Chapter 2

I am of a slave, but not the slave that you may think of. My mother was of slave, but she had become famous because of her extremely attractive facial features. People would travel far and wide to see of the dark skinned woman, with skin as dark as the devil. It was believed she was far too beautiful and therefore she was thought of as supernatural and not human.

She was kept in cages, and viewed at art shows and lavish royal dinner parties and masquerades. She was a prize that her master had spent very good money on. Her master became famous and wealthy because of her, since people would pay any amount due to set their eyes on her in her locked cage, but time is a force and soon my mother was no longer the 16 year old or the youth age of 25 anymore, and soon enough she'd lose her beauty, wither and die. And then what will her master do? He could not let this happen.

So he went back to the motherland, and looked for a male, just as dark as my mother, and as good looking of a male that he could find before he brought him back to this land.

That is the story of how my mother and father met.

My mother had met my father when she was past her twenties, she was at the age of 37, or so her master told her, and my father was much younger than her. He was ten years her junior, but they fell in love and had me (or at least that is what I would like to believe). 

I was the only child that my mother could have.

After a few years, a rich gentleman who was unknown, bought me for way more than my mother's master thought I was worth, but the master loved money and accepted the offer and I was sold off to my own master. My mother had cried, and I had as well, but I was still much young and did not understand that meant I would never see my mother again. 

My life changed ever since I was bought by my current master and my life changed for the better. Master lived in an empty mansion all by himself. He gave me my own wing of the mansion, even as a child, I had access to over 20 bedrooms, all of them my own. I had ladies in waiting and my own servants even though I myself was a slave. 

I received the best education from the best professionals in the world. Master made sure I was well versed in literature, poetry, music, arts and dance. 

Master kept me indoors until I was thirteen years old, before he began hosting concerts and big dinner parties where he charged royals and demanded gold coins and expensive jewellery for them to catch a glimpse of me. 

I was not allowed to converse with any person and to be honest, I do not believe that I can because when I enter a place, everyone hushes and mumbles my name of Aphrodite. 

That is the name my master has given me, Aphrodite. 

One of my teacher's told me about Aphrodite and how she was the Greek Goddess of love and beauty. My teacher went on to tell me, I got the name Aphrodite because my beauty surpassed my mother's and I was full of love. 

I do not know much about my Master because he has never said more than ten words to me at once. It is always just him standing there, watching me as I perform for the crowds. I feel his eyes on me whenever I am on stage, either dancing or singing for the masses that were wealthy enough to afford the high price of being in the same room as Aphrodite. Strangely, I feel safe when he watches me in the distance, standing in the corner, just watching me. 

Abigor is his name. That is all I know about my master. 

I never sit and eat with him, I have never drank with him and I rarely speak to him. He treats me well and I have nothing to complain about, so I stay away from him as much as he stays away from me. 

"Have you ever heard Master Abigor speak?" I asked my lady in waiting, letting her bathe me. I was used to the feeling of her hands washing over my body, cleaning me of any dirt. My curiosity was getting the best of me, "his voice," I reminisced, remembering a conversation with him in the past month, as he escorted me from my carriage and into the theatre he had built for me to always perform at.

She giggled, and I smiled at Lydia, "he does have quite the voice," she whispered like it was our little secret and we giggled. 

"He must have all the women of London falling at his feet," I sighed dreamily, remembering his bright eyes as he looked down at me, "Master Abigor is a fine gentleman." 

"Hush," Lydia giggled, unable to stop as she stepped back and then held up a robe for me, "we must get you ready for the night."

"Where is my gown, Lydia?" I asked her, accepting the robe. I had not seen my gown for to-night and this concerned me because I needed my dress to be perfect for this night. I was not going to be dancing, I was going to be singing, for an hour, so I needed my dress to look perfect. 

I needed to look my best for Master Abigor. 

"It is here," Lydia soothed me as we stepped out of my bath chambers and into my bedroom chambers and all of my servants rushed around me. I looked at the dress, smiling as I ran my fingers over the material that felt foreign and expensive before I looked at the expensive jewellery laid on my bed. 

Master Abigor always gave me new jewellery every time I was to perform. He would give me plentiful jewellery where at times I felt as though I was royalty and even at most times, the Queen. 

"Oh my," I gasped looking at the dress, "I have never seen such a marvellous creation," I said earnestly. 

I smiled wide, looking at my jewellery pieces, "I will certainly be the Belle of the ball with this, Lydia," I told her and she nodded. 

"You are always the Belle of the ball," she replied. 

With Master Abigor, that is most certainly true. 

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