Sitting in the backyard of the entire compound is a luxurious bed of grass bordered by young hedges, climbing plants and a wide variety of of such plants. A chunky boulder sits in the front and on top of it sits a statue of a prince you could only find in stories. Rows of flowers grow strong and proud before it.

The garden provides all it will ever need, full of hidden potential. The hedges and climbing plants grow as tall as a few meters, but this is something that only seems to happen outside of the wild. A marble stone path loops through the garden, offering a glimpse of the best spots all around the garden.

Grass and roots creep and crawl their way beyond their own borders, sneaking and trying to take a little more land. The ornamental boulder sits in the center of it all.

However, the rows of flowers do deserve some credit, and the hedges, the climbing plants and the others look amazing, but the eye-catcher will always be the statue, regardless of the numerous flowers.

As I stand by the window, staring at the one who tends to the gorgeous garden, I can’t help feeling a sense of bitterness and unease. I find it odd that someone would dedicate so much time to caring for something such as that.

Yet, I envy him all the same. He faces the most beautiful parts of nature every day, but it takes a lot of effort to care for it. I don’t think I could be as carefree as he is. Not now or ever, for that matter. At least not while my family is still alive.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?” My gaze lifts to meet Aurelius’ as his arms snake around my waist, almost gripping onto me.

“I was just thinking about the garden.” I gesture to the masterpiece as it dances in the gentle breeze flowing right through it.

“What about it? What about it fascinates you so much?” He questions me, a sense of hostility coming from his words.

“What, are you jealous of a garden?” I tease him, hoping to get a genuine response out of him.

“When you’re around me, all your attention must be on me. Come here.”

His hand grabs onto my own, warming my own more than I thought possible. He pulls me off somewhere in my apartment yet seeming to not be able to decide where he wants to take me. After a few seconds of struggling with himself, he decides on the guest room.

He pulls me in and tosses me onto the bed, hitting it with a loud thud. He locks the door behind him, sitting down beside me as if waiting for something.

“Come sit on my lap, Kitten,” He suggests, patting his lap as though he’s convinced I’m a cat.

'Kitten'. The familiarity of the name reminds me of someone else, but I can't imagine who. All the same, the name tickles my ear as I try to decide whether or not I want to sit on his lap. Sitting on his lap may be more comfortable than the bed itself, but I’m not willing to find out with such simplicity.

“No.” I respond flatly, turning my head away from him.

The last time I saw him get angry was because of that guy in the banquet. I have to say, seeing him like that was much more enjoyable than I thought it’d have been. This time I want to see what he’ll do if I refuse him every time he asks.

“Kitten, sit on my lap while I’m asking so nicely.” The deep tone in his voice tells me all I need to know.

Soon, I come to the conclusion that I may have messed with the wrong person, but I’m not going to back out because of that. I may be in for a real treat later.

“No” I reply, my tone weaker and less confident as it once was.

“Kitten...” A sense of dread like no other grips onto my hand as I fight with myself to not give up. “Behave like a good kitty and come here.”

His eyes stick to mine as they plumb the depths of my soul. Within his eyes, I can almost see my death and destruction before it’s even arrived. My body freezes in its place as my glare sticks to him, waiting for him to react.

“No?”

With a quick move of his arm, he pulls me onto his lap, sitting me down at his crotch. His lips draw themselves into a frown, seeming to be directed at me.

“Do you know what happens to bad kitties?” He asks me, holding back a smile to make me even more nervous.

“No.”

“They get punished.”

A quiet yelp escapes me as he holds me in his lap even tighter.

...

Cuffed to the headboard of the guest room’s bed and blindfolded, I let out a soft growl in frustration and continue to wait for Aurelius to return. Waiting was never something I could bear doing, but it shouldn’t matter now.

The quiet creaking of the door sounds in the silence that lives, my body returning to the position he left me in. With my ass facing the door, I’m not able to do anything except wag my imaginary tail for him.

The hopes that it would calm him down cross my mind as I shake it for him to see. His gaze, sharp and unyielding, feels as though it’s boring holes into the back of my head. As a reflex, I shudder beneath his gaze, wondering what he plans to do now.

The bed sinks beside me, letting me assume he’s climbed in next to me.

“From now on, you will refer to me as Daddy,” He says from what I can only assume is the end of the bed. “If you don’t, I will punish you.”

I gulp down the sense of dread creeping inside of me at the idea of getting even more of a punishment from him. I was already testing his patience earlier. Why do it some more?

"For him to punish you and make things kinkier. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Not the time, you piece of shit."

"Oh, you wanna enjoy it all, huh? Fair enough."