Chapter Fifteen

I didn’t know when I slept back but after that terrible dream of my father, my sleep after was sweet and quiet and even enjoyable. It was the first time in a long while that I had a good sleep. By the time I woke up, Lillian had gone out of the room already and Serena was dressing up.

“Good morning” I greeted and Serena offered me a smile.

“Good morning Amira, are you okay?” she asked and I am immediately reminded of the fact that Serena had rushed to my bedside when that nightmare had woken me up concerned and worried. I nodded at her with a small smile.

“Yes I am, Thank you” I replied.

“Do go have your bath and let’s get started with work” she informed me and I nodded walking into the next door that I figured out was the bathroom. My lips parted when I stepped inside.

I had to bathe in the open with the other slaves in a poorly constructed large expanse bathroom and I always made sure to wake up extra early to take my bath even though it meant that I had to sleep right after. I always woke up specifically to bathe in the middle of the night. 

Diane and the rest of the girls always teased me and claimed that I was hiding something. Something like I was actually a boy pretending to be a boy.

I slipped slowly into the huge bathtub and allowed the water to fill it. It reminded me of home. Back then, Runa would help me arrange my bathtub and wash my back for me and I closed my eyes not realizing that I had drifted into dreamland until a knock on the door woke me up out of stupor.

“Amira? Are you alright?” Serena’s concerned voice drifted into my ears.

“Yes. yes..” I quickly replied, “I’ll be out in a minute” I quickly replied noticing that I had also spent a number of minutes bathing. I quickly shook away the thoughts of Runa and the thoughts of home having a rushed bath and stepping out of the bathroom after changing.

“For a moment, I thought something had happened to you” Serena replied and I winced and offered an embarrassed smile.

“I got lost in thoughts” I admitted and Serena chuckled, “Let’s go” she said as she led me through the walkway.

I stared with reckless abandon as Serena explained the rules of the palace to me and kept describing how things should be done. It wasn’t that I hadn’t seen a palace before, I was a Princess and the palace I lived in was even grander than Jonathan’s.

I just didn’t think that he would have such an exquisite palace to himself and after seeing all sorts for a few weeks, I was unconsciously appreciating the palace.

“So I know it’s a lot but I know you’ll do fine” Serena said and I nodded my head at her.

“Thank you very much Serena” I replied and she nodded, walking away to start her own work. I sighed softly as I began my own work in silence.

Our work was pretty much cut out for us according to Serena’s words. We had to sweep, clean and clean and basically in a way, we were in charge of everything at the palace. From laundry to chores to the simplest things, we were in charge.

I didn’t know how long it would take to clean and I realized that I wasn’t even half way done. How did Serena and Lillian only do this before? I imagined it and shivered at the thought. It must have been tough for them and even with my addition, it was tough for me but I was barely bothered. I had done much more tedious work in the kitchen and if I was given a choice, I wouldn’t think twice before choosing to work in the palace.

I internally laughed at the fact that I was so quick to say no to Aurora when she had first told me that I would be working at the palace. What a joker I was. My resolve got firmer, I could only kill that bastard if I was near him. At the kitchen, I barely saw him but here in his palace, it was a given that I would keep running into him.

I reached the dinning hall to clean, Serena had assigned me that area to clean and the memory of Jonathan pouring food on the floor, calling me a dog and asking me to eat drifted into my head and I grinded my teeth in anger.

I looked up only to find Jonathan seated on the chair, his head arched backwards with his eyes closed. It took me a few seconds to realize that he was asleep.

What kind of King sleeps at his dining hall? Or was he expecting his food? 

The kitchen didn’t serve his food that early. I swallowed, taking quiet steps towards him till I was standing right in front of him. His sleeping face instantly struck me. If Jonathan wasn’t the enemy, I wouldn’t have minded seducing him like I seduced that bastard. Jonathan was strikingly good looking, his brows were full and they only articulated his pretty eyes.

Yes, I hated him but he had pretty eyes that I absolutely hated how they looked at me every single time.

His jaw even when asleep was firm and was sharp as ever. I stretched my hand out to trace the line but his hand immediately shot out and he caught my hand in motion, his eyes opening and he glared at me dangerously.

“Do you ever give up?” He questioned and it took me five seconds for me to realize what he was talking about. I scowled immediately at him remembering my dream.

“Do you think I will ever give up?” I asked and Jonathan stared at me for a minute. He was studying my face to confirm if I was serious or if I was joking. Luckily for him, my face made sure to pass the message to him that I was dead serious. Then he burst into laughter.

“I thought threatening your family was enough to get you off my back, apparently it isn’t” I replied and I smiled opening my mouth to inform him that if I killed him, my family was going to be safe but he beat me to it.

“Don’t tell me you are having an illusion that if you get to kill me in which my Princess, you do not possess the capabilities to do that. But let’s say you do that your family will go scot free” He said and I froze swallowing.

“Isn’t that what’s going to happen? I’m glad you’ve figured out that much on your own " I snorted at him but Jonathan smiled, his smile was so creepy that I was tempted to take a few steps back but he was still holding me firmly in his grip.

“Then, I am so sorry to destroy that illusion. There are suicide guards hidden in your kingdom and of course in the palace. Every ten days, they receive a message from me. If in more than ten days they don’t receive a message from me. They had the order to execute everyone in your family” Jonathan revealed and I froze, my eyes widened in shock. I started shivering in fear.

I couldn’t believe my ears. Jonathan had planted suicide guards in my kingdom, in my home. Nobody was safe, not even my family, not my sister or my mom or Runa, or my cousins and everyone. Nobody was safe. I shook my head in disbelief, I couldn't believe that I had almost again caused the death of my family again. While I hoped they would free, killing Jonathan would have sealed their fates, how stupid did I think Jonathan was? I glared hard at him, my hatred for him renewing. He was a bastard and a murderer and the devil himself.

“You devil!” I yelled at him and a smile spread across his lips again.

“Devil? I thought I was better than him but if it makes you feel any better, it’s not just your family that's going to die, they are going to erase the very existence of your kingdom. No one would remember it ever existed” He added and I shrunk back in horror and Jonathan lowered his head and kissed my hand with a wicked grin.

“So my Princess, let’s not let that happen okay?” He said as he finally let go of my hand and I immediately fell to the floor staring into space.

I had not just put my family in danger, I had put the over hundreds of families back home in danger. I had almost sent them to their graves, they were innocent people and I had just almost killed them.

I stared at my hands remembering my father’s words and I let out an earth shattering scream.