Irritated

"Where am I?" Juri asked the man seated across from her.

"You are currently in the Prince's secondary harem," responded Adolph.

She couldn't hide her frustration and alarm at his words. She wasn't even conscious when she rubbed her eyes with her fingers. Juri's eyes were red and her face felt puffy from all the tears she shed and rubbing her eyes didn't help just irritated it more. With a loud sob she cried out pleadingly, "You need to help me escape from here."

"It's best you give up that notion of freedom my lady, the Prince will never let you go," he said chatisingly but then Adolph gentled his voice softly to placate her, "behave yourself and you will reap many rewards continue to rebel and eventually our Prince will have no choice but to silence you permanently. You will be afforded the best of everything for the rest of your life. It is not a bad trade for your freedom."

"I was stolen from my Vampire master, make no mistake he will come for me."

Tears came to his eyes as let out a belly whoop of laughter that lasted for a few minutes before he recovered and spoke, "Do you think the merfolk are afraid of vampires? You are badly mistaken, vampires scurry around in the darkness of night like rats. The Merfolk will not stop until they exterminate every last one of those pests, no questions asked. Vampires know better than to ever dare to set foot in Merfolk kingdom."

She withdrew and gave up on reasoning with Adolph after she heard the derision in his voice. Juri went mute and could not help but stare at him silently in consternation. He seemed to be human like her, she was sure of by now so why did he not side with her and see her point of view.

"As long as I'm the eunuch in charge of the Prince's harem you will have nothing to worry about if you do as I say."

She nodded and swallowed any rebuttal that came to mind. Perhaps, he was right. Only time would tell otherwise. He got up from his chair and indicated that she should follow him. It was only then that she paid attention to her new clothes.

Juri wondered who clothed her naked body while she had slept and how delicate and fast they must have worked since she did not feel a thing nor wake from her slumber. They had dressed her in some sheer fabric held together by knotted string, she was sure if someone yanked on that string the whole outfit would become undone.

He couldn't possibly expect her to leave the confines of the room like this, she was not a prude but the outfit wasn't practical at all it was nonexistent. The light green material was so sheer she was pretty sure anyone could see her privates beneath it. It was meant to cover but to titillate and have others ogle her barely covered body. Her insecurities screamed in her ears not to go and she jerked back in reaction.

"What's the matter now?" queried Adolph. He'd seen her back and was starting to get annoyed.

Juri felt a flash of anger at his look of annoyance but repressed it. If she was going to get a change of clothes she would need the eunuch's help.

"You can't expect me to go outside there looking like this," she said as she ran her hands on the surface of the cloth.

"No need to be self conscious, you'll fit in easily with the rest of the females, as those garments are what everyone wears or go naked. Though I will admit some actually prefer to go around completely naked. So it's totally up to you. Judging by your facial expression you're not in the latter?" he chuckled. Fully aware that Juri wasn't going to respond he then continued speaking without waiting for an answer, "Now if there is nothing else of importance weighing on your mind let us go."

They walked through a long corridor with Adolph leading the way and Juri walking behind him trying her best to keep up with his fast pace. He moved so swiftly and silently and she found herself panting and feeling very unfit while her clothes shafed as she walked and announced her presence more than the gasping breaths that escaped her throat.

Finally the long winding corridor came to an end and they stepped out of gloom and got smacked in the face with bright sunlight that hurt Juri's eyes. She used the flat of her hands to create a shield but it wasn't enough her eyes still watered as they adjusted to the brightness of the sunlight.

They emerged into an open area filled with all types of females, she tried not to stare too hard but it was impossible, she gave up counting after she passed fifty. None of the females seemed to pay them any mind as they walked right past them as if strangers in their midst was a regular occurrence.

A few dark eyes followed her shapely behind but mostly they stared and said nothing, if any were in the way they sidestepped or darted out the way quickly as if they were afraid they would catch something from them, she felt ridiculed and scorned, like an ugly specimen under a microscope of watchful eyes.

They emerged from the garden and walked a little bit further up a gravelly path until he stopped at the foot of a small hill. Beautiful whites steps that seemed to go for a mile led up to a breathtaking white mansion. She could make out a contingent of guards patrolling the property.

"That's where you'll be staying for now unless you disappoint the Prince and get demoted down here. Only his mother, his future wives and his favored concubines are allowed access to the Prince's private quarters. You should consider yourself blessed and highly favored as the females that you just past will look on you with envy and would do and give anything to take your position that you have done nothing to earn," he nudged her up the stairs and she had no choice but to go since she would never feel welcomed where they stood.