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The decree arrived on the tenth morning, delivered by a servant who looked as if she would rather be anywhere else.

"Lady Sera." The woman's voice was carefully neutral. "His Grace has granted permission for you to take a supervised walk in the castle gardens this afternoon. You will be accompanied by two guards at all times. You are not to stray from the main paths. You are not to approach other nobles. You are not to enter any buildings. Is this understood?"

A leash, not freedom. A public display of controlled containment.

"I understand," Eve said, her voice mild. She watched the servant's shoulders tense at the lack of expected protest.

An hour later, two guards arrived to escort her. They were young men, probably in their mid-twenties, with the rigid posture of soldiers who took their duties very seriously. Neither would meet her eyes. One positioned himself in front of her, the other behind, creating a formation that was clearly designed to control her movements while advertising her status to anyone who might see them.

The walk through the castle corridors was a revelation. Eve had been confined to her chambers for ten days, seeing nothing but four walls and occasional glimpses through her window. Now, she saw the true scale of her prison. Vaulted ceilings soared overhead, decorated with frescoes depicting battles and coronations. Tapestries larger than billboards hung along stone walls, their threads depicting scenes of royal history. The air was cooler here, carrying the scent of floor wax and old stone. Servants in various liveries scurried past, pressing themselves against walls to avoid coming too close to her.

The nobles were fascinating. They swept through the corridors in elaborate gowns and tailored jackets, jewelry glittering at throats and wrists. Their conversations died the moment they noticed her approach. Eve cataloged their reactions with the precision of someone reading a boardroom. Most looked away quickly, their faces carefully blank. Some shot her glares of open contempt. One older woman actually made a warding gesture, as if Eve's mere presence might contaminate her. Whatever Sera did, it was public. It was memorable. And it was unforgivable in their eyes.

The gardens, when they finally reached them, were breathtakingly beautiful. Manicured lawns stretched between carefully shaped hedges. Flowers bloomed in riots of color despite the season, their fragrance heavy on the air. Fountains burbled peacefully, their spray catching the afternoon sunlight in small rainbows. Paths of white gravel crunched underfoot, winding through the greenery and inviting exploration.

But Eve noticed other details too. The gardeners who stopped working to watch her pass, their expressions wary. The additional guards stationed at regular intervals along the perimeter. The way her two escorts positioned themselves to block any potential escape routes. Even in this lovely space, she was performing for an audience, and the role assigned to her was that of a convicted criminal on supervised release.

She walked slowly, pretending to admire the flowers while actually mapping the layout. The gardens were large but walled. She counted exits and noted which paths led toward what appeared to be stables, servants' quarters, and other castle buildings. Information was power, and she would gather every scrap she could.

A group of nobles sat at a distance, taking tea at an elegant table. Eve recognized the body language of people pretending not to notice her while being hyperaware of her every movement. She wondered what they saw: a monster temporarily unchained, a fallen noble brought low, a cautionary tale about the dangers of dark magic. None of them saw what she actually was: a woman from another world, trapped in a body she did not understand, navigating a social hierarchy she had never encountered, and growing increasingly frustrated with being treated like a dangerous animal.

"Time to return, my lady." The guard's voice was clipped, professional, allowing no argument.

Eve turned back toward the castle without protest, filing away everything she had learned. The gardens were beautiful but ultimately another cage. The castle was vast but filled with eyes and judgment. The nobles were united in their contempt for her. Escape, if she ever wanted it, would require far more planning and resources than she currently possessed. As they walked back through the corridors, passing more flinching servants and glaring nobles, Eve felt something shift inside her. It was not Sera's residual emotions this time, but her own response to this impossible situation. She was done being passive. Done simply observing and cataloging. The CEO who had built empires and crushed competitors had been relegated to the role of prisoner for long enough. It was time to move to the next phase of her plan.