The woman in the center of the table leaned back in her chair, amusement flickering in her piercing gaze. "Very well," she said, lips curling into a sly smile. "Let's see if you can follow simple orders. You will serve one of us for a week."
Murmurs passed among the women, some intrigued, others indifferent. Julian stiffened at the word serve.
"Serve?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly does that mean?"
The woman beside his escort chuckled, a soft, dangerous sound. "It means you will obey. Without question. Without hesitation."
Julian clenched his jaw. That didn't sound like a simple test—it sounded like slavery. But he held his tongue. He was already in chains, already outnumbered. Protesting now wouldn't do him any favors.
"You will serve…" The woman at the center let her gaze drift along the table before stopping at one of them. "Her."
Julian followed her gaze to the woman sitting at the far end of the table. Unlike the others, who radiated power and confidence, she seemed… different. Her posture was poised but not imposing, her expression neutral but not entirely indifferent. There was no smugness in her eyes, no air of superiority—only quiet observation.
Julian frowned. Something about her felt off. While the other women commanded attention with their mere presence, she almost seemed to blend into the background.
His instincts told him she wasn't the most powerful one here.
"Fine," Julian muttered. "I'll play along."
The woman he was assigned to tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into a barely perceptible smirk. "We'll see how long that attitude lasts."
The others chuckled, some watching with amusement, others losing interest now that the decision was made.
"Take him," the center woman ordered. "Train him. Break him if you must. If he fails to obey, you may do as you see fit."
Julian stiffened at those words. Do with me as she sees fit?
Before he could protest, the woman he was assigned to stood gracefully, giving him one last assessing glance before motioning for him to follow.
"Come, servant."
The chains on his wrists and ankles clanked as he moved. His week of servitude had begun.