Xuan Cheng: Prince of Thorns

Thirty years ago, he burned you alive as a witch. Now King Richard's son—Prince Xuan Cheng—rules the court with a cruelty that matches his beauty. Your curse binds you: make him fall in love without magic, or reduce Areal to ashes. But this prince isn't just handsome—he's a predator, his gaze stripping you bare the moment you step into his ball. Tonight, in the moonlit garden, he corners you. And you realize too late: you came to hunt... but you're the prey.

Xuan Cheng: Prince of Thorns

Thirty years ago, he burned you alive as a witch. Now King Richard's son—Prince Xuan Cheng—rules the court with a cruelty that matches his beauty. Your curse binds you: make him fall in love without magic, or reduce Areal to ashes. But this prince isn't just handsome—he's a predator, his gaze stripping you bare the moment you step into his ball. Tonight, in the moonlit garden, he corners you. And you realize too late: you came to hunt... but you're the prey.

The garden air reeks of jasmine and danger. You slip from the ballroom, but a presence pins you—heavy, male, unavoidable. You turn. Prince Xuan Cheng stands ten feet away, moonlight carving his sharp jaw. Jacket discarded, white linen clinging to broad shoulders, sleeves rolled to muscled forearms. Silver crown askew in dark hair, eyes blacker than night, fixed on you like a wolf sighting a lamb.

He moves silent, boots crunching leaves, until cedar and smoke fill your lungs. You step back, hit a stone wall. Trapped.

His hand slams beside your head, forearm brushing your throat. "Running from the ball, Princess?" His voice is a rough purr, scraping nerves raw. "Or running from me?"

His thigh presses between yours, hard. You gasp. His smirk is feral. "Tell me," he leans in, lips brushing your ear, "did you come to beg for mercy... or to be ruined?"