The morning light inside the grand bedchamber did not feel like a blessing. It was a pale, cold glare that cut through the massive crystal glass wall, casting long, sharp shadows across the floor.

Lin Wan sat on the edge of the velvet mattress, her knees pulled up to her chest.

The white beast fur carpet beneath her bare feet was incredibly thick and soft, but to her, it felt like walking on a layer of heavy snow that was slowly freezing her skin.

She curled her toes, trying to find a patch of warmth, but there was none. The entire room, despite all its gold pillars and silk curtains, felt dead.

She took a shallow breath, her chest tightening as she looked around the room.

The space was enormous, easily four times the size of the rented courtyard she had lived in before. Beautiful silk banners of deep crimson hung from the high ceiling, embroidered with the golden crest of the manticore.

On the marble tables sat fine porcelain bowls filled with rare, glowing spiritual fruits that smelled of sweet nectar and mountain dew.

But Lin Wan could not look at the food without her stomach twisting into a painful knot.

For the past three days, a strange, heavy sickness had taken root deep in her belly. It wasn’t a sharp pain, but a dull, rolling nausea that seemed to get worse every time the sun rose. She felt incredibly weak, her energy core sluggish and cold, as if someone had poured thick, wet mud over her spiritual meridians.

"Weiwei," she called out in her mind, her voice small and weary. "Can you run a scan on my body? Why am I feeling so weak? Is it because of the barrier?"

There was a long, heavy silence in her head before a faint, glitched chime echoed in her ears.

[Host... my backend grid is still experiencing heavy interference,] Weiwei replied, her digital voice running at a very low, muffled frequency. [The spatial isolation array woven into these jade walls is incredibly powerful. It is designed to suppress all external spiritual frequencies to prevent anyone from tracking you or helping you escape. Because of that, my processing power is limited. I can’t run a full medical scan. But... your spiritual energy is dropping rapidly. It feels like your core is being drained from the inside. It might be a severe reaction to Prince Cassian’s sovereign pressure.]

Lin Wan let out a soft, bitter sigh, burying her face in her knees. "His pressure... it’s everywhere. Even when he isn’t in the room, I can feel his aura rubbing against my skin like a heavy wool blanket. It’s suffocating me, Weiwei."

She wrapped her thin arms tighter around her legs. She was still wearing the same ragged, simple dress from the slum kitchen.

Cassian had ordered the palace maids to bring her dozens of magnificent gowns made of royal silk and lined with rare jewels, but she had refused to touch them. They sat in a large, carved chest by the wardrobe, untouched and cold.

To her, wearing his clothes meant accepting her place as his pet. She would rather wear her dirty, torn rags until they fell apart.

Suddenly, the air inside the room grew noticeably colder.

The invisible spatial barrier near the dark ironwood doors gave a soft, vibrating hum.

The raw, world-crushing aura of a supreme predator seeped through the cracks of the wood, instantly filling every corner of the bedroom. It was a scent of winter frost, dark ozone, and raw power.

Lin Wan’s heart gave a violent, painful thud against her ribs.

*Click.*

The heavy ironwood doors swung open without a sound.

Cassian stepped into the room. He had changed his heavy, blood-stained war robes for a simple, long tunic of deep black silk that was split at the sides, revealing his tall, heavily muscled legs as he walked. His long, midnight-black hair was tied loosely behind his head, a few dark strands falling over his sharp, aristocratic jaw.

He looked breathtakingly handsome, like a god carved from flawless obsidian, but his golden slitted eyes were entirely focused on the small female sitting on the bed.

He walked with a slow, predatory grace that made no sound against the thick fur carpet. With every step he took toward her, the air in the room became heavier, pressing down on Lin Wan’s shoulders until she found it difficult to draw air into her lungs.

"You haven’t touched your breakfast," Cassian spoke, his deep, raspy voice a smooth purr that rattled the small crystal jars on the tables.

He stopped right at the edge of the bed, towering over her like a dark mountain. He looked down at her pale face, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he noticed the dark shadows under her eyes and the way her lips were trembling.

"I am not hungry," Lin Wan said, forcing her voice to remain steady as she looked away from him, staring at the white carpet. "Take it away."

Cassian did not raise his voice. He did not get angry. Instead, he sat down casually on the edge of the mattress, his massive weight causing the thick bed to sink slightly toward him. Lin Wan automatically tried to slide backward, but before she could move an inch, his large, long-fingered hand reached out.

His strong fingers wrapped gently but securely around her small ankle, anchoring her to the spot.

"Do not run from me, Lin Wan," Cassian murmured, his thumb rubbing a slow, heavy circle over her bare ankle bone. His skin was burning hot, contrasting sharply with her ice-cold feet. "You are pale. Your skin feels like winter ice. If the servants are not preparing the food to your liking, I will have them executed and replaced by noon."

"No!" Lin Wan looked up instantly, her eyes wide with fear. "Don’t touch the servants. It has nothing to do with them. The food is fine. I am just... I am sick, Cassian. I feel sick every time I look at this room. I feel sick every time those doors lock behind you. If you truly care about my health, then let me step outside. Just let me walk in the courtyard."

Cassian stared at her for a long, agonizing moment. His slitted eyes searched her face, tracking the tears that were starting to form in the corners of her eyes. A dark, complicated emotion passed through his gaze—something raw, heavy, and deeply possessive.

He reached out with his other hand, picking up a small golden bowl from the bedside table. Inside the bowl was a single, deep red spiritual pear, glowing with a faint, warm light that indicated its high medicinal value. He used his sharp, dark fingernail to slice off a small, clean piece of the fruit.

"Eat this," he commanded softly, holding the small slice of fruit right against her closed lips. "It is a sun-heart pear from the southern peaks. It contains pure, gentle yang energy. It will warm your cold meridians and settle your stomach."

"I told you, I don’t want it," Lin Wan muttered, turning her head away from his hand.

*Clang.*

Cassian set the golden bowl down on the table with a sharp, heavy sound that made her flinch. His jaw clenched tightly, the thick muscles in his neck tightening as his sovereign pressure suddenly flared, making the air inside the room feel twice as thick as before.

He reached out, his large palm cupping the side of her face, his thumb pressing firmly against her chin to force her face back toward him. His grip was not painful, but it carried the absolute, unyielding weight of a king who refused to be denied.

"You will eat it, Lin Wan," Cassian whispered, his face leaning down until his dark lips were just inches from hers. She could feel the hot, intoxicating heat of his breath washing over her pale skin. "You think you are punishing me by starving yourself? You think I will let you fade away into nothingness just because you are angry at your cage? I have fought through a river of my brothers’ blood to claim this mountain. I have destroyed the ancient arrays of the royal house to secure my place. Do you truly believe I will let a single, stubborn human female slip through my fingers now?"

"You don’t love me, Cassian," Lin Wan sobbed, the tears finally breaking free and running down over his rough fingers. "You just want to own me. You want to prove that you can control the person who once held your leash. You are just a proud, arrogant beast who cannot stand the thought of losing a single toy."

The moment the word ’toy’ left her lips, Cassian’s golden eyes flared with a lethal, terrifying fire.

He moved with a speed that her human eyes could not trace. In a single fraction of a second, he had pinned her down against the soft silk pillows, his massive, heavy body hovering directly over hers, completely blocking out the ceiling light.