Prologue: 00

I violently raked my fingers against the grimy prison bars, an overwhelming sense of desperation clouding my thoughts. The humiliation of my actions meant nothing to me at this point; all I craved was freedom. Those damn nobleman dickheads! I bit down on my trembling lips, my palms raw and inflamed from the ceaseless assault on the cold bars. My eyes stung, swollen and red from sobbing along with my disheveled pink hair, I was no doubt very shaggy looking right now.

Amidst the clawing I turn to an ominous echo, the resounding resonance of approaching footsteps descending the dark, winding staircase into the wretched underground cellar. There was no mistaking it; it was the leader of the accursed magic tower, Valdis himself.

My gaze honed in on him as he drew nearer, his presence enveloped in a malevolent aura that seemed to seep from the very pores of his being. His countenance was nightmarish, a visage that would have been truly otherworldly under any other circumstances, but in this instance, he held my fate in his hands. Above all, he probably knew I was innocent!

"Adeline," he spoke my name with unwavering confidence, his gaze piercing through the cell bars, effectively trapping me in his unsettling presence. I refused to dignify his words with a response, instead countering his stare with one filled with contempt.

Then, in a twist of cruel revelation, he delivered a sentence that sent a shiver down my spine. "The truth is—I know you didn't use black magic. Because I was the one that framed you," he declared with a sinister smirk, standing arrogantly outside my prison cell. My eyes widened in shock and disbelief at this. Why on earth would he do such a thing? I had always known Valdis to be ruthless, but to orchestrate this elaborate scheme over a mere baroness seemed odd.

A sinister satisfaction danced across his face as he reveled in my shocked reaction. His actions were motivated by something deeper and more sinister than I had ever imagined, and the revelation left me feeling more trapped and vulnerable than ever before. You damn prick! As soon as I get out of here I'll kick your ass!

"What's the point? What do you get out of this—" I couldn't help but voice the question that had been plaguing my thoughts, my gaze locked in an intense, confrontational stare, my fingers clenched in frustration. The torches lining the damp, shadowy corridor flickered ominously at that very moment, casting eerie, dancing shadows. In response, his red eyes seemed to blaze with an otherworldly intensity, as if I were being drawn into an abyss. A nervous gulp escaped my parched throat as I braced myself for the impending answer.

"Well, I want you to sign this," he declared, extending a piece of paper towards me. The document was filled with words, some of which were lined out and others that remained legible. I could only assume it was some sort of contract. As a low-ranking noble, my education had been rough at best, our limited funds had never allowed for a comprehensive schooling. I possessed only the most fundamental knowledge of reading and writing, which now left me at a disadvantage when faced with a document of such importance.

"Eh..." I squinted at the document, making a feeble attempt to decipher the words before me. My pride prevented me from giving in to the notion of asking that prick. However, as if he could sense my struggle, he followed up.

"It's a contract signing your life away. In other words…you'll be mine forever," he said with a sly grin, his eyes glinting with a mixture of amusement and desire. At that moment the contract switched from his hands and magically appeared in mine.

As those words hung in the air, a tumultuous storm of emotions surged up within me. My heart pounded like a drum, each beat echoing the conflicting feelings swirling inside me. Confusion, fear, anger, and a strange tinge of curiosity all battled for dominance within my mind. What the hell was happening?

My eyes darted across the room, searching for any sign that this was a joke, a prank, or some kind of twisted game. But there was no one there but the two of us, standing in the dimly lit room where shadows seemed to dance menacingly.

"Hell no! I'm not signing that!" I exclaimed, my voice quivering with defiance. My hands trembled as I held the ominous contract in front of me. The paper felt cold and lifeless, just like the proposition it contained. I knew deep down that whatever this was, it wasn't a decision to be taken lightly.

As the seconds ticked by, the tension in the room became palpable. The weight of the decision pressed down on me like a leaden cloak, and I couldn't help but wonder what my life would be like if I took that leap of faith. What does he intend to gain from this, and what did he mean by 'forever'?

The room seemed to hold its breath as the standoff continued, a silent battle of wills, I knew for sure nothing good would come out of signing that document, as if seeing my immediate rejection he begins again.

"Sign this and I'll let you out," he declared, his voice dripping with emptiness, the room, which had once seemed just a mundane space, now felt like a cage, its walls closing in around me.

I couldn't believe what he was saying, couldn't fathom the audacity of his proposition. It was as if he held my very freedom in his hands, and all I had to do was put my name on that ominous piece of paper. But the fine print, I was sure, held a catch.

He stood there, his posture exuding an unsettling confidence, as though he were a puppeteer pulling the strings of my life. His eyes, like a predator locked onto its prey, never left mine. It was as if he could see the turmoil raging inside me, feeding on my uncertainty.

The seconds stretched into agonizing minutes, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was caught in a web of deception. Was this some kind of sick game for his amusement, a twisted power play? Whatever it was, I certainly wasn't enjoying it.

My mind raced, considering all the possibilities, trying to decipher his motives. Did he want to make me his slave, or was there something even more sinister hidden beneath this.

"…" I hesitated, my thoughts swirling like a maelstrom in my mind. The choice he presented was unbearable in its indignity, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of pride and self-respect resisting his proposal. It might be the most humiliating thing I'd ever do, but it was becoming increasingly clear that I couldn't endure a lifetime trapped in this oppressive, lightless cell.

I cast my gaze around the cell, its stone walls seemingly closing in on me with each passing moment, regret gnawed at me, and I cursed the day I had picked up that accursed novel, the one that had led me down this dark, twisted path.

Ah whatever screw it, 

I sign the contract with a forced smile that felt like an act more grotesque than any I had ever performed, I replied, "It would be my pleasure to be of assistance. I shall be loyal to young master Validas," My voice dripped with a saccharine sweetness that turned my stomach, and I struggled to maintain the facade of compliance.

The words tasted bitter on my tongue, like poison disguised as honey. Each syllable felt like a betrayal of my own principles, a surrender to a twisted fate. My heart ached with the weight of my decision.

At those words, a surreal eruption of power enveloped the cell, creating a tumultuous clash of light and darkness that sent shockwaves rippling through the confined space. The walls trembled, and the ceiling cracked as if the very fabric of reality was being torn asunder. In an instant, my cell, which had felt like an inescapable tomb, was reduced to a heap of rubble and twisted metal. The iron bars that I had been desperately scratching at for the past hour were obliterated as if they were mere toothpicks.

I staggered backward, my senses overwhelmed by the sudden transformation. It was as though I had been released from the clutches of a malevolent force that had kept me imprisoned in that wretched cell. My heart raced, and I couldn't believe the sheer magnitude of the power at his command.

The reality of the situation sank in with a sickening thud. This was no joke, no mere game. He was deadly serious, and the gravity of his intentions was etched across his face.

"Don't think I'm joking, this has magic infused. You can never escape so don't even think of it." he declared, his eyes narrowing into a steely gaze that sent a shiver down my spine. For the first time, his demeanor was devoid of any trace of amusement or ambiguity. It was a chilling transformation, and I realized that he held the power not just to destroy my physical prison but to shackle me in an even more insidious way.

As if the ground beneath me had vanished, I plummeted downward, my limbs flailing involuntarily. My eyes instinctively squeezed shut, I knew I was falling and couldn't hear or see but I knew I didn't hit the ground.

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