Thankfully, the process was similar to what Adeline had learned at King Richard's castle. She set her shoulder against the door—the wood solid and unyielding beneath her weight—and with one strong push cracked it open just wide enough to slip inside. The hinges groaned in protest, a sound that seemed far too loud in the silent hallway. Getting out would be a whole other issue, but she would worry about that in a few hours when it was time to leave.
To her surprise, King Heloix had a beautiful suite. The door opened immediately into the living room, and the entire apartment appeared to be one large, open space. They used to have a name for this style—something from the old world, before the Subjugation. A studio, she thought it was called. The term came from a dusty memory, perhaps something her grandmother had mentioned in stories of the time when humans designed their own living spaces.
A large leather couch and living area sat directly in front of the entrance, the furniture arranged with surprising attention to comfort rather than intimidation. To the right was a grand kitchen with a center island, the countertops made of smooth granite that gleamed in the morning light. Adeline spotted a bed in the back left corner, long white curtains draped around it for privacy—a surprisingly human touch that seemed at odds with everything she knew about Beasts.
The entire room was brightly lit by floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the left wall, offering a breathtaking view of the northern mountains beyond. Snow capped their peaks even now, in what passed for summer in these harsh lands. Adeline was honestly shocked by the taste of the decor. Most Beasts preferred darker, muted color schemes—caves and dens befitting their predatory nature—but the furniture here was either white or beige, with occasional brown pieces thrown in. It felt almost... peaceful. Almost human, in a way that made her wonder about the King's history.
There was a small hallway past the kitchen, which Adeline assumed led to the office and bathroom. The air inside smelled clean—pine-scented cleaner mixed with leather and that ever-present wild musk of Beast.
The place was already pretty tidy, so hopefully it wouldn't take her too long to clean. Usually she would be ecstatic about this, but knowing she would have to go to the guard's chambers afterward filled her with dread. The thought sat in her stomach like a stone, cold and heavy.
Her mother had warned her when she was young that this might happen. She had said the best thing to do was stay still and allow them to do what they pleased. Don't fight. Don't cry. Just survive it. Her mother's face had been blank when she'd said it—the same blank expression all the older servants wore, the look of people who had endured and survived by becoming empty vessels.
John used to please one of the guards back at King Richard's castle. He had told Adeline once that it wasn't awful. Painful at first, but eventually you just got numb to it. The Beast had even given John little presents and extra food—a twisted form of affection that made the whole arrangement feel even more degrading somehow.
Adeline shook her head to rid the thoughts from her mind, her ponytail swaying with the motion, and got started with her cleaning. There wasn't much tidying up needed, so she would just give the place a thorough base clean: dusting all the furniture, cleaning the glass and appliances until they sparkled, mopping the floor, and doing a load or two of laundry.
The dusting and general cleaning went by quickly. Adeline fell into the familiar rhythm of work, her hands moving automatically through tasks she'd performed thousands of times. The repetition was almost meditative, allowing her mind to quiet. But as she was switching the laundry from the washer to the dryer—the machines humming quietly in their alcove near the kitchen—Adeline felt the blood rush from her head and her vision tunnel. The edges of her sight went dark, closing in like a shrinking circle.
Careful not to make too much noise, she dropped the wet laundry onto the floor with a soft thump and sat down, taking deep breaths. The cool tile beneath her was grounding, solid. Her hands trembled as she braced them against the floor.
This had happened to her before. It was usually a sign that she had gone too long without eating, and it almost always passed within a few minutes. The first time she had fainted had been dramatic. She had tried working through the dizziness and ended up dropping on the kitchen floor in front of nearly the entire staff. Most of her peers had been worried, but the elders had laughed, telling her she needed to be more careful. They'd said it with the casual cruelty of people who had seen worse, who considered a fainting spell a minor inconvenience.
Adeline put her head between her knees and focused on her breathing as she waited for the feeling to pass. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Count to four. Again. It had been foolish not to eat anything the previous night before going to bed. She had been so concerned with finding a bed and not bothering anyone else—with making herself as small and unobtrusive as possible. But it wouldn't have made any real difference to anyone if she had taken five minutes to eat a few pieces of bread and an apple.
Tomorrow she would wake up extra early to ensure she had enough time to eat. She wouldn't let Gwen's games control her schedule.
The dizziness began to fade, receding like a tide, and seconds later she was feeling back to normal. A decent headache remained in its place—a dull throb behind her eyes—but it was manageable. Adeline waited another minute or so before getting up, stumbling slightly as she regained her balance. Her legs felt weak, unsteady. As if nothing had happened, she grabbed the laundry she had dropped and threw it in the dryer, setting the cycle and hearing the machine rumble to life.
All that remained now was to clean the King's office and fold his laundry. She had been avoiding going into his office all morning, hoping that at some point he would leave. But he had been inside the entire time, not even emerging to use the bathroom. She wondered what could possibly keep him so occupied, what business of ruling required such constant attention.
Adeline grabbed her small basket of cleaning supplies—rags worn soft from use, a bottle of wood polish, glass cleaner—and tiptoed to the office entrance. She resisted the urge to press her ear to the door to listen inside, knowing she had already been caught doing that once today. Instead, she slowly pushed open the door, wincing at the soft creak of hinges.
The room was silent as she entered, heavy with concentration. Adeline kept her eyes facing downward as she closed the door behind her with a soft click. His office matched the rest of his suite, with large windows and bright-colored furniture that seemed designed to encourage thought rather than intimidate. The entire left wall was a bookcase filled with volumes—leather-bound books with gold lettering on their spines, some so old they looked like they might crumble at a touch. She could make out titles in various languages, some human, some in the harsh angular script of the Beasts. King Heloix sat behind a large mahogany desk to her right, his dark head bent over his work.
He didn't look up as she entered, and Adeline took that as a good sign to continue with her work. She did her best to work quickly and quietly, not wanting to disturb him. The sound of her cloth against wood seemed impossibly loud in the quiet room, punctuated only by the scratch of his pen against paper.
She dusted all of the bookshelves she could reach and made a mental note to bring a small ladder the next time she came. Some of the higher shelves were thick with dust—evidence that the previous servant had either been negligent or hadn't lasted long enough to do a thorough job. Her mind continued to wander to the task she was expected to fulfill once she finished cleaning, but she did her best to ignore it. The thought kept creeping back in like an unwanted visitor, making her movements jerky and nervous.
Making a big deal out of these things wasn't going to get her anywhere. She chanted this to herself like a mantra, desperately hoping that the more she thought it, the more it would feel true. Survive. Endure. That's all that mattered.
Adeline turned from the bookshelves and searched for the garbage can. She didn't spot one immediately, but she did notice that the King was watching her. His pen had stilled, and those dark eyes followed her movements with an intensity that made her skin prickle. She froze momentarily before deciding to pretend she hadn't noticed and continuing her search for the trash.
It was nowhere to be seen, and she realized it must be behind his desk. Hesitantly, she made her way over to the King and walked around him, her footsteps silent on the plush rug that covered this section of floor. She could feel his eyes on her the whole time and noticed him turning to face her in her peripheral vision, his chair creaking as he swiveled.
Sweat beaded up on her forehead despite the cool air from the windows, but she ignored it as she finally spotted the garbage behind the desk. It sat just inches from his thigh, close enough that she would have to reach past him to get it.
She was certain he could smell her fear and unease. The scent probably filled the entire room—sharp and acrid, marking her as prey. Adeline reached forward quickly and worked on removing the bag from the bin. It came out easily, and she immediately stepped away to maintain a safe distance, clutching the bag like a shield.
He continued to watch her as she tied up the bag and set it by the door, but he didn't move or say anything. His attention was nerve-wracking and caused her to fumble with simple tasks—her fingers wouldn't quite cooperate, making the knot take three tries instead of one.
Adeline wasted no time trying to escape from the room the second she finished, moving toward the door with poorly disguised haste.
"Come to me when you are finished and I will open the front door for you." The King's voice stopped her before she could leave, deep and resonant in the quiet space. "I'll have the hinges adjusted so you can open it more easily. I don't want to have to listen to you slam your body against it every time you enter and exit."
Annoyance was clear in his tone, but there was something else there too. Something Adeline couldn't quite identify—almost like... consideration? But that seemed impossible. Beasts didn't consider human comfort.
She glanced back at him to give him a nod of acknowledgment, but he was no longer looking at her. Instead, he stared intently at the papers in front of him, his pen already moving across the page in sharp, angular strokes that matched the Beast script she'd seen on some of the books.
Adeline exited the room and let out a deep sigh, feeling her muscles relax. She brought her fingers up to her temples and gently massaged the skin there, urging her worsening headache to ease. The pressure behind her eyes pulsed in time with her heartbeat.
The dryer had long since finished its cycle. Adeline headed over to fold the clothing, the fabric still warm from the heat. It was a pretty small load—mostly simple items, shirts and pants in dark colors—and only took her a few minutes to finish. She hesitated as she looked at the pile of folded laundry sitting atop the washer, not sure whether to put the items away or leave them out. She didn't know if King Heloix was comfortable with her opening his drawers, touching his personal belongings beyond what was necessary for cleaning.
Adeline weighed her options for several seconds before deciding to leave them out. If they were still there tomorrow, she would take that as a sign to put them away. It seemed the safest course—letting him set the boundaries rather than crossing one by accident.
She did a quick spin around the room, searching for anything she might have missed, her eyes scanning for dust or disorder. But everything looked pristine now, the space transformed from merely tidy to properly clean. She decided she had completed everything needed for today. Part of her was upset by this, hoping to have found something that would require her to stay longer—another shelf to scrub, another surface to polish. As much as she had tried to forget about her interaction with the guard that morning, the memory never stayed away for long. It lurked at the edges of her thoughts, waiting.
Adeline brought the garbage bags to the front door and set them on the ground so they would be easy to grab as she left. The door to the King's office stared at her, almost taunting her, but she decided to try her luck with the front door first. Maybe, somehow, it would open this time.
She grabbed the handle—cool metal against her palm—and pulled as hard as she could. Unfortunately, the door didn't even budge. It might as well have been solid wall.
Not wanting to give up so quickly, Adeline pushed her foot up against the wall next to the door and used it as leverage to pull harder, her leg muscles straining. Still, no movement. The door remained stubbornly closed, sealed tight by whatever mechanism Beasts used to keep their chambers secure from unwanted intrusion. She tried a few more times, each attempt leaving her more breathless and frustrated, before giving up and heading toward the office door.
Like before, she quietly opened it and peeked her head inside. The King was in the same position, a pen in his hand as he furiously scribbled on the papers covering his desk. The late morning light streaming through the windows illuminated dust motes in the air, making them dance like tiny stars.
Adeline cleared her throat softly. "Sir, I've finished."
He didn't acknowledge her presence. Adeline stayed where she was but dropped her eyes to the floor in a show of respect while she waited for him to finish what he was doing. She focused on the grain of the wooden floorboards beneath her feet, counting the knots in the wood. Given the advanced hearing that Beasts possessed, she knew there was no way he hadn't heard her. This was a power play, a reminder of who controlled the situation.
After another minute or so, she heard his pen drop to the desk with a soft click and a creak as he pushed his chair back. The second he rose to his feet, the room felt suffocating. His tall frame made the space feel much smaller than it was, his presence dominating like a physical force.
The King walked around his desk and began heading toward her, his footsteps deliberate and unhurried. Adeline moved out of his way and stood pressed against the wall, holding the door open for him. The wood was solid against her back, grounding. He didn't spare her a glance as he strolled past and into the main living area, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body and smell that distinctive scent of pine and wildness.
Adeline followed after him, careful to keep a safe distance. She watched as he opened the front door with ease, one hand on the handle making it swing wide as if it weighed nothing. The muscles in his arm bulged as he held it open, the fabric of his shirt stretching around him like a second skin, revealing the coiled power beneath.
He caught her staring and rolled his eyes—an almost human gesture of exasperation. Adeline felt her face flush at having been caught, heat spreading across her cheeks, and she quickly grabbed the garbage bags before he could punish her for being disrespectful. Her body was tense as she walked past him and out into the hallway, expecting at any moment to feel his hand on her shoulder, to be yanked back for her transgression. The door immediately slammed shut behind her with a finality that made her jump.
Adeline noticed that the guard from earlier was gone and had been replaced with another Beast—this one older, with graying hair at his temples and a scar across his jaw. She had been worried the first guard would be waiting for her, giving her no time to mentally prepare before taking her to his room. The reprieve was temporary, she knew, but she was grateful for it nonetheless.
She had heard from a couple of servants that morning—whispered conversations in the brief moments between tasks—that the guards lived directly above the servants' quarters. She wasn't sure which room belonged to the guard who had accosted her, but she assumed there would be guards everywhere down there and one of them would be able to tell her where to go. They'd probably laugh about it, sharing in the anticipation of breaking in fresh meat.
With a defeated sigh, Adeline made her way down the hallway, preparing herself for what was to come. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if she were walking toward her own execution. In a way, perhaps she was—an execution of the person she'd been this morning, naive enough to hope she might escape this particular form of service.
The garbage bags rustled in her hands, a mundane sound that seemed absurdly normal given where she was headed. Behind her, the castle continued its daily operations—Beasts conducting their business, servants scurrying through hidden corridors, the machinery of power grinding on as it always had.
And she was just one small, insignificant human girl, walking toward an inevitable fate that countless others had faced before her.