Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“Even knowing the physical cost? Miss Herranofar, I’ve witnessed judicial canings. The pain is… considerable.”
Heat flooded my cheeks as I nodded. “I understand. But Counselor, I’ve discovered something about myself these past weeks. I need this correction, not just for Artemisia’s sake, but for my own.”
The admission hung between us like a confession. Counselor Barber’s weathered features remained impassive, but I caught something that might have been sympathy in his pale eyes.
“Very well,” he said finally, reaching for an official document. “If you’re determined to proceed, we must follow proper protocols. You’ll be returned to the Academy until the tribunal, which will convene in three days. The proceedings will be broadcast live throughout the Federation.”
My breath caught. Three days. In seventy-two hours, I would be kneeling before judges, confessing my failures, and then… I tried to force myself not to think about what would follow.
A familiar voice, emerging from a hidden door that had just opened to the side of the room, broke the rising cycle of my anxiety.
“She will not be dissuaded, then?” Prince Hendren said, walking toward me, his sea-blue eyes fixed on mine as he addressed Counselor Barber.
“Your Royal Highness,” Counselor Barber replied, rising respectfully as my master entered the chamber. “Miss Herranofar appears quite resolved in her request. I’ve explained the full legal ramifications, but she maintains her position.”
Prince Hendren’s gaze never left mine as he approached, his expression unreadable. When he reached my chair, his hand settled on my shoulder with that familiar possessive weight that sent shivers through my entire body.
“Stand, Viola,” he commanded softly.
I rose on trembling legs, acutely aware of how his presence seemed to fill the formal chamber. Even here, surrounded by the trappings of legal authority, he commanded absolute attention. His perfectly tailored diplomatic attire only emphasized the predatory grace that had first captivated and terrified me.
“You understand what you’re asking of me,” he said, his voice carrying that dangerous quiet that I had learned to recognize. “You want me to cane you with judicial severity before the entire galaxy. To mark your body so brutally that you’ll carry the evidence for months.”
“Yes, Your Royal Highness,” I whispered, my voice barely audible in the high-ceilinged chamber.
His fingers traced the line of my collar, a gesture so intimate and possessive that it made my breath catch. “And you believe this will serve the Federation’s interests better than the freedom I offered you?”
“I do.” The words came out stronger than I’d expected. “The Vionian remnant expects me to resist, to become their symbol of Federation oppression. Instead, I’ll prove that submission offers more fulfillment than any independence ever could.”
Prince Hendren’s eyes searched mine with an intensity that made me feel completely exposed. “You realize, my dear concubine, that once I agree to this, there will be no mercy. I cannot show leniency during a judicial punishment without undermining the very authority we seek to demonstrate.”
The warning sent a bolt of terror through me, but beneath the fear was something else—a dark anticipation that shamed me even as it strengthened my resolve. “I understand, Master. I need you to be severe with me. I deserve it.”
Counselor Barber cleared his throat delicately. “Your Royal Highness, if I may… there is still time to reconsider. We could arrange Miss Herranofar’s quiet disappearance from public view. A staged transport accident, perhaps, or a rescue attempt by Artemisian loyalists. She could be relocated to one of the outer rim worlds where her identity would never be discovered.”
Prince Hendren’s hand tightened almost imperceptibly on my shoulder as he considered the legal counsel’s suggestion. “It would solve the political problem cleanly,” he mused, his voice carrying that calculating tone I had learned to recognize. “You could live freely under a new identity, Viola. No punishment, no public degradation. Simply… gone from the galactic stage forever.”
The offer hung in the air like a lifeline I knew I should grasp. Freedom. Anonymity. A chance to start over without the weight of failure or the prospect of brutal correction hanging over me. It was everything the woman I had once been would have wanted.
But as I stood there feeling the warmth of Prince Hendren’s possessive touch, I realized that woman was already gone. The former president of Artemisia had died the moment I chose to kneel before him at the Presentation ceremony. What remained was something new—someone who had found purpose in surrender and meaning in service.
“No,” I said quietly, my voice carrying surprising strength. “I won’t run from what I’ve done or what I need to become. The galaxy needs to see this, Sire. They need to understand that submission isn’t defeat—it’s transformation.”
Prince Hendren’s fingers traced along my jawline with gentle possession. “Even knowing how savage it will be? Viola, when I cane you judicially, I must use the full force of the law. Twenty-four strokes with a punishment cane that will leave you screaming and sobbing before billions of viewers.”