I took a kingdom with blood and iron. I did not expect to lose control over a single boy. Elias is nothing. A mute servant with no voice, no power, and no place beyond quiet obedience in a palace ruled by fear. He survives by staying small, by avoiding notice, by never giving anyone a reason to look twice. Until I did. I am not a gentle man. I am King Kazimir, and I do not release what I claim. What began as curiosity became something far more dangerous-an attachment I cannot ignore, and a need I refuse to name. He cannot speak. He cannot fight. He barely understands what I am making of him. Yet I pull him closer, step by step, into a place he was never meant to stand-at my side, under my gaze, and entirely within my control. And I do not let go of what is mine.