4

ISABELLE’S POV

I enter the harem and I am surprised to see it. I look from one corner to another. My eyes move toward every single part of it. It is beautifully decorated. It looks like a place from heaven. The addition of candles and rose petals is just adding beauty to it. I have never seen a harem decorated beautifully like this. At festivals, it used to be decorated but not like this. These decorations themselves seem to be from heaven. Different types and colors of flowers are hanging on the walls. Every color of the rainbow is present here.

I know all these decorations are only because of the king’s arrival but why have they decorated this place? It is not like the king will straightly come here after coming to the palace. It seems like there is going to be a huge party here. This makes me think, is there really going to be a party here? Will the king attend?

I look around me. All the other slaves and maids are busy with the work. Some are decorating the area with flowers while some are arranging the things. Where are Ivy and Elise? Unlike me, they are allowed to roam in the palace because they have to do the chores. There is no prohibition on them if they want to leave the harem. They have told me numerous times about what the other parts of the palace look like. From what they told me; I can imagine that it is nothing less than magnificent.

My eyes fall on Ivy. She is standing with Lillian. I was going towards them but stopped when I noticed Ivy’s expressions. Ivy's head is bowed and her eyes are cast downwards. Lillian’s anger is visible on her face. It is evident that Lillian is scolding Ivy for something. From Ivy’s face, it seems like she will cry at any moment. Why is Lillian angry?

I decided to check myself and move toward them. Why is Lillian scolding Ivy? It is not like Ivy is an irresponsible girl. She does every work with perfection that’s why I don’t see any reason for Lillian to be angry at her. When Lillian’s eyes fall on me and she sees me approaching her she becomes quiet. This all looks weird to me. Why would Lillian become quiet after seeing me?

“Ivy, are you ok?” I ask Ivy when I am standing close to them. Ivy looks at me with her sad face. Her face is red. I wonder if she is fine? Is she sick?

“Yes, yes. I am fine”. These words quickly rush out of her mouth. It seems like she is hiding something from me but what could she be hiding? What is the need for her to hide anything from me? I am her friend and if she shares everything with me then why would she hide anything from me.

“Isabelle, what are you doing out of your room?” Lillian asks me with a rude tone. Her rude voice is enough for me to come back from my thoughts. I look at her confused. Why is she asking me this question? As far as I remember, I was allowed to leave my room whenever I wanted. I don’t remember her telling me that I should not leave my room. She never misses a chance to show me anger.

“I was feeling lonely in my room so I decided to come here”. I told her. Upon hearing my answer an angry expression takes power on her face. Did I say anything wrong?

“Well then go back to your room. You are not allowed to leave your room”. Lillian orders angrily. I am now more confused. Why should I go back? Why am I not allowed to leave my room? It is not like there are chances of me running from here. Sometimes I don’t understand the rules here. They change with Lillian’s mood.

“Why?... I mean why am I not allowed to leave my room?” I ask Lillian. I am not understanding anything. I am hearing danger bells in my ears.

“Because I ordered this. Go back to your room this moment Isabelle”. The moment Lillian spoke in her angry voice, I knew that it is now time for me to stop asking her questions and to obey her. I nod and turn back towards my room.

I have questions but I am not stupid to ask them when she is angry like this. What is going to happen today? I enter my room and close the door. What should I do now? I have nothing to do here. I lie on the bed and think about my boring life.

I wish I was back in my village. I wish I was lying on the warm grass and the sun was shining above me on a cold day. The warmth of the sun was giving me a pleasant feeling. I was still lying on the ground and then I see my sister and mother coming towards me carrying a basket filled with fresh oranges from our farms. They would smile upon seeing me.

A strange loud sound brings me out of my thoughts. What was this sound? Where did it come from? I hear it again and then I realize that it is from the door. What is happening? Is someone attacking the palace? I quickly stand up and move towards it.

I have to check what is happening. I forward my hand to open the door but it does not open. No one can ever imagine the amount of shock and fear that I felt when I again tried opening the door but it did not open. I tried again with full force. No, this cannot happen to me. Why would someone lock me in my room? I tried again but it did not budge.

This door is locked. Someone locked me inside the room. Why? Why has someone locked me inside? Who could do this? Is it some punishment but I have not done anything wrong then why will I be given punishment? I try to open it again. I hate locked rooms. It scares me. I hate to be locked.

“Who has locked the door? Is someone there? Open the door!” I shout and again try to open it with full force. My heartbeat is increasing with each passing second.

“I am sorry Isabelle. I did not want to lock you inside. It was Lillian’s order. Now I have to go”. A voice reaches my ears from behind the door. This voice belongs to one of the maids from the harem. Lillian’s order? Why has Lillian ordered this? Why did she do this with me? I have not done anything wrong then why did she order to lock me here?

“Open the door! Please open the door!” I shouted again. I hate locked doors. One day I had made a mistake and mom had angrily locked me inside my room as a punishment. I screamed, cried, and then fainted. My dad was angry at her for locking me inside my room. Since that day, my mother has never punished me like this.

I look behind me at my room and I feel like the walls are crushing me. Please someone open the door. I continue to shout and ask for help. Tears are rushing down my face. She told me to return to my room and I did then what was the need for her to lock me here?

Why has she done this with me? I continue to cry and bang on the door. Soon my eyes start feeling heavy and I let myself get lost in the dark depths of darkness.

…………….

What is this sound? Where is it coming from? I was woken up by the loud noise of drums and other musical instruments. I look towards the window and notice that it is mid-afternoon. What is happening here? Has the king returned and that is the reason why people are celebrating?

Yes, this can only be the possible reason for this. I am sure the king has returned. As I am leaning against the wooden door, I hear some hasty footsteps approaching the room. From the voices of footsteps, it feels like two people are coming toward my room. Are they coming to unlock the room?

“The king has returned. I have never seen him. There are chances that I will get a glimpse of him today”. One girl speaks with excitement.

“Yes, let’s go there fast”. The second girl says with the same enthusiasm.

So, I was right. The king has returned. Their celebrations are for the king’s return. For the king, these musical sounds are for his bravery and his return but for me, these sounds are nothing more than the burial songs.

I know that now that the king has returned, my life is going to take a turn towards hell. My agony has started and no one in this world can free me from this agony. Lillian has given me a nice view of the life I am going to have by locking me here. From now on this is my life. Always in captivity. God knows when I will be free from the place which is nothing more than a cage for me.

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