WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTENT INCLUDE TRIGGERS. Please read at your own risks.

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Lady Ge Beining cast the pitiful Princess one last look. They made eye contact, and she saw the horror in the prideful Princess's gaze. And without another word, Lady Ge Beining turned her back and retreated to her bedroom. The last thing she heard was the tearing of clothes from behind her.

She locked the doors behind her, and headed towards the window, which was low enough for her to climb out, and take a detour to the garden that was far, far away from the promiscuous people.

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Li Xueyue could feel her heart shrivel up in fear. She knew what their intention was. Yet, she could not protect herself. Not even when the first layer of her clothes was yanked off from her.

They had the gaze of hungry wolves and approached like leering ones.

Li Xueyue could not think properly. Her body burned with a feverish heat as tears filled her eyes. Memories of the past came rushing to the surface. Marquis Qin's wandering hands, the lick of his lips, and her silent sobs. Now, it was happening all over again, but it was five men instead of one.

"Careful, don't make too loud of a noise," one of the men hissed when they nearly knocked into the chair, out of sheer excitement.

"We should remove the cloth in her mouth, to hear her pleasured moans," another spoke up with burning eyes. It lingered on her exposed leg, creamy and smooth. She was pressed on the table, her arms held down, as her hip was pushed onto the surface.

The Crown Princess was exactly what the rumors painted her to be. Pure and docile, she resembled an outworldly being. The thought of ruining something so precious enthralled these men, but no more than the thought of her curvaceous body.

"Yes, with the aphrodisiac that crazy lady fed her, no matter if she doesn't want it, she will scream for us," someone else eagerly spoke up.

Li Xueyue blinked once, and a single droplet of tear rolled down her cheek. To her sheer horror, one of the men wiped it away, then licked his lips that twisted into a sinister smile.

"Even her tears are sweet."

Li Xueyue attempted to writhe and struggle from their grip. But it was no use. The tonic fed to her was too powerful. Her limbs were heavy, and she felt sluggish. Even when she tried to kick her legs, and hoped to knock some teeth out, she could not even lift her toe.

"Mmph!" Xiao Hua cried out from the floor, as she gawked at the Crown Princess, wide-eyed and terrified. She knew there was no escape from this. Even though she had consumed a weaker dosage, her body still felt weak. It was as if a mountain was crushing her body.

Xiao Hua had never felt this type of terror before. She knew that palace life would be dangerous, but not to this extent. She thought the men here were less feral, for the eunuchs were castrated, and the male servants were kept far away from the handmaidens.

"There's two of them, and five of us," the same person said. "How about the two of us give a go at the Princess, and you three can deal with the maidservant?"

Li Xueyue's body jolted, but it was to no avail. She wanted to protect Xiao Hua, for she was an innocent bystander in all of this mess.

Her heart trembled with fear, but also ached with guilt, knowing someone was dragged into this mess because of her uncurbed tongue.

"Hmmm, sounds like a plan," someone chimed in.

And then, all five pairs of eyes landed on the Princess. Three diverted towards the maidservant. Slow, quiet laughter could be heard. Then, came the sound of ripped clothes, and a soft cry.

Li Xueyue's face paled. She heard it, the unbuckle of belts, and clothes being parted. She heard the footsteps that approached her and Xiao Hua.

Li Xueyue knew she had to do something…anything! She strained her eyes, looking to the side. It was as if cold water was poured over her. Xiao Hua was pinned on the ground, her face pushed into the wooden floorboards, as the top part of her clothes were gone, leaving her bare and naked from the waist up.

Li Xueyue saw so much and could do so little. Until she noticed the teacup that was just an inch away from her fingers. All she had to do was knock it off the table. That sound alone would notify the guards outside. That action alone could save them all.

"I've never filled a well-bred wench before," someone spoke from over her. "You reckon she'd feel much different than the brothel whores?"

His question was met with suppressed laughter and snorts. The men tried to keep quiet, for they knew of what was to happen.

The job was simple—they get to enact their revenge against the Imperial family whilst getting paid to ruin a Princess. Their means of escape was out of the window in the bedroom, where tiny stone paths would guide them to a garden with a secluded bamboo path that would guide them to freedom.

"I hear only the Crown Prince has had a taste of this beauty," a man whispered. "Quite unfair if you'd ask me. Something so delicate should be shared, perhaps with a close friend, like that advisor of his."

"Hah, I'd kill any man who dares to come near my wife," someone chimed in. "Princesses like her are bred for one thing only—to provide offspring. Then, their husband will discard them for a newer, younger version."

His friend snorted. "I doubt the Crown Prince will even care if she's violated by us. He can always find another ripe maiden to violate."

His joke was met with muffled laughter and slaps on the back.

"Enough talking," he added on, "Let's have our fun before it's too late."

Li Xueyue's shoulders stiffened. She felt like her body was on fire, a flame so strong it burned her alive. She felt hands upon her, and everything came crashing down.

Li Xueyue screamed, even when the cloth in her mouth was muffling her screams. Tears flowed like a river, as she yelled at the top of her lungs, but it sounded like the mere squeak of a mouse. She writhed, cried, and tried to move, but it did not work. The hands traveled until eventually, her legs were parted.

"Well, this will certainly feel better than the brothel whores."

Her eyes widened. And in her panic, she felt it. The cold touch of cold porcelain. She wriggled her fingers and kicked at her legs, but nothing moved in her favor. Nothing at all. Except, her finger that grazed the teacup.

It all happened so slowly. The parting of her clothes, the approach of a foreign man, the touch of a man that was not Yu Zhen. Quiet, taunting laughter surfaced in the background, only to be muffled by their hands over their mouths.

Even before it happened, she felt like her soul and heart were stabbed to pieces. Again and again, the knife was dug into her until self-loathe and disgust remained in its place.

Suddenly, it stopped. Everything stopped. For her fingers flicked at the teacup. Slowly, it rolled and tumbled, as the men rushed forward to stop it from falling off the table. The teacup grazed her finger, much like how their hands grazed her inner thighs. Alas, it slipped through their hands.

A crash echoed through the room. And everyone stilled.