The Archduke's Songbird - Chapter 3: The Slap

She was never supposed to love him, he was the one person she despised, but for how long could she deny the flutter and Sparks he made her feel.*******She is an assassin, the princess of the witches, sent to marry the Vampire King with one purpose—to kill him and secure her clan’s victory in a war that has raged for centuries.He is Rhydian, the brooding king burdened by his father’s bloody legacy, forced into the alliance to protect his people from the looming Dragon Empire.Rhydian distrusts the witches, while Seraphina resents the vampires, but neither is prepared for what fate has in stall. As they face palace intrigues, ancient prophecies, and brewing rebellion, their indifference begins to shift into something neither expected—love, an emotion they both try to deny, but is impossible to ignore.I won't call this an enemies to lovers because she is the only one who hates him, also...this will contain R18 scenes, I'll always highlight that on every chapter so you can skip if you want.A/N: I hope you all will stick with me till the end, feel free to check out my other book, I'm in love with a grim reaper, you might like it, I hope you do.Excerpt;Her fingers brushed against his forehead before he could react, her warm palms cupping both sides of his face as she studied him intently. His breath hitched at the sudden intimacy, his heart giving an involuntary stutter.What the hell was she doing?His gaze traced over her face, mapping every detail—the sharp glint of her violet eyes, the delicate curve of her nose, and her lips... God, her lips. Plump, red, slightly parted as she assessed him. He wanted to taste them again, to claim them fully.“Your fever seems to be coming down,” she murmured, tilting her head slightly. “My blood really did the trick, I see...”His jaw clenched.Did she have to check his temperature this way? There were plenty of other ways to do it—ones that didn't involve tempting him with that mesmerizing face of hers.She started to pull her hands away, but before she could, he caught her wrist, stopping her.She looked up at him, startled.“If you wanted to check my temperature, you could've done so in a simpler way,” he said, his lips curving into a playful grin. He tugged her closer, his grip firm but gentle. “Are you trying to seduce me, Purple?”Her heartbeat stuttered against his chest. He could hear it. Feel it.Then, to his surprise, she didn't pull away.Instead, a slow, wicked smile spread across her lips. She leaned in, her body pressing against his just enough to make his muscles tense.“What if I am?” she whispered, deliberately biting her bottom lip.Rhydian's breath caught.The last of his control snapped.“You asked for it,” he growled.In the next second, he crashed his lips against hers.The kiss was deep, desperate, consuming. His hand tangled in her hair, tilting her head to deepen the angle as his tongue swept into her mouth, claiming her fully. She responded instantly, matching his hunger with equal fervor.She wasn't perfect at kissing yet—he could tell she was still learning—but she made up for it with pure intensity, and damn if it didn't make his blood boil.His other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him as his lips moved against hers with feverish need. His tongue tangled with hers, teasing, tasting, drinking her in as if she were the only thing that could satiate him.He bit down softly, drawing a gasp from her, and that little sound sent a violent pulse of arousal straight through him.He was already rock hard, aching with need.He hadn't touched a woman since the marriage arrangement was made. Maybe that was why he was losing control so easily. Or maybe it was just her. Maybe it had always been her.

In his past life, as the countdown in his mind reached zero, people discovered they could enter and exit a virtual game at will. Inside, they could fight monsters and level up. Like most, Ye Qiu didn’t pay much attention to it and became a casual player, only logging in occasionally.But ten days later, the game suddenly shut down. And then, it merged with the real world!Monsters began to rampage, demons started to roam freely! Along with them came levels, equipment, skills, pets…And Ye Qiu, at the moment the server closed, was only level 5!From then on, he could only struggle to survive, hiding and fleeing, even enduring humiliation and ab*se!Until his final breath, he remained unknown, weak, and pitiful!In this life, Ye Qiu has returned to twenty years ago. And the game has just launched…

Zhang Yang, the office drone, spent his days slacking off with the campus beauty and his nights watching his sister-in-law practice leg lifts. His girlfriend Xiao Man watched him every day, falling deep in thought... Until one day, while straddling Zhang Yang, she unleashed a soul-searching interrogation, “Why did the dean bow to you? Why did the richest man gift you a villa? Why did the tattoo-covered big brother kneel before you, begging you to take his wife?”

This is a bizarre and mysterious world filled with various sinister cultivation methods. Once a person begins to cultivate, they will either undergo mild changes in appearance and temperament, descend into madness, or become a great elixir for evil beings to consume...Duan Yun, having transmigrated into this world, unexpectedly comes across a supreme elixir cultivation manual, the 'True Explanation of the Jade Sword.'To his surprise, he is a one-in-a-million cultivation genius who, unwittingly, transforms the manual into something extraordinary. Guided by the Jade Sword, he is able to pierce through everything.Later, as his mastery over various methods grows, Duan Yun, carrying the philosophy of 'the enlightened benefit the world,' never keeps secrets and spreads martial arts across the land.Who would have thought...“Duan the Demon misled me! He said this technique enhances yin and yang, but now I can only squat to pee, boo hoo...”“It was the Demon who taught me this 'Seven Parts Returning Qi'. Instead of blessing me, it brought disaster—I either get killed or step in dung. The fortune-teller said I've lost seventy percent of my luck.”“Don't trust a word of what Demon Duan says! The fairy of the Myriad Wonders Palace was supposed to ascend the whole palace to the heavens, but in one night, she was possessed and turned into a demoness, all due to that old demon Duan's handiwork!”...Duan Yun finds this incomprehensible. All he did was practice martial arts, spread techniques, and occasionally emulate the laws of nature, so how did he become notorious as a demon?This is slander!The same techniques cause no issues for me, so the problem lies with you all, not me!