The sound of the whip crack faded, the pleadings of Bane to mess him up were swallowed by the cold stone walls.

For a moment, there was silence. Absolute silence. But then, a new sound echoed from the hallway.

Click! Click! Click!

It was the sharp, rhythmic sound of high heels striking stone. It didn't sound like a dungeon; it sounded like a ballroom.

Leo twisted in his chains, the sharp metal edges biting into his wrists as he craned his neck to look at the doorway.

Who was it that made this soft spoken, gentle bandit to fall on his knees to this sorry state and plead for the other party to ravish his body and soul?

But unlike the brute he had anticipated, a long shadow stretched across the bloodstained floor, announcing the arrival of something far more dangerous than Bane.

And a beautiful woman stepped into the light.

'Damn,' Leo couldn't help but think in his head.

She was breathtaking.

[Your mouth is wide open, Master!]

'What would you know?' Leo smirked, 'You are just an AI program who can't admire a beauty when shown to you.'

[...]

The woman was radiating a cold, dark elegance that sucked the air out of the room. She wore a gown of midnight blue silk that hugged her voluptuous figure like a second skin, slit high up the thigh to reveal black stockings held up by intricate lace garters. A corset of black leather cinched her waist, pushing her generous breasts upward as they threatened to break the shackles and push for freedom.

Her hair was a cascade of raven black with subtle blue shades, falling over her pale shoulders. Her eyes were a piercing, icy blue, and her lips were painted in a deep, blood-red crimson lipstick.

In her gloved hand, she held a long, black leather whip, coiled loosely like a sleeping snake.

Leo's jaw dropped. He forgot he was hanging with chains. He forgot he was being held here against his will in this place.

He just saw the ultimate beauty in front of him.

Even in that very moment, looking at her pale, long, smooth, thicc legs teasing from the slit of that dress, he could feel a twitch down below.

The woman, on the other hand, was occupied with more pressing matters. Her icy gaze was fixed on the groveling form of Bane.

She walked into the room with a swaying of hips that was hypnotic. She stopped behind Bane, looking down at him with an expression of pure, unfiltered disgust.

"You disappoint me, little dog," she said. Her voice was smooth, sultry, and terrifying.

She raised her arm.

CRACK!

She lashed out again. The whip struck Bane's exposed, bleeding back with surgical precision.

Bane threw his head back, his eyes rolling into his skull, "Yes! I was bad! I was so bad!"

"You lost the package," she scolded him, her voice dripping with disdain, "You let a child outsmart you. You let a common adventurer steal my prize."

CRACK!

"You are pathetic," she hissed, "You are weak. You are dirt beneath my heel."

CRACK. CRACK.

With every insult, Bane moaned louder, his body shuddering in ecstasy, "I am dirt! Walk on me! Please, let me feel your wrath. Step on me! Grind me into the dust!"

Leo watched, his legs instinctively crossing to protect his own jewels. He could feel the phantom pain of those strikes.

'This guy is enjoying this way too much,' Leo thought, horrified and fascinated, 'Is this a torture chamber or a dungeon of a different kind? Did I just stumble into the BDSM wing of the Special Torture Unit?'

She raised her arm for another, skin-splitting strike. But she paused. She felt a pair of eyes on her.

She looked up and noticed Leo. Wide awake, shamelessly staring at her legs.

She lowered the whip slowly, coiling it back into her hand.

She smoothed her dress, adjusted a stray lock of hair, and smiled. It was a polite, noble smile, completely at odds with the violence she had just inflicted. It was the smile of a hostess greeting a guest at her party.

"Oh, I am sorry," she said softly, "We have a guest. How rude of me."

She stepped over the drooling, panting Bane as if he were a rug. She walked up to Leo, stopping just out of kicking range.

She performed a slight, elegant bow, holding her skirts.

"Welcome to the Blackfang Citadel," she said, "I am Queen Bella. Short for Belladonna, but I don't like that name."

"It is a pleasure to finally meet the man who has caused so much trouble."

"Queen?" Leo blurted out, confused.

His mind raced, 'Queen of the Bandits? She's too clean. Too classy. She doesn't have a speck of dirt on her. She must be the wife. The trophy wife of the savage Warlord who runs this place.'

'Yes. that's it!'

'But since she is already this scary, how scary will her husband be?'

And it made sense. He was watching the live-action version of the Beauty and the Beast.

She was the eye candy in this relationship.

Before Leo could ask about her husband, Bane crawled forward on his hands and knees. He grabbed the hem of her dress, kissing her shoe, smearing blood on her dress.

"Boss!" Bane wept, "Boss, forgive me! I brought him! I brought the vessel!"

He looked up at her with an expression of pure, unadulterated desire to please her.

"Punish me more, Boss! Use your heels! Crush my fingers!"

Leo blinked. He looked at Bane. He looked at Belladonna, Queen Bella.

"Wait," Leo said slowly, "You are the Boss?"

Belladonna looked down at Bane. She didn't look disgusted anymore. She looked bored.

She lifted her foot and kicked Bane in the face. It was a casual, dismissive kick that knocked him backward, blood spraying from his nose.

"Silence, pet," she said, "The adults are talking."

She turned her full attention back to Leo. Leo stared back at her. And that triggered Aiva.

[She is not just a simple trophy wife, Master.]

Leo heard Aiva's voice inside his head and then suddenly data flowed into his mind.

[Target Identified: Queen Belladonna]

[Title: The Bandit Queen]

[Level: 49]

[Age: 33]

[Divine Blessing: Rank A - Thanor (God of Death & Darkness)]

[Status: Widow (Killed him herself)]

Leo's eyes widened. Level 49. Rank A Blessing. She wasn't a trophy. She was the monster. She was stronger than the Guardian Captain, stronger than Bane, stronger than anyone he had met so far.

But then, another notification popped up. A hidden one.

[Passive Perception Check: SUCCESS]

[Hidden Trait Detected]

[Trait: Secret Masochist]

[Description: Despite her dominant exterior, the target craves a force stronger than herself. She desires to be conquered. She wants to be dominated.]

Leo read the hidden trait. His eyes widened further.

She wasn't just a Dominatrix. She was a Switch. She beat Bane because Bane was weak. She despised weakness. But deep down, she wanted someone to do the same to her.

'Oh,' Leo thought, a slow smirk spreading across his face despite his predicament, 'Oh, this game just got very, very interesting.'

Belladonna stepped closer. She reached out with a gloved hand.

She didn't hit him. She touched his chest.

Her hand rested right over his heart, right where the Black Sky Egg had entered him. Her touch was cold, even through the glove, but it sent a shiver of heat through him.

"So," she smirked, her blue eyes narrowing dangerously, "You are the one."

Leo tried to play it cool, despite hanging from the ceiling like a side of beef, "Indeed, I am the chosen one…" Leo winked.

Belladonna, on the other hand, didn't look offended. In fact her smile sharpened.

She traced a circle over his heart with a long, sharp fingernail, digging into his skin just enough to sting.

"You are the guy," she whispered, her voice husky, "Who ate my egg."

** ** ** ** **

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