KARA'S POV
I stepped into the dining room where there was a large dining table but Viktor and I wouldn't be eating from there. The servant continued to walk with me taking me to a set of large doors that led outside. There was a beautiful garden area and table that was being set up with plates food by multiple servants.
Viktor wasn't there yet, I was the first to arrive. I sat down at the table and silently waited. I was worried from the scary way Viktor had said; " I'll talk to you tomorrow" to me at the pit yesterday. I had a bad feeling. I began to silently pray that nothing bad would happen.
Then my attention was drawn when I noticed the demeanor of the servants suddenly change. I looked around to see why and found Viktor entering the garden area. All the servants stopped whatever they were doing and ran to stand in a line a short distance away from the table. Looks of fear and panic were on their faces as they bowed before Viktor.
"Kara," Viktor simply said when his one green eye met mine.
My breathing hitched as when we locked onto each other. I stood up from the table and bowed before him. "Good morning, Your Majesty," I greeted him.
Honestly, I don't even know if terrifying was the word to describe Viktor, it wasn't enough. He had a menacing aura about him that said; 'make one wrong move and you're done.'
He came and sat down on the seat opposite mine at the table. Then I sat back down myself.
An awkward silence ensued as Viktor began to eat. It seemed even more awkward since all the servants seemed to be trembling from where they stood. I didn't have to imagine what Viktor did to his servants when they made mistakes.
Unlike yesterday when he was seated far from me in the pit so I didn't really get a good look at him, now I could clearly see him. His tan skin, silver-white hair, his eye patch, and one green eye. His large muscular body seemed so much bigger up close. Like Aldric, he seemed like he could rip you in half with his bare hands.
I swallowed hard as I prayed once more that I wouldn't piss him off.
"I heard you didn't spend the night with Griffith last night?" He asked as he ate.
I froze after that. 'He knew about that?' I asked myself. It was just as I thought he was watching Kara and keeping up with what she did. He made the question seem casual but I knew it wasn't. I was supposed to sleep with Griffith it was what he wanted.
"My neck is still painful after being choked I wasn't able to.
"Then you should have thought twice before you engaged in 'breath play' or whatever that is with someone who. You know that Aldric, no, that all three would want to harm you yet you thought it was a good idea to let him choke you? " He reprimanded me.
"I-I," I stuttered struggling to explain myself.
"I know I tell you to have fun with them and encourage you to try all kinds of things but don't put yourself in a dangerous situation." He went on.
So he actually thought Kara was stupid enough to let Aldric choke her as a sexual experiment. I'm relieved he believed my lie but now I was in trouble for it.
"I understand your Majesty, I apologize for my incompetence I'll be more careful next time. " I finally managed to say.
"Now look with you injured how many days are you going to be unable to sleep with them? " He continued to complain.
He was very clearly upset. Thinking about it I realized it was really messed up how Viktor was upset with Kara for not sleeping with Griffith. He was really pimping out his sister. Well, I suppose they weren't related but still, a really messed up situation.
From reading the book I got the feeling that Kara did love sex, however, most of the wild things she did with her husbands were largely due to Viktor's involvement. He was the one who would give her suggestions and give her the wild toys to mess with.
"Kara you know how important this task I've assigned to you is in regards to my plans." He told me. "It's not that hard all you have to do is fulfill your wife's duty so don't complicate things."
Like I said before the whole point of forcing the 3 dukes to marry Kara was to humiliate and agitate them. The frustration of having to be violated by a woman they didn't love as well as having their family businesses taken by him.
He wanted their frustration to build up over time till they couldn't take it anymore and retaliated. That retaliation would finally give Viktor the excuse he needed to get rid of the dukes and end their dukedoms once and for all.
Viktor didn't want to make it obvious that he wanted to get rid of three of the most powerful dukes in the kingdom by directly killing them which would reflect badly on the rest of the kingdom. So instead he opted for a roundabout method where he could make the dukes look like they were aggressors who were against their king.
Viktor's plan was already working as the frustration was already beginning to show with Aldric attacking Kara the other day.
"Yes, I do understand. I'm sorry Your Majesty," I apologized to him.
"I didn't like the stunt you pulled yesterday either, it's only that I didn't have to deal with you afterward but why did you wait until the last minute to stop the punishment? Why didn't you stop it earlier?"
I didn't stop it earlier because I hadn't come up with my excuse yet. "I apologize for that, Your Majesty,"
"Apologizing?" He interrupted me. "Is that all you're good for? Do you think I made you a princess to see you disappoint me like this?"
I stared at him in fear
"Remember Kara you are lucky that a mere bastard disgrace such as yourself is even getting such an opportunity," he spat out at me. "After your whore of a mother insulted the royal family."
I blinked, surprised by his insult, and answered with a shaky voice. "Yes, Your Majesty. I am grateful."
"Then show that you are grateful. I need you to be more mindful of your actions going forward."
"Yes, I promise to do better to please you, Your Majesty."
An unimpressed expression then appeared on his face. "We'll have to see then," he responded.
Lucy told me that Viktor always reminded Kara of her shameful birth and how grateful she should be that she was given the privilege of being recognized as a princess. He reminded her to fuel her drive and need to please him since she was scared that she would lose her title as a princess if she failed to meet his expectations.
So no matter how demeaning he was to her she would obediently accept it. If only Kara knew that all her efforts would be in vain bacause she would die in the end and Viktor knew that.
After reading the book I hated Kara's characters. What she did to her husband was disgusting but now seeing in person what she was dealing with I slightly sympathized with her.
She never met her parents as both of them were killed whilst she was still a baby. She was treated horribly in the palace. She just wants to belong for once and feel like she has a family I suppose.
What's worse is even if she didn't want to, she really had a choice but to do as he wished because if she didn't she would probably be discarded immediately.