The Damned Demon

Esther recoiled slightly, the gravity of his words sinking in, yet her grip on his collar did not waver.

All she felt was a cold rush of defiance flooding her face as she pulled back abruptly and delivered a slap across his cheek.

*Slap!*

It was a weak blow, laden more with her bitterness and frustration than with the intention to physically hurt.

Shrugging off his hand, she took a step back, her voice trembling with indignation, "Have you no shame?"

Asher, momentarily taken aback, let her gain the distance. He slowly touched the side of his face where her hand had struck, the faint red mark a stark contrast to his dove gray skin.

His voice dropped to a low, chilling whisper, "Did you just slap your king?"

Esther blinked, the reality of her impulsive action settling in. The regret didn't come from the act of slapping him but from losing control.

How and when did she let her emotions control her body to this extent? This had never happened before in her life.

But thinking about everything he had done to her, including making her betray her House and using her daughter, her gaze hardened as she faced him, her voice tinged with a bitter resolve, "Yes. It's not like you can do anything worse to me. I am already on the verge of losing everything. You made my House lose its faith in me and betray the trust of my ancestors," Esther didn't know why she was even bothering to say all this, but she couldn't endure caging all her thoughts anymore.

"Is that so?" Asher's response was cold, a dangerous glint sparking in his eyes as he suddenly stepped closer.

In one swift motion, he grabbed her right wrist, pinning it behind her back. His tone was menacing as he leaned in, his breath caressing her ear, "Then does that mean I can do whatever I want with you and your daughter?"

"Don't you dare dream of it," Esther coldly spat back, her other hand clawing at his collar in a futile attempt to push him away. Despite her efforts, his grip tightened, immobilizing her further.

Asher's scoff was dark and mocking. With his free hand, he suddenly clutched her face, forcing her to meet his gaze.

His smile was cold and cruel as he whispered, "Why don't you try and stop me if you can."

Without another word, he leaned in and forcefully kissed her, his lips pressing against hers in a harsh, possessive claim that left her eyes wide with shock, "Mmmh!!~"

Esther's initial response was instinctual and fierce, her hands pushing against Asher's chest in a desperate bid for freedom.

She tried to pull away, but Asher's hold was unyielding as he plundered her lips again while making her soft body press against him and her wrist pinned behind her back.

Esther couldn't believe the sheer audacity of this young alien to treat her like this and raised her other hand to slap him again while trying to pull her head away.

But Asher immediately grabbed her other wrist and kept latching onto her lips, refusing to let her escape while making her stumble backward until her back slammed against the cold wall.

His kisses were insistent, forceful, and disturbingly skilled. Each attempt to escape seemed only to deepen his resolve, his lips moving over hers with an intensity that was both shocking and strangely stimulating.

"Mmhmm….Let me go…mmmmh!~" Esther couldn't even manage to escape his lips for more than a second before he swallowed her lips again.

But then he suddenly broke his kiss and asked, "Do you really want me to let you go back to a place that has forsaken you?"

Esther's movements froze as she had never expected to hear such a question from him.

For a moment, she thought about how she was forsaken despite giving it her all for the sake of the House.

Did she really deserve that after dedicating her entire life for her House?

No…why was she thinking like this?

But before she reeled in her thoughts, his warm lips enveloped hers once more, making her instinctively try to push him back with her body, though her pale face continued to redden like a blooming rose.

"Mmmmh!~"

He suddenly pulled back as he whispered with a dreamy gaze from his dark yellow eyes, "Stop resisting what you truly want. Your body knows it more than you do. And your body can only express what you truly want. Otherwise, you would have felt like killing me already, wouldn't you?"

Esther's eyes shook as she was shocked by the realization that she didn't even think of using her mana to get him off her, nor the slightest thought of killing him passed through her mind. Just what was wrong with her?

Feeling betrayed by herself and her actions, she clenched her jaw as she glared at him, "That's not-Mmmh!~"

But before she could complete her sentence, Asher once again stole her lips with even more fervor that sucked out all the air from her chest and left her with this ever-increasing heat spreading from within.

Yet she didn't stop struggling, tried to push him off, and even thought of using her mana.

But her body was surprisingly weak and wasn't listening to her commands, as if the fervor of his kisses began to erode her resistance.

Yet his lips moved with a relentless passion that was unnervingly tender beneath its aggressive surface.

Slowly, a warmth began to spread through her face, softening her stance, her hands' forceful push fading to a hesitant touch against his chest.

The transition was gradual, a slow burning down of defenses that she hadn't realized were so vulnerable yet at the same time so comforting and peaceful.

It was as if she was floating into a different world where nothing mattered but this overwhelming yet melting sensation.

Asher's hands moved from her wrists to cradle her face gently, his thumbs brushing her cheeks in a stark contrast to the harshness of their earlier interaction.

His touch, once overpowering, now coaxed a different kind of surrender.

Breathless, Esther finally ceased her attempts to push him away, her hands tentatively resting on his chest.

Asher momentarily pulled back, looking into her eyes with an intensity that made her heart skip, "Have you finally decided to stop fighting?" he whispered, his voice soft yet heavy with an emotion she couldn't quite name.

Esther, her defenses scattered and her breaths coming in shallow bursts, found no strength left for anger, "What have you done to me?" she murmured, the fight draining from her voice as confusion and a reluctant intrigue took hold.

"This," Asher replied simply, his lips capturing hers again, but this time with a gentleness that starkly contrasted the earlier aggression.

It was a kiss filled with a complex mix of desire and passion that left Esther's heart racing and her mind reeling with a tumult of emotions.

As the kiss slowly broke, Asher's gaze remained locked with Esther's, the intensity of his eyes piercing into her very soul, "All your life, you lived like a corpse, mindlessly doing whatever you were taught or ordered by your elders and husband. How is it different from your lifeless puppet? But what I made you experience is what it feels like to be alive," he said, his voice low and compelling, weaving a seductive spell of words that lingered in the air between them.

Esther's face contorted with conflict, her breaths sharp and uneven as she shook her head in denial, "No...I shouldn't be feeling these things...I can't..." She didn't know what was going on with her body and mind since all this felt new to her.

"And who said that? Your House again? Why? Because your ancestors were afraid, you won't stay in line with their wishes? But what about your wishes and desires? Have you not tried to question why nobody ever cared about your needs? Not even your husband would care if you were to drop dead today except for the fact that he will worry about having to spend resources to nurture another Lady for the House," Asher scoffed coldly, his words cutting through her defenses, leaving her speechless yet inwardly knowing he spoke the truth.

"You think I want to destroy you, your daughter, or your House? Of course not. That would mean destroying a huge part of my own kingdom. As the king, I would be mad and a traitor to do that," Asher continued, shaking his head as if disappointed by the mere thought.

Esther looked up at him, her eyes quivering as she processed his words, finding the genuine truth in his gaze.

She drew a deep breath before asking in a tremulous voice, "Then...why are you doing this to me?"

"Because I want to possess every inch of you until you can only think about me. It would be a waste to let an exquisite woman like you get wasted away in a place no different than a coffin and among those who don't understand your worth," Asher whispered back, his voice a velvet caress that seemed to reverberate through her very being.

The words struck a chord deep within Esther, awakening a craving, a part of her that she had never known existed—a part that craved to feel alive, to feel wanted.

Her eyelashes fluttered, overwhelmed by the rush of emotions that Asher's admission stirred within her.

With a sudden clarity and abandon that surprised even herself, Esther wrapped her arms around Asher's neck, her actions driven by a newfound desire.

She pulled him down to her, passionately tasting his lips, a bold move that made Asher's eyebrows shoot up in surprise for a moment.

But then, realizing the depth of her need, he smiled, his lips curving in satisfaction as he reciprocated her fervent kiss.