Not because she had given up—but because she had learned something valuable.
No matter what she said, no matter what she did, they wouldn’t change.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t change things herself.
"This is revolting," she muttered under her breath, shifting in her chair.
The man beside her chuckled, leaning closer. "Princess, you say that every time."
Mario, the club’s manager, was an entric man. He wore a rainbow-colored suit, his beard an odd patchwork of dark and silver hairs, resembling eagle feathers. He was always grinning, always scheming, the mastermind behind making sure the men were "trained" properly before they were put on disy.
"You know my stance on this, Mario," Izara said sharply. "Stop acting like I’ll ever approve."
Mario rolled his eyes. "And yet, here you are, sitting front and center. Your father made sure of it."
Izara clenched her fists. That was true. She hadn’te here willingly. Her father had ordered her to evaluate the new batch of captives, and if she refused, there would be consequences.
She had learned a long time ago that defying the king openly was a mistake.
"You want to get this over with?" Mario sighed, stretching. "Come on, then. There’s someone else you need to see."
Reluctantly, Izara followed him through a narrow hallway, leaving behind the loud music and the cheering crowd. The deeper they went, the quieter it became, until they reached a heavy door at the end of the hall.
Mario pushed it open, revealing a cold, dimly lit room.
Inside, a group of young men sat in silence, their wrists bound with metal cuffs. Some had bruises, evidence of a struggle before they were taken. Others simply stared at the floor, their expressions hollow, their spirits broken.
Mario crouched beside one of them, running his hand along the boy’s face. "This one is beautiful," he mused. "If we shave his stubble and add a little makeup, he’ll pass as a woman."
The boy flinched violently, his muffled cries barely audible through the gag tied around his mouth.
Izara’s stomach twisted.
"I’m done here," she said abruptly, turning on her heel.
Mario didn’t stop her, but just as she reached the door, his voice followed.
"You’re going to see him, aren’t you?"
Izara froze.
"I haven’t told your parents," he continued smoothly, "yet."
Slowly, she turned back, her jaw tightening. "You promised."
"I did," Mario admitted, standing up. "But at the end of the day, I work for them, not you."
Izara’s eyes narrowed.
"I’ve been covering for you for years," Mario said. "I watched you struggle, telling yourself you’d fix things, but you still haven’t done anything."
"You think this is easy?" she snapped. "I have to do everything alone."
"Then ask for help," Mario said simply, his expression unreadable. "You need to act before it’s toote. Your brother’s life is in your hands now."
Izara inhaled sharply, trying to calm the storm in her chest.
She had no time left.
Without another word, she turned and walked away, her pace quickening as she made her way to the ce Mario had been hiding him.
When she reached the door, her breath caught.
Steeling herself, she pushed it open.
There, lying on a thin mattress, staring nkly at the ceiling, was Edward.
Her older brother.
The one their parents had disowned.
Edward had been the firstborn, the rightful heir to the throne. But he hadn’t been what they wanted. He hadn’t been "strong enough," hadn’t been "obedient enough." And so, they had cast him aside, erasing his existence from history.
But he wasn’t.
Mario had saved him, hidden him away in the shadows of the kingdom.
Now, here he was—weak, frail, barely a shell of the brother she had once known. After her parents had used him countless times, he’d lost himself in the process of it all. But they didn’t care at all. All they cared about was the money he was bringing in.
It was a sad reality. No one had to teach her the right thing, she had to teach herself all of that.
Edward felt a presence in his space and turned to look at her with curiosityced in his gaze.
"Who are you?" He asked.