Mated to the Mad Lord-Chapter 174: A Collar

Three days passed, but not as quickly as Violet wanted, considering she was about to be sold. Zarrida didn’t cut off any part of her body as she had threatened, but the fact that Violet knew she could made her extra quiet as she sat in the new cell she had been placed in, waiting.

She was shocked to find out that she shared the cell with an older woman with grayed-out hair who shouldn’t even have been there in the first place.

"What do you think I’m good for?" the older woman had asked when Violet inquired about her presence, slowly shaking her head with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "My son owes these people, and they took him and me! For all I know, he could be dead. I myself am not going to live that long!" she honestly said.

Any other day, Violet would have opened her mouth to comfort her, but at that moment, she couldn’t bring herself to speak—not when it was the day Zarrida had threatened to sell her. I myself have no idea what my new fate is. For all I know, I could be sold to an old, smelly man who just—

"Can’t—can’t we try to escape?" Violet suddenly whispered under her breath the second the idea popped into her head, only to be taken aback by the aghast expression on the woman’s face as she immediately shook her head, terror filling her eyes.

"Zarrida would skin you alive just to make an example out of you! When she’s done, she would then use a strange blue liquid in a bottle to make you recover! I’ve seen people never mentally recover from it!"

She wasn’t done speaking, and Violet could clearly imagine the scene, her body trembling ever so slightly at the thought of the unimaginable pain. Even as she recalled the agony she had felt when her eyes had been removed, she leaned back against the wall, balling her fists together.

No longer speaking to the older woman, who also kept to her side of the cell and remained silent, Violet let the heavy quiet stretch between them. But the silence barely lasted before the sound of approaching footsteps reached their ears.

Violet’s heart suddenly began to race as she saw Zarrida’s face appear by the bars of the cell. The guards behind her moved forward to unlock the door. For a selfish moment, Violet couldn’t help but pray they were there for the older woman and not her.

Her fear only grew when the guard stepped inside and gestured for her to rise. Her first instinct was to refuse, to scream and fight, but recalling the woman’s warning about those who had been skinned alive, she swallowed the lump in her throat, hurriedly getting to her feet and following them.

Completely missing the nod the older woman sent in Zarrida’s direction and the one Zarrida sent back, Violet barely registered the heavier chains placed around her wrists as she was led out through the corridor and up a long flight of steps.

Her heart continued to pound in fear even as she mentally prepared herself for what was to happen. It’s just getting sold! For all I know, it could be a good thing! she thought to herself, trying to remain optimistic as she was led into a room with a white bedsheet on the bed and asked to sit on it.

Violet hesitated but, balling her fists together once more, obeyed, wondering what was going on as she watched Zarrida open a box and bring out a black collar that looked ordinary—just like a dog’s. Moving closer, Zarrida fixed it around Violet’s neck. freēwēbnovel.com

Violet desperately wanted to ask what it was for, but she stayed silent, waiting for it to be over. She was about to rise when Zarrida suddenly spoke.

"Obviously, you’re a slave! You don’t get any say in whether you live or die. This collar is for when you disobey your master!" she said, and Violet, who was just about to obediently nod in understanding—uncaring of the strange fetish of a collar—suddenly spasmed.

Her entire body convulsed in pain as a jolt of electricity shot through her from her neck down to the rest of her body. It was so brutal that she wasn’t even aware she was screaming until she heard her own voice, high-pitched and raw, tears streaming down her face. She tried to fight back, turning to look at Zarrida, only to see her holding a strange controller in her hand, an excited glint in her eyes.

"If not for how expensive this collar is...I would have gotten one myself!" Zarrida mused, listing off the collar’s features and explaining how it had been crafted by witches. But at that point, Violet was too far gone to listen. Her body still shook, her head still howled in pain from the aftershocks of the jolt she had received.

Gone was the fear of being skinned alive as she turned to glare at Zarrida, wanting to speak but completely unable to. Her body continued to tremble as she watched Zarrida raise her hand like she was about to use it again.

"Ahh! There are other uses, but only your master will be able to control them! There’s even one that prevents you from being able to move a muscle. It’s really good!" Zarrida continued, while a sense of horror settled deep within Violet. Still shaking, she clung to the side of the bed, her legs strapped and barely able to hold her up. The discomfort was immense as she heard Zarrida issue more orders to the guards behind her.

"Put her in her cage! She’ll be among the last set to be sold!" she ordered.

Again, Violet wanted to fight. Wanted to promise that she had money—people who would pay to see her go free. Her thoughts flickered to Cain for a second, only for her to physically shake her head. The last person I need to see is him.

Not only did I escape, I also stole from him. It’s already enough if the bastard doesn’t kill me on sight simply from anger, she thought to herself as a guard moved closer, grabbing her and pulling her toward the door, most likely to the cage she was to be placed in.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she realized she was no longer even being treated like a human being but like a dog. The harder she tried not to cry, the more tears welled up and slid down her face as she was dragged away.

A full hour later, Violet felt herself being carried onto a stage, the sounds of many voices rushing to her ears even though she couldn’t see a thing. The large cage she had been placed in was covered with a dark cloth, something she was thankful for considering the flimsy dress she had been made to wear and the black wig on her head.

The dress was short enough to reveal an ample amount of her thighs, threatening to ride even higher. The material was so thin it was nearly transparent. They might as well not have given me any clothes! Violet mentally grumbled, still fiddling with the hem when the cloth covering the cage was suddenly pulled away. She raised her hands to block the sudden flood of lights directed at her just as she heard the auctioneer speak.