Page 77 of The Princess In A 'Prince' Disguise

"Lord Vladya," a familiar voice called out.

Vladya turned to face Lord Ottai. "What is it?" A touch of impatience tinged his voice.

A semblance of pity colored Ottai's expression as he shook his head. "Do not proceed with it."

Vladya did not feign ignorance; he knew precisely what Ottai referred to. Nevertheless, he remained silent, crossing his arms, staring Ottai down.

"Do not do it, Vlad," his friend pleaded. "Forcing yourself upon unwilling slaves is a line you have never crossed before. That is Zaiper's move, not yours. You have never cared enough to even punish a slave before, but what I saw in court..."

Ottai shook his head. “If you say the word, all the unbonded females of our land would run over themselves just to get to you. You need not mount this girl to seek sexual release."

"I might as well satisfy my desires with that girl and be done with it, Lord Ottai." Vladya’s eyes darkened, a cynical smile tugging at his hardened features. "I am done fighting my urges, as well as my inner beast."

"Your inner beast?" Ottai raised an eyebrow. "I was unaware that it was involved."

"It was not meant to be," Vladya snapped, before he turned away and resumed his purposeful stride.

Ottai quickly followed. "If your beast is indeed interested in her, it is all the more reason why you must resist, Vlad. You might unleash on her.”

"Good riddance then," Vladya stated without hesitation, continuing to walk. In his opinion, her death would be a relief, as it would rid him of these strange and disturbing thoughts about the slave princess. It would be a victory for him.

"Do not succumb to this darkness within you. The time has come for you to fight against it, lest you lose what remains of your humanity."

Vladya halted in his tracks. "Have you forgotten? I lost everything that fateful night. Everything.” He did not turn to face Ottai as he spoke. “When life ceases to matter, mere concepts such as conscience, morals, and values fade away. When one's soul is lost, Ottai, there is nothing else left to lose."

"Vlad... I know this isn't about Daemonikai, but about––"

"Do not even say her name. Don't you dare," came his low, dangerous whisper.

Ottai’s sighed, defeated.

Vladya resumed his determined stride, his footsteps echoing through the corridor. As he neared a turn, Lord Ottai called out once again.

"At the very least, make a conscious effort not to kill her. Remember, she serves the grand king. For the first time, we have a female such as her for him—someone he does not kill after mounting."

Vladya almost retorted that the girl's brother seemed to excel in that regard too. Yet, he refrained.What was the point?

It wasn’t as though he had plans to deliberately end the human girl's life. He simply had no intention of holding back.

Chapter twenty-five

UNEXPECTED AROUSAL AND THE CRUEL DEVIL

Aekeira knelt within the heart of Grand Lord Vladya's bedchambers, hands clasped before her, head lowered in submission.

As she awaited her fate, the initial nervousness had long abated. Now she felt tired. Resigned. Numb.

The door opened, and the grand lord stepped inside. The click of the lock that followed sealed her fate.

He crossed to the other side of the room and stood against the window, arms crossed as he gazed out into the night.

For what felt like an eternity, he did not speak to her, not a glance in her direction to acknowledge her presence.

What was going through his mind?

Aekeira wet her lips. "My Lord, please have mercy on me. I know you are mad at me—"

"Do. Not. Speak," he stated coolly, his back to her. "You are not worth the sand I step on. Why would I, Vladya, be mad at you?"

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