Not willing

They landed in a magnificent palace. It was neat and carefully decorated with few to no servants. Despite not being a lush and luxurious décor, it was built with the highest quality materials and the magical energy it contained was top-notch thanks to design arrangements.

When the servants and housekeeper saw the man arrive, they almost fainted when they noticed the beautiful girl in his arms.

"Master," an older woman said as she bowed her head in greeting, followed by the other servants.

"Prepare my room and bring clean clothes for the lady."

"Yes, Master."

He then took her to a big courtyard. Hanging on the walls were countless paintings and simple and elegant ornaments. His chambers were at the end of a long corridor with several windows at the sides that displayed exquisite gardens. In the middle of his main room was a big white bed, and the whole space was completely clean and tidy. The soft sunlight could be seen coming through the windows and created a calm and soft environment.

He carried her to the bed and sat her on his lap. She was quiet the whole journey thinking of her next move. 'It would be difficult to escape with all his servants around. I must endure for now.'

"Could you let me go?" She asked in an indifferent tone.

"No." He said leisurely, touching her cheeks and kissing her hair like a precious treasure. She felt anxious and her heartbeat was raising. Her hands clutched at her sides were resisting the urge to fight. When his hands mischievously began to travel to dangerous zones, she snapped.

"Let me go now, you bastard! I don't know who you are, but you don't have any right to touch me!"

She was about to slap him when he grabbed her hand and pushed her on the bed. Then he stopped what he was about to do and looked at her with big surprise in his eyes.

"I am Lian Gengxin," he said waiting for her reaction. She did not say anything.

"Let me go."

"You are going to be my wife."

"I am not," Xueling said with cold eyes looking directly into his eyes.

"Then why are you here? Aren't you waiting to be selected to be the wife of the Duke?" He said mockingly.

She knew who this man was. He was the master of this territory, one of the vastest and wealthiest estates on the country. The Great Duke of Jin, the most powerful of the sixteen territories, his mysterious control of magical energy caused a tremor in people's hearts. He was rumored to be a low-key but extremely cold and bloodthirsty type of person. It was said that he came from a glorious victory from the northern war. A war that brought fear and caution to the northern tribes and foreign countries, they feared this man and his power.

"I didn't come here willingly." Her voice was calm but hidden in her eyes was alert and a bit of fear.

"I don't care, I choose you now." He knew she was distancing herself from him as he could easily hear her heart pounding.

"I will announce our engagement and I'll make you my wife by the end of the month." He sounded authoritative without a bit of warmth in his voice. A complete change from moments before.

"I am not willing."

"What can you do? You are too weak to put a fight." He said with cold, indifferent eyes for the first time. It was as if the mischievous man no longer existed. He released her and stood up from the bed.

She understood then, he was choosing her for her weakness and low status. Compared to the other candidates, she came without background and without power. No family greed and no interests that could disturb the harmony inside the palace. It was too much a coincidence that he showed up in her courtyard.

"Stay here and be my woman. I will not treat you badly in the future if you behave yourself."

Xueling did not say anything, the man was stubborn and arrogant. He changed his personality too quickly and now he was too dangerous for her. She sat up and looked at him considering her options.

"I'll stay here, and I can act as your nominal wife, but nothing else. I'll help keep your admirers at bay and maintain appearances, but that's it, is that what you want, Your Highness?"

He looked at her for a moment and chuckled.

"You are truly smart, at first that was my purpose, but now you are getting more and more interesting." He caressed her chin.

"Don't touch me!" She slapped his hand.

He smirked and grabbed her waist. "You are not allowed to refuse me. I can do everything I want with you. You will forever be mine." He looked at her little face and her beautiful eyes, then her nose and sultry lips. He was about to kiss her when there was a knock on the door.

"Master! The bath and clothes are ready."

"Get in!" He said with annoyance in his voice.

He left her abruptly and headed for the door. "Bathe her and dress her up!" Then he went away without turning back.

After a few hours. She was alone inside the room; she could feel the enchantment around the property. It was several times stronger than the magical chain from before. She would never be able to escape with her current power.

She went into the garden and sat down under the shade of a tree. No one was following her. Surely the people inside the residence were not worried about leaving her alone as they were told she has no magic, that is to say, no power to escape. Her lowly status brought disgust in the eyes of the servants and guards who surrounded the property despite her over earthly beautiful face. It was easy to understand that they deemed her unworthy of the Duke.

However, she enjoyed greatly being left alone mostly because she felt the incredible amount of energy within the magical array. That man surely knew she had a bit of talent, but never imagined that she had the knowledge of centuries ahead to repair her body.

Her core was healing at high speed after a day inside that place, and she could feel her inner space trying to reach her.

'I am almost there. Just a little while longer and I will be able to open the space library.'