A dog that doesn't know his place

GRIFFITH POV

After leaving Kara's room I made my way to my own room though I knew it wouldn't be too long before 'he' called for me. I was deep in thought, stressed about how I was going to get Aldric out of this. Aldric you've really done it now. I thought to myself.

I was just lucky Kara was too tired and worn out to yell and punish me on the spot. I couldn't say the same for Aldric who had been taken to the dungeons and was now receiving a pre-punishment of lashes before he received his 'official' punishment tomorrow.

Upon entering my room I lifted my hand up to my head and ruffled my blonde hair backwards as I let out a tired exhale. Nothing, there was nothing I could come up with. There was no excuse I could give to convince Viktor not to punish Aldric. I couldn't protect him. I wasn't exactly sure what punishment he would decide but I knew it would be horrible.

Part of me wished Aldric had just tried to bear with it a little longer but I knew it was difficult, Kara's demands were draining, disgusting, and infuriating, to say the least. I've almost lost it a few times myself. I also understood where Aldric was coming from. In fact, he more than anyone else was probably the one who was trying to bear with it the most. After all, he was the one who had lost the most out of all of us.

Then there was a knock at my door bringing me out of my thoughts. I already knew who it was and what they had to say. Upon allowing them to enter I saw it was a servant who came up to me and said;

"Duke Malory, His Majesty has summoned you to his lounge," The servant informed me. A shiver went down my spine as I realized my time to face him had come.

"Very well I will be there shortly," I left the room and immediately headed for it.

I entered his lounge and once I caught sight of him my heart sunk into my chest. His one green predator-like eye was already on me. It could be my imagination, but it almost seemed to glow in the dimly lit room.

He sat in a seat near the fireplace of the room the fire also serving as a source of light to the otherwise dark room. Viktor's demeanor was calm and collected but he had a terrifying aura about him.

"Griffith you know I hate disturbances that occur this late in the night," He told me. His voice was deep stern and threatening. "What happened?" He asked me.

I cleared my throat as I nervously opened my mouth to speak. " I apologize, Your Majesty, Aldric laid his hands on the princess" I painfully admitted to him.

"Is that so?" He said, "That's very disappointing, and here I thought you'd said you trained him properly to make him obedient to the Princess." A smug expression on his face as he said it.

He was lying. He was pretending to be disappointed when we both knew he had been anticipating something like this happening. He knew Aldric was quick to anger and was a ticking time bomb when it came to Kara's ridiculous demands. He wanted us to break under pressure so he could have excuses to torture us even more than he was already.

"I apologize for my incompetence Your Majesty, I will work harder," I tried to apologize in an attempt to make him forgive the incident but deep down I knew he wouldn't.

 "Mmmm, as for his punishment, I'm sure you know what happens when a dog doesn't know its place and bites the hand that feeds it," Viktor said.

I bit my tongue in frustration. "Yes your Majesty," I answered "You remove its teeth."

A sadistic smile formed on his face "Good," He replied to my answer. "Then you know what must be done. I expect you to deal with it tomorrow. I'll come to watch."

I winced as I understood his instructions. "Yes, your Majesty," I could only simply answer.

A moment of silence passed and so I took that as a cue to leave the room. As I made to bow and then leave he suddenly spoke up.

"And whilst Aldric is healing you'll be taking his place as well as your own when it comes to taking care of the Kara at night? When does Isaac return?" He asked.

"Not for another week, Sire,"

"Then it will be just you every day? Are you sure you'll be able to manage?" He asked as if concerned but I could tell from the look in his eye he was laughing at me.

He really enjoyed making the three of us suffer, as much as possible. Typically, the three of us took turns spending the night with Kara and on some occasions when she had even wilder demands, she could have all three of us together on the same night. But with Aldric who would be healing from the punishment I was about to subject him to and Isaac away for the time being I would have to do it all on my own.

"I will be able to manage, Your Majesty, thank you for your concern," I responded through gritted teeth.

I didn't care what Kara did to me I was more concerned for Aldric.

"Dependable as always, take good care of her," Viktor responded.

I finally left Viktors' lounge and headed back to my room. My hands curled up into fists. Viktor's antics were only getting worse with time.

COURTNEY'S POV (NOW KARA'S POV)

"He's going to have his arm cut off Your Highness," The servant informed me.

My eyes widened in shock at the cruel punishment he was going to receive.

I remember in the book Aldric was said to have one arm which he lost after harming Kara because he couldn't take her torturous sexual demands. However, it only briefly talked about it. It didn't give too many details about how exactly it happened. Was this the event that caused him to lose the arm?

I let out a tired sigh as I asked myself all these questions.

If this was all real and I really was stuck in this story world as Princess Kara I had to prevent her death. The only way to do that was to get Kara's three husbands on my side. Though they too, died at the hands of Viktor at the very least I figured I had a better chance of surviving if we worked together. Because that chance was non-existent with Viktor who didn't care about Kara at all. As from the story Viktor had planned for Kara to die all along.

It wasn't going to be easy knowing how much Kara's husbands hated her but I had to figure it out.

"We are done preparing you your grace is there anything else we can help you with for the day?" One of the servants asked me as they took away my breakfast plates.

I looked at the five maids that were attending to me assessing each of their faces. Till my eyes landed on one. She looked like she was the youngest of the group perhaps she hadn't been working here long either.

"You!" I said to her.

"Yes, Your Highness," She squeaked in fear.

"You're the one who made and poured my tea, aren't you?

"Yes," she answered as her fear only increased.

 "You stay here that was horrible tea," I told the maid. I'll deal with you privately. The rest may leave."

The other servants looked at her with sympathy as they began to leave meanwhile, she cowered in fear wondering what I was going to do to her.

Once the other servants left she bowed down and apologized.