5

Yeri.

“Wear it!” The servants yells over my head and I close my eyes. In a sumptuously decorated chamber, adorned with silken drapes and intricately woven rugs, they gather me. Their attire is luxurious, reflecting the opulence of their surroundings. When I was brought in, the servants in the harem stripped me off my clothes against my rights and battered me with water in my nakedness. I was bare before them, and I couldn’t overpower all of them even if I wanted to.

And now, they are forcing me to enter into an ill-fitting dress. All of the women are dressed in garbs that are exposing every skin on their body. The materials are see through, their breasts, and buttocks are out in seductive manners. This is below me, a dignified princess of Elanor—I would not conform to this. As I sit in the midst of their taunts, their laughter, and abrasive words, it tears my heart from piece to piece.

“Listen to me, if you don’t come out of this chamber and make yourself available to his majesty…he will kill you.” The servant says to me, pushing my head back and I stare back at her in defiance. I am wearing a robe around my body and I tighten the ropes around my body.

“She looks like a virgin, look at her.”

“She probably hasn’t washed her own hair by herself. From princess to a whore.”

“His majesty shouldn’t have brought her here; he should have sent her to the mines!”

“What a spoilt bitch!”

 Their words are filled with envy and they multiply in numbers, taunting and laughing at me. Uttering and speculating things about me…things they know nothing of.

“Fix her into the cloth and make her serve!” One of them shouts at me and two of the servants begin to tousle with me. I push them away, a vessel shattering on the floor in the process but I stand adamant on my dignity.

With every tug of fabric, my resolve seems to strengthen, my determination unwavering in the face of their persistence. Though outnumbered, I held my ground, refusing to yield to their demands. As the servants attempt to maneuverer me into the dress, my movements became even more frenetic. My protests grow louder with each passing moment and I can hear my voice echoing off the stone walls of the chamber. All of a sudden, a firm hand comes in contact to my face and I look gasp. I look up to see who hit me and it’s the woman who Ozar ordered to bring me here.

“Who do you think you are to be acting this way in the King’s court!? You tramp!” She bellows at me and the whole chamber becomes quiet. I place a hand against my face, my lips are starting to quiver but I hold my lips firm. I must not cry.

“You have been sentenced into the king’s harem and you will act in that order. Of course, you can choose to not do so. Just know, the moment your defiance reaches King Ozar’s ear, he would kill your people and by then, you will learn your lesson.”

“If you care for the life of your people who have been damned to the life of slaves all because of your brother’s stubbornness. You will know that stubbornness can only get you so far, Yeri.” She says and claps her hands in the room.

“Everyone, get out and go prepare for the celebration. Make yourself beautiful and the king will bless you with many gifts. And you, if you change your mind, join the ladies outside.” She says and I place both of my hands on my mouth, holding the outburst of tears that are on the brink of rushing out. As I sit on the bed, a sense of unease settled over me. My mind churned with thoughts and emotions, turmoil swirling within her like a tempest on the horizon.

My hands are trembling and my heart hammers in my chest as I wrestled with the weight of my choices, the consequences looming large in my mind like dark shadows on the edge of my consciousness. I know that once I took this step, there would be no turning back, no undoing the irreversible path that I am about to embark upon.

It is Magnus’ stubbornness that put everyone in this position, including me and he is nowhere to change it. I am holding onto my dignity because it is the only thing I have left of myself. What I do in this moment is not only going to change my life but it will impact the life of my people back in Elanor and the ones taken as captive in Orizon too.

It is my duty as princess to protect my heritage. However, I’m filled with so much anger to yield immediately. My instincts are indulging as I look over at the table were makeup items are placed, there is a blade on it and I pick it up. I look at the dress which they have given me to wear and I rise up from the bed.

Gently, I take off the robe and I begin to change into the transparent red dress. The bodice of the outfit is adorned with intricate beadwork and sequins, forming elaborate patterns that traces the contours of my form. Layers of sheer chiffon cascaded from her rounded hips that I consider too large. Growing up in Elanor, I was proclaimed as the bejewelled princess because of the casing of my feminine body.

Was it the form of my full, perky breasts? The hallowing and how it made every man submit their attention to me. Rounded thighs that are shaped like vessels of seduction and buttocks that are big in size—my father and brother shielded me from visitors so that guests would not have the ability to place their eyes on my femineity.

I hide the blade at my waist and my eyes are filled with tears. If I’m lucky, I would be able to pierce him in his throat and if I lose, he would send my dead body back to Elanor. Regardless, I will try and save my honour first.