Chapter 1: The Jewel of Napoli 2

No matter how vigilant the Queen remained, a man consumed by base and lecherous desires would always find his opening.

Behind the heavy curtains of Snow White’s bedchamber lay a secret door leading to a subterranean tunnel—a forgotten escape route designed for times of war. Decades had passed, and the palace had forgotten its existence, but King William remembered.

"This is our emergency escape. The tunnel opens into the forest beyond the city walls," the King told his daughter, showing her how to release the latch. The hidden door groaned open.

Before the foreign princes could arrive in Napoli, King William intended to taste the forbidden fruits of his daughter’s blossoming body. The tunnel was the only place where the Queen’s prying eyes could not reach.

"Come, Snow White. There are mechanisms here I must teach you. If you are to be Queen of Napoli one day, you must know your way through the shadows."

"Father, why speak of such frightening things? You will be with me for a long time yet."

"It is best not to be careless. Our Napoli is not as strong as it once was. Others are plotting to seize our lands. I need the strength of the Venetians to back us. You aren't angry that I've betrothed you to Prince Philip, are you?"

Snow White shook her head. "I am happy to help Napoli... and to help you, Father."

"Good girl. Now, follow me. And never speak of this secret to anyone."

"Yes, Father."

Pure and trusting, Snow White had no inkling that she was being led to her own defilement. She followed him alone into the narrow, damp passage that descended into a grand vaulted chamber. It was stocked with water, dried food, gold, and weapons—enough to sustain a hundred souls in hiding.

"From this hall, there are three paths. The first leads to the outer forest, the second to the royal gardens, and the third to the harbor."

"It’s magnificent, Father. Even underground, it doesn't feel stifling at all."

Snow White looked around in wonder. The tunnel was well-ventilated, and as the King lit the wall lamps, they revealed a beautiful stone hall with a granite table at its center.

"Do you like it here, my child?" King William murmured, wrapping his arms around her slender frame from behind. His hands began to wander with a hungry urgency, kneading her soft curves. The young princess did not pull away, believing this was merely a father’s deep affection.

"I do, Father. It’s remarkable."

"Do you love me, Snow White?"

"Of course, Father... Ow!" She let out a soft cry as his touch became far more aggressive, his fingers roaming beneath her garments with a practiced, lecherous intent.

"Then you must come here with me every day. Do you understand?"

"But why, Father?"

"In a few days, Prince Philip will come for you. You must know how to bind him to you completely. Therefore, I will teach you everything."

"Teach me what?"

"This... I will take you here every day."

"What? What does that mean? Ah..." She gasped as his touch intensified. She didn't understand why her breath was hitching or why her legs felt like water. He pulled her toward the stone table, lifting her fine skirts to reveal her delicate undergarments, already dampened by her body's confused reaction.

"Lift your legs. Put them on the table... just like that. You are so beautiful. Open wide... I will show you everything."

Driven by an insatiable hunger, King William pushed her down onto the stone table, his hands fumbling with his own clothes until his desire was laid bare, trembling with anticipation.

"Father?"

"Don't try to run. Come here."

He toyed with her cruelly, forcing a response from her body, before spreading her pale thighs wide to take his place between them. He prepared to force himself inside, but Snow White began to fight back. She couldn't let him do this!

"Father! Please, stop! This isn't right!"

"Resisting is useless. Now, open for me!"

"But... but we are father and daughter!" Snow White sobbed, her body wracked with a primal terror. King William only laughed coldly.

"Father and daughter? You were already in your mother's womb when I married her. You’re just a bastard child she brought with her. I can take you as I please!" His eyes held no love, only a terrifying, hollow lust.

"No! Please! Not like this!"

In that moment, the realization hit her like a thunderclap—she was about to be raped.

"Ah... be mine, my sweet child."

"N... NO!"

"Ah... be mine, my sweet child."

"N... NO!"

"Don't defy me, you brat!" Snow White used every ounce of strength she possessed, shoving King William away with a desperate cry. The King stumbled back, crashing into a rack of swords. Snow White squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she let out a blood-curdling scream.

"FATHER!"

King William lay still. A massive blade had pierced through his chest. Blood, dark and crimson, pooled around him as his life faded in an instant. The poor girl trembled violently. Shaking, she managed to pull her clothes back into place.

"What have I done?"

She was young, inexperienced, and now crushed by an overwhelming sense of guilt and sin. She collapsed beside the body of the man she had called father, sobbing until fear finally claimed her consciousness and she fainted.

"Break down that door! Drag that harlot out and have her beheaded!"

The wicked Queen’s voice echoed through the palace. She was certain that King William was currently with his daughter. After searching everywhere, she had finally remembered the hidden tunnel and ordered her guards to force it open.

"I will kill that filthy girl with my own hands! Hurry! She’s a demon in human form, bewitching the King! He is in grave danger!"

Time blurred. When Snow White finally opened her eyes again, the sight of the body sent her into a fresh panic. The shouting grew louder, echoing down from the entrance in her bedroom.

"Find the King! Kill Snow White!"

At the Queen’s command, soldiers swarmed into the tunnel. Snow White knew that if she stayed, she would face a brutal execution. Driven by pure survival instinct, she fled down the path that led to the dense, overgrown forest. She ran deeper and deeper into the wilderness, unaware that she was crossing into Ashmir—the Land of the Titans, where no human, no matter how brave, had ever returned alive.