Blood dripped from Lin Xi's fingertips, spreading across the expensive snow-white animal hide like clusters of startling red plum blossoms.
She stood nearly naked, her wounds and bloodstains now her only armor. The warmth of the bedchamber failed to ease her shivering, caused by blood loss and the chill air. Only her eyes burned with an unyielding flame, fixed on the wolf king at the edge of light and shadow.
Lucifer did not move.
Like a predator lurking in the shadows, his crimson pupils narrowed to slits, swirling with currents dark enough to consume everything. In the air, the crisp scent of night-blooming jasmine mingled with the sweet, metallic tang of her blood, forming a strange and alluring catalyst that relentlessly stirred his Alpha instincts.
Mark her. Possess her. Make her submit completely upon this rug of animal hides where he rested.
This thought pounded through his veins like the most primal drumbeat.
Yet the blood-red totem hidden upon the iron bars acted like invisible chains, restraining his usual, most direct and effective violent methods. The "equality" he had granted her now stood as a barrier he himself had erected, blocking his desire.
Silence spread, broken only by the crackling of burning wood in the hearth and Lin Xi's suppressed, faint breaths.
Finally, Lucifer moved.
He did not pounce like a beast. Instead, he stepped forward—steady, deliberate, each stride carrying a crushing weight of pressure as he approached her. His military boots made almost no sound on the soft carpet, yet every step felt like a stomp on Lin Xi's taut heartstrings.
He halted a step away, his towering form completely overshadowing her, casting a heavy shadow. He didn't touch her, only lowered his gaze. His eyes were like tangible probes, sliding from her bleeding palm, over her exposed, bruised waist and abdomen, finally resting on the scabbed bite mark on her shoulder—his mark.
"Unique?" he murmured hoarsely, his voice laced with dangerous amusement. "Or... reckless?"
His hand shot out like lightning—not to strike, but to seize her bleeding wrist with brutal precision. The force made Lin Xi gasp in pain as the dagger clattered to the floor.
"The first step in proving your worth," he growled, yanking her wrist to pull her closer, forcing her to tilt her head back and meet his face mere inches from hers. His scorching breath washed over her. "Is learning to cherish what belongs to me... all of it."
His other hand rose, fingers now holding a small glass vial containing a shimmering blue liquid. He flicked the stopper off with his thumb, releasing a potent scent of herbs mingled with magic.
Before Lin Xi could react, he poured the icy liquid from the vial directly onto the gruesome wound in her palm.
"Ugh—!"
A searing pain, like being pierced by countless ice needles, exploded from the wound, radiating up her entire arm! This was no gentle treatment—it felt more like punitive disinfection. Lin Xi's body jerked violently from the agony, cold sweat instantly beading on her temples. She nearly collapsed, held upright only by his tight grip on her wrist.
"It seems," Lucifer observed her face contorted in agony yet clenched tightly to stifle any cry, a flicker of satisfaction—so faint even he barely registered it—dancing in his crimson eyes, "your 'willingness' doesn't include fear of pain."
The medicine took effect rapidly. After the intense stinging came a bone-chilling numbness and tingling. The wound in Lin Xi's palm contracted and healed at a visible pace, leaving only a faint pink trace of new flesh.
He released her wrist, as though discarding a tool no longer needed.
Lin Xi stumbled back half a step, gasping for breath. The healing palm still throbbed faintly, a reminder of the torment she had endured.
"As for this 'vessel'..." Lucifer's gaze fell once more upon her exposed body, this time carrying a more blatant assessment and scrutiny. He did not touch her, merely pacing slowly around her as if appraising a newly acquired treasure in his vault, determining its proper placement.
His gaze seemed to carry heat as it swept over every inch of her skin, every scar. There was no lust in those eyes, only a pure, condescending assertion of ownership—more humiliating than any direct touch.
"Soiled." He finally stopped behind her, his voice brushing against her ear.
Lin Xi's spine stiffened.
The next moment, the shackles around her ankles were hooked by the tip of his boot—neither too light nor too heavy!
Clank—the sound of chains echoed as her already weakened body instantly lost balance, sending her tumbling forward!
She didn't fall onto the cold stone floor or animal hides, but instead landed in a warm pool of water rippling with subtle waves.
In a corner of the sleeping quarters lay a bath fed by natural hot springs. Rising steam instantly enveloped her, banishing the dungeon's chill while blurring her vision.
Struggling to her feet, the soaked sashes and trousers clung tightly to her body, tracing the immature yet stubborn contours of a form caught between boyhood and girlhood. Wet black hair plastered against her cheeks; droplets slid down her neck, tracing the hollow of her collarbone, passing over the bite marks on her shoulder.
Lucifer stood at the pool's edge, his shadow stretching across the water's surface.
"Clean yourself," he commanded, his voice carrying through the mist with unquestionable authority. "I dislike my possessions bearing the filth of the dungeon and... the blood of others."
He deliberately emphasized the words "my possessions."
Lin Xi stood waist-deep in the warm water. The soothing current eased her frozen limbs and bruised skin, yet failed to warm her frozen heart. She watched the man by the pool who controlled everything. He offered healing, offered cleansing—seemingly "merciful"—yet every step reaffirmed his ownership, shackling her anew in another form.
She raised her newly healed hand, examining the faint pink scar across her palm.
Then, before Lucifer himself, she slowly submerged beneath the surface. Warm water covered her head, washing away the bloodstains—and the stinging heat of humiliation that welled in her eyes.
Seconds later, she broke the surface, wiping the water from her face. Her gaze, sharpened by the moisture, grew clearer—and colder.
"As you wished," she said to the tyrant by the pool, her voice calm and unruffled. "Your Majesty."
[Time Remaining: 1 hour 19 minutes]