꧁𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣꧂ 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙋𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧

~Seven~ 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨

TWs Violence, Abuse, Drowning, Choking, Starving, Whipping, Smoking, Confinement

Valencia's POV

Bubbles. Not real ones, even though it would make sense with me being underwater and all. But these ones I'm pretty sure are because of the thick hands around my neck holding me far down underwater and limiting my breath in more than one way.

The black bubbles are getting larger and flashing from place to place in my eyes.

I stopped moving voluntarily a while ago but my body parts are still crashing against each other as I'm being shaken spitefully by the hands on my neck.

The hands on my neck. They're angry, this time its because I looked up and met the eyes. Apparently those eyes were offended that I ever dare meet them. Because that's disrespectful.

I'm out of the water now one of the hands is in my hair, it hurts, they're dragging me up the steps to the house. My legs fumble to catch steps and take weight off of my head but I can't get my feet under me quick enough and I am still not convinced my sight is back I could be recalling the image of the stairs vividly in my mind as I've been dragged up these steps many times. More steps inside, soon I'll pass out I think, I can't stand the weight on my head it feels like my scull is going to pull off.

But then the hands let go off my hair and grab my neck again lifting me up and tossing me onto the floor of what's my room.

"You have four hours until the ball. Fix yourself and hide the damage or you know what will happen. You'd better be presentable and desirable when I see you next."

The hands turned the doorknob and my father left the room. I crawled to the foot of the bed but before I could muster the strength to crawl up I started seeing my black bubbles again so I closed my eyes and let myself fall unconscious.

About an hour later I opened my eyes. I reached up from the floor to call my handmaid. I pulled the rope and fell back to the floor, only to be lifted up a few minutes later by Aedra my handmaid and brought to gently to the bathroom. Aedra was a older woman of near seventy and she had been my handmaid my whole life. She wasn't allowed to do anything for me unless strictly told. However she saved my life despite being told not to attend to me to many times for me to ever thank her well enough for. She was quiet and disapproving but never of me.

Aedra drew me a bath and helped me slowly slip in while silently shaking her head at the bruises on my neck and legs from being dragged up the stairs earlier. I slipped into the bath and started to heal the bruises that I could see, doing my best to make sure none would be visible during the ball.

There is an annual ball for all of the pureblood and each year it rotates to a new persons manor. This year is my parents turn, and I know for a fact that if there is any visible damage on my body at this ball I will be made sure to regret it after. All the pureblood now that the majority of the children are abused but none of them talk about it, and especially with the girls they are expected to be spotless and appear beautiful no matter what lies beneath their clothes or what happened before appearing.

Once I finished in the bath I dried myself off and slipped my corset and dress on. I didn't put on a corset because I knew that as further punishment for earlier I would not be permitted to wear one and my mother would be waiting outside the bathroom for me to cinch my corset tight enough that she could be sure it was biting through my skin just enough to make me not be able to relax at all through the night lest I have skin being torn as a consequence.

I walked out and met my mothers crossed arms and wickedly excited eyes.

"Turn around, no complaining we both know that you deserve this." She said a little too chirpily.