An aged man was walking restlessly back and forth in an ornate throne room. There were many courtiers present, with the banners of the Gissario dolphin adorning the walls of the room. On the throne sat a beautiful mature-looking woman with long dark hair and seductive yet tired looking eyes. She was visibly uneasy as she looked at the man who was pacing back and forth.

"Papa, are you alright...?" The woman on the throne asked the man with a nervous tone

All of a sudden, the man stopped in his tracks and looked to the woman sternly with dark eyes, causing her to drop her head and slightly shake in fear.

"Your brother Diego has not returned. It has been nearly a month since we've sent him to Rumasil. I fear for him..."

"I'm sure my brother is fine, papa." the woman said as she tried to reassure the man "He's probably out there enjoying the brothels first as what he always does."

"The useless oaf." the man scoffed "If Rodrigo were alive, he would've done me proud... he would've made a better King than your husband and your son. combined..."

"...my sons..." The woman said as she looked down, depressed "Esteban... Miguel..."

"They have made their choice, miha." Armando said sternly "All the Valamen have made their choice. Your sons chose their father's legacy over you."

As the man said that, a chill ran down the woman's spine as she held her chest and began breathing heavily, anxiety kicking in.

"Do you understand now, Esmeralda?" the man said as he approached the woman on the throne "They choose a throne over their own mother. Such disgraces shame us all."

"B-but... still... they are my sons!" Esmeralda began panting anxiously at the memory of her sons abandoning her "Whatever they did... They are still my boys whom I love...! Please, father! Have mercy!"

All of a sudden, the man bent forward towards Esmeralda and caressed the top of her head gently to calm her down, though his expression remained serious.

"Such is the love of a mother for her children, no matter how rebellious they are." the man said as Esmeralda began to calm down "When we capture them, you may do with your sons as you please."

As he said that, he stood back up but his gaze was still fixated upon his daughter. "Miha. There is nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you." He said with a calming tone but his expression remained cold, though his eyes showed the slightest bit of compassion towards his daughter "I made you a queen... you have your mother's beauty as well as her kindness. Your late husband was a fool to ever betray you. I should've had him killed slower. Having his head cut off was too much of a mercy."

"...Father. Do not speak ill of Juan like that..." Esmeralda said however nervously

"How you still manage to have affection for him is beyond me."

The man then turned towards the courtiers in the room as his stern gaze scanned them all and put shivers into their spine. Such was the dread of Lord Armando de Gissario.

"Lords and Ladies loyal to the rightful throne of Provaria and Her Majesty, Queen Esmeralda." Armando then addressed the people in the room "I thank you for your continued loyalty in service to our grand kingdom. Such loyal service will surely be rewarded. And the first among you to earn such a reward is none other than Lord Jacobo de Siervodios. Please step forward."

"Your grace..." A strong-looking man stepped forward in front of the throne as he knelt before Lord Armando

"For your services in the crushing of the de la Valamen pretenders, I hereby grant you the right to join the ranks of the Gissario by way of marrying my daughter, her majesty."

As she heard her father say that, Esmeralda couldn't help but look with a dumbfounded expression at her father as she had not expected anything like this.

"The Queen has been widowed for almost two years, yet she is still of marriageable age and could do well to sire more rightful heirs of a loyal retainer instead of the traitorous pretenders she has now."

The Queen looked at her father with shock as she couldn't believe what had just transpired. She looked at the nobleman Jacobo who had a disgusting and wretched smile on his face.

"I am most thankful and gracious to you, your grace. I graciously accept her majesty's hand in matrimony."

"Do I not get a say in this?!" Esmeralda said with slight anger and confusion in her tone

"Is that rebellion I hear in your voice, daughter?" Armando said as he looked to his daughter with a cold tone, and eyes that had lost all glimmer of compassion from them "You would do well to obey your father."

As his tone turned harsh and cold, the Queen could not help but again shake in fear, this time very visibly, which terrified the rest of the courtiers. Esmeralda still tried to defy her father, "I-I... I will n-...!"

Armando immediately walked toward Esmeralda in an intimidating way with an expression she knew all too well. Something she was treated to far too much in her childhood. As Armando reached her front, he raised his hand in front of her.

The trembling Queen instinctively threw herself in front of her throne and knelt in front of Armando helplessly as her eyes became unsettled and she was visibly shaking while holding her head with both her hands. She muttered incoherently, "...don't punish me, don't punish me, don't punish me, Esme will be a good girl, she won't disappoint her papa..."

Tears began flowing from her crazed eyes. The courtiers in the room were shocked as they saw the pitiful scene. Armando only eyed all of them fiercely.

"Get out!" He growled viciously as most of the courtiers bowed and left the room. Jacobo still had a slight smile on his face until Armando eyed him as well "That includes you."

Jacobo quickly swallowed his spit and bowed before leaving the room to Armando, the Queen, and a handful of guards. The tension in the room became heavier.

"Look at you..." He said coldly "Shaking in fear like a helpless little girl... Pathetic. You have your mother's looks but not her fortitude. If she were still alive, she would look at you with scorn and disdain. When I ordered for the pretender dynasty to be cut down to size and destroyed, you did nothing. When I made you queen in the stead of your son, you did nothing. When they escaped and abandoned you here, you did nothing... yet you have the gall to protest me now when it concerns you? Insolent and selfish brat! You're weak!"

"I am not weak!" Esmeralda finally managed to collect herself slightly as she looked at her father with eyes with defiance "You are the monster-!!"

Armando had taken off the rings on his right hand and slapped his daughter strongly til she fell on the floor. His eyes were devoid of compassion and his expression became dark. Esmeralda let out an agonizing scream before she was again reduced to shambles, crying and shaking in fear, with all traces of defiance smacked out of her.

"Who gave you the permission to talk back to me when I am lecturing you?" Armando said as he squatted next to his daughter "I raised you to be better than this. I raised you to be an obedient girl. You call me a monster?"

Armando's cold expression was changed with one of a loving father as if it was a different person talking. His eyes became gentle as he held out his arm and helped his sobbing daughter who was on the floor back up onto her throne. He wiped the tears from her face and inspected the area of her face he struck and caressed it gently.

"Get us some cold water." Armando said to one of the guards who quickly did as he was told.

Armando knelt in front of the throne as he inspected his daughter who turned her gaze to the floor, still slightly shaking. When the guard came back with a bowl of ice water, Armando thanked him and dismissed him back to his post. He put the bowl on the floor as he took out a cloth from his coat and dipped it in the bowl.

"Show me your cheek, miha." Armando said ever so gently as he held his daughter's chin up. She was still reluctant, yet turned her cheek anyway. "Withstand the cold, miha. We don't want to leave a bruise there."

Armando gently wiped his daughter's cheek. Esmeralda started to calm down as he also caressed her head ever so softly. He then embraced her, putting her head on his chest as he kissed her head.

"I'm sorry I hit you..." Armando said "You know I would never seriously hurt you. I only wanted to discipline you. You are still Papa's precious little princessa... I only want the best for you."

"...I'm sorry..." Esmeralda said as she began to cry again

"Hush now, Esme... Don't cry again. Papa's here for you..." Armando caressed the back of her head as he began rocking her "You remember when you were still a small child, I would always hold you like this to calm you down..."

"...Papa, do I still have to marry that wretched man? He has married three times already and all his wives have met unsightly ends..."

"His family is one of our biggest benefactors. Don't worry... I promised him your hand in marriage, but not your body..."

"You said I had to sire heirs with him..."

"I said what I had to say miha... After the marriage, he will be dealt with appropriately. The House of Gissario is not to be trifled with. All the men here are our loyal soldiers. You have nothing to fear, daughter..."

"Have mercy on my children, papa..."

"I will not harm my own flesh and blood... though they will be punished, that I can assure you..."

"I'm sorry I called you a monster..."

"Everything I do, I do it for the good of our family... Everything... For your mother..."

Armando began to have tears coming from his eyes... "Your mother would've known how to be gentler with you... I will not forgive the Valamen for what they have done to me. To your mother... My sweet, sweet Fernanda... I will have my revenge."

The two only continued to embrace each other. No matter what he may show in public, Armando loved his daughter very much... His family was above all else.

***

The Seaside Palace is the name of one of the most luxurious brothels in all of Valencei, aptly named a 'pleasure palace'. There is a den of all earthly wants and pleasures of the mortal flesh.

"Did you see the way the old man reduced the Queen to shambles?" Jacobo said to another man who was in there with him as he held two scantily clad women by his sides.

"My uncle can be very harsh, Lord Jacobo." the other man said "He did not become the Lord of the Gissario by being soft. Ever since the death of my aunt Fernanda Maribella by that crazed Valamen fanatic, he has never been the same."

"Whatever may be, Lord Bernardo, I'm still marrying that beautiful widow of a cousin of yours... she'll be mine." Jacobo said excitedly but then he had cupped the butts of the women who were next to him very strongly in his palms "Yet, I would be hard-pressed to find a better arse than the ones in here."

Bernardo only smiled dryly as he held in his irritation at the pitiful wretch in front of him. He had always loved his cousin, yet it was an unrequited attraction. Bernardo could only smile, though, as he shook those thoughts away with him. He only put his mind into his uncle's plan to wrestle full control of Provaria.

As he was just glancing around at his surroundings, looking at all the noblemen enjoying themselves in this den of pleasure, he only scoffed. The only reason he came to this place was because of his brothers who were currently enjoying themselves with the girls there.

Bernardo had excused himself to the Lord Jacobo but he was too busy fondling the breasts of the girls there to notice. Bernardo walked past his elder brother who was shamelessly enjoying the bosoms of a cat-eared beast-girl there.

"Whatever happened to your wedding vows, brother?" Bernardo said coldly

"Piss off, Bernardo. An exquisite beauty like this is hard to come by." his brother retorted as his focus was only to the giggling cat-girl whose bare rear and tail he was rubbing against his crotch "And if you think I'd rather be at home with that wretched woman uncle forced me to marry, you'd be daft. Now leave me be."

"Just be sure to not sire any unwanted bastards."

"Bastards like you?" His brother retorted back with a scoff and a condescending tone "Now leave me. Get yourself your own whore. This one's mine."

Bernardo continued on to find the bar in the brothel. At least he could enjoy the drinks there. The owner of the brothel was a man in an elegant dress running the counter.

"You don't fancy yourself one of our girls, senor?" The owner said

"Afraid not. Just a drink." Bernardo answered

"The usual?"

"Si."

"Coming right up... here you go."

"Gracias."

"Y'know, Senor Bernardo. You've been coming here since you were just seventeen yet not once have you enjoyed yourself with one of our girls. If it's only drinks, there are plenty of taverns with better drinks than the ones here."

"Nonsense. I've only gotten the taste for the drinks here."

"One of your moral standing should not spend too much time here."

"I'm not a saint. None of the girls here catches my... eyes..."

As Bernardo said that, he noticed a very beautiful girl at the end of one of the walls. She had long wavy black hair, fair skin, beautiful lips though she also had a disheveled appearance. And she was pinned up to the wall, her hands trapped by shackles. She had a sour and flushed look on her face as she was dangling there in clothes that exposed her bare and ample breasts while a veil covered her more sensitive parts. Bruises and marks were dotted across her flawless skin. She felt awfully familiar to him.

"Who's that girl?" Bernardo asked as he was fixated on her "I don't feel like I've ever seen her here before."

"Ah. She was a noblewoman. Your enemy, I'm sure. Lady Leonia de la Valamen." the owner answered

"A Valamen?!"

"Si. A cousin of his former majesty King Esteban. Her father and brothers were apprehended and executed in front of her in their own homes during the coup..." the owner said in a more hushed tone "It was by the order of your elder brother there that she be sent here. He wanted to have his way with her but she was very violent... your Lord brother was the one who left those bruises on her. He raped her last night... Poor girl. She's lost her spirit. I can't do anything as the Gissario are my patrons and your lord brother ordered for her to be left there."

Bernardo couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl shackled to the wall with tears in her eyes and was visibly shaken. Something about her made him want to protect her. However, she noticed him staring at her and she only glared daggers at him in disdain. As expected. He was, after all, a Girssario.

"How much for her?" Bernardo flatly asked

"Did you not hear what I just told you? She has your brother's eye. He won't let anyone else touch her."

"How much. If he has a problem with it, tell him he can take it up on me. How. Much?"

The owner stared at Bernardo for a while before finally giving an exasperated sigh "Since you are a regular and this is your first time ordering a girl, I'll give her to you. Get her out of here."

"Really?"

"Remember, if your brother finds out, it's in your hands... Here are the keys to her shackles, but be careful. I think she bites."

Bernardo nodded and so he gathered his bravery as he approached the girl.