Prologue

"Fatima! Fatima, where are you! Just where did that little strumpet run off to? She was here a moment ago!"

*sigh* I can't even catch a break.

"Fatima! Come out here! I know you're hiding somewhere!"

Knowing her, she won't stop yelling until I come out.

"There you are!"

Edith is the chief maid as well as the madam's personal lap dog. The only time she would seek me out is at her mistress' behest. Which means today is one of those bad days.

As slaves we are treated no less than a piece of garbage. Unlike the maids, we work without pay in exchange for a place to sleepand one meal a day. We are forced to undertake the unwanted tasks of the maids all the while enduring their scorn. They often refer to us as dirty, repugnant, ugly, etcetera, etcetera. Entry into the estate is strictly forbidden unless authorized by a member of the family. Any slave caught lingering around the residential areas will be flogged fifty times with no exception.

"The madam is waiting for you in the annex as usual. You'd best hurry before her mood worsens." She said with a smug.

Edith reminds me of those plump steamed buns I used to enjoy back home.

"Stop dragging your feet and hurry on over!" she continued to yell as she smacked my back.

"Alright, alright I'm going. Geez! My back is burning up!"

Oddly enough, I am now craving steamed buns.

++++++

"Get down on your knees and strip your back." 

I'm certain I broke at least two of her ribs three days ago, why does she seem to be in better shape than before?

"Mommy! That filthy thing had the nerve to be in the garden while I was taking my morning stroll!"

I cringed at lady Florette referring to her mother as 'mommy' at her age. 

"If I may, Mistress. I was merely weeding the rose garden when…Ah!"

"How dare you speak without my permission?!" she yelled.

Her spit bubbles flew all over my face as she firmly gripped my hair.

"Mistress, please let go of my hair, so I can properly explain what transpired in the garden."

"Shut your filthy trap you mongrel!"

At this rate she might as well bathe me with her saliva.

My cheeks were burning, and my ears were ringing. That darn mouth of mine again. I could barely hear what they were angrilybabbling about, as my head had begun spinning. The rusty taste of blood in my mouth kept getting stronger. She must have slapped me about six times already. I'm so tired. And as if that weren't enough, she picked up a ceramic vase and whammed it against my head. At that moment, everything went dark as I collapsed on the floor.

"B-blood! M-mother! She's b-bleeding. Is she…dead?"

"I very well hope she is. You!" she called out to me with a scowl on her face.

"Y-yes madam!"

"Send someone to clean up this mess immediately and discardthat thing into the lake!"

"P-pardon?"

She wants to throw her into the lake without checking if she's actually dead…

"How dare you disrespect my mother?" scorned lady Florette as she served me a strike across the cheek.

As expected of a spoiled brat, she enjoys torturing others just like her mother.

"What is going on here?"

"Your majesty the crown Prince!"

"May the glory of Alkaraz be with you."

As he heroically entered the room, the atmosphere suddenlyshifted. He looked around with a calm expression on his face, until his gaze halted at the sight of Fati's body on the woodened floor. His eyes widened for a brief moment, then he turned his glowering gaze towards the duchess and her daughter clinging to one another while trembling in fear. At that moment, I knew none of us would leave this annex in one piece.

"Which one of you is responsible for this?" he asked menacingly while simultaneously pointing his sword at them.

At that moment, I began to recall a wild rumor circulating around the empire while he was away fighting in the war. 'The crowned prince's sword, once drawn, never goes back into its scabbard without fulfilling its purpose'. 

"You!" he called coldly.

"Explain to me in detail what happened here?" he asked with his sword pointed at my neck.

My shivering worsened as I struggled to speak, then I felt a warm liquid trickling through my thighs and down my legs. Our gazes slowly lowered to the floor as we awkwardly stared at my shame.

"Get out!" he commanded as he withdrew his sword.

I stormed out of the annex and darted towards the mansion. On my way there, it finally hit me. Fati just died right before my eyes. I should have stopped the Duchess; I should have done something to prevent her death. Why did I just stand there like an idiot, and let her die so horribly? She may have been a slave, but she was a human being who was cared for by her friends.How am I going to explain this to Ivey and Clover?

The more I ran, the harder I cried until my legs gave out. The very thought that I would never see her again felt like thousands of needles were prickling my heart at once. I wanted to run back to the annex, but I wavered for fear that I too would end up just like her. Yet I halted and turned around facing the opposite direction.

I could not believe the horrific sight I was witnessing. The building was suddenly engulfed in flames behind the crowned prince who was striding across the green field with Fati's lifeless body in his arms. Meanwhile, screams of terror could be heard from the inside, as the maids and knights scampered about while attempting to quell the fire.