𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐃𝐎𝐌

𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿.

王国

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Following Ronan's attendant down the winding hallways of the castle, (Y/N) found herself entering a larger chamber hall with two iron double doors straight in front of them. Two guards stood posted there, and when seeing the familiar wolf, they opened the doors promptly to let them enter.

Finding herself in a vast and rather expansive throne room with arching pillars that extended to catch the ceiling, she noticed several crystal chandeliers hanging down to light up the rather dark and ominous space. On either side of the walkway lined with a silver-grey carpet with various symbols and shapes interwoven into the fabric, different types of guards from the ones who stood outside were present. These soldiers were decked head to toe in armor strapped down to their arms, legs, and chest. Their heads were covered with a hood while their faces were hidden behind metallic masks with rune-like grooves that made them all the more intimidating.

(Y/N)'s eyes drifted from guard to guard, eyeing the way they kept their grip tight on the hilt of the swords strapped to their waists.

How curious...

Finally, she, the handler, and Ronan stopped several feet away from the throne that stood at the end of the room, crystalline windows draped in heavy black fabric standing tall behind it. The throne was a rather elaborate obsidian with almost knife-sharp spindles at the top and a blood red cushion decorating the back and seat of the chair.

    And then there was the man who sat there.

    Even though he was sitting, one could already tell that he was quite tall, his feet out in front of him rather lazily while his fist propped his head up to stare down at anyone who entered the hall. His dark eyes were almost hidden under equally dark but rather messy bangs that framed his face, longer strands of his hair resting on his shoulders. His black suit with golden tassels matched well with his light brown complexion, made only of the highest quality threads found within the empire.

    "Who is this?" Duran asked, his voice pleasing to the ear yet a dark undertone set to it that would put anyone on edge.

    "Greeting, Your Majesty," (Y/N) bowed lowly, Ronan's leash clinking in her hand from the motion. "I am (Y/N), one of the maids from Ushien. I was assigned to clean Ronan, however when I was finished and about to hand him back to his handler, he attacked, so we thought it best that I deliver him back to your side."

    Duran let out a small hum.

    It was true that he had assigned a random maid to clean Ronan after he devoured his last bather, and it was true that he knew said maid was a prisoner of war and that losing one meant nothing.

    But now he was intrigued.

The possibility of her escaping with her life when being assigned to clean Ronan was quite slim, but here she was before him defying the odds. If anything, it almost seemed like Ronan was fearful of the maid that held his chain, as if something had happened between the two that made him realize that he would not be the winner between the two if they were to clash.

It was quite amusing.

    "It seems Ronan has been tamed quite quickly under your control," Duran's lips tilted upward into a rather devious smirk.

    "It seems so," (Y/N) responded immediately.

    Duran raised a brow at her words that were quick and to the point, yet still held an air of respect that he found strange for a prisoner captured from another country. His gaze then slid to the handler beside her that clutched a rather bloody towel to his shoulder, the only sign that there was a wound there to begin with since the uniform was a pitch black and didn't show stains very easily.

    "You," Duran motioned for the man to step forward, an action he did immediately at his King's command. "Is this servant girl speaking the truth? Why has Ronan only just attacked you after you've been handling him for some time now?"

    "I-I do not know, sire," the man gulped, feeling a cold bead of sweat drip down his temple.

    "You... 'don't know?'" The King quoted, his eyes narrowing.

    "W-What I meant to say was that Ronan sees me as beneath him!" The man desperately tried to cover up for himself even at the expense of his pride, cringing at his own words since they labeled him as less than an animal. "I-I believe that after Miss (L/N) here had bathed him... he saw something in her that he doesn't apply to me at all. And because of that, Ronan sees her as the only one besides you, Your Majesty, that can hold his leash and not be perceived as a threat nor inconvenience."

    "Is that so?" Duran hummed, his dark eyes glittering with an unknown emotion.

    "T-That is just what I think, Your Majesty," the man continued. "Your opinion of the situation though, is much more important than mine."

    Duran's smirk widened at the handler's answer before he then glanced to (Y/N) and flicked his finger forward, signaling that he wanted her to approach. When she did so, he held his hand out, and she placed Ronan's leash into his outstretched palm, making no move to linger as she instantly stepped backward to maintain a respectful distance. He found her actions quite enthralling, as so often he only encountered maids who trembled in fear before him or those who cursed his very name.

    He liked it.

    "It seems that I have a new use for you," he murmured as he tilted his head, his gaze locked with (Y/N)'s.

    "I will do whatever I can to serve you to my upmost ability," she answered.

    He smiled.

    Then, he unhooked Ronan from his chain and whistled one clear, sharp note as he then pointed towards the handler. Ronan's muscles tensed as he bared his fangs and took up a more defensive stance, not even a moment later bounding down the steps to lunge forward and tackle the man to the ground. His screams of agony were cut short when Ronan's jaw clamped down on his neck, wringing out the life from him as he continued to be mauled. When Duran looked back up at (Y/N) who has been standing beside the handler, he noticed that she had specks of blood staining not just her clothes, but her face as well.

    She met his gaze.

    And without saying anything, she merely brought her hand up to wipe away the blood off of her cheek, not caring at all that she had smeared it.

    His grin widened.

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To be continued...