Chapter 118

Agonized screams pierced the air outside the wooden door. Hearing them, Aurora nearly fainted from fear. She knew exactly what torture her cousin and comrades were enduring; she had inflicted the same punishment on the captured Westhaven crown prince. Castration—cutting off a man's genitals while he was alive and watching him writhe like a twisted worm.

If Arthur had screamed, the torment might have stopped. However, he bit his tongue and remained silent. Her soldiers then urinated on his wounds and body, slashing him repeatedly, mixing blood and urine.

Recalling that scene had once brought Aurora satisfaction. Now, it filled her with deep terror.

Liam pulled out a dagger. She screamed, "No! Stay away from me!" He knelt and cut the ropes binding her. Seeing her cower only fueled his rage. To think Arthur had been humiliated by such a cowardly creature!

Once the ropes were gone, he grabbed her hair and dragged her roughly outside. The cold and the pain on her scalp were overwhelming, and she almost burst into tears. Liam yanked her into the snow-covered ground and flung her down forcefully.

Eighteen men lay in the snowy clearing. They had been stripped naked, each lying in his own pool of blood. Their severed genitals lay nearby, also soaked in blood. They screamed in agony, writhing as Arthur had. Unlike him, however, they couldn't hold back their screams.

Only after prolonged torture did Arthur finally scream. The moment he did, everyone cheered. Destroying a man's dignity proved a deeply satisfying experience.

Aurora, unable to bear the sight, was terrified and tried to crawl away. But she was quickly grabbed by the hair and dragged back. Someone gripped her chin, forcing her to watch.

"Look closely," a cold voice commanded. "See how you inflicted this brutality."

Her jaw ached from the grip, and she struggled in vain. She had no choice but to witness the gruesome scene.

Many soldiers approached, unfastened their pants, and urinated on the eighteen men. In the freezing weather, the urine quickly turned to ice on their bodies. They were in unbearable pain, the cold and injuries combining to worsen their suffering. Their screams echoed across the hillside.

Aurora's body went limp. What had once been a satisfying sight now filled her with horror and pain.

+15 BONUS

"Are you afraid? This is just the beginning," Liam said, his voice as cold as the snow and ice around them.

Aurora was so terrified, her soul felt close to leaving her body.

The Westhaven soldiers began slashing at her soldiers' bodies with their swords. Each cut drew blood, which then froze in the cold. The cold didn't numb them; it only worsened the agony. The Westhaven soldiers deliberately avoided vital areas, ensuring they would live but suffer immensely.

Aurora didn't want to look; she didn't dare, but her chin was held tightly in place, her shoulders pinned down. She lacked even the strength to struggle. She was forced to watch helplessly as her cousin and soldiers endured the torment.

She trembled violently, knowing she was next.

Sure enough, she was pushed to the ground, her limbs splayed. Another group of men approached, undoing their pants and urinating on her. The foul-smelling liquid drenched her body—head, face, eyes, mouth, and nose—causing her to cough and choke.

She didn't dare open her mouth to scream. She could only shake her head frantically, trying to fling off the liquid. But her mouth wouldn't stay shut because she wanted to vomit, and when she opened her mouth to retch, more urine poured in.

Aurora struggled desperately, utterly humiliated.

Someone roughly yanked off her clothes, tore off her undergarments, and pulled down her pants. She screamed in terror, thinking they intended to assault her.

But instead of violating her, they cut her. A sword sliced into the base of her thigh, and she felt warm blood gushing out. However, it soon stopped. Someone took a dagger and began carving words into her face.

She was held down, her eyes wide with terror. She could feel her blood flow with each cut, mingling with the searing pain and overwhelming shame.