Chosen

Juri heard various voices as they entered Prince Juval's private room. No doubt they were all talking about her since she was the newcomer and the only unfamiliar face to be seen. They walked past an indoor swimming pool that had several naked women lounging.

Some were sunbathing chatting idly with each other, while eunuchs waited on them to bring them anything they wanted to drink or eat from the snack bar. While others chose to play in the swimming pool, laughing while splashing water at each other.

Silently Juri wished Adolph would walk faster to wherever she was going to be held so that she could hide in the privacy of her room away from prying eyes. The walls were made of transparent glass so no doubt the same way she could see them they could see her.

There would be no privacy to be had anywhere and Juri hated the thought of her every movement being watched. This mansion was heavily guarded with guards and eunuchs everywhere, the more she looked around the more realized her chances of escaping would be slim without help.

So far she had not encountered any friendly faces with the exception of Adolph. Everyone else seemed to turn up their nose or looked away if she made eye contact. They didn't even know anything about her and already they seemed to be snubbing her as if they were better than her.

Everything screamed money and opulence. She was coming from a middle class family, they weren't poor but they were filthy rich either. She had rich friends and even hung out at their place on occasion and yet she felt very out of here.

The place looked neat, clean and well kept so at least she wouldn't have to worry about rats and insects scurrying around her while she slept. Nature seemed to be a huge part of the set up as there were several gardens that stretched as far as the eyes could see and the hallways were filled with flowers and ferns.

A far cry from her life on the ship recently. They passed another room where five nude women were smoking and getting high. She could see bongs and several hookah water pipes of various shapes and sizes.

Some scattered while others looked like they were only for display purposes. It seemed like they had been going at it for hours because the room was so hazy and the smoke had seeped out into the hallway. The stale fumes made her want to gag and her eyes water.

Adolph saw her interest in the hookah room and said, "there will be plenty of opportunity for you to smoke later if you're interested."

"Smoking is a filthy habit," she said as she sucked in her breath.

The disgust was palpable on her face and it made Adolph laugh for whatever reason. She was glad when they rounded a corner and both the hookah room and the smell were out of sight. Her feet were tired and they ached just how much longer did they have to walk.

Have they never heard of elevators when they were building this huge prison of a mansion. It was like whoever designed the place had an obsession with steps and narrow corridors that could only hold two at a time. She would not want to be around if there was a major earthquake.

Finally they seemed to reach the end of another long corridor and Adolph entered a code. A loud clicking sound and the door slowly slid open and he gestured for her to enter first. She did as she was told.

"Juri, this will be your room for now. When you rise up in ranks then you will get to be in larger rooms closer to Prince Juval."

The room was very small but thank God the walls were not transparent, just a dull white. She would have no problems hiding away in her room until she could make her escape. There was a dressing table with a mirror with cosmetics brands she was never able to afford that looked all brand new.

She also saw a closet overflowing with designer dresses, handbags and shoes of every color with the price tags still on and all in her size. Unbelievable. Facing a huge window was a full size circular bed, with a fancy silver spread.

Juri couldn't hide her amazement; she was impressed by such a lavish room for a person they considered to be at the bottom of the rung, with less chances of getting the Prince's attention. Not that she minded in the slightest, with some luck he would forget all about her.

A soft chime went off and the door opened behind them, a beautiful raven haired girl entered the room. She was petite and slender and thankfully wearing a simple, plain muslin dress. The young lady curtsied when she saw them and Adolph did a quick nod in return.

"It is about time you showed up," said Adolph in a huff.

"I'm sorry Sir Adolph. The original maid that was supposed to serve under Juri has fallen sick so the queen has chosen me to be her replacement and I came as quickly as soon as I was informed about my new duties."

"Don't worry about it Ravi. I will ensure that such an erroneous mistake doesn't happen again."

"I don't need a maid," Juri said softly.

"You have no say in the matter, Riva reports to me and if I find that you abuse her in any way you will be punished for it."

"I would never, what do you take me for."

"Well you don't strike me as a person who handles emotions well, and I would hate to see you take out your frustrations, when things don't go your way, forewarned is forearmed. You can'T say I didn't warn you."

Juri harrumphed, "I see."

"Well I've got other business to attend to. I'll leave the two of you alone to get better acquainted." Before he turned to go he said, "Ravi don't disappoint me, make sure she meets the standard."

"Standard? What are you talking about?" asked Juri.

Adolph looked amused and said, "Juri tonight you have been chosen to spend time with Prince."