Chapter Thirteen

My consciousness started to blur at her words. Despite their conversation, I still couldn’t understand where I was or what had happened but I resolutely kept my eyes shut pretending to be still asleep but it became useless because they all stepped out of the room to resume their discussion. 

After several seconds of silence, I slowly pry my eyes open and I’m met with an empty room. The strong smell of herbs and disinfectants hit my nose again and with a quick look around; i realized that I was at the park clinic. I had heard about it a lot of times but I had never been there. I had no reason to be there. It didn’t matter how many times Juniper almost dragged me to see the doctor despite my injuries and falling over something.

I winced as I tried to sit up on the bed and I looked around again. Their earlier conversation drifted into my mind again and I sighed softly. The beating my roommates had given me had obviously almost sent me to the arms of death, luckily death wasn’t ready to receive me.

A lady I had never seen before nor did I recognize walked into the room carrying a tray of steaming food. My stomach immediately grumbled loudly in response and I quickly looked away embarrassed.

“Don’t be embarrassed” the lady said seeing my actions as she dropped the tray and placed the food on the table, “You’ve been out for more than a day. It’s only normal that you are hungry” she added and my eyes widened.

“More than a day?” I asked and she turned to me nodding, “Yes. If you eat something, that way the drugs and concoctions Masioma is going to make for you is at least going to have some effect” she replied before turning on her heel and walking right out of the room.

As soon as she walked out; I didn’t spare a minute before grabbing the first place and digging in. The savouriness of the food made me doubt if it was made in the kitchen. It was tasty and filling.

“Who are you going to tell that you are a Princess with the ugly way you are eating?” a voice asked and I didn’t have to raise my head to know it was Jonathan. My head remained buried in my food as I replied, “Nobody is going to ask me that”

I dropped the now empty plate and picked another plate, finally raising my head to take a glance at his ice stone face.

“Besides, I’m no princess,” I added, plastering a fake smile on my face. I turned back to my food, scoping a spoon in my mouth. My throat and mouth was immediately burnt and I squeezed my face in pain, “Ouch!’”I blurted out and Jonathan’s face contorted in irritation.

“Will you calm down and eat your food? I’m not going to take it from you” he retorted and I winced.

“Yes. You might not take it from me but there’s a chance that while I eat slowly, you go bonkers and pour all the food on the floor and ask me to eat them” I replied and Jonathan blinked at me. His lips parted but no words came out and before I could think that I had rendered the almighty Alpha king speechless, his lips pulled back into a mocking smile, “You ate it so gleefully the last time, I didn’t think that you mind” he replied and I choked blowing air on the food before I served it to my mouth. I directly swallowed it and forced a smile on my face again.

“Of course I don’t mind. As long as I get to eat something” I replied as I continued eating. Jonathan didn’t say anything else watching me as I kept eating and I grew increasingly uncomfortable under his stare. Unable to take it anymore, I dropped the plate and turned to him, “Do you need me to do something for you; your highness?” I asked and Jonathan chuckled.

“You are a slave, what do you think you can do for me?” He asked in reply and I swallowed. For some reason, each time he called me a slave, my skin would start itching and my heart would start aching. Tears pooled in my eyes but I forced them back immediately.

“Nothing, your highness. I am but just a lowly slave, there is nothing that I can do for you” I replied immediately grabbing my plate and finishing my food. I didn’t care if he was still standing there watching me but in less than twenty seconds, he did leave without a word.

I raised my head as a lone tear slid down my cheeks and I was so quick to wipe it, “You cannot afford to cry Amira” I whispered to myself.

I couldn’t afford to cry. I stared at the empty plates and the two plates of food that I hadn’t touched in front of me and rubbed my stomach. I hadn’t felt full in a long time, in a really long time. The fact that I went hungry for days on end already made my appetite smaller, a small portion of food could keep me going and a particular portion of food would already make me full.

The girl who had come to drop the food walked into the room again and raised her eyebrow seeing the untouched food, “I thought I was going to meet empty plates” she commented turning to me and I chuckled slightly.

“I thought so. Apparently, when you starve for so long, your appetite reduces so crazily” I replied laughing humorlessly. She didn't join me in laughing and merely stared at me and told me to stop laughing immediately.

“That’s not funny you know. You shouldn’t make fun of something like that. It’s not cool and it doesn’t make anyone feel good” she said suddenly as she turned and packed the plates.

“Masioma says you can leave,” she added before walking out.

I tried to process her words to determine if they made sense or if she was saying that to insult me or to console me but I didn’t understand. I stared at myself and got off the bed rubbing my stomach again. I grabbed the jug on the water and poured myself a cup of water and I finished the contents in one go.

I felt strong enough for at least three to four days. I was almost grateful that I had fainted, almost thankful that my roommates had almost beaten me till death, at least I got food to eat and I knew that it was such a ridiculous analogy but I wasn’t starving.

My walk out of the clinic was quiet and I didn’t meet a single person on my way out. I went straight to my room since the sun was already going back to it’s hiding place. I tried to imagine what kind of expressions my roommates would wear upon seeing me and when I entered the room, Diane; the one who always led everyone else to bully me, immediately scowled.

“They said you were going to die but here you are, looking very much radiant” she bellowed and all of sudden, her words made anger wash over me.

“Radiant?” I asked as I burst into laughter, “Don’t you think you are sick in the head Diane? Do you need me to show you the way to the clinic so that you might get some help?” I asked again, realizing that everyone else was staring at me in shock. I understood their shock, it had been such a long time since I ever spoke to them that way, since I ever talked back.

“Are you talking to me?” Diane asked as she stood up and started walking towards me.

“Did you think standing up and walking like wings are about to protrude out your back is going to scare me?” I asked and the room burst into laughter. Diane’s face flushed in both anger and embarrassment and I felt so satisfied.

“When I’m done with you; you are going to wish that you died earlier” Diane said menacingly and I hitched closer to me meeting her eyes in a deadlock.

“I’m waiting to see what else you are going to do. I personally think you’ve exhausted all the tricks in the box Diane. You are the one who should be scared about what I’m going to do to you” I shot back at her and for a split second I saw fear flash in her eyes.

“What will you weakling do to me?” Diane snorted as she took a few steps backwards and I laughed.

“This is not your kingdom where everyone does as you wish and want” she added again.

“You honestly need to get some other line Diane, you can’t keep using that. It’s no longer interesting or calls for alarm” I replied and the room roared with laughter again and Diane clenched her fists.

“This is what I can do to you Diane, I can make you supposed friends keep laughing at you till daybreak. I can make you make a fool out of yourself, I can’t really because you are already a fool” I added and the room roared with laughter again.

Diane looked like she was unable to hold back and she started moving menacingly towards me and I started thinking whether or not to fight back if she tried to get handsy with me.

“You will not touch her” Aurora’s voice thundered behind us and I turned to see Aurora staring at Diane with irritation. Diane immediately cowered and I swallowed. Thankfully I had gotten a fill of my stomach, even if Aurora were to throw me into the prison now, I’ll be fine.

“Pack your belongings and come with me” she instructed and I stared at her for a full minute blinking my eyes.

“Where am I going?” I asked quietly. Had my words somehow set Jonathan off? Was sick thing was he planning to do to me again?

“From now on, you’ll serve in the King’s quarters”