A splash echoed as Su Nian was yanked into the bath in a single, fluid motion.
Instinctively, she summoned a protective shield, its faint shimmer coalescing around her.
But then her eyes met his—the Horned Demon’s gaze, brimming with mischief and a readiness for battle.
In that fleeting moment, memories flickered: the soul prism’s power, a photograph, her parents’ faces glowing faintly in the depths of her mind.
She hastily dispelled her magic, letting her body sink into the embrace of the bath’s warm waters.
Having shed her dress, Su Nian buried her face in the rippling surface, pink petals clinging to her trembling eyelashes.
Yet, she hadn’t anticipated the consequences of her earlier act of petty revenge.
Intending to spite the Horned Demon, she’d raised the water’s temperature by a few degrees.
Instead of outwitting him, she’d ensnared herself.
The water, though not scalding, was warmer than her usual comfort, just enough to trigger her “masochistic constitution.”
The slightly elevated heat seemed to caress her snow-white skin, painting it with a delicate blush of pink.
At that moment, she found herself sharing the bath with the Horned Demon.
By her usual instincts, she would have fled the pool without hesitation.
But she wavered.
Part of her feared he’d stop her, his dominance an ever-present threat.
Another part schemed to extract more humiliation points from him, a means to hasten her escape from his grasp.
And then there was the water—its slightly elevated warmth, amplified by her unique condition, sent an unfamiliar thrill through her.
Every inch of her skin seemed to hum with a strange, forbidden pleasure.
A moment of dazed reverie passed before Su Nian snapped her eyes open.
No.
The Horned Demon was still here, and she was indulging in this sensation.
She shouldn’t be like this!
Get it together, Su Nian!
Chu Tian gazed down at the girl, her face half-submerged in the water.
Unaware of the storm of emotions raging within her in those brief seconds, he found her stunned expression utterly enchanting.
Above the water, her face was a study in delicate allure.
Below, well…
After a few cups of wine, his throat tightened.
Without warning, he seized the nape of her neck, pulling her close.
“Mmph!”
Her startled gasp was swallowed by his kiss, a heady blend of rose nectar’s sweetness and a savage hint of blood.
It was as if he meant to plunder every last breath from her lungs.
“Ding-dong: Humiliation points acquired.”
The system’s chime rang in her ears, but Su Nian had no room to care.
His kiss overwhelmed her, his scent—a dizzying mix of intoxicating fragrance and a faint, dangerous edge—flooding her senses.
The domineering suffocation, the tingling warmth on her lips, and the heated water conspired against her, unraveling her control.
She felt his breath graze her ear, sending shivers of electric sensation through her.
Her heartbeat thundered, her blood seeming to freeze in her veins.
And it wasn’t over.
Beneath the water, her bare body tensed as she sensed a hand gliding through the depths, reaching toward her.
“Let… go…” Su Nian tilted her head back, her protest a fragile whisper.
But her words shattered, drowned in the soft, ambiguous sounds of their kiss.
Her arched neck traced a graceful curve, water droplets sliding from her collarbone to the space where their bodies pressed together.
Chu Tian’s gaze locked onto hers, her eyes misty yet sparkling like stars.
He recalled her on stage, adorned with a starry crown, her skirt flaring as she spun, captivating every onlooker with her radiance.
But now, this girl belonged to him alone.
A sharp sting bloomed at her collarbone.
Su Nian gasped, realizing the Horned Demon had bitten her neck, marking her swan-like throat—once radiant under stage lights—with his claim.
As his canines pierced her skin, a strange sensation coiled around her heart.
“Ding-dong: Humiliation points…”
She barely registered the sound.
Let it end.
Let her wake to find a week has passed, her humiliation points reaching a million.
Half an hour later, the bath was finally over.
It had begun with Su Nian attending to the Horned Demon—feeding him fruit, pouring his wine, scrubbing his back.
But somehow, it ended with Chu Tian “assisting” her bath.
She tried to resist, but he gave her no chance.
“Daily Task: Masochist Constitution 3/1, 1000 Humiliation Points Completed.”
“Daily Task (Master): Reside in Shadowmoon Manor at Night 1/1, 2000 Humiliation Points Completed.”
“Daily Task: Address Horned Demon as Master 3/3, 3000 Humiliation Points Completed.”
“Daily Task: Kiss the Horned Demon 1/1, 5000 Humiliation Points Completed.”
“Daily Task: Use Spirit Abyss Flame Wall to Prepare Bathwater 1/1, 5000 Humiliation Points Completed.”
“Daily Task: Wear Master’s Gifted Collar During Activities, 5000 Humiliation Points Completed.”
“Ding-dong: During this bath, an additional 68,320 Humiliation Points acquired based on the host’s humiliation.”
Chu Tian, savoring his wine and the grapes she fed him, had also tasted her impossibly soft lips.
And though he hadn’t sampled the “pink grapes,” he’d come close enough to touch.
That was why her Masochistic Constitution task had ticked to 3/1.
***
In the room, Chu Tian lounged in his bathrobe, looking like a general basking in victory.
His smug grin betrayed how thoroughly he’d enjoyed himself.
‘This little slave has no choice but to obey me,’ he likely thought.
On the other side, Su Nian’s legs trembled, her body drained as if her bones had dissolved.
Clinging to the wall, she shuffled from the bathroom, each step a monumental effort.
“Ugh… I shouldn’t have meddled with the water temperature,” she muttered, cursing her earlier mischief.
“Look at the mess I’ve made!”
The memory of his actions fueled her anger.
‘That bastard went too far. He deserves a thousand cuts!’
Yet, a small comfort lingered: the haul of humiliation points was substantial.
With the completed tasks, she’d racked up nearly 90,000 points.
‘Four more times like this…’ she calculated silently.
His grating voice echoed in her mind: ‘ “My little slave performed splendidly today. You seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. That puts my mind at ease.” ‘
She’d wanted to snap back, to wipe that smug look off his face.
But her body had betrayed her, collapsing into his arms, defenseless against his touch.
***
Su Nian pulled the blanket tighter around herself, ignoring the notifications on her magical phone.
Sleep.
She prayed she’d wake to find it all a nightmare.
Meanwhile, in his room, Chu Tian savored the memory of their bath.
He glanced at a message sent under his “Guard Chu Tian” alias, unanswered by Su Nian.
He’d hoped to play both sides—gaining irritation points as the Horned Demon while winning her favor as the human Chu Tian.
But so far, his human persona had made no progress—not even a flicker on the gauge.
Frustration gnawed at him.
If this continued, he’d have to rely solely on his demonic self to win her affection.
After all, even a pet could grow fond of its master, couldn’t it?