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The midnight air in the Fox Realm Castle was a jagged blade of cold. The first ritual had been grueling, leaving both Justin and Jade physically spent and emotionally frayed.
Justin walked a few paces ahead, his heavy ceremonial robes now a sodden weight, dripping rhythmic droplets onto the stone floor. Behind him, Jade was in a worse state. Her light, white silk hanfu was completely translucent from the spring water bath, clinging to her skin like a second layer of ice.
A sharp, uncontrollable shiver racked her frame, the sound of her teeth chattering echoing in the hollow corridor.
Justin stopped. He didn't turn immediately, his shoulders tensing under the wet fabric. Then, with a sigh that carried the weight of a thousand unspoken words, he turned. Without a word, he peeled off his heavy outer layer—a robe embroidered with silver threads—and draped it over her.
The warmth from his body still lingered in the fabric. Jade looked up, her lashes spiked with moisture, meeting his intense, dark gaze.
"Don't get caught in the cold," he said, his voice a low rumble of command and hidden tenderness. "Go."
Jade didn't wait. She clutched the oversized robe around her and hurried to her chambers. Once inside, she leaned her back against the heavy wood of the door, her heart hammering. He was so angry during the ritual, she whispered to the shadows of the room. His eyes were like flint. So why... why does he still look at me as if I'm the only thing that matters?
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The next morning, the sun had barely kissed the castle spires when the peace was shattered. Jade was buried deep in a dreamless sleep until a sharp tap-tap-tap hit her shoulder.
"Mm... five more minutes..." Jade groaned, burying her face in the silk pillow.
Whack. This time, the timber stick hit with more purpose.
Jade bolted upright, her eyes snapping open to find the Fox Nanny standing over her bed like a spectral vulture.
"How did you get in?" Jade gasped, clutching her duvet. "I locked the door! I'm sure of it!"
The Nanny chuckled, a dry, papery sound. With a casual snap of her fingers, the heavy bolt on the door slid back and forth of its own accord. "Locks are for those without magic, child," she said, her eyes glinting. "There are more rituals ahead. Be quick. Meet us by the garden."
Jade nodded, still half-lost in the fog of sleep. The Nanny frowned and brought her timber stick down in a sharp tap right on the crown of Jade's head.
"Ow!" Jade rubbed her scalp, the sleepiness instantly replaced by a sharp spark of irritation.
"Move," the Nanny commanded.
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Minutes later, Jade was dressed and searching for her friend, Emily. The room was empty.
"Where did she go?" Jade whispered to herself.
"Your friend is in the garden, Lady Jade," a voice piped up. It was Daisy, a young maid with a perpetually bright expression.
"The garden? Thank goodness," Jade sighed. "Lead the way, Daisy."
As they traversed the sprawling castle, they passed a massive, sunken courtyard. It was a wide-open arena filled with the rhythmic clink-clink of steel and the scent of iron and sweat. Racks of gleaming swords, spears, and halberds lined the stone walls.
"What is this place?" Jade asked, pausing at the edge of the balcony.
"The practice area," Daisy explained with a hint of pride. "Our army trains here daily to defend the Fox Realm."
Jade looked down at the soldiers, then back at Daisy. "And who oversees them? Surely someone... more imposing?"
"Our Prince Justin teaches them himself," Daisy replied.
Jade let out a small, skeptical huff. "Justin? No way. He's... well, he's a prince. He looks so thin in those flowing robes. He doesn't look like he could lift a broadsword, let alone lead an army."
Daisy's eyes widened to the size of saucers, but Jade just offered an awkward, sheepish smile and turned her gaze toward the center of the pit.
The Prince of Shadows and Steel
The words died in her throat.
There, in the center of the ring, was Justin. He was stripped to the waist, his upper body bare to the morning sun. Jade's breath hitched. He wasn't "thin"—he was corded. His body was a masterpiece of lean, functional muscle, every fiber defined and shimmering with a thick sheen of sweat.
As he swung a heavy practice blade, his perfect abs rippled with the movement, and the red string tying back his dark hair fluttered like a bloody banner. He looked dangerous. He looked primal.
Jade swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly very dry. She found herself unable to look away, her eyes tracing the line of his shoulders down to his narrow waist.
Justin sensed the gaze. He brought the sword to a sharp halt, the tip hovering inches from the ground, and turned. His eyes locked onto hers with the precision of an arrow.
Daisy leaned in, whispering into Jade's ear with a mischievous grin. "Still think he isn't strong, My Lady?"
Jade didn't answer; she couldn't. She just bit her lower lip, her face flushing a deep crimson.
Justin began walking toward her, his stride confident and predatory. He stopped just below the balcony, looking up at her with that deep, gravelly voice. "Why are you here? Looking for more trouble?"
Jade's gaze instinctively dropped to his chest again before she snapped her eyes toward the sky. "I... I took the wrong way," she stammered, her heart doing somersaults.
Justin's lips curled into a devastatingly handsome smirk. "Have you seen enough?"
Jade squeaked, squeezed her eyes shut, and practically bolted in the opposite direction, her boots clattering loudly on the stone as Justin's low, amused chuckle followed her down the hall.
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The Royal Garden of the Fox Realm was an explosion of ethereal silver-white blooms, but to Jade, it felt like a beautiful cage. The air was thick with the scent of moonlight nectar and the heavy, suffocating weight of tradition.
The Fox Nanny stood at the edge of the terrace, her fur a mottled grey and her eyes sharper than flint. She pointed her gnarled wooden staff toward the endless rows of Star-Lilies.
"Jade," the Nanny barked, her voice like dry parchment. "Pluck every open bloom in this quadrant. Every single one. The Blood-Moon ritual demands purity, and these flowers must be bled of their nectar by dawn."
Jade's fingers trembled as she reached for the first stem. She felt the cool, velvety texture of the petal—a living thing soon to be crushed for a ritual she dreaded. As she began the repetitive, soul-numbing task, she felt a pair of eyes on her.
Emily stood a few paces away, arms crossed, watching with a mixture of pity and boredom. Suddenly, a sharp thwack echoed through the garden. The Nanny had tapped her staff firmly against Emily's shoulder blades.
Emily spun around, eyes flashing. "What was that for?"
"You too," the Nanny hissed. "The ritual requires the energy of the young. Get to work."
Emily let out a harsh, incredulous scoff. "Me? I'm a guest—or a prisoner, depending on how you look at it. I'm not marrying anyone in this fluff-filled realm. Why should I perform your rituals?"
The Nanny leaned in, her snout twitching. "Do this, and the spirits may grant even a stubborn girl like you a perfect husband in the future. Refuse, and you can explain your laziness to the High Guard." She raised her staff threateningly.
With a groan of pure frustration, Emily turned toward the flower beds. Seeing the fierce, independent Emily reduced to picking flowers like a disgruntled apprentice was too much for Jade. A small, genuine laugh escaped Jade's lips.
"What are you laughing at?" Emily snapped, though her pout softened slightly at the sight of Jade's rare smile.
"Nothing," Jade whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Just... the 'perfect husband' part."
As they worked side-by-side, hidden by the tall stalks of the lilies, Jade felt the weight of the folded parchment in her palm. She waited until the Nanny turned to scold another maid, then brushed her hand against Emily's.
Emily felt the paper press into her palm. With the practiced stealth of someone who had spent her life breaking rules, she tucked it against her sleeve, shielding it from the prying eyes of the Fox guards.
Don't worry, we will escape from here. I saw it—when Justin opened the barrier, his ring shined with an ancient light. I believe the ring is the key. If we get the ring, we get our freedom.
Emily's breath hitched. The spark of hope was so sudden it felt like a physical blow. She looked at Jade, her eyes wide and shimmering with a newfound fire.
"REALLY?" Emily blurted out, her voice echoing off the stone walls of the palace.
Jade's eyes went wide with terror. "Emily!" she hissed under her breath.
The garden fell silent. The other maids stopped their plucking, and the Fox Nanny turned slowly, her narrow eyes fixed on the two girls. The tension was a living thing, thick and suffocating.
Emily's face went bright red. She quickly dropped to her knees, grabbing a handful of flowers and waving them awkwardly. "I mean... really! These flowers! They're just... so beautiful! I've never seen anything like them!"
The Nanny stared at them for a long beat, her staff tapping rhythmically on the grass—a sound like a ticking clock. Finally, she huffed and looked away.
Jade leaned closer to Emily, her voice a mere ghost of a sound. "Keep your voice down," she breathed, "or the key won't matter because we'll be in the dungeons."
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The air inside the Ancestor Hall was thick with the scent of aged sandalwood and the heavy, silent judgment of the past. Flickering candlelight danced across the portraits of Justin's late parents; their eyes, frozen in oil and pigment, seemed to track Jade's every nervous breath.
Standing between Justin and the enigmatic Fox Nanny, Jade felt like an intruder in a sacred tomb.
After the final, low bow to the spirits, the Nanny's voice sliced through the silence. "You may leave now, Justin. This portion of the ritual is for Jade alone."
Justin paused, his gaze lingering on Jade. He saw the slight tremor in her hands, the way she chewed her lip—a silent plea for him to stay. But the laws of the lineage were absolute. With a final, reassuring squeeze of her hand, he turned and walked toward the heavy oak doors. As they thudded shut behind him, the sound of the iron bolt sliding home felt like a guillotine blade.
The Nanny moved with a predatory grace toward an ornate sideboard. From a velvet-lined drawer, she withdrew a milky-white orb. It looked innocent, like a trapped cloud, but as she placed it on the central altar, Jade felt a cold shiver crawl down her spine.
"Come closer," the Nanny beckoned, her eyes gleaming with an unreadable hunger. "You must receive the blessings of the ancestors."
Jade hesitated, her feet feeling like lead. Is this the same globe that tasted my blood before? she wondered, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
As she stepped within a foot of the altar, the orb reacted. It didn't just glow; it throbbed. A soft, rhythmic pulse of light emanated from its core, synchronizing with the beat of Jade's heart.
"Look," the Nanny chuckled, a sound devoid of true warmth. "They are so happy to see you."
Happy? Jade thought, a sense of dread pooling in her stomach. This feels like hunger, not happiness.
Before Jade could retreat, the Nanny's fingers—strong as iron talons—wrapped around Jade's wrists. With a swift movement, she forced Jade's palms onto the cold surface of the sphere.
"No!" Jade gasped, but the word was swallowed by a deafening white blast.
The explosion of energy sent the Nanny flying across the hall, her body crashing into the far tapestries. A violent, unnatural gale erupted within the sealed room, whipping Jade's hair into a frenzy.
Jade tried to scream, but the air was sucked from her lungs. She tried to pull away, but her palms were fused to the glass. It was a magnetic, parasitic pull. Then, the agony started.
It felt as if a thousand needles were threading through her veins. Jade let out a guttural roar of pain as she saw the impossible: her blood was being drawn through her skin. Crimson ribbons of life-force spiraled through the air, glowing with a ghostly light before being devoured by the white orb.
The sphere was no longer white; it was turning a bruised, angry violet.
Jade's vision began to tunnel. Her legs gave way, and she was suspended in the air, held up only by the vacuum-grip of the artifact. Her lips faded to a deathly, translucent pale.
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Outside, Justin was nearing the ruling chamber when the sound of the blast reached him—a low, resonant thud that shook the very foundations of the castle.
"Something is wrong," he whispered, his blood turning to ice.
He didn't think. He ran.
Inside the hall, the Nanny scrambled to her feet, her face etched with pure terror. She chanted ancient spells, her hands glowing with protective magic, but the orb rejected her. It was a closed loop of agony. "Jade!" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I can't stop it!"
Just as Jade's eyes began to roll back into her head, the heavy doors didn't just open—they shattered.
Justin stood in the wreckage, his silhouette framed by the dust of the broken wood. Seeing Jade suspended, her life literally being drained into the air, something inside him snapped. His love, usually a gentle flame, exploded into a torrential fury.
"LET HER GO!" he bellowed.
He thrust his hand forward, unleashing a wave of raw, kingly power. The golden light of his magic collided with the orb's parasitic pull. The connection snapped.
Jade was thrown backward into the void. Justin moved like a blur, catching her mid-air. He spun with the momentum, cradling her fragile body against his chest as they descended.
They landed softly, the world around them still howling with residual energy. Jade's eyes fluttered open for a brief second. She saw the sharp line of Justin's jaw, the tears of rage and relief in his eyes.
"Justin..." she wheezed, her voice a mere shadow.
He placed her gently on the floor as the Nanny rushed over to attend to her. But the ritual was not finished. The orb, now fueled by Jade's essence, hummed with a terrifying frequency. It wanted more.
Justin stood and approached the altar, his face a mask of grim determination. "You want blood?" he growled at the ghosts of his lineage. "Take mine, but leave her alone."
As he reached out, the orb didn't wait. It surged forward, its surface latching onto his palm with a sickening squelch.
Justin let out a harrowing roar. The veins in his arm turned black, standing out in stark relief against his skin as the orb began to drain him with twice the ferocity it had used on Jade.
"Justin! NO!" Jade cried out from the floor, reaching a weak hand toward him as she watched the man,who loved her now ready to do anything for her.
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To be Continued.....
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