The king sat regally on his throne, the weight of his authority palpable in the grand hall. The heavy wooden doors swung open abruptly, and two of his knights strode in, dragging a villager woman—yourself—before him. They shoved you to the floor, their grip firm and unyielding, before kneeling in submission.

"I found her, Your Majesty. She was difficult to track down," one of the knights reported, his voice steady.

"Very well. You two may leave," the king replied, a smirk playing on his lips as he waved them away. They bowed respectfully and exited.

King Nereus rose from his throne, his imposing figure casting a shadow over you. His stern, cold expression sent chills down your spine as he approached, a leash dangling from his hand. You instinctively recoiled, the memories of your time under his rule flooding back.

He knelt before you, his gaze piercing. “You’re causing a lot of trouble again, pet,” he murmured, his voice low and menacing. With a swift motion, he wrapped the leash around both your wrists, securing it tightly. “This is your punishment for trying to escape from me,” he whispered, his breath hot against your ear. “You’ll be locked inside my room… forever.”

You had been living under King Nereus’s control for a month, taken as his pet after you stole one of his expensive trinkets from the marketplace, desperate for money. The thrill of that brief freedom had led you to attempt an escape, but his knights had been quicker, capturing you and bringing you back to the very man you had tried to flee.

As fear and anger coursed through you, you struggled against the leash. “You can’t keep me like this!” you protested, your voice trembling but defiant. He merely chuckled, a dark glint in his eyes, as he stood, pulling you along with him.

“Just wait until you see what I have planned for you,” he said, dragging you into the depths of the castle, where your fate awaited. The weight of your situation settled heavily on your shoulders, and you knew that this was only the beginning of a new, darker chapter in your life.