The two great iron gates of Rose Hall slowly opened, and Catherland and I stepped out of the carriage. The steward of the estate stood on either side of the gate, and all the servants and maids awaited our arrival. I looked out into the crowd, but there was no sign of Princess Madeleine. It was not until we were ushered into the great hall of the Hall by the butler that we saw the late arrival of the Princess Madeleine. The gold roses embroidered on her red dress stood out as she walked right in front of us. " said the Princess Madeleine, with a radiant face, as she bowed respectfully to the Queen of Castile. "Forgive my disrespect, Your Majesty. There was so much going on at the Hall, and I had to attend to myself, that it took some time. I have not been back for so long and there is so much to repair in this estate." Madeleine said, glancing at me, then with a deliberate look of surprise on her face, "Miss Emily, why are you here?" "Your Highness, I have come to make amends." I
It was at this point that I realised that I was actually being played by Cuthland. You can imagine how mad Madeline must be now that she has left me like this, especially after what she said to Madeline just now. I am here to be Madeleine's punching bag. I was to be Madeleine's slave for the next three days, and whatever torture I was about to face I could not refuse. For the safety of my family was in the hands of Catherland. She took me by the throat and choked me, and I had to comply! "Fear not lamb!" Madeleine's fingers gently stroked the strands of hair that hung from my forehead as she told me in a sweet, cruel voice, "I won't kill you!" My lips trembled uncontrollably, and Madeline's penetrating gaze went to my heart; she could sense my fear and uneasiness. It made her feel even more smug. Perhaps she was already plotting how to abuse me. I was like a lamb waiting to be butchered, facing the fear of the unknown. What would she have done to me? Bring a pan of hot water to t
The old maid led me to the kitchen, a large one, filled with a dozen servants. Some were chopping vegetables, some were building fires, some were washing vegetables, and so on. Everyone kept their heads down. When they saw Mandy leading me into the kitchen, everyone immediately dropped what they were doing and stood respectfully. "Ms. Mandy!" Everybody called her that. "This is Miss Emily, she's going to help out in the kitchen today!" Mandy pointed to a chubby woman with a round face and said, "You can help Mrs. Tom with the dishes today." The round-faced woman, Mrs. Tom, looked at Mandy inquiringly, and just as she was about to say what was on her mind, the older woman, Mandy, glared at her and spoke sternly. "Do as I say and ask nothing!" "Yes, Ms. Mandy!" Mrs. Tom walked up next to me with her head bowed, and she whispered, "Follow me!" Mrs. Tom led me to the back door of the kitchen, where she placed a bowl of fresh vegetables in front of me and pointed to the sink next to
Maddy's face almost contorted as she saw me still in my tattered maid's dress. Mandy pushed a tray of grapes into my hand in resignation and urged, "Get in there!" With that she opened the door to the banqueting-room, and I felt a sharp shove in my back. The door closed noiselessly. I stepped into the dimly lighted, perfumed hall. It was a small banqueting hall, in the centre of which were draped curtains of gauze, behind which topless men and women were fondling each other's bodies to the soft music of ambiguous music. Accustomed by this time to Madeleine's habitual debauchery, I quietly laid the grapes on the table as if I had not noticed them, and quietly searched for a place of concealment for a moment. "Lamb!" Madeline's melodious voice dripped with a vague magnetism as she ran a hand through the layers of gauze until her red forefinger pointed directly in my direction. "To come over!" Her beautiful yellow eyes stared back at me from behind the veil like prey. I turned and
I took a subconscious step back as the shadow of Madeline's approach grew larger in the dim light. There was nothing I could do against a werewolf of royal blood, and Madeline stared at me as if she would die. Suddenly she lunged at me with lightning speed, and I had no time to duck.Madeline lifted me above her head with both hands as if I were a lamb, and she slammed me against the wall. I heard my body slam against the hard wall, "Bam!" a loud bang.I fell to the ground, blood dripping from the corners of my mouth. I saw Madeline directly in front of me, and yet I had not the strength even to get up. Madeleine looked down at me, one foot firmly planted in my face. I reached out to remove her foot from my face, but it was like a nail in my face, and I could not move."You can't fight me with your power!" " said Madeline dryly, and my face was so pinned to the ground that I could not see her face at all. "No one, ever, dare mention him to me! Never!""You are... an empty woman!" I sa
He saw Leon rush into the room and seize Madeline by the wrist, and when he saw my bruised body on the table, Leon flung Madeline to one side in anger. The old maid, Mandy, who had followed, quickly dropped her lantern and ran to Madeline's side to tend her master. "Emily, are you okay?" Leon picked me up as he looked me up and down, "Tell me who hurt you!" "It's Madeleine!" I said weakly and held up the letter, "She's the one who spread the rumors about Jack and me!" "You?" Leon set me down, his purple eyes suddenly full of murder. "Don't you dare touch my men!" "You read my letter?" Madeleine screamed, still staring defiantly at Leon, "Don't you dare kill me, you'd better think about the consequences for a lowly commoner!" Leon sneers and walks over to Madeleine, "I kill without thinking about the consequences!" Before Madeline could react, Leon's hands were around her neck, holding her up against the wall and lifting her into the air, while Madeline flailed with her hands b
It was as if I had been in a dream, in which there was nothing. There was only the faintest murmur of the wind in my ears, a murmur that sounded as if it were speaking in some ancient dialect. "White fire, white fire!" It was like a shout from a hundred mouths at once. Like a mysterious summons from some ancient city far away! A sudden flash of white light stung my eyes, and when I opened them I saw a shadowy figure standing near the window. When I got a good look at the figure, I saw that he was turning to look at me. "You awake?" Leon, dressed in a linen tunic and black leather breeches, with the cuffs open to show the sinewy muscles, folded his arms across his chest and withdrew his gaze from the distance. There was an extra ring of cyan stubble on his chin, and though his face was slightly worn, his purple eyes sparkled like jewels. I gazed at him as I had not seen him for a long time, and now Leon was a little wilder than usual. The golden sun shone on his perfect face, and
Leon and I changed into our regular attire, and he led the way to one of the more secluded side-doors of the castle. I saw Mark standing alone by the side door with a white horse in his hand. " he asked in a still unyielding whisper, as he handed Leon the reins. " "Is it really necessary to send guards to protect you, my prince?" "No need!" After Leon's curt reply, he took me by the waist and seated me on the horse, and then with agility he straddled me. He gently helped me into my hood and wrapped his arms around me. "At least bring your sword, my prince!" Mark said, and held out a long sword to Leon, who took it without a word. The only sound was a whinny from the horses, and Leon and I were already galloping out on our white horses. I heard the door close behind me, and looking up, the living greenery of the road came into view, and the sky was bluer than ever. The smell of grass and damp earth came to my nose, and I breathed greedily in the fresh air, which I had not had for