The Cursed Demon Prince-Chapter 221: Overwhelmed

When Lilith finally woke up, it was a few hours later, and the sun was beginning to set. Feeling much better than she had in weeks, she smiled to herself, playing with the tip of her hair. The prince was no longer by her side or in her chambers, which meant he had gone to take care of his affairs.

It was time for her to take care of hers.

One part was successfully done, but the storm was far from over. She still had to completely rid the prince of the curse though she had no idea how she was going to do that. She sighed before climbing down from her bed. After freshening up, she made her way to the crypt to see the older witch.

When she arrived, she found the witch in a state of meditation, so she waited a couple of minutes until the woman was done. Finally, when Salistra began packing up her things, Lilith walked toward her with a smile.

"Good day, Salistra," she greeted.

The woman looked up at her. "How are you feeling now? Any pains still?"

"None at all. I feel perfectly fine," Lilith replied, smoothing her dress with her hands.

"Very well. I’m glad you’re fine," the witch said, offering a small smile before walking away.

Lilith followed behind her. "I wanted to thank you for all you have done for us. We can never repay your kindness."

"You’re welcome," Salistra replied, still walking.

Lilith quickened her pace. "I’m fully aware that this isn’t over yet. I still need to break the curse, and I’m ready to do so now. I need you to tell me what to do. Please."

The witch finally stopped and turned around. "I’m glad you aren’t foolishly carried away by the temporary bliss of the prince’s return." She resumed walking. "I must add, you have truly grown into a mature woman who is aware of her responsibilities. I am impressed."

A blush rose to Lilith’s cheeks. It felt good to be praised by the witch, she was not someone easily impressed. "Thank you for your kind words."

"Anyways," Salistra said, "I will send for you in two days as I make preparations for the final ritual. You should go enjoy yourself with your lover and friends."

Lilith smiled. "Thank you very much, Salistra. I shall take my leave now." She offered a slight bow before turning to walk away.

"Lilith?"

She turned to face the witch. "Yes?"

"You should prepare very well, for the ritual is a difficult one. And things will not be the same after it. You must choose wisely, for every trade has an exchange."

Lilith’s brows furrowed as she listened to Salistra’s words. She could see the clouded emotions in the woman’s eyes that she failed to mask completely, and for unknown reasons, it sent a wave of fear through her veins. "Very well. I shall remember that. Have a wonderful day." She forced a small smile before turning around and walking away, feeling the burn of the woman’s gaze boring into her back.

It wasn’t until Lilith stepped out of the crypt that she could finally breathe properly. Her heart was racing, and her palms were slick with sweat. She took a few seconds to steady her breathing before striding back toward her chambers.

~~~

Viktor had just finished freshening up and changing into new clothes. After tidying up his desk, he grabbed the medical basket from one of the cupboards, then headed to Charlotte’s room. This had been their routine for a few days now. Every morning, he would help her tend to her bruises before breakfast, and today was no different.

After knocking twice, Charlotte’s voice came from inside the chamber. "Come in."

Viktor pushed the door open and stepped into the room. His eyes immediately landed on Charlotte, who was standing in front of the mirror, fixing her hair.

"Good morning, Viktor." She tucked a strand behind her ear, leaving a few to fall gracefully down the frame of her face. "I told you, you don’t have to keep coming here. I’m truly fine. My injuries are already healed."

"I have to," he replied calmly. "Besides, it’s because of me you got hurt. I need to make sure you’re completely healed."

Charlotte sighed in defeat. She knew there was no talking him out of it. She hadn’t minded his help during the first two days, she had been in too much pain to notice anything else but once the pain subsided, the tension between them had only grown stronger. Every touch, every breath he took near her sent shivers down her spine.

She honestly didn’t know if Viktor felt the same, because he never let anything show.

Letting out another sigh, Charlotte moved to the bed and sat down, slowly undoing the lace of her dress. The bruises were high on her back, just below her shoulder blades.

She felt the bed dip slightly as Viktor sat behind her. Her body went rigid when his fingers brushed against her bare skin, his touch was as cool as the ointment he applied, yet his breath was warm against her back.

Every movement felt overstimulating, overwhelming. Her heart pounded so fast she could hear it in her ears. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, wetting it nervously.

"Are you alright?" Viktor asked softly. "You seem tense. I thought you said it wasn’t hurting anymore."

"I’m alright," Charlotte managed to say, forcing a small laugh. "I think I might just be... cold, that’s all."

Her voice trembled slightly, and she cursed herself inwardly. How was she supposed to stay calm when he was touching her so gently, so intimately and breathing down her back?

"Cold? But you are sweating. Are you sure you’re alright?"

Charlotte ran a palm over her neck, she was indeed sweating. Dear gods, this was beyond embarrassing. "I think that should be enough for today. We shall continue tomorrow," she said quickly, pulling up her dress to cover her back before rising from the bed.

Viktor narrowed his eyes at her sudden shift and walked around to face her. "Is there something I don’t know about? Why are you suddenly behaving so strangely?"

Charlotte shot him a glare. "I’m not behaving strangely! You were the one breathing down my neck."

A slow smile cracked across his face. "That’s why you were acting strange? I thought you weren’t affected by those things."

Her brows furrowed. "What are you talking about? I’m not affected by anything. I was only pointing out what you did." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Viktor’s smirk deepened. "Ah... I see. So..." he stepped closer to her "...you’re not affected by my closeness."

Oh, she saw exactly what he was doing and Charlotte was never one to back down from a challenge. She stepped closer too, until there was barely a breath of space between them. "I’m not," she said coolly, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. "But I can’t say the same about you... right?"

Viktor swallowed hard, his eyes flickering between her eyes and her lips. He was, in fact, very affected by her closeness and gods help him, because he was about to do something incredibly foolish.

"You..."

Charlotte never got to finish her sentence before Viktor’s lips crashed against hers.