Harvi

Chapter-18

Harvi's p.o.v-

How did I end up here? I thought begrudgingly. I never meant to be here yet here I was learning how to use cutlery, sit with an arched back, neither tilted nor too straight, hands resting either on my lap or gracefully serving the dishes while walking around the large wooden table as light-footed as possible. A proper closed-lipped smile should be maintained while talking and eating. 

Lady Resmine watched me with her eagle eyes. She was strict, never talking to me unless she was teaching me or scolding me. Her face maintained the look of a poker face. 

"You are dismissed for the day." I internally jump with joy. I definitely reacted that way or else I would be burdened with more hard chores the next day. I bowed as elegantly as I could. She made a hmph sound neither detesting nor appreciating. 

I turned around to walk to my room. Ten days left to keep up with this pure chaos. Lady Resmine would teach me for two hours daily. I still refuse to acknowledge Zades's motives behind his sudden interest to teach me royal etiquette. I can't stray from my plan which wasn't on the right path already. 

I reached the room which was decorated according to Zades's taste. It was minimalistic just like Zades's chamber but it was way smaller for royalty like him. The whole palace was in an audible whisper when he decided to change his chambers to sleep most of his nights here in the smaller room that could pass for a store room, with a mere slave like me. 

It never happened in Arkadia before, it created a silent uproar when the Second Prince took a greater liking and favored a wild-looking beastly girl rather than his beautiful concubines and fiancee. It was unheard of, those who tried to object met their gruesome death. Zades's reputation was of a fiery prince, he wasn't the one to be questioned or raise an eyebrow at. He kill with both of his hands and turns out people respected him and love their lives more rather than give their two bronze coins of thoughts to a slave like me. 

Concubines stayed clear of my path but I didn't miss the acid glares and a murderous glint within their eyes. I always felt like I was walking on a thin rope with hot blazing coals burning underneath it, one misstep, and I would fall to my third-degree burn death. 

I did my chores for the day and I was absolutely exhausted. I didn't bother changing my clothes since I was wearing the softest dress made out of linens. My body has gone through a drastic change, so I had to be more careful when wearing clothes. I threw many blankets on my shivering form and fall deeply within minutes
  

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In the whole court, only three servants were present who were on the edge, the Second Prince was short-tempered but ever since that wildling had been poisoned a beautifully raging monster has switched his place, it seems. Dina and Liane were always the most carefree out of all the servants and slaves combined, as they were Lady Aster's personal maids and Lady Aster was the mother figure to the Second Prince. 

With time their ego got bigger and so was their heads. Dina and Liane treated every other servant and slave however they feel like Harvi was not an exception. They treated her terribly more than they treated others. They specifically bullied her, insulted her, poke fun at her, and even got her in trouble every other day. 

They never in a million years would have thought that wildling would be able to win the Second Prince's favor out of all of the Royals. She somehow managed to climb the social ladders within six months, she was still a slave but hold a great place in the palace. Not only that, the Second Prince visited her almost every other night, no concubines have ever managed to do that. Concubine Enna has to prepare her chambers and send him an invitation time and time again to visit her; she succeeded seventy-two times which was the highest in number for a concubine after living with the Second Prince for eight years.