After the witch was burned, the king began to make his way back to his chambers. He walked with a certain confidence, a sense of satisfaction lingering after the events of the night. As he strode through the dimly lit corridors, he spotted a young servant girl heading towards her room, ready to retire for the night. Her graceful movements caught his eye, and he felt a familiar surge of desire stirring within him. It was an impulse he could no longer control, an urge that had only grown stronger and more insatiable over time.
Without making a sound, he followed her, slipping into her room as she closed the door behind her. The servant, unaware of his presence, was in the middle of changing her clothes. Draped in a towel, she was startled to see the king standing there. "Your Majesty," she said, with a mix of surprise and nervousness, "If you needed something, you only had to call, and I would have come to you."
The king's lips curled into a smirk, and he slowly approached her. Ignoring her words, he reached out and ripped the towel from her body, throwing it aside carelessly. He pressed his lips against hers, forcing a kiss that was rough and overpowering. The girl tried to pull away, but he was too strong, and soon, he pushed her onto the bed.
What followed was two hours of merciless indulgence. The king had never felt so alive, so invigorated. It was as if all the power in the world coursed through his veins, and he reveled in the sensation of complete control. The servant, however, lay beneath him, overwhelmed and terrified, her strength drained away. By the time he was finished, she was barely conscious, her body battered and exhausted. The sight of her in this state only served to deepen the king's twisted sense of satisfaction.
As the king was getting dressed, preparing to leave, there was a soft creak as the door opened. In the dim light, a young girl, no more than 19, entered the room. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked around, clearly searching for someone. "Mom, where are you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I can't sleep. Can I stay with you tonight?" Her innocent request echoed softly in the room, but there was no response.
The girl's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and she saw her mother lying still on the bed. Confused, she then noticed the king standing there, looking directly at her. The king's gaze lingered on the girl, and his breathing became heavier. Seeing her youth, her innocence, it was as if a new fire had been lit within him. His monstrous desires, momentarily sated, awakened once more with a hunger even more ferocious.
He undid his pants again, and with a sinister smile, he approached the girl. Grabbing her roughly, he forced her to hold his dick, and in that moment, she realized the danger she was in. From the bed, her mother, who had been lying there in a state of shock, managed to muster the strength to speak. "Your Majesty, please, I beg of you," she said, her voice weak and trembling. "She's just a girl… only 19. Leave her alone. You can have me again if that's what you want, but please spare her."
But the king paid no heed to her desperate plea. He dragged the girl out of the room, ignoring her cries and the sobs of her mother, who was too weak to stop him. He took her to a separate room, locking the door behind him. That night, the girl's screams echoed through the dark corridors, but they fell on deaf ears. The king's cruelty knew no bounds, and by morning, the girl's lifeless body lay on the cold floor.
As dawn broke, the king unlocked the door and stepped out, his face showing no sign of remorse or guilt. The girl's mother, who had spent the night crying outside the door, rushed inside, hoping to save her daughter, but her hope was shattered the moment she saw the body. Her cries were heart-wrenching, echoing through the empty halls of the palace, but the king, still unmoved, simply picked up a spear. Without a word, he impaled her through the head, silencing her forever.
He called for one of his guards, instructing them to dispose of the bodies without a second thought. The guard carried out the orders, and soon, there was no trace of what had happened, just as the king wanted.
The king's appetite for cruelty had grown to monstrous levels. He showed no mercy to any servant girl in the palace. Every night, he would find a new victim, and he would force himself upon them, taking twisted pleasure in their fear and suffering. It became a dark routine, a ritual that brought him a sickening sense of joy. Many did not survive his brutality, and those who did were often driven to despair, some even taking their own lives to escape his torment. The entire palace was steeped in fear, his reputation as a monster spreading silently through the halls.
During the day, he played the role of a king, managing affairs and maintaining his rule. But once night fell, the beast within him awakened, and the palace became a place of horror. This dark cycle continued, night after night, for a whole year.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Jou's training was also nearing its conclusion. He had grown stronger, faster, and more fearless, honing his skills under Shadow's watchful eye. Now, the time had come for his final test: a duel against Shadow herself, a test that would determine if he was truly ready for what lay ahead.