After nullifying Maharaja Hridoy's authority at the festival, Sunlite swiftly returned to her room from the main hall. The stunned silence of the royal court and Hridoy's pale face still shimmered in her eyes. As soon as she crossed the door, she cast off the heavy red gown—the dress that symbolized her rebellion.
Lisa, the maid who had delivered the message, was still cowering in the corner of the room. In her eyes, there was not fear, but a mixture of fascination and disbelief for the first time. Sunlite had done something no one in the kingdom's history had dared to do.
Sunlite quickly unbound her long, tightly tied hair. The flowing black locks spread over her back. She touched the Nexus Crystal—it was no longer cold, but pulsating with a kind of warm energy.
Breaking the room's silence, Sunlite suddenly laughed. It was not the laugh of icy resolve, but a deep, mixed laugh of liberation and the joy of victory.
Lisa watched as Sunlite slowly stepped into the middle of the room. She was now wearing only a fine white inner garment. In the flickering light of the room's lamps, she began her dance.
It was no formal royal dance. It was—
The Exuberance of Rebellion: Her hands moved against the air as if she were tearing invisible chains.
The Joy of Freedom: The rhythm of her feet was fast and light, as if she had been released from prison after a long time.
Lisa looked on, mesmerized. She saw that Sunlite's hair seemed to create a black whirlwind around her with the rhythm of her dance.
Lisa specifically focused on Sunlite's features:
Hair: The thick black hair was unbound, free, and swaying in a serpentine motion over her waist. It seemed as if every strand of this hair was announcing the breaking of a thousand years of servitude.
Eyes: Her blue eyes were no longer burning with the fire of revenge; instead, they held the confidence of a steady, calm sea in their depths. Those eyes seemed to send Lisa a silent message—'Don't be afraid, I have won.'
During the dance, Sunlite looked towards Lisa for a moment. Lisa felt that this noble and powerful woman was no longer just a victim of Maharaja Hridoy—she was now the sole Queen of the Nexus Empire.
As the dance ended, Sunlite sat down on the floor, panting slightly. Though pearls of sweat gathered on her forehead, her face glowed with satisfaction.
Lisa quickly moved forward and knelt behind her.
"My Queen," Lisa whispered, "After showing such courage at the festival, the Maharaja will not stay silent. Will he not attack you with the Nexus power?"
Sunlite shook her head. Her breathing was still not normal.
"Hridoy is powerless now, Lisa," Sunlite replied calmly. "I crushed his authority in the Nexus Chamber, and from Queen Alisa's diary, I learned how to use the highest law of the bloodline."
She closed her eyes. "My dance is over, Lisa. Now the war begins."
Meanwhile, the main hall of the palace was still silent. Maharaja Hridoy sat motionless on his throne, but the fury within him was bubbling like a volcano. His eyes, which a moment ago showed cold control, were now filled with red, burning rage.
The guests were whispering in fear. They never imagined anyone would dare to challenge Hridoy directly.
Suddenly, Hridoy rose from his seat with lightning speed. The folds of his royal robes seemed to tremble with anger. The chief advisors standing beside him bowed their heads in fear.
Hridoy gestured to a maid kneeling before him. The maid trembled and rushed out of the room.
Hridoy announced loudly, "The festival is over! Guests, return to your places. There are some urgent matters concerning the kingdom's honor that I will see to personally." Though his voice was calm, no one could ignore the ferocity within it.
The hall emptied quickly. Hridoy did not wait another moment and quickly walked towards Sunlite's chamber. The sound of his angry footsteps echoed on the stone floor.
In the Queen's Chamber
Sunlite was sitting on the floor, still absorbed in the feeling of the Nexus Crystal's energy. Lisa was kneeling close to her.
Just then, the door was struck with immense force. There was no need to open it. Maharaja Hridoy used his Nexus power to violently break the door and entered. Wooden pieces scattered across the floor.
Seeing Hridoy, Lisa shrieked in terror and immediately pressed herself against the wall.
Hridoy's face was distorted with rage, his eyes like burning embers. He violently shut the broken door. Now, only the Maharaja, the Queen, and a terrified maid were in the room.
Hridoy slowly advanced towards Sunlite. His every step seemed to make the stones beneath the floor tremble.
"How dare you, Queen?" Hridoy said in a low, savage voice. "You defied my command! You humiliated me in public court!"
Sunlite stood up, but she was not perturbed in the slightest. The steady, blue flame was burning in her eyes.
"I am no Queen, Maharaja," Sunlite replied calmly. "I am your prisoner. And a prisoner is never obliged to obey the command of her captor."
Hridoy let out a sharp laugh at her words—a terrifying and cold laugh.
"Prisoner? Well said!" Hridoy moved closer to Sunlite. "Do you know what the consequence of this game will be?"
Hridoy extended his right hand toward Sunlite's Nexus Crystal.
"Because of you," Hridoy hissed in fury, "my end is near! You are done for today."
A black streak of Nexus power shot out from Hridoy's hand, aimed directly at Sunlite's Crystal.
Sunlite also prepared for a counter-attack...
As the black streak of Nexus power shot towards Sunlite from Hridoy's hand, Lisa closed her eyes in terror. But Sunlite did not prepare to defend the attack. Instead, she suddenly broke into laughter—a sharp, scornful laugh.
Hridoy was startled by her unexpected laughter. The black streak of his attack paused for a moment just touching Sunlite's Crystal.
"What are you saying, Maharaja?" Sunlite said while laughing, "Did you forget that I am stronger than you now? Your authority was crushed in the Nexus Chamber. You cannot touch me. I find your weak attempt amusing."
Hridoy could not bear her laughter. His rage was now turning into frustration. But then, that old, cold, terrifying smile returned to his face.
"Stronger?" Hridoy said in a low voice, "Nexus power can only seal weakness, Sunlite. That is not the whole game. You read Queen Alisa's diary, but you don't know the true history of this empire."
Hridoy lowered his hand. He realized that defeating Sunlite with sheer power in the open was not possible right now. He knew this woman must be broken not by force, but by another means.
Hridoy moved one step closer. He leaned in, bringing his mouth close to Sunlite's ear.
Lisa was watching this terrifying silent drama from a distance.
Maharaja Hridoy then whispered something into Sunlite's ear that struck her like lightning:
"Do you truly think you are carrying the Nexus Power alone? What Alisa's diary didn't teach you is about the curse that has tied you to me forever, to my blood. You can only be my Queen, Sunlite. Because..."
Hridoy spoke even lower now, as if mixing poison with every word:
"The day I first took you in the Nexus Chamber, your bloodline and mine became one. Now, if you kill me... your inner Nexus Crystal will also explode. If you kill me, you will die too. You are not my prisoner... you are a part of me."
In an instant, the victorious smile vanished from Sunlite's face. Her eyes widened. The warmth of the Nexus power flowing through her body instantly turned into icy terror. Her pink lips began to tremble with fear.
Her Nexus Crystal, which had been burning fiercely until now, seemed to want to extinguish itself for a moment.
Hridoy knew his words had worked. He smirked.
"You will stay silent now, Queen," Hridoy said in a victorious tone, "and you will prepare for me. Because you are mine. You are a part of me. You will maintain my royal honor—if you want to live."
Hridoy did not stay there for another moment. He walked out of the room with a triumphant stride, crossing the broken door frame.
Sunlite stood there motionless, all the energy in her body seemingly drained away.
Lisa slowly approached her. "Queen?"
Sunlite only looked down at her own chest, where the Nexus Crystal was now pulsating very slowly. She remembered the last page of Alisa's diary, where one sentence was unclear. Surely, that unclear part hid this terrible truth.
She didn't laugh. She didn't cry. She only raised her head with a steady, new kind of resolve.
'If I die, then let my servitude die with me,' she vowed inwardly.
After Maharaja Hridoy left the room, Sunlite was still standing in a state of shock. The terrifying realization of the bloodline bond was striking her like an electrical current.
Just then, Hridoy signaled to Lisa, who was standing by the door.
"Maid," Hridoy commanded in a cold voice, "you leave. No one is to enter this chamber tonight."
Lisa bowed her head, trembling. She hurried out, carefully avoiding the scattered wooden pieces on the floor, and managed to pull the broken door shut.
Hridoy then stood with his back to the door. A moment of silence.
Then Hridoy slowly turned. Sunlite's steady, blue eyes were still watching him, mixed with fear and hatred.
Hridoy advanced toward her. There was no anger in his eyes, only the cruel arrogance of victory and a cold sense of ownership.
Sunlite knew she should escape. She moved slightly to back away.
But Hridoy was fast.
He grabbed Sunlite in an instant. His iron-strong arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
Sunlite wanted to resist. She prepared to push him away with Nexus power, but Hridoy's last words echoed in her ears—'If you kill me, you will die too. You are a part of me.' This terrifying truth prevented her from using her strength.
Hridoy pulled Sunlite very close to him.
"You are mine, Queen," Hridoy whispered, his voice deep and dominating. "You are a part of me. You must be punished for your rebellion."
Then, without giving her any chance, he forcefully pressed his lips against Sunlite's—a cold, inhuman kiss. This kiss was not one of love, but of establishing ownership and asserting his power one more time. It was the seal of his new, terrifying bondage over Sunlite.
Sunlite closed her eyes. Her whole body trembled with hatred and helplessness. She knew Hridoy might be able to imprison her body, but he would not be able to imprison her soul and her resolve.
Beyond the broken door, the inhuman bondage continued inside the chamber, a bondage stronger than the Nexus power itself.