She Dreamed The Monster First

Chapter 5

Elara had zero interest in legends.She didn't give a f**k about mysterious commanders, war heroes, or the endless stream of bullshit rumors that followed powerful men like a bad smell.

Legends didn't scrub floors until their knuckles bled. Legends didn't sleep on cold stone with rats for company.

Legends didn't wake up before the sun to spend every waking second serving wine to pigs in human skin.

So while half the hall whispered excitedly about the "Lord of Shadows" seated beside the King, Elara kept her head down and focused on the only thing that mattered: surviving the night stench of unwashed nobles who bathed in perfume to mask their rot.

Lords and ladies laughed loudly, their voices grating like nails on a chalkboard.

Minstrels played cheerful tunes in the corner, a sickening soundtrack to the misery.

Outside, rain battered the castle walls, but inside, the kingdom's most powerful men discussed war, murder, and which slave they planned to break that night.Elara moved silently between tables, her tray loaded with heavy silver goblets. Head lowered. Eyes down. Invisible. That was the only way to stay alive.Then, disaster struck.A drunken noble stumbled backward, his chair slamming into her leg with brutal force. Pain shot through her knee, blinding and sharp. Her fingers spasmed. The tray slipped.Crash.The sound echoed through the hall like a gunshot. Silver goblets scattered across the stone floor, clattering and rolling. Wine splashed everywhere, staining the floor and the hem of her dress.The music stopped abruptly.

Every conversation died.

Silence swallowed the hall, heavy and terrifying.Elara's heart stopped in her chest.

No. No. No.

Not here. Not tonight. Not ever.She immediately dropped to her knees, trembling violently. "I'm sorry, my lords! I apologize! Please, I'm sorry!" The words rushed from her lips, desperate and pathetic.A burst of cruel laughter erupted from one of the tables. Then another. Soon, half the hall was roaring with amusement.The drunken noble who had hit her pointed a fat, ringed finger at her. "Look at her! The clumsy little b***h can't even hold a tray!"More laughter.

"Pathetic creature."

"That's a slave for you. Too stupid to carry a tray without f*****g up."

"They're all the same. Trash."Another lord raised his goblet, grinning like a wolf. "Maybe we should teach her some manners. Or maybe just use her as she is. I bet she'd be tight."The table roared with approval.Elara felt heat creep into her face, humiliation burning through her chest like acid. She kept her eyes lowered, her hands shaking as she reached for the fallen goblets. "Please," she whispered, tears pricking her eyes. "I'm sorry."The laughter continued, each sound like a hammer blow to her soul.Then, she heard his laugh.Not loud. Not drunken.

Worse.

Deliberate. Cold. Calculating.

The kind of laugh a man made when he found something he wanted to destroy.Slowly, against every instinct screaming at her to stay down, Elara looked up. Just for a second. Just to see the monster.The hall blurred before her eyes. Rows of nobles. Guards. Servants. The royal table.And then—

King Lodrick was looking directly at her.The laughter in the room faded into a hushed, expectant silence. A terrible, icy feeling settled in Elara's stomach, freezing her blood.King Lodrick leaned back in his chair, his eyes gleaming with predatory lust. He studied her like a man studying a piece of meat he intended to devour. Like a hunter who had just spotted a wounded deer.A slow, sickening smile spread across his face.Elara immediately lowered her gaze, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Too late. Far too late.The King lifted his goblet, his voice carrying clearly through the silent hall. "She's doing this just to get my attention," he announced, his voice dripping with arrogant amusement. "They all do this. Desperate little sluts looking for special treatment. Thinking if they make a scene, I'll notice them."He took a sip of wine, his eyes never leaving Elara's trembling form. "Well, I will teach her a lesson she won't forget."More laughter followed, nervous and eager. The nobles knew exactly where this was going. They lived for this shit.One of them smirked, leaning forward. "A lesson, Your Majesty? That sounds... entertaining."The King's smile widened, revealing teeth that looked too sharp, too cruel. "Yes. I want to f**k her. I want to see if she'll kneel and beg for my mercy just as she is begging now. I want to break her spirit until she cries my name."His eyes raked over Elara's body, imagining her naked, imagining her pain. "Send her to my chambers tonight. Prepare her. I want her ready for me when I finish my wine."The hall erupted.

Laughter. Grins. Knowing looks. Whistles.

The nobles found it hilarious. A joke. Entertainment. A bit of fun before the real party started.Elara felt the blood drain from her face. Her vision swam.

No. Please no. Not her. Not tonight. Not after five years. Not after everything she had done to remain invisible.The King raised his goblet in a toast to her misery. "Perhaps then she'll learn not to embarrass herself before her betters. Or maybe she'll learn her place is on her knees, taking what a real man gives her."More laughter followed. Every man at the royal table seemed entertained. Every man except one.Commander Vaelith remained silent.

Motionless.

The black mask concealed most of his face, making him impossible to read, impossible to understand. He neither laughed nor spoke. He sat like a statue of death amidst the revelry.His silver eyes briefly settled on the kneeling slave surrounded by shattered goblets. For a split second, the air in the room seemed to freeze. The intensity in his gaze was palpable, a stark contrast to the lustful glares of the other men. It wasn't hunger. It was something darker. Something protective? Or perhaps just cold calculation?Then, his eyes shifted away.The King had already turned his attention back to the feast, waving his hand dismissively. "Get her out of my sight. I don't want to see her until she's in my bed."The matter was settled.

To him, it was nothing. A passing amusement. A bit of fun.

But for Elara, the world had just ended.Five years.

Five years of hiding.

Five years of surviving.

Five years of making herself invisible to avoid exactly this fate.And all it had taken was one mistake. One slip. One moment of bad luck.As guards grabbed her arms, their grip rough and uncaring, Elara didn't scream. She didn't fight. She knew better. Fighting only made it worse. She let them drag her away, her mind numb, her soul shattering.She knew what waited in those chambers. She knew the pain, the humiliation, the violation. She knew she might not survive the night.And as she was dragged through the doors, she caught one last glimpse of the hall. The laughter had already resumed. The music had started again. Life went on.Except for her.