Zyren had personally walked her to her room, which she soon realized was located on the floor just beneath his.
It was hard to not feel relief, but if there was one thing she could be grateful for, it was the clothes they'd handed to her before she was paraded through the halls—halls teeming with servants who dared not look up as they passed.
"Don't forget to bow! No one is excused!" he warned before leaving, his voice sharp, final. A reminder. A threat. The next time he saw her, he expected obedience—submissive, practiced, and proper. Just like all the others.
Then he was gone, his figure disappearing behind a trail of guards, the echo of his boots still ringing in her ears. Aria barely had time to gather her scattered thoughts when the door to her new room was pushed open. The human maid who had been waiting beside her slipped inside in a near panic, like she was fleeing something much worse than what lay ahead.
