Priscilla knew these maidservants were going to die today. Back in her country, disrespect was punishable by death. To the Crown, human life equated to livestock. They were disposable.

  "Y-Your Highness!" The maidservants stuttered, trembling as they quickly lowered onto their knees in greeting.

  The servants bent their heads over their tucked hands, showing the utmost respect. The back of their neck was always revealed, for they wore the same buns in their hair. Showing their nape was a sign of obedience and loyalty. It meant they'd allow their head to be cut off at any given time. With the Prince's murderous glare, that time was now.

  "I was wondering who'd dare hurt what belongs to me," Kade calmly said, walking into the room without being fazed.

  Kade observed the situation in a fell swoop. He saw the strands of long hair in the carpet, fallen like petals. He took in the bloodied bath water. He witnessed the lack of steam rising above the tub.

  Everyone was going to have a brutal death by beating today.

  "A beating for every scratch on my wife," Kade decided. His voice was leveled and nonchalant. Nothing disconcerted him. Not even torture.

  Kade lazily strutted into the room, as if he hadn't just delivered their death sentence today. Immediately, the maidservants began to beg and grovel.

  "Your Highness, please, we didn't mean to!"

  "Your Highness, we were in the wrong!"

  The maidservants crawled towards him and begged for mercy. They didn't think he'd come in like this! It had been eleven days since he even showed up at his estate. They all thought they were holding a rotten stick. In their eyes, they saw no wrong in their behavior.

  "We won't do it again, please, Seventh Prince!" They pleaded, rubbing their hands together and whining like children.

  Kade didn't bother glancing at them. He stepped over their cowardly positions and towards his wife.

  Lina immediately ignored him, glancing to the side. Her form was indifferent like she didn't care for his presence. When he came to touch her face, she pulled away. Her face was tense with displeasure.

  Whilst the maidservants were desperate for his attention, the Fourth Princess completely ignored it.

  At this, Kade's face turned stormy. His anger was instantly directed to the people who caused her misfortune.

  "Guards!" Kade hollered, his voice so powerful, it caused the mountains to tremble.

  At the command, men flooded the room. Kade stood protectively in front of his wife, blocking her body from the view. No one dared to look in her direction. Everyone knew the beautiful swan in a pool of pink belonged to the Prince and only the Prince.

  "Drag these scum out and beat them before the other servants," Kade ordered in a light voice.

  Lina said nothing, not even when the servants quickly ran to the cold bathtub.

  "Please, Princess, we didn't mean to. We tried our best to serve you, right?"

  "Princess, we're in the wrong. We'll never do it again!"

  "Please, Princess, have mercy upon us."

  Lina slowly blinked. She responded by cupping the water. The blood-tainted liquid trickled down her pale skin. It was a great contrast.

  Lina didn't even have to speak. Her actions alone spoke for her.

  A chill ran down the maidservants' spines. All along, they thought she was just some pushover. Now, her claws were revealed. This terrified them even further. They thought they were in the lead, but didn't realize who was the ruler behind the curtain.

  If the Commander was cruel, it'd be because of her.

  This little woman, sitting in dirty water, with bandages on her hands, was the true ruler of the Seventh Prince's estate.

  "Princess, please!"

  They wailed and begged, but their complaints fell on deaf ears. Their cries were wretched and loud, like the caw of a flock of scattered ravens. The servants were dragged out of the room, screaming and crying, but it was useless.

  The sound of their painful beating would fill the entire servants' corridors, until it haunted every one of them into obedience. Everyone could've been in the Princess' good graces, had they treated her well. Now, they had lost her favor. Forever.

  "Priscilla," Lina finally spoke up, calmly turning to the lone maid in the room. "A change of water, please."

  Priscilla had witnessed it for the first time. The power that Kade's wife yielded. Lina had said nothing, but that alone spoke a thousand words. This power only came from Kade's adoration towards her.

  "Right away, my lady," Priscilla stated, rising to her feet.

  Priscilla lowered her eyes and scurried off, glad that she was excused from the punishment. As she rushed down the hallways, she winced and flinched. The beating was so loud, the screams echoed to the other end of the estate. Their wails were like ghosts scrambling to crawl out of hell.

  Priscilla was envious of Lina's power. She wasn't used to being a servant. People used to serve her instead.

  "Wasn't that the Emperor's soldiers earlier?" Priscilla mumbled to herself.

  Suddenly, she realized just how powerful Kade was. Kade wasn't the Crown Prince, but he commanded the Emperor's soldiers. In fact, he trained them. These soldiers weren't loyal to the Emperor, they were obedient to their Commander. They were just following Kade's orders.

  "Such power…" Priscilla trailed off, realization dawning heavily on her.

  If Priscilla wanted to be saved from being a servant and into the served… Her eyes widened.

  A dark feeling brewed in her guts. If only she could wield this same power… but how?

  A cunning and sickening idea came to mind.

  How else?

  If you want to rule a man's estate, you must become the woman standing behind him——

  Priscilla came back in time to witness something extraordinary. Kade had offered his wife a hand. Lina ignored it and stepped out of the bathtub on her own accord. She walked in front of her husband, an event too unprecedented in this time.

  Instead of punishing her, Kade simply chuckled.

  "Is my dear dove angry?" Kade asked, grabbing her fingers.

  At the sight of her open wounds, his smile fell. Even so, he brought them to his mouth, softly kissing the pain away.

  Lina glanced at him with a detached expression. She wasn't going to forgive him this easily, especially with Priscilla in the room. What happened to Isabelle, Sebastian's sister?

  "What shall I do to turn this frown into a smile?" Kade questioned, pulling her close to him, ignoring how dirty her dress was.

  Kade wrapped his arm around her and embraced her tenderly. She still ignored his affection. Instead of irritating him, it made him want her even more. The longer she gave him the cold shoulder, the more he wanted to overwhelm her.

  "Is a beating not enough?" Kade said. His voice was filled with amusement and atonement. It was a bizarre balance, but he did it well.

  Lina raised her eyes and lazily looked at him. She could feel the burning gaze of Priscilla. Thus, she pushed off of him.

  "Please change me," Lina said to Priscilla.

  Priscilla blinked. Quickly, she smiled and nodded her head. "Right away, my lady."

  Kade frowned. He glanced from Priscilla to Lina, feeling as if the two had an unspeakable connection. But what?

  Kade narrowed his eyes onto Priscilla, who avoided his gaze. Before he could question her, a new set of maidservants were already walking into the room.

  The new handmaidens were shaking in their shoes. They were haunted by the frightening screams of their friends. Even now, the howling of pain hadn't stopped. The Prince ruled with blood and iron.

  "Prepare a larger bath," Kade instructed.

  The servants didn't need to be told twice. They hurried off.

  Kade grabbed his wife again. His grip tightened possessively on Lina's waist.

  Kade held her close to his hips, unable to let her go. He had just returned from a sweaty training session. Now, he wanted the softness of his wife's body beside him. And he was going to get it, no matter what.

  "Bathe by yourself," Lina said.

  Kade's lips twitched. With amusement? Or with irritation? He couldn't pinpoint which.

  Lina was finally looking at him now, but with a disapproving expression. Did she not like the punishment? Did she not like being around him anymore?

  He couldn't have that.

  "You're crueler than me, dove," Kade realized.

  Kade wanted her love. He wanted the things he never received in his childhood. And only she could give him that. She had cherished him unconditionally when he returned from torturing people.

  Kade didn't deserve her. He knew that. Her devotion to him was pure and innocent. His behavior towards her was sinister and sly.

  "Bathe with me, dove of mine," Kade requested.

  Lina slowly blinked. She didn't know how she should feel about him. Although they had made up the night before, she still felt unsatisfied with his answers to her initial question.

  How long will it be until she wasn't the only woman in his arms? How much time did they have left?

  "No," Lina mumbled.

  Lina tried to pull away. To her surprise, it was a success. She took a few steps forward, her eyes landing on Priscilla's observant ones.

  "Your wishes to stop will always be respected," Kade told her.

  Lina's lips parted. But then, he embraced her from behind. He was unwilling to let her go. He buried his face into her shoulders, even though her dress was wet.

  Lina smelled of metallic blood. His nose didn't even wrinkle. Instead, he behaved like an abused puppy licking at his wounds.

  "What must I do to make you happy?" Kade asked in a serious voice.

  Priscilla's breath hitched. She finally got a taste of Kade's power. She realized the kind of man he was. Although he was not her type of husband, he was her type of man. The kind that'd devote everything to his wife. Like an obsessive lover.

  "Just be yourself," Lina vaguely said.

  Even Lina didn't know what'd make her happy. Perhaps her husband's stable love for her. But she knew that'd be impossible. She had fallen in love with every side of him, even the dark bits that terrified people.

  Whereas the entire world judged him, Lina was willing to stand by him.

  Work is work. Love is love.

  Lina would love him by this motto.