Chapter 2 Your Highness, Please Punish Me

Cathy hurried into the royal hovercar, but before she could fully make sense of her situation, it had already pulled up outside the Starlight Palace. The entire journey had taken only ten minutes.

The door opened automatically.

Damn technology. She really could have used a longer ride.

Cathy stepped out reluctantly, then looked up and caught her breath.

The memories that came with this body had shown her the palace countless times, but seeing it with her own eyes felt completely different.

Starlight crystals covered the dome overhead, making it look as though a piece of the night sky had been brought down to line the ceiling. Elaborate carvings filled the palace, and every detail reflected the extravagant wealth of the Holy Starshine Empire.

"Welcome back, Princess Cathy."

The voice was deep, but the coldness behind it made the greeting sound anything but welcoming.

Cathy stopped and raised her eyes as a tall, lean figure stepped out from the corridor.

He wore a perfectly tailored uniform with gold fringe hanging from his shoulders. His face was almost unfairly handsome, with a straight nose and an expression that made him look like someone who had never enjoyed taking orders from anyone.

Dominick Haynes.

The name immediately surfaced in her mind. He had once been a brilliant scientist at the Royal Research Institute, and he had been on his way toward a promising career. Then the old "Cathy" took an interest in him and forced him to bond with her.

Cathy pressed a hand against her head as another wave of memories came rushing back.

How had she forgotten about this? Having a younger sister who hid murderous intentions behind a sweet exterior was already enough of a problem. Now she had to deal with three mates waiting inside the palace, and every single one of them hated her guts.

Cathy stayed where she was for a moment and sorted through the memories again. The original "Cathy" had three werecreature mates, and Dominick, who stood in front of her, also served as her steward. His beast form was a Dark Serpent.

That detail immediately caught Cathy's attention, and curiosity made her look at him more closely. His royal steward's uniform fitted neatly over his broad shoulders, while the trousers emphasized his long, straight legs. Every silver button had been fastened all the way up to his throat, giving him a strict and distant appearance. Still, nothing about him suggested that his beast form was a Dark Serpent.

Dominick caught her looking at him. His expression turned colder, and disgust flashed across his face before he quickly hid it.

Cathy noticed anyway. Instead of taking offense, she twirled one of her fiery red curls around her finger and thought about everything she remembered.

Of course he hated her.

Dominick had once been one of the brightest talents at the Royal Research Institute. Unfortunately, his looks had invited trouble. The old "Cathy" had wanted him the moment she saw him, so she used her privileges to force him into becoming one of her mates.

His promising career as a young scientist had ended there. Instead, he had been kept inside the palace as a steward and forced to serve her.

Dominick was a powerful male, and he had more than enough pride to resent what had happened to him. However, royal authority gave him no room to refuse. All he could do was put up with it and keep his hatred buried.

Once Cathy remembered those parts of the novel, she stopped staring and walked past him into the main hall.

She wasn't going to pretend a few kind words could fix what the old "Cathy" had done.

Dominick had every reason to despise the old "Cathy," and one pleasant conversation wasn't going to erase years of resentment.

Maybe dinner would be a better place to start.

Bright lights filled the palace dining room. Cool white light spread across a mahogany table that stretched more than thirty feet long while Cathy cut into the steak on her plate.

Dominick remained beside her and attended to the meal with a blank expression.

Neither of them said a word.

Cathy's stomach was starting to hurt from the tension. She wasn't used to being watched while she ate, especially by someone who looked at her with that much hostility.

His cold, almost anguine stare sent a shiver through her.

Then again, he was a serpent.

Cathy finally dropped her knife and fork onto the plate with a sharp clatter. After wiping her mouth with her napkin, she pointed toward the empty chair across from her. "Sit down and eat with me."

She kept her voice casual, but it still came out like an order.

Dominick stopped just as he was about to refill her wineglass. For the first time, uncertainty slipped through his usually controlled expression.

Eat with her?

Dominick frowned. Suspicion immediately set in.

Recently, Cathy had spent most of her time chasing after Lachlan.

Whenever things didn't go her way, she returned to the palace and vented her anger on him. Sometimes she hit him. Other times, she hurled insults at him until she had had enough. When she wasn't angry, she hardly seemed to notice he existed.

And now she suddenly wanted him to sit at her table. What was she planning to do to him this time?

"Your Highness, I can't do that," Dominick responded as he lowered his gaze. His voice remained cool. "I'm your steward. I'm not supposed to eat at your table."

"I said sit down. Don't argue with me."

Dominick's body stiffened at once. He hesitated for a few seconds before pulling out the chair and taking a seat. Even then, he kept his eyes on the table and left the cutlery untouched.

Cathy let out a quiet sigh to herself when she saw how guarded he was. She didn't push him any further and simply finished the rest of her meal in silence.

Later, Cathy returned to her lavish bedroom. She had barely taken off her jacket and tossed it onto the sofa when the door creaked open. Dominick walked in with a black velvet tray in his hands.

Cathy glanced at it with curiosity, but the moment she saw what was lying on top, she instinctively pulled back.

It was a long whip covered in barbs.

Dominick stopped in front of her before dropping heavily onto both knees. He bowed his head, then lifted the whip above him with both hands. "Your Highness, please punish me," he said in a flat voice.