Yena let out a soft, frustrated noise and grabbed his neck, pulling him down for a hungry, desperate kiss. She tasted like raw anxiety and fierce loyalty.

Kai kissed her back hard, gripping her waist and lifting her slightly so she pressed firmly against his chest.

They stayed hidden in the closet, sharing a frantic moment of stolen heat while royal guards marched past the wooden door.

"Get out of the palace," Kai ordered softly when they finally broke apart. He kissed her forehead and stepped back to give her space.

"Wait for my signal at the inn. When the sky turns blue, you’ll know the Matriarch is dead."

Yena nodded slowly, fixing her wrinkled uniform.

"Don’t make me come back here to collect your corpse."

She slipped out of the closet first, blending seamlessly into the flow of passing servants. Kai waited a few minutes before returning to his private suite.

The afternoon sun baked the marble balcony, casting long shadows across his expensive silk bed.

He sat down on the edge of the mattress and looked at his left wrist.

The heavy golden bracelet caught the sunlight, gleaming with a false promise of luxury and favor.

It was a beautiful shackle, designed to make him feel special while leading him straight to a slaughterhouse.

Tracing the intricate rose patterns carved into the gold, Kai let a cold smile stretch across his face.

*****

The third trial started.

Guards shoved Kai and the three remaining men into a circular stone room beneath the arena. Brass vents hissed along the floorboards, releasing a sweet pink mist into the warm air.

’This must be the Trial of Flesh,’ Kai thought, breathing in a shallow gasp of the cloying smoke. ’I bet it targets the nervous system directly. Maybe it forces a sensory overload to see who cracks first.’

His guess proved accurate almost instantly. Other candidates dropped to their knees, screaming for help. One gladiator writhed on the floor, laughing hysterically while clawing at his own chest. This magic amplified their nerve endings, mixing excruciating pain with blinding pleasure until their minds just shattered.

Kai felt a sudden spike of agonizing heat shoot through his veins. A dizzying rush of euphoric pleasure quickly chased the pain, trying to pull him under. He immediately channeled his freezing mana, forcing a layer of ice into his internal core to numb the wild sensations.

"Is that really all you have?" Kai asked the empty room, locking his boots into a casual stance.

He ignored the sobbing men rolling around his feet. He just stared up at the enchanted mirrors on the ceiling, knowing exactly who was watching him.

Noblewomen squeezed their thighs together in the viewing galleries above. They watched his unbothered reflection in silver glass, practically panting from the display.

"He isn’t even breaking a sweat," a Duchess gasped, fanning her flushed chest. "Those vapors usually turn men into blubbering animals begging for mercy. He just stands there looking bored."

"I need him in my bed tonight," a Baroness whimpered, tracing her own lip. "Look at those eyes. He’s thinking about hurting someone, and I really hope it’s me. I’d let him do whatever he wants."

"He makes the rest of our consorts look like weak little boys," another noble agreed.

Matriarch sat alone in her private box, gripping her wine cup so tight the gold bent under her fingers. She didn’t speak to her attendants. Her crimson eyes just devoured every inch of Kai’s stoic frame, burning with an obsession she couldn’t hide anymore.

Kai walked out of the mist an hour later, earning the top score effortlessly. The gray-robed attendant met him at the door before he could even wash his face.

"She wants you," the attendant whispered nervously, keeping her eyes averted. "Right now. Her private bedchamber."

He followed her up a winding spiral staircase, his mind racing through tactical options.

’She’s getting very impatient,’ Kai thought, fixing the golden sash on his black silk robe. ’Perhaps the mist agitated her corrupted core. I think she’s ready to snap, and she needs an anchor to keep herself grounded.’

He stepped into a sprawling bedroom smelling of spice and sweet wine. Matriarch waited for him near a wide mattress, wearing a thin white slip that revealed every curve of her athletic body. Her glowing red veins pulsed rapidly under her pale skin, feeding off her erratic emotions.

"You always survive, Kai," she murmured, walking toward him with slow, predatory steps. "You don’t beg. You don’t scream. Why aren’t you broken yet?"

"I guess you just aren’t trying hard enough," Kai challenged, letting her step right into his personal space.

"I try to break everyone," she whispered, tracing his jawline. "It’s what I do."

"You think strength is just about enduring pain," Kai asked her, lingering near the mattress. "I saw your other consorts. They look like hollow shells. You don’t want a partner, you just want a battery."

She laughed, a breathy, chaotic sound. "Partners betray you. A battery just serves its purpose. But you... You’re different. I think you could actually survive me."

"I know I could," he dared her.

She grabbed his lapels and crashed her mouth against his. This kiss held nothing back. She tasted like raw power, wine, and desperate hunger.

Kai responded by wrapping his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly off the floor so her hips ground directly against his groin.

She moaned loudly into his mouth, dropping all pretenses of royal dignity. Her hands tore at his silk robe, desperate to feel his bare chest.

Kai walked her backward until her knees hit the edge of the mattress, pushing her down into the silk cushions. He crawled over her, pinning her wrists to the bed while he kissed down her jawline and bit her neck. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"You want to own me," Kai whispered roughly against her ear, slipping a hand up her bare thigh. "Tell me how much you want it. Tell me what you’d give up just to keep me here."