<span style="font-size:24px">Chapter 3 The Third Prince Kairen


    He was tall, and his bare torso was covered by arge, ck fur cloak. He was obviously a warrior.


    Tworge swords were attached to his belt, and out of all the Princes, he was the only one wearing


    barely any jewelry, and the least expensive fabrics. Instead, he simply wore ck leather pants,rge


    boots, and dragon scale bracers on his forearms.


    At this man’s feet, Cassandra appeared extremely vulnerable. Realizing that he was a member of the


    Imperial Family, she immediately averted her eyes. Why was she brought there? Would he kill her


    himself? Had she somehow offended the Royal Family?


    “She is indeed quite pretty…” whispered one of the Princes.


    “Brother, what do you want to do? Shall we get rid of her?”


    “Just keep her, Kairen. You could use a few more ves anyway.”


    She shivered. Prince Kairen, as in the Third Prince, the Empire’s War God? Of all people, it had to be


    the most terrifying Prince! She bowed even lower, ready for a de to slice her at any moment. But


    what were the Princes talking about?


    A long and scary silence ensued. She waited, bing more confused with each passing second, but


    it didn’t seem like anyone was nning to kill her. What was going on?


    “Alright, enough. Let’s move on with the next performance before I get bored. Brother, you’ll do


    whatever you want with herter. Who cares about a ve anyway.”


    The First Prince pped his hands, and down in the arena, servants rushed to clean the bloodied sand


    on the grounds and prepare for the next show.


    Cassandra was still frozen, kneeling at the Prince’s feet. She knew she absolutely must not raise her


    head in front of the Imperial Family, but the Third Prince still hadn’t moved. All of a sudden, a loud


    growl took her by surprise, and she turned her head, just slightly, to see the ck Dragon still behind


    her. It was close enough to envelop her in huffs of hot breath and for her to see itsrge fangs.


    Suddenly, she heard the hiss of a de. Before she could even move, the sword plunged towards her,


    and she prepared for the worst, closing her eyes. The manacles fell with a ng and her wrists no


    longer felt so heavy. He had severed the chain from her back! Cassandra slowly moved to look at her


    wrists. The iron bands were still around her neck and wrists, but they were no longer held painfully


    together from her back. Her arms were now free to move as she pleased.


    Her relief was short-lived though as he suddenly grabbed her cor, pulling her to his side. She didn’t


    have time to struggle, as he roughly dragged her to his seat. Cassandra was shocked to be ced


    against his golden chair, but even more surprised to see him simply sit without adding a word. She was


    on her knees at his feet, her shoulder against the throne, but the Prince didn’t even look at her,


    focusing back on the arena again.


    What was all that? He had ced her facing the arena so she couldn’t even sneak a nce up at him.


    She waspletely shocked and at a loss. Looking around, she realized she was the only ve on the


    tform. Aside from the Princes, only some pce attendants stood behind the seats, like statues,Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    with no one paying her any more attention.


    Cassandra was breathing erratically, and trying to understand her current situation. Suddenly, she felt


    warmth covering her shoulders. Surprised, she nced to the side, only to realize that it was a part of


    the Prince’srge coat! Did he purposely move it so that it would cover her, too? Or was it mere luck?


    Her bare shoulders were now covered by the thick fur, shielding her from the wind and bitter cold.


    “What ising next?” One of the Princes suddenly asked.


    “Dancers! I heard this group came from across the North Sea!”


    It seemed like they had all forgotten the macabre show that had urred just mere minutes ago.


    Cassandra kept her head low, silently praying they would ignore her for the rest of the day. As she


    knelt, frozen in ce, she felt a hand caress her hair without warning. It took her a few seconds to


    realize, as the fingers that gently yed with her long waves were so light she barely felt them. For a


    minute, she was dumbstruck, wondering if she was dreaming. No one but the Third Prince was close


    enough to be able to reach and touch her. Hisrge hand slowly stroked her hair, almost touching her


    back. She could feel his warm skin flirting with hers.


    Was the War God really petting her like this? She could barely breathe under his touch. She didn’t dare


    to move a muscle. On the arena floor beneath them, a splendid dance performance was taking ce


    with dozens of performers, yet all she could focus on was the faint brushing of his fingertips on her


    slender nape. Did anyone else notice the Prince’s actions under the cloak?


    When Cassandra finally dared a nce to the side, it didn’t seem like it. The other Princes seated to


    their left were solely focused on the performances down in the arena, not paying any attention to her or


    her new master.


    Because this was her situation now, right? Within minutes she had be property of the Third


    Prince. It was almost as if he had collected a stone from the sidewalk. But instead of a stone, he had


    picked up a ve.


    All that Cassandra knew of him hade from rumors. When it came to the Third Prince, the gossip


    mill ran deep. The Emperor’s favorite son, he was said to be a dark, cruel, and merciless man. The


    Empire’s War God. Was he really the one who, against all odds, had spared the life of a ve? Did he


    just decide to do so because of the actions of his willful dragon?


    The beast was now peacefully resting a few feet away on a lower step. It seemed bored,ying down


    while its peers had been brought back to their cages, or chained and seated at the sides of the arena.


    Cassandra observed the magnificent dragon again, mesmerized by the obsidian scales. She found it


    more distracting than any performance, especially since she couldn’t look at the owner of the hand that


    was ying with her hair.


    Would the Prince order the dragon to kill her if she asked him to let her go? Cassandra didn’t even dare


    to look at him or move. She was submitting to his hand, and the caresses in her long hair. A few times


    she shivered, not because of the cold, since she was now under the cloak, but from the contact of the


    Prince’s hot hand against her skin. Moreover, his hand was venturing further and further down her


    nape, onto her shoulders. He wasn’t touching only her hair anymore. His fingers were now moving


    further down, and she felt embarrassed.


    She had never been touched like this by a man before. ves were not concubines, nor were they


    worthy to even be seen as women. They were often dirty and poorly dressed. Unlike the noblewomen


    who went to extreme lengths to have the prettiest dresses, jewelry, and the most expensive make-up


    avable. Cassandra never had any of those luxuries, but she possessed a natural beauty that even


    years of envement and abuse could not take from her.


    Like a flower in a bed of weeds, she had managed to stay beautiful. She was tall and thin, with pale


    skin that had been permanently scarred by a whip in several ces. Her breasts were notrge, but


    still round and full enough to make her look feminine. Had she been fed properly, she would have had a


    beautiful silhouette. But despite the years of malnourishment, the graceful beauty of her face was


    undeniable. She hadrge green eyes, a small nose, and thin but full lips. A pure, fragile beauty – like a


    water lily.


    As the afternoon passed, Cassandra gradually grew ustomed to the Prince’s touch. She couldn’t


    ignore it, but she didn’t shiver or overthink it anymore. After a dozen performances, the Prince suddenly


    stood up.


    “Brother?” asked the youngest prince.


    But Kairen didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he simply left his seat. Cassandra, wondering for a second


    if she should follow, decided it would be better than to stay with the other five Princes on the tform


    she had no reason being on to begin with.


    Leaving the balcony, the Third Prince walked through the many corridors so fast that she could barely


    keep up. To her surprise, the War God’s quarters were located in the farthest wing of the Pce. By the


    time they arrived, she was exhausted.


    He opened the double doors, revealing a very simple room, by a Prince’s standards, that is. But to


    Cassandra, that ce was still unbelievablyrge and luxurious with a canopy bed,rge enough to


    wee four people, and adorned in silk sheets. There were also two chairs and a table made of


    redwood, one of the most expensive and valuable materials, an empty desk, a wardrobe containing a


    warrior’s armor, and a bath.


    Cassandra was shocked by how bare the room was. Had it just been prepared to wee him during


    his stay during the festival? She had heard each Prince lived in his own Pce after all.


    Kairen left hisrge fur cloak on one of the chairs and massaged his neck. Cassandra suddenly


    realized that she was his only attendant! Did hee without any ves or servants?


    The War God sighed.


    “I want to take a bath.”


    These were the first words he had spoken to her. Despite her surprise, Cassandra’s years in very


    had her obeying right away. Leaving the room, she found the first pce servant she could and asked


    them for hot water to be prepared for the Third Prince, as well as several herbs for the water. The


    servant, not knowing the ve girl, was inclined to whip her and send her back where she belonged,


    but her words of “Third Prince” had the impulse stuck in his throat. If there was one man no one wanted


    to anger, it was the Third Prince. So, after a doubtful second, he nodded with disdain and turned on his


    heels.


    A few minutester, Cassandra was busy pouring the hot water into the bath along with a few herbs


    she had ordered.


    “What are those?”


    The young woman looked at him, meaning to answer, only to realize her master was undressing right in


    front of her! She only had a nce at the warrior’s impressive muscture before she shyly looked


    down, yet the image was surely engraved in her mind. A War God, indeed! She blushed while


    answering.


    “Those are medicinal herbs to… to relieve fatigue and muscle pain, my Lord.”


    Kairen frowned. How did this woman know of his strained muscles? He never showed any weakness.


    Is it because of the way he had stretched once they had entered the privacy of his quarters? As he


    pondered this, he realized his ve was looking down again with a flush of red in her cheeks. He


    snickered while entering the bath. Had she never seen a naked man before?


    “Do you need more water, my Lord?”


    “Come here.”


    Hesitantly, Cassandra walked the few steps back towards the tub, trying hard to refrain from taking a


    peek at him. Indeed, having served only women before, she was totally disarmed while facing a grown


    man’s body. Kairen’s body wasn’t merely handsome. He was more like a dangerous alpha male, strong


    and imposing.


    Watching her struggle to look away, he knew he was right.


    “Massage me.”


    “…My Lord?”


    But he didn’t bother ordering again. A bit surprised, Cassandra obediently stood behind him and started


    massaging his broad shoulders. Her fingers were trembling. She was touching a Prince! While trying to


    contain her inner turmoil, she focused on her movements. She knew what kind of being he was. In a


    split second, he could decide to end her life. For the young ve, this was infinitely more terrifying than


    standing in front of wild, scaled beasts.


    As she kept massaging, she felt his muscles finally begin to rx, filling her with satisfaction. She


    moved on to his left arm, using her prior knowledge of healing to properly massage every muscle.


    When she finally looked back at his face, she realized he had closed his eyes as if he was asleep,


    allowing her to breathe a little easier.


    Cassandra moved on to his other arm, skillfully kneading the bicep of the War God. She felt some pride


    to see that the medicinal bath she had prepared was so effective. Was the water still warm enough?


    She nced down at the water and that’s when she saw it.


    Her Prince’s member, fully erect.