Ejem-

"I..."

"Forget it. No need to leave. I'll have television installed, fry your precious little brain with human TV shows, I have no use for intelligence in a wife anyways."

"Where do you intend to work, darling? You have no skills! All you're good for is presenting yourself as a delectable prize and watching others fight to earn you. But the prize has been claimed. What on earth can you do besides that?"

Silence. Satine tried to speak, but there were no words.

Put a collar around my neck and make sure no one forgets I'm property of the house of Azrael. But I'm going crazy, I'm-"

A bone hand was raised. Enough to shut her up.

The way the prince tensed his hand around the fork and looked up, despite the sweetness of his glance, made Satine tense up, her flight reflexes kicking in.

"Just for a bit, my prince, my love– I won't run away! I merely- You may choose it, if you so wish, have your servants come with me. -

"I just don't understand, precious. Why would you need to work? You have everything. Just name it and it's yours. No need to make your own money."

"No, no, it's not– I don't want money. I need to go out-"

"I beg you, your grace, it will not interfere with my responsibilities to you."

It was breakfast, but Satine stood in front of the dining table, merely watching the prince take bite after bite of a gruesomely displayed demon. A female. His favorite.

Horrified, she noticed herself painting things she had already painted before, her mind closing from the lack of recreation without her knowing.

So she decided to take another step down into the prince's game and act like a wife for him instead of a prisoner.

Making her own jewelry and clothes was off the table, as was performing again.

After two years, Satine noticed her sanity slipping away. Long days turned to weeks, then to months, and she was doing nothing.

The gloom became unbearable, and she took it upon herself to try to make something out of her misery. She redecorated the entire cathedral three times, refurbished every room, and made a new greenhouse.

She painted murals and embroidered.

She went through all stages of grief in under a year, and when she finally faced acceptance, what followed was boredom.

She had no company other than the prince's strange servants, who treated her like a willing princess in all her rights despite changing the chains around her ankles daily.

Time becomes meaningless when you spend enough to be bored. Ever since the prince took her home, Satine lived through seemingly endless periods, that were shortly discovered to be mere months.