11.

I slowly opened my eyes to the rays of sunlight streaming in through the large windows located at the corner of my room. The events of the past day filled my head, giving me a slight migraine.

It all felt like a dream, but it wasn’t, and I hated that. I also had no idea that I’d slept that long. It was probably because I was so tired.

As I slowly emerged from the depths of sleep, the unfamiliar surroundings of the lavish bedroom came into focus. I was in Chase’s mansion, and I hadn’t even taken it in the previous day because I had a lot to think about.

‘Oh, he’s rich,’ Nia mused as we took in the ornate curtains and the very expensive furniture that adorned the room.

It was like I’d been teleported into another dimension filled with wealth and luxury, and then suddenly at that thought I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. Did I really deserve all this? It didn’t feel like I did, especially with the brand sitting on my wrist for everyone to see.

Blinking away the remnants of slumber, I sat up in bed, taking in my surroundings with a sense of awe and wonder. The room was squeaky clean, and to my surprise, two maids stood at the foot of the bed, their faces housing gentle smiles, which startled me.

“Oh my Lumus,” I placed my hand on my chest after the shock.

The maids exchanged a knowing glance, their smiles growing wider at my startled reaction. One of them, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes, stepped forward and curtsied gracefully.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” she said, her voice warm and soothing. “We hope you slept well. Allow us to assist you with your morning routine.”

“Um,” I croaked at first and cleared my throat. “Morning routine?” I asked, confused.

“Yes, Your Highness,” the younger one started. “We’ll assist you with all you need to do.”

I looked around, confused. “I usually get ready on my own. I don’t need assistance.”

She smiled. “You’re the queen, it’ll be wrong to let you do anything yourself.”

“Oh.” That was all I could say. “Okay.”

Then, the maids bustled about the room, preparing for the day ahead. I glanced around the room, taking in everything that had been placed gently around me.

It was a far cry from the modest surroundings of my previous home, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of homesickness for the familiar sights and sounds of my kingdom.

Going back there would probably never be possible after the scene that had happened. I would be insane to go back there without having any evidence for how I can save face. Just thinking of Asher and Lina being together made me extremely angry.

‘You need to calm down and focus on finding out what happened,’ Nia advised.

‘But doing that with a brand on my wrist won’t be easy,’ I responded.

‘Well, you have Chase. And I like him,’ she responded, her voice calm and soothing, calming me down.

‘Chase might have the best intentions, but I don’t know Nia.’

“You need to get ready, your highness,” the older maid said.

I shook my head, the formality of her words making me uncomfortable. She looked like she was at least twenty years older than I was, and I wasn’t comfortable with her calling me ‘Your Highness.’

“Zara,” I said to her. “My name is Zara. You can call me that.”

She shook her head at me, a small smile on her face. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“It’s all right, I won’t tell,” I said to her.

“It’s the protocol I have to follow, your highness.”

I knew that there was no point in convincing her to call me by my name any longer, so I just gave up. None of this made sense to me, but I just had to go along with it anyway.

When the maid finished preparing the room and bathroom, they ushered me towards the en-suite bathroom.

“You can just wash up here, Your Highness. There’s a bell to ring there if you need any help,” the older maid said.

The bell being present made me giggle, and I wondered if I would ever get used to this life.

As I headed towards the bathroom, I turned to them. “What are your names?”

“I’m Pamela, and this is Darcy,” Pamela, who’s the older maid, said.

I nodded and went into the bathroom. My shower was hot and long because I needed to wash all the happenings of the previous day from my body, and it also felt pretty therapeutic. My body shook from the anger I felt, but I knew I needed to move on and channel it into something more.

“… finding out what happened…” Chase’s voice sounded in my head.

After the shower, I came out of the bathroom, and Pamela and Darcy were standing there waiting for me.

“My, Your Highness, it seems you've brought very little with you,” Darcy teased, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. “We will have to take you shopping to remedy that.” I couldn't help but chuckle at her words, grateful for the lightheartedness that she brought to the situation.

Then I proceeded to get dressed, which the maids helped with. I allowed them to dress me up in a long, patterned dress. Its fabric flowed like liquid as it cascaded down to the floor.

The soft fabrics caressed my skin, and I’d never seen a dress with that kind of neckline and embroidery. The dress was a soft baby blue, and it complimented my warm caramel skin perfectly. This dress was quite different from the outfit that royals wore back in my home kingdom.

It had a bit of puff sleeve, but not too exaggerated, and as Darcy reached to adjust the sleeve of my dress, her hand brushed against my wrist, and she recoiled as if she’d been burned.

Her eyes widened in shock, and a strangled gasp escaped her lips. Pamela froze, her gaze locking onto the mark on my skin, a horrific look on her face. Without a word, they exchanged silent communication, their expressions filled with fear and disgust.