Mated to the Mad Lord

Violet's breath hitched as the pain in her hand dulled, replaced by an odd warmth. She glanced down, her eyes widening in disbelief as the angry burn marks faded, leaving smooth, unblemished skin. Her shock doubled when she looked back at Cain, whose expression remained utterly impassive.

"If you keep crying, I might reconsider gouging out your eyes," he said flatly, not even glancing at her.

The absurdity of his words struck her hard, and to her horror, she almost laughed. Violet's lips twitched despite herself as she stared at the man who'd moments ago terrified her. Not poison, she realized with a start. Whatever he gave her had healed her completely.

"Yes, Lord Cain!" she stammered, bowing deeply. Her voice was steady, but her thoughts spun wildly. He hadn't killed her. Not only that, but he'd gone out of his way to heal her. 

Cain, however, didn't spare her another glance. His sharp eyes bore into the stack of papers on his desk, frustration pulling at his features. Numbers refused to align even as his thoughts wandered to his new servant "It'll be a hassle to kill him now," he thought grimly, his fingers drumming against the wood. "He's still useful—for now."

Violet quietly resumed her position near the wall, arms stiff at her sides, knees slightly bent. She had no intention of drawing his ire again. Just as she settled in, Cain's deep voice shattered the silence.

"Don't you have work to do? If I recall, the second item on the list was 'use the same brush to scrub every inch of the floor.'"

The calm authority in his tone sent a shiver through her spine. Violet nodded quickly, her head bobbing like a marionette. "Of course! I'll start immediately!"

She all but sprinted out the door, grabbing a toothbrush and a bucket of water, returning in record time. Without hesitation, she knelt and began scrubbing, her hand gripping the brush with grim determination.

Every stroke of the bristles against the already clean floor felt like a mockery of her efforts. She bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to let frustration show. The floor stretched endlessly before her, and Violet forced herself not to think about how much was left.

'At least I'm not dead,' she reminded herself. 'This is better than being whipped. Better than the bodies.'

Hours melted away. Her arms ached, her knees screamed, and sweat dripped freely from her brow. By the time she finished, exhaustion weighed heavy on her. She hauled herself to her feet, her vision swimming as she grabbed the bucket and toothbrush. She staggered toward the door, the dreaded 50-page assignment list still waiting for her.

Cain's voice stopped her cold.

"You're done?"

"Yes, Lord Cain!" she turned, bowing instinctively.

"That's strange." He still didn't look up from his papers. "You can't be done."

Panic tightened her chest. "I-I'm sorry! I must have forgotten the bathroom or the—"

"You're using a different toothbrush."

Her heart sank. She glanced down at the brush in her hand—blue. Cain's tone brooked no argument.

"The instruction was to use the same toothbrush. The one you're holding is blue."

Violet's blood ran cold. Her mind scrambled to recall the color she'd used earlier, but the day's events blurred together in a haze of pain and sweat.

'Ask him?' she thought briefly, only to dismiss it immediately. She could already picture his icy glare and the venom in his voice as he asked why she deserved to keep her eyes if she wasn't using them.

"Shit," she hissed under her breath. "Fucking hell."

The punishment from her earlier mistake was still vivid in her memory. The scars were gone, but the humiliation lingered. Gritting her teeth, she bolted out the door, bucket in hand.

This time, she returned with five differently colored toothbrushes hidden in the bucket, her heart hammering. She knelt again, careful to shield the brush from Cain's view as she started over.

Her arms burned with every stroke, and the ache in her knees became unbearable, but she didn't stop. Complaining was out of the question. She could only push through, her resolve fueled by the sheer terror of what might happen if she failed again.

Night crept in by the time she finished. Her stomach growled audibly, but she ignored it, sparing a glance at Cain. He hadn't moved from his desk, his eyes fixed on his laptop as he typed away.

'If he doesn't rest, how can I?' she thought bitterly.

As she stood to check the next task on the list, Cain rose unexpectedly. The sudden motion startled her, and she froze, her eyes darting to him. His unbuttoned shirt hung loosely, revealing hints of a sculpted torso, while his tousled blonde hair framed his sharp, golden-brown eyes.

Violet felt her breath catch, and her gaze lingered a moment too long.

"You're too slow," he said, his voice cutting through her thoughts like a knife. He didn't look at her as he walked toward the door. "You still have four thousand, nine hundred and sixty-four tasks to go."

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving her stunned, fury bubbling just beneath the surface.

"The cover is to die for," she muttered darkly, glaring at the closed door. "But the content…"

Groaning, she shuffled to his desk, picking up the dreaded list. Her eyes scanned the page, each task more ridiculous than the last.

"Scrub the ceiling with the same toothbrush... Polish the door ten times in quick succession... Rearrange the bar cellar alphabetically..."

Her lips twitched as she read on, anger flaring with every new demand.

"Clean the windows until they sparkle with sunlight... Pluck five thousand roses with thorns and arrange them around the room... Burn each flower until the room smells like it's on fire..."

Her fingers tightened around the paper as her eyes skipped to the final page.

"Destroy the bed with a hammer... Create a hole in the wall with a pickaxe..."

Her heart sank as she read the last task, her lips parting in disbelief.

"Set the entire mansion on fire and watch it burn."

Violet let the paper fall to her side, her legs threatening to give out beneath her. Exhaustion, anger, and a creeping sense of hopelessness tangled in her chest as she whispered bitterly to herself and came to a solid conclusion.

"This place is going to kill me before I ever finish that damn list."