That Prince Is A Girl: The Vicious King’s Slave Mate Novel

Chapter 151: Silence answered her. The river babbled on, oblivious. A breeze rippled the water, and Aekeira shivered despite the warmth of the day.

"His soul." The words fell like stones into the silence. "During the chanting of Hav'zie de Baah, Vladya offered his soul as a sacrifice. The spell claimed his soul, but Tiara did not return."

"Gods!" Aekeira gasped in disbelief, stumbling back. She had heard Grand Lord Vladya mention that he had no soul before, but she had assumed it was metaphorical, not literal. "He has no soul…!?"

Merilyn nodded, eyes filled with a haunted sadness. "And do you know the most tragic part?" Her voice was raw now. "Our souls are… everything. The very essence of our being. They ground us, keep our beasts in check, maintain our sanity, and so much more. A bond is an intertwining of souls. Without a soul, one has no hope of ever finding a bondmate. No hope of ever knowing that connection.

One would never recognize their Soulbond even if she miraculously appeared, and worst of all…" Merilyn stopped, fresh tears trailing down her chin. "Without a soul, one will go feral eventually. There is no stopping it. It is only a matter of time." AEKEIRA

"Grand Lord Vladya is going f-feral?" Aekeira was at a loss for words. Tears threatened to spill over. "Like… like Grand King Daemonikai?"

Merilyn nodded, the motion small and tight. "You've noticed… haven't you? Sometimes his behavior seems off. Wicked. Crazy."

Instantly, Aekeira's mind flashed to the first time he mounted her. Those absurd accusations. His bloodhost eyes and the snarl on his lips. The twisted pleasure on his face as he inflicted pain upon her.

"So you see, Aekeira, that is the tale of Lord Vladya," Merilyn's voice was thick. "He lost everything on that horrible night. The only female who had ever connected with him as a bondmate, his soul. There will be no future bonding rituals for him. He is disconnected from his beast, among other things. In his long, long life, he will be alone forever. That is the root of his hatred."

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Aekeira wept soundlessly, tears winning the battle, spilling down her cheeks. Her heart was in so much pain, Aekeira could barely breathe. The sheer enormity of what he'd lost was crushing.

Now it made sense. A terrible, heartbreaking kind of sense. Of course, hatred would consume him, burn hot like the sun itself.

She couldn't imagine enduring such devastation. She would have felt the same way he did. Hatred towards that species deeply rooted in her very being. She never imagined someone as fierce, as mean as him, would have gone through something so heart-wrenching.

But then, she wondered why it never occurred to her. Suffering and painful experiences were what hardened people, were they not? And Grand Lord Vladya is harder than the toughest granite.

"Why did I share all this with you? He would sooner slit his own throat-or yours-than admit to anything he might feel towards you other than hatred," Merilyn warned. "Whether it's sexual attraction or any form of fondness. And because he feels them, he would hurt you in every way imaginable. It's his way of coping, his protection. And I want you to endure it, if you can."

Aekeira stared down at her hands, unable to meet the Mistress's gaze.

"Even if he inflicts unspeakable torture upon you, I want you to endure it anyway. It's unfair, cruel, and selfish of me, but your kind owes him, don't you think?" Merilyn's voice grew more intense. "If there's even the slightest chance there's something for him here, no matter how little, I will tear down the heavens to make sure he gets it."

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