The night was rough.
After spending hours in the kitchen, taking advice and lessons from the chief chef, Seraphina fell into a much-needed slumber to regain her energy.
But before she could get even a few hours of sleep, she was abruptly awakened by a loud ringing bell.
"What on Earth is that?" Kara asked, covering her ears tightly. "I have a feeling we'll be in pieces in five days," she whispered.
"A lady must not sleep for too long, anyway," Sera said, sitting on the bed.
A knock on the door shifted their attention. The door opened after the third knock, revealing Fiona standing behind it.
"Good morning, ladies. Please come downstairs; we can start our work there," she said with a pleasant smile.
Sera and Kara couldn't help but reciprocate the smile, although not genuinely. They were extremely tired, and exhaustion was evident in their eyes.
"Yes, we'll be there shortly."
"We'll be there."
They both replied with fake smiles on their faces.
Though both ladies longed to be anything but polite, they had to maintain decorum to uphold the respect and dignity of their background. It was ingrained in their blood, as difficult as it was.
Fiona smiled and gave a slight nod before closing the door behind her.
As soon as she left the room, Sera looked at Kara with wide eyes.
"This is going to be much harder than I thought," she said, sighing.
Standing up, she glanced at herself in the mirror, realizing how tired she already appeared.
"Welcome to your future, m'lady," Kara sarcastically remarked, but there was an underlying truth in her words.
If they were to live in this place for the rest of their lives, they had two options: to run away and hide, or to be captured and face death. Both choices were for the future.
"Let's get ready, or else the lady of the house will come up," Sera said, shaking her head.
-
And so, the two new women who had entered the palace for five days began their journey together.
The following days passed in a blur as the elderly lady of the house continued to teach Seraphina various tasks. Sera complied with her instructions, holding onto the memory of her father. She knew that even though he didn't want to give her away, he had no choice.
At just twenty-three years old, her entire future was written on the walls. Sometimes she would dream of growing old and still carrying out chores around the palace.
The most exhausting part was that only Sera and Kara were the ones learning to do chores, not the other wives of Genghis's brothers. It felt unfair, but that's just how the world worked, and those were the exact words of the lady.
On the third evening, Sera and Kara found themselves outside the house, painstakingly pulling out weeds one by one. They were among the other maids of the small palace.
Sera grunted as her leg was struck by a brick near a garden vase.
"Oomph, that hurt," she whispered to herself.
Kara, from a distance, noticed it. Her pointed toe turned red as she focused on the spot.
"You might as well take a break. You're going to become a lady of the house, and these maids aren't going anywhere," Kara said, rolling her eyes.
YOU ARE READING
Forbidden Union: The Evil Prince's Temptation
Romance[Mature Content | 18+] "It was you, wasn't it, Lucian?" Damian's voice boomed with anger, sending shivers down Sera's spine. Whispers of the Darkling's ruthless nature had reached her ears, and she wondered if they were true. It couldn't be, could...
