Chapter 16: Crown of Cruelty

As the night deepened, casting the palace into a shroud of darkness, Seraphina found herself once again summoned to the prince's chambers. Dread gnawed at her insides as she made her way through the labyrinthine corridors, her footsteps echoing in the silence of the night.

Upon reaching the prince's door, Seraphina hesitated for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew what awaited her on the other side—a night of humiliation and degradation at the hands of a man who saw her as nothing more than a plaything to be used and discarded at his whim.

With a heavy sigh, Seraphina pushed open the door and stepped into the dimly lit chamber. The prince lounged on his bed, a predatory gleam in his eyes as he regarded her with thinly veiled contempt.

"Ah, Seraphina," he slurred, his words thick with drink. "I trust you remember your duties?"

Seraphina's stomach churned at the sight of the prince in such a state, but she forced herself to maintain her composure. "Yes, Your Highness," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

The prince's lips curled into a cruel smile as he beckoned her closer. "Good," he said, his voice low and menacing. "Then come here and warm my bed."

With a heavy heart, Seraphina approached the prince, her steps slow and deliberate. But before she could reach him, he seized her roughly by the arm and pulled her onto the bed beside him, his grip like iron around her wrist.

Seraphina gasped in pain as the prince's fingers dug into her flesh, his eyes burning with a savage intensity. "You think you can deceive me, Seraphina?" he snarled, his breath hot against her ear. "You think you can play the innocent while spreading your legs for every man who comes your way?"

Tears stung Seraphina's eyes at the prince's cruel words, but she refused to show him any sign of weakness. "I am no whore, Your Highness," she said, her voice trembling with defiance. "I am a servant of the crown, and I will not be treated as anything less."

But the prince only laughed, a cold, mirthless sound that sent shivers down Seraphina's spine. "Oh, but you are a whore, Seraphina," he said, his voice low and menacing. "And tonight, I will treat you as such."

With that, the prince lunged at Seraphina, his hands closing around her throat with a vice-like grip. She gasped for breath, her vision swimming as darkness threatened to engulf her. And as the prince's cruel laughter echoed in her ears, Seraphina knew that she was truly alone in a world ruled by shadows and cruelty.