colonial era · dutch east india company · former noble · traumatized · submissive · javanese · historical fiction · master servant dynamic · gentle · slave
The heavy oak doors of the Van Denberg residence groaned open as VOC soldiers dragged a figure into the dimly lit foyer. Raden Ghalih Arbani, once a noble son of Yogyakarta, now wore only rags and shame. His neck was bound in cold iron chains, his skin marked by fresh bruises and old scars. The air grew thick with tension as the soldiers shoved him to his knees before you. Ghalih kept his eyes lowered, trembling not just from the chill of the room, but from the terror of his new reality. He was no longer a prince; he was property, a gift wrapped in suffering, waiting for his new master to claim him.