•E/C: Eye Color
•L/N: Last Name

King Noah's POV:
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I can't resist smiling to myself in amusement at the thought of the L/N girl trying to bathe my dear pet, Weston. No doubt she's having a tough time with him. He has never been kind to his bathers. Oh, how badly I wish to have seen the look on her face when she was given the order. I bet she was frightened half to death, her eyes wide and mouth agape. Such expressions are humorous to me. I feel giddy just thinking about it.

'I bet she was petrified!' I release a daunting chortle, unnerving a few of the guards on duty in the throne room, not that I care.

'I wonder if he bit off a finger or two? Ah, speak of the devil.' I straighten my posture and grin when my beloved pet and his escort enter the room. I could care less for the man. I don't even know his name even though he has been the lion's walker for nearly three years now, though, I see no point in learning the names of my servants anyways. Most don't last long. The farm girl, on the other hand, her name has been burning in my brain ever since last night, though, that's only because she's now my new plaything.

'Finally, some details!' I could hardly keep myself composed. I feel so excited, I might burst!

"Well, how did it go?" I ask, my smirk widening into a crazed smile. The man bows deeply to me before stuttering his reply.

"S-She actually did fairly well." At that, my smile falls into a slight pout.

'How disappointing.'

"Anything else?" I ask in a bitter tone through gritted teeth, my mood souring. And I was having such a wonderful morning. The escort nods his head, smartly keeping his gaze off me.

"S-She has also requested me t-to ask if... if.." he trails off, his shoulders tensing in fear as I shoot him murderous glare.

"Spit it out!" I snap, the anticipation quickly getting on my nerves.

'How difficult can it be to finish a proper sentence?' My shout causes the man to flinch before he swallows hard.

"S-She w-w-wants to know if W-Weston can have a treat for... for behaving s-so well." The room falls silent as I lean back in my elaborate chair, my fingers tapping on the golden armrest in an intimidating way.

"A... treat?" I mutter under my breath before scoffing. When I lower my head, my wavy, blue locks cast a shadow over my olive orbs. "A treat, she says." I lift my gaze and look over to the white beast. "Weston," I call his name firmly in both anger and disappointment, causing the lion to flatten his ears against his head, which now hangs low.

Even the ferocious beast knows to be afraid of me. "Remove his restraints," I command, and the servant quickly unhooks the leash with shaking hands before stepping away from the beast. "Come." I beckon the creature with a finger, and the lion obeys with caution. As he comes forth, I stand from my throne and take a few steps forward until he stands right in front of me before glaring down at my pet. Kneeling, I grab his massive head to ensure his eyes are locked onto mine as I speak to him in a low voice.

"Is what he says true? Have you been a good boy, Weston?" The moment I uttered that phrase, Weston's attitude changes from fear to excitement before he uses his rough tongue to lick my face. I cringe at the rough texture and stand immediately while wiping my face with my black gloved hand in disgust. Had this not been my beloved pet, I would've killed him over the affectionate display.

Beyond irked, I heave a loud sigh as I brush the saliva staining my glove on the side of my pristine, white coat covered in ivory embroidery and accented by silver buttons. I take a mental note to change later. I could hardly be mad at an animal anyways. I can't expect him to understand my motives.

All he knows is that he's rewarded with pets and treats whenever I call him a good boy, which is only on rare occasions. I usually only call him that when no one's around. My gaze travels over to the nervous wreak, who's waiting to be sent away, like usual, but I happen to have a better idea. A malicious smirk finds its way to my rose pink lips, causing the escort to flinch upon meeting my gaze, as I point a finger at him.

"Very well, then. Go fetch your treat."

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Your POV:
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It appears that I had finished my previous task early, for when I finally reached the throne room, I had managed to catch up to the other maids in navy dresses, who hadn't even gone inside yet. With them is a large group of women in pastel pink outfits that look very similar to our own uniform, only the hem of their skirts are lined with white, floral lace that blend in nicely with the pale color of the dress. They must be here to help out, for they were briefing the others on how to properly wash the throne room, especially since it will be done in the King's presence. I can't say I'm looking forward to facing that terrifying man again, but I will if I must. One of the women in pink hands me a wash bucket full of soapy water along with a scrub brush meant to be used on the floor, so I thank her quietly before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath to settle my nerves.

'I hope I don't make any eye contact with him. That would be dreadful.' When the sound of the doors opening reaches my ears, I reluctantly open my eyes, which widen with horror a moment later at the sight before me. From behind, all the other maids gasp or gag at the gruesome image, while I stand, frozen, with a pale face. Weston, that sweet lion, whom I had so lovingly pampered only minutes ago, is now feasting on the corpse of his escort, ripping into the carcass with those great big teeth of his.

Blood tainted the purity of Weston's snow white coat, splattering and sloshing as the flesh is stripped off the dead man's bones, as the crimson pools underneath his freshly moisturized paws. The brush in my hand plummets to the floor, and I cover my mouth, feeling a bit of bile attempting to climb its way up my throat. The taste was horrid, and it felt as though my esophagus was burning, but I force it down. If I vomited, the attention would be brought to me, and I don't want that. I've never seen such a sight. There's so much blood. A film of tears glazes over my eyes, and my knees felt weak. I thought I'd faint then and there.

'Is this to be my fate if I fail? Would my parents have died such a gruesome death if I didn't step in?'

"What a pleasure it is for you to join us," speaks a familiar voice in an amused tone. With great difficulty, I tear my eyes away to lock onto his majesty's olive orbs and was immediately struck with fear when I found him looking only at me. The man sits upon his throne with his back straight and his right ankle crossed over his left knee, while his forearms line up with the armrests, presenting a sense of dominance. His gloved fingers tightly clutch the lion heads formed in the golden chair, and it looked as though he was on the edge of his seat. The sunlight seeping into the room from the glass walls cause the expensive jewels in his crown to gleam as it shines on his flawless skin, creating a soft glow that makes the man look almost godlike, which only made the situation that much more terrifying. Fear etched into my very core, causing me to swallow hard as he sends me a devilish smirk that reveals his pearly white teeth.

  "I must thank you for the suggestion. I'm sure Weston is enjoying his 'special treat.'" If it was possible, the King's grin widened, as did my eyes. For a moment, I completely disconnected from reality when it dawned on me.

'Oh, God! This is all my fault! That man is dead because of me!' Upon seeing the utter horror on my face after having that realization, his majesty had a victorious gleam in his eye as though he had just won a great battle. I had suspected he'd torment me one way or another, but I never expected this! That was an innocent man!

I couldn't look away from him no matter how badly I want to. I feel like an animal trapped in a cage. During the moment of sickening silence that befell the room, Weston picks his head up whilst licking his bloody chops and turns his gaze in my direction. With the crimson dripping from the beard of fur on his strong chin, the lion abandons his meal to charge towards me catching the entire room off-guard. Even the King quickly stood in panic and shock before screaming the beast's name to make him stop.

"Weston!" But, it was no use. The lion ignores his master and pounces onto me. I shriek as I'm sent to the floor, the air being knocked clean out of my lungs as the bucket of water I held spills and wets my clothes. I groan in pain, for the back of my head had hit the floor, and gaze up at the wildcat in a daze, finding myself trapped between his massive paws. Weston bends his neck down and gives me a good, strong lick up my face, which was rather painful due to the roughness of his tongue.

The action was purely affectionate, like a dog greeting it's master after a long period of separation, but it still made me queazy, since blood now covers a portion of my face as it drips onto my body from his fur. The scent of death masks the fragrance of the toothpaste I had put on him earlier, and it appears all my efforts to clean him were ultimately pointless. I find myself frozen beneath the beast, both in confusion and fear, as I had not expected him to jump on me or notice me at all, for that matter, especially since he was just eating. I gag as vomit claws its way up my throat, but swallow it down and try to put my attention elsewhere. The King appears to have frozen as well, shock clear on his face, before he shakes his head to snap out of his daze.

"That's enough, Weston!" He shouts with a flushed face, clearly angry. Reluctantly, the lion gets off me and turns to the King with his head lowered some, knowing he was in trouble. "Come here, now!" Weston obeys the firm command given to him by his master, moving slowly towards his lavish bed beside the throne. Huffing, King Noah sends the beast one last glare before sitting back down, while Weston lowers his head to rest on his paws, his golden eyes staring at me from afar almost longingly. My body felt as though it were made out of pudding as one of the girls in pink help me up, and I could barely stay standing as I pick up everything I dropped. That was terrifying.

"Get that thing out of my sight," he hisses towards two men standing guard near him. They bow to their King before removing the bloody carcass from the room, doing their best not to make an even bigger mess than there already is. "You," his majesty points in my direction, and I could feel my heart jump out of my chest as he stares me down, "clean up this mess."

By a bit, my tense shoulders relax as I nod my head and force my feet closer to the bloody area. I cringe at the feeling of my wet clothes clinging to my skin, but ignore it. I know I will not be excused to clean up, so I won't bother. I wouldn't be able to bring myself to ask anyways. The other maids follow after me to different places all around the room, but one was thankfully nice enough to share her bucket with me, since mine had fallen.

Getting on my hands and knees, I dip the scrub brush in the soapy water before rubbing the bristles back and forth roughly against the floor to wash the red off of the white marble. All the while, I could feel the King's eyes burning a hole in the back of my head, which only put me more on edge as I clean. I do my best to keep my gaze on the floor, though, from the corner of my eye, I could see him softly petting Weston's head as he observes me. He isn't even trying to hide the fact that he's staring. I quickly look away and try to focus only on my work.

I can only hope that keeping myself occupied will help rid myself of that image of the white lion devouring the his escort, but that doesn't seem likely. I thought I'd vomit at any moment while staring down at the watered-down blood below me, but I keep telling myself that I'm almost done. I was so invested in getting the chore done quickly that I hadn't noticed the soft tapping of shoes approaching. I nearly jump upon feeling a heavy weight crushing down on my back and yelp when my arms give out. My face lands in the watery blood, causing me to cringe some as I turn my head enough to view the culprit, though, I could already guess who it is.

Sure enough, olive eyes bore down at me from above, his majesty's black and white boot pressing down on the center of my back with the block heel digging into my spine. The sensation was painful, though, I try my best to keep a blank face as to not give him the satisfaction of seeing my misery. The straight line his lips held curls into a little smirk as he pushes down a bit harder, causing me to nearly let out a sound.

I stay strong, though. I have to stay strong.

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King Noah's POV:
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'Well, I must say, this day is full of surprises.' I watch silently from my throne as the L/N girl cleans up the mess Weston had made. I had not expected my pet to pounce on her like that. The fact that he even dared to ignore my command was shocking enough, but for him to lick her face as he would at times with me was down right unbelievable. The white lion pokes his head up with an almost apologetic gaze, and I spare him a small glance before petting his head.

I look back at my new toy and catch her staring, though, she looks away within the blink of an eye. The nerve. I stand from my throne as she scrubs vigorously at the floor and approach her, though, she doesn't seem to notice due to her intense concentration. She should know better than to ignore me. I step down on her back without a second thought, causing a surprised cry to flee her lips. The sound gains the attention of a few other servants, but I don't care. My focus is on this one.

'Remember your place, farm girl. This is how it is, the weakest beneath my feet. You are nothing but a mere ant in comparison. Now, turn to me. Look at me, so I can view your savory fear.' As expected, she cranes her neck to look up at me, only I saw very little fear in her E/C eyes. There was hardly any hatred, nor was there any delight. The expression was as blank as a fresh sheet of parchment paper.

'What is wrong with this girl? Ah, perhaps I'm not pressing hard enough?' With a little, sadistic smirk, I lean more weight on her and wiggle my heel to make it grind against her spine. She merely winces.

'Stubborn, little thing, isn't she? Well, that's no fun at all.' I scoff in disappointment, but I'll get her just as I had earlier. I quite liked that shocked look on her face; the utter hopeless and fear that filled her eyes was magnificent. It made me feel alive whenever I made someone fear me. It makes me feel so much more powerful.

I step off the girl's back, bored with her lack of expression, and turn away with intent to head back to my throne. I can hear her forcing herself up as I take two steps forward before grinning as a thought crosses my mind. I know just how to get a reaction out of her. Before the maid could fully get up, I swiftly spin around and send a light kick right into her stomach. I could've gone much harder, but my goal was merely to send her on her side and knock the air from her lungs. Gasping in pain, she clutches her stomach, which will likely bruise, with tears pricking her closed eyes. I give an amused chuckle as I watch her curl up and smirk victoriously. It wasn't fear, but her writhing in agony is just as good.

'I don't know how you managed to get on Weston's good side, but I won't be so easy to please, farm girl.'

"Once you're finished here, I want you to rewash Weston. He's become filthy again," I say simply before returning to my throne, my mood bettering for the entire day.

I am going to make life here, in the palace, a living Hell for that girl, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.