CHAPTER 4: BEAUTY TREATMENT

Meredith’s POV

Marco’s grip on my arm is harsh as he leads me to God knows where. I take the time to gawk at the majestic paintings that hang on the crystal-white walls.

Most of it was off landscapes and skies; a few of them were of people I do not know but none of them was one of the three kings. How strange.

It makes me wonder: how exactly are there three kings ruling one kingdom? There is so much mystery about this place, and I cannot wait to uncover it all.

My eyes fall on a woman standing at the end of the hall. The stoic look on her face suggests that she has not had a good laugh in ages.

She appears to be somewhere in her forties; her black hair has a few gray strands that are tied up in a tight bun. It lays much emphasis on her rather large forehead.

The lines in the corner of her head show that she has spent most of her life frowning rather than smiling. I suppose it explains why her dark brown eyes are void of emotion.

“Here she is, ma’am. The king’s new girl.”

The woman scowls, deepening the lines at the corner of her mouth as her eyes rake my body with disapproval. “You may leave,” she tells Marco. He instantly lets go of my arm, but his eyes linger on mine a lot longer than I would have liked. He tears his gaze away from me and walks away.

Well, that was strange.

My attention returns to the woman he left me with. She starts to encircle me, and I feel naked beneath her menacing gaze. I can feel her eyes on each and every part of my body; it almost feels like she is violating me with her eyes.

“I had expected you to have a bit more flesh. The kings usually prefer girls with bigger behinds and breasts, but you are rather average,” she notes, and I have absolutely no idea how I am supposed to respond to that. She continues, “Anyways, come along.”

She starts leading me to a door with guards standing on either side. The both of them bow once they see her, and I feel their eyes on me. They opened the doors for us, and I felt their eyes watch me with curiosity and lust as we walked past them.

“My name is Estrid, the madame of this harem,” the woman announces, gesturing to the large hall before us. The ceiling is made of glass, giving a magnificent view of the sky and giving the sun a wonderful opportunity to cast its gaze down on the room.

There is a small fountain with a cupid statue at the very top of it. Water spills out of its mouth, and some ladies sit on the edge, talking and laughing.

Most of these women are in black dresses and white aprons, while the others are in black and red lingerie. They looked like seductresses from the way they looked with all that makeup and carried themselves.

“And what is your name, girl?” Estrid asks, snapping me back to the present.

“Meredith.”

“Very well, Meredith; your room is the very last one to your right. You have ten minutes to get settled in, after which you will need to go to the saloon. Follow this hall,” she pauses to gesture to the passageway to the right. “Take your left, and you will find a salon. Tell them you are new; they will know exactly what to do. Do you understand everything I have just said?” She asks, and I nod.

“Thank you, Estrid,” I say, and her eyelids narrow into a glare.

“It’s Madame Estrid to you,” she says, turning her back on me and leaving me stunned. I blink at the space she once occupied for some time before snapping out of it.

Okay, then, that was a bit weird.

Since I have no belongings, there is no need for me to settle into my room. I follow Madame Estrid’s directions and find myself in a salon, just as she said. The men and women here have an entirely different uniform.

Everyone was busy doing their own thing; some men were getting their hair cut in one section of the salon while the ladies were getting their hair and nails done.

One of the saloon staff walks up to me with a horrified look on her face. She places her hand above her chest as she walks up to me slowly. "Well, hello there, how may I help you?” she asks, her eyes scanning my body like I am the most disgusting creature she has ever seen.

Well, technically, I would not blame her. I have not had a bath in two days. I have blood, sweat, dirt, and even a bit of cum littering my body.

“Madame Estrid told me to come here. I am new,” I say, and she rears her head back in shock. She gives me a once-over, like she finds it hard to believe that I am new.

“Oh, well, then we have a lot of work to do.” She spins around and claps twice. Two women come forward in similar uniforms but with smiles that are far too fake. “Come on, girls, you know the drill.”

The two girls appear by my side and take me deeper into the salon. I am taken behind a maroon curtain, and my eyes fall on the large bath tub with several bottles sitting pretty by the side.

“Take off your clothes, dear,” one of the girls says, and my cheeks grow hot.

“With the three of you here?” I ask, and they all nod in sync.

Creepy.

“I am pretty sure I can bathe myself. I do not need anyone’s help,” I tell them, and they smile at me in a way that leaves me uneasy.

The one who summoned the other two says, “It is protocol. All newcomers are to be cleansed and beautified by us. It is our duty to prepare you for your very first night with the kings.”

My eyes widen at their words. Something about the way she said it makes me realize that this happens quite often.

With a sigh, I undress before the three women. Once I am completely naked, one of them gestures towards the bath. “Get in, dear.”

And I do.

The warm water swallows my body, and I find myself sighing with relief. The water calmed my muscles and helped me sink further into the bathtub. One of the attendants pours some soap into the water, and the rosy scent fills the air with a relaxing aura.

The three women get to work on my body, and I let them. I cannot believe I am letting three women wash me, but this feels way too good.

One of them busies herself with my hair, washing it softly but with maximum concentration and precision. The same goes for the two other women handling my pedicure and manicure.

I let them scrub each and every part of my body to their satisfaction. When I get out, they hand me a soft pink robe that I use to cover myself. I do not question them as they start to apply some oils and creams to my face.

“Okay, I think it is time for you to move on to the next phase,” one of them says once she is done applying the last bit of oil to my face. She pushes the curtain back, and a girl in a maid’s uniform comes into view. She has honey brown eyes and pale skin. Her hair is short and a strange ginger color.

Our eyes meet, and her smile is as warm as the morning sun. “Hello, my name is Sarah. Madame Estrid asked me to take you to our stylist.”

I nod in understanding and follow closely behind her. She falls back to lean closer to my ear. “I have to admit, you are far prettier than I expected. When I heard that the kings have gotten a new girl, I was expecting to find some big ass stuck up bitch, but I can tell you are different from the rest.”

“Well, that certainly is the nicest thing I have heard in a while,” I say with a light chuckle. “My name is Meredith, by the way.”

“Sarah,” she says, and I part my lips to speak, but she quickly adds, “I have said that already, haven’t I?" I am sorry.”

“It’s fine, so tell me... What’s it like here?” I ask, and she grins.

“You mean here in the harem? Well, we are all one big happy family here. We look out for each other and consider each other sisters. Well, except for the nasty three, of course,” she says, and my eyebrows furrow with confusion.

“The nasty three?”

“Yes, they are otherwise known as the kings’ favorites; they are the three oldest maidens here. Rumor has it that they are the first three girls to have been chosen by the alphas to fulfill their sexual pleasures. I suppose the title makes them feel like queens even though they refuse to believe they are just like the rest of us,” Sarah says with a roll of her eyes.

“I see. Do the kings usually bring in new girls?”

“Yeah, that’s alpha Saul and alpha Caelen’s hobby. They bring in new girls almost every week.” She informs me.

“I see… and what about Alpha Roman?” I ask, and her feet come to a halt. I watched the little color in her face drain at the mention of the alpha’s name, and I could have sworn I saw her swallow.

She casts her eyes downward and says quietly, “I do not know much about him. He is a complete mystery to me. I hear he has only been with one of the nasty three. But apart from that, I hardly hear much about him. I know the kings love to share their girls, but the girls hardly mention Alpha Roman’s involvement. I just assume that he doesn’t take part.”

Oh, he is definitely involved, alright? Those girls are most likely too terrified to talk about him.

Sarah must have seen the worried expression on my face because she took my hand and squeezed it lightly. “Don’t worry; once you know the dos and don’ts around here, I am sure you will be just fine. And I will be here to make sure that happens.”

The corners of my lips lift at her words. It has been quite a long time since I have received any form of kindness from anyone. So those mere words nearly bring me to tears.

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome. Now, we must hurry. We are running out of time,” she says before pulling me into another section of the salon.

She helps me up on a mini pedestal, and three other women surround me. I stand still for the next five minutes, watching them work on me through the full-body mirror before me.

The base of my hair is straightened, while the tip is curled. They help me into a red silky dress that stops right above my mid-thigh and hugs my body nicely. My cleavage is exposed, and my perky nipples poke through the thin material.

As if one of the women could sense my discomfort, she handed me a red robe to add more covering to my body. They begin to touch up my face, and once they are done applying my lipstick, my eyes meet Estrid’s through the mirror.

“Is she ready?” she asks the stylists, and they all nod. “Come along, girl, it is time.”

I want to ask what she meant by that, but a part of me already knows. She leads me out of the harem, and I feel a million eyes on me as I walk down the hall.

Estrid stops before a door and turns to me. “Wait for them inside.” That was all she said to me before leaving abruptly.

Okay then…

I turn the cold handle and step into the room. A gasp escapes my lips as I take in the sight of the room. This is no ordinary bedroom.

There are whips, collars, and cuffs of all shapes and sizes laid out perfectly on a table. The bed is king-sized, with candles lit on either stand. But the chains right beside them make me sick to my stomach.

Subconsciously, I take a step back, but my back hits something hard.

“Scared now, are we?”

A gasp leaves my lips as I spin on my heel.

The three alphas stood tall and mighty, but most of all, they were hungry.

And I was their dinner.