CHAPTER 175: HOW ABOUT WE CONTINUE?(18+)

"Mira..." Dimitri growled, his voice icy with restrained fury. "How dare you?"

"Your Highness," Mira snapped, the anger still blazing in her eyes. But just as she attempted to move forward, Dimitri’s voice thundered again.

"Kneel down right there or you’ll regret your actions just now," he commanded, the sharpness in his tone slicing through the tension in the room. "First, you barged into the chamber without being summoned. Secondly, you dared to call the imperial consort a slut? Have you grown tired of living? Or have I spoiled you so much that you no longer recognize your place?"

Tears welled up in Mira’s eyes as she dropped to her knees, the fury in her chest now tangled with humiliation.

"I can see you both had a hot, intimate morning session," she choked out, her voice cracking as tears streamed freely down her cheeks. "Why does she get to spend time alone with you? The other concubines came to meet you, and yet you sent them all away. Are you going to send me away too? Have you forgotten... that I was once your official wife?"

Dimitri scoffed and then leaned forward, pulling down the blanket that had been covering both his body and Sorayah’s bare form.

Sorayah instinctively reached for the blanket, her heart thundering in her chest.

"What are you trying to do?" she whispered, her voice low and uncertain. Vulnerability flickered across her expression.

"Shush," Dimitri murmured, pressing a finger gently against her lips, silencing her. "We’re not done here anyway. How about... we continue?"

’Continue... what?’ Sorayah thought to herself, alarm pulsing through her veins. But before she could voice the question, Dimitri turned his intense gaze back to Mira.

"You remember, don’t you?" he began coldly. "I once had sex with you in front of Sorayah. She was asked to kneel and watch. She even helped fill the bath afterward, washing your feet like a servant." He paused for effect, then added with a cruel smirk, "Today, it’s your turn to kneel there silently. And when we’re done, you’ll draw a bath for us, and you’ll wash her legs."

"Your Highness!" Mira gasped, her voice trembling with disbelief and seething rage. She clenched her fists by her sides, unable to believe what she was hearing.

But Dimitri didn’t respond.

Before Sorayah could protest or demand an explanation, Dimitri leaned forward and captured her lips with his, his hand boldly slipping beneath her breast and fondling it with firm possession.

"Ah....Dimitri..." Sorayah gasped between the kiss, but her voice dissolved into a sharp moan as Dimitri thrust himself deep inside her.

"Fuck~" she moaned again, breathless and overwhelmed.

Pah. Pah. Pah.

The unmistakable sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the air, raw and unrelenting. The scent of sex thickened the room, mixing with the tension. Mira’s eyes widened with anguish and fury, her tears now blinding.

She tried to stay upright, but her limbs gave out beneath the weight of shock and shame. With a soft thud, she collapsed to the cold marble floor, losing consciousness.

Only then....only after Mira’s body fell limp did Dimitri groan and finally withdraw from Sorayah’s soaked core, spilling his release onto the floor with a hoarse exhale.

Panting heavily, Sorayah made a move to stand, her voice soft but resolute.

"I’ll get going now, Your Highness," she said, her tone laced with quiet exhaustion.

But before she could take a step, Dimitri caught her wrist and pulled her gently back into his arms.

"She’ll help us wash up," he murmured. "I’ll call for the guards to wake her. She has a duty to complete."

"I don’t need her to do that," Sorayah replied firmly, letting out a weary sigh as she looked away from the unconscious woman on the floor. "I’d prefer to return to my chamber. The maids there will assist me."

"You have to take the contraceptive drug, Sorayah. Don’t argue with me, please. I know what I’m saying," Dimitri said softly, his eyes pleading as his hands held firmly onto Sorayah’s arm. "It’s for your well-being."

Sorayah scoffed lightly, her lips curving into a smirk as she tilted her head to look at him.

"You really don’t understand me, Your Highness," she replied coolly. "I can’t depend on you to always protect me...not in a place like this."

Dimitri’s brows furrowed in confusion and concern, but she continued before he could speak.

"Even if the Empress Luna isn’t killed, even if she brings a bastard child into the palace and is allowed to live the life of a prince’s mother until we expose her..." Sorayah paused, her voice dropping into something sharper, more calculating, "...do you honestly think there won’t be war in the imperial harem during all that time?"

Dimitri remained silent, his grip loosening slightly as he listened.

"She will want to prove to all of us concubines and to me especially that she’s above us now. That she has the upper hand. That we are nothing but dust beneath her feet." Sorayah’s voice hardened, anger flickering in her eyes. "Do you think a woman like her would allow anyone else to give birth to your child?"

She took a step back, her expression darkening.

"The concubines can’t bear your children anyway....not unless your curse is broken. And that means I have to be the first to conceive. Only then will you be able to impregnate another woman. Until that happens, I am the key."

Her hand pressed gently against her flat stomach as she spoke the next words with quiet resolve.

"Even if I manage to resist the empress for a time...even if I can avoid the tonic she delivers every morning....what makes you think there won’t come a day when I’m defeated, outnumbered, or drugged without knowing it?" Her tone dropped to a whisper. "But if I get pregnant... they won’t be able to harm me at all.....boldy I mean."

"Sorayah..." Dimitri murmured, his voice trembling as he reached out to her again.

But she raised a finger and pressed it firmly to his lips, silencing him.

"I’ve made up my mind," she said gently, though her eyes were firm and unyielding. "I know you’re worried, but don’t be. Your fears won’t come true. I will give birth to a healthy baby and I’ll remain strong."

She withdrew her hand from his lips and turned away, reaching for her gown. Despite the heavy scent of sex that still clung to her skin, she was determined to return to her chamber to wash and change. Her movements were swift, decisive.

Before Dimitri could say another word to stop her, Sorayah had already slipped out of the room, her footsteps fading quickly into the corridor.

Dimitri exhaled slowly, a mixture of frustration and admiration dancing in his eyes.

"Assign a personal maid to Lady Sorayah, Liam," he said firmly as his loyal attendant slid into the room. "Make sure she gets everything she needs. Reward her with a few sets of jewelry and new outfits. She’s earned it."

"Yes, Your Highness," Liam replied with a deep bow, his voice low and respectful.

"And as for Mira..." Dimitri added with an annoyed glance toward the unconscious woman still lying on the floor. "Get some maids to take her back to her chamber. She’s becoming an eyesore."

"Understood, your highness," Liam said, bowing once more before leaving to carry out the orders.

*****

The moment Sorayah entered her chamber, she dismissed the maids waiting at the door and made her way directly into her private bath. She slipped into the warm water with a soft sigh, a faint smile curving her lips as her hand came to rest lightly over her lower abdomen.

This is my only hope now... she thought silently, her eyes fluttering shut. My ability to avenge my family. my people....depends on a pregnancy.

She swallowed hard, her smile faltering for a moment.

I’m glad I was able to move Dimitri’s heart... but his love alone isn’t enough to protect me. Her fingers tightened against her stomach. Only someone stronger....someone who will never betray me can do that. My child... my own flesh and blood... will be my shield.

Her thoughts spiraled.

Even if I didn’t get pregnant from today’s intimacy... I’ll make sure there’s another moment, and another after that....until it happens. And now that Mira is aware of what happened between me and Dimitri, it won’t be long before the other concubines find out too. That puts a target on my back. Not death from poison or knives, but from Mira herself.

She opened her eyes, her gaze steely.

Being favored by the Alpha Emperor is both a blessing and a curse. It brings power, yes but also danger. And thank the stars, there’s no palace trick I don’t already know. I’ve studied them all....every method of silent assassination, every plot born from jealousy.

Her lips curved bitterly.

Mira and I have been enemies since the days I was nothing but a common maid. But now, I outrank her. And it’s time she tastes the bitterness she once fed me. I’ll humiliate her and every other snake in this harem who dares to harm me.

She heaved a heavy sigh, her breath echoing off the marble walls.

Clash!

A loud noise suddenly echoed from behind her, a sharp sound like glass shattering against the floor.

Sorayah froze, her heart pounding as she turned swiftly toward the source of the sound.

"Who’s there?" she demanded, rising from the bath immediately. Water cascaded down her body, but she wasted no time. She reached for her dress from the rack and slipped it over her damp skin in one motion. From beneath its folds, she pulled out a concealed dagger....one Dimitri had once given her for protection.

Her fingers gripped the hilt tightly as her eyes scanned the room.

"Show yourself!" she snapped, her voice sharp with both panic and defiance.