin, positioned between the two new arrivals — Baron William and Lady Nadia.
The couple stood with quiet dignity, though their expressions told different stories.
William looked like a defeated warrior — shoulders slumped, eyes hollow with shame, yet still carrying the remnants of a proud swordsman’s posture.
Nadia’s face was a mask of cold disgust, especially when Dork’s eyes kept drifting greedily toward her ample breasts straining against her torn noble gown.
“I am the most faithful servant to the Prince. You understand what I’m saying, right?”
Kael’s brows rose slightly at the scene.
Dork immediately straightened, trying to look important.
The moment William and Nadia noticed Kael’s presence, they turned toward him.
William bowed deeply, voice steady despite everything.
“William Vossfield greets His Imperial Prince Kael Vossarian.”
Nadia followed suit with a minimal but graceful bow, her expression guarded.
Kael’s eyes lingered for a moment on Nadia’s figure — Oh boy… look at those huge mounds… they’re ready to burst from her garments — before he controlled himself.
His dick twitched almost instantly, but he kept his face composed.
He offered them a gentle, respectful smile.
“Hello, Sir William and Lady Nadia. I know you both must feel uneasy about serving me… but I promise my sister I will save you. That is why I bought you. Until she finds a solution, I hope you can feel at ease here.”
Both William and Nadia looked genuinely shocked.
Their eyes widened, exchanging a quick, uncertain glance.
William’s thoughts: I heard the prince usually never indulges in any toxic habits or abuses his status… I thought those were just false rumors the court spread to ease the imperial family’s prestige.
But it seems not all of them were false…
Nadia’s thoughts: So Princess Aurora ordered him to save us… that means there is still hope for our hellish situation…
Dork twitched visibly, barely hiding his disbelief.
Ah, what idiotic fools… If only they knew how cruel and twisted our prince truly is…
Kael excused himself politely and entered his quarters alone, throwing Dork out with a casual wave before closing the door.
Inside, he removed his upper garments and seated himself cross-legged on the floor.
He began the breathing exercises he had learned as a child — techniques he had mastered in secret while the rest of the palace mocked him for being talentless.
Kael might not have been born a fighter, but his learning ability was extraordinary.
He could remember anything he read or saw with perfect clarity, analyze patterns others missed, and adapt strategies in seconds.
It was the one gift the Void had left him.
The room was filled with silence.
Not a single trace of mana leaked outside.
Usually, when someone meditated, the ambient mana around them pulsed and stirred.
Of course, unlike others, Elarion radiated divine mana — many times more powerful than ordinary mana.
But what Kael possessed inside his body was something darker.
His Void Core had always been mocked as a useless anomaly that never absorbed mana.
Now it truly felt like a void.
Kael opened his eyes.
For a split second, his usually purple irises flashed with abyssal darkness before returning to normal.
He clenched his fist.
“I… I really reached the Foundation stage… I’m at the early Initiate stage…”
Kael threw his head back and laughed with disbelief — a raw, unrestrained, almost manic sound that built from deep in his chest and erupted like a dam breaking after eighteen years of silence.
“Heh… heh… HAHAHAHAHA—!”
The laughter echoed off the walls, loud, wild, and triumphant, carrying every ounce of suppressed rage, humiliation, and long-awaited victory he had buried since childhood.
He bent forward, still laughing, shoulders shaking as tears of pure, cathartic joy mixed with the madness in his eyes.
The heavens may not have answered him, but hell definitely had.
Kael remained seated cross-legged on the floor of his modest quarters, eyes closed in deep meditation.
The faint but steady pulse of his newly awakened Void Core thrummed within him — quiet proof that everything was finally beginning to change.
When he opened his eyes, a soft breath escaped him.
“The mana I received this time… is far greater than the first,” he murmured.
“So my assumptions were correct. The more corrupted they become, the more power I gain.”
A slow, knowing smile curved his lips.
The first time they had been together, he knew she would see him as nothing more than an inconvenience — a mosquito that had bitten her once.
Elarion would be uncomfortable, but nothing more.
He would never imagine Aurora could leave him for someone so beneath her.
After all, Kael was just a mortal.
A common illness could claim his life.
He was no legendary genius like Elarion, no chosen hero.
He was just a disgrace.
That was also why he had never tried to cross any serious boundaries before.
He was corrupting her slowly and deliberately.
Today’s first real move had been to strike at Elarion’s jealousy.
Kael could see how that inferiority made the hero lose his logic.
Aurora won’t truly believe her body is craving this until she sees me as a man.
All I need is time.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Prince,” Dork called from outside, his voice eager.
“The Vantress Auction House has delivered all your purchased items.”
Kael exhaled slowly and stood.
“Enter.”
Dork stepped inside, his pimply face flushed with excitement.
Behind him in the corridor, Baron William and Lady Nadia stood uncertainly, their postures still carrying the quiet dignity of fallen nobles despite their new status.
Dork approached with a wide grin and presented an ornate storage ring.
“Prince, this ring contains all the treasures you won today. Hehe… what a haul, my Prince! Only someone like you could use the princess’s money to acquire such freebies.”
Kael let out a soft laugh as he slipped into a fresh white robe.
“She should be grateful that I’m not charging interest for every time they use my body.”
Dork laughed along, leaning in with a lecherous glint.
“Prince, did you see Lady Nadia’s curves and that refined face? What a beauty. No wonder others are dying from envy that you bought them.”
Kael smiled faintly as he sat down, idly turning the storage ring between his fingers.
“Did the news already spread?”
“Of course, my Prince. The whole Crown is buzzing about your reckless spending. Some are praising your boldness, while others are mocking that you’re hiding behind your elder sister’s skirts.” Dork’s grin widened.
“Shall I bring Lady Nadia inside? You can use her desired body as you wish now that she’s your slave.”
Kael’s foot shot out in a casual kick, striking Dork squarely in the head.
“Stop spouting nonsense. How can I do that to a married woman? My dear sister ordered me to treat them properly.”
Dork rubbed his head, utterly confused, before bowing and leaving the room.
Once alone, Kael leaned back in his chair, a dark smile spreading across his face.
What fun is there in forcing someone immediately?
The real pleasure comes from breaking them slowly… while their partners watch.
He exhaled softly.
Ah, but my words weren’t entirely lies.
Even I nearly lost control when I saw her up close… What a beauty.
How delightful it will be to break that noble pride on her face… She will be perfect.
He glanced inside the storage ring and withdrew the unadorned leather-bound codex.
The moment his fingers touched it, his Void Core throbbed strongly in response.
Kael’s eyes narrowed with quiet fascination.
“How should I open you?” he wondered aloud.
The book remained stubbornly sealed, as if protected by something far beyond ordinary magic.
**
Hey everyone,
My novel Cursed Until I See Her Cheat has been released!
You can check it out now.
It mostly revolves around poor-to-rich progression, netorase, and reverse NTR.