Chapter 2

Alicia's POV

I looked up, and there was Enzo, my stepbrother. He towered over me, his wicked smile etched on his face. Despite being three years older than him, he stood over 6 feet tall.

I needed to think fast; I had to enter the throne room immediately, and I wouldn't let anyone stop me. Summoning all my strength, I pushed him aside, causing him to stagger, and ran into the throne room.

"Please, don't listen to the queen. There is nothing wrong with me," I pleaded, fear evident in my voice. The ministers and the queen all looked at me in astonishment.

"Didn't you say she was sick? Shouldn't a sick person be getting treatment?" Enzo looked at the queen, his eyes filled with fury. "Care to explain what is happening? Why did you lie about the princess?"

"What do you mean by she lied?" the Prime Minister retorted, shooting daggers at him.

They argued with each other until the queen said, "Enough!" She stood from the throne and moved towards me. As soon as she came close, she whispered, "You will behave this instant, or you won't see another daylight." The way she said it made me freeze. I knew she was not one to make empty threats, so I feared for my life.

She faced the ministers and smiled, running her hands through my hair. She said, "Kindly ignore her tantrum. She's a little unwell. It seldom displays. The trauma from her dad's death led to a disease that makes her go insane from time to time."

The Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister exchanged looks and cleared their throats, nodding their heads in agreement. Meanwhile, the Minister of Justice, who was not buying it, shook his head, stood up, excused himself, and left.

The Prime Minister waited until he left the room before looking at the queen. "Don't worry; he will come around once he sees we are only acting in the best interest of the kingdom." They all laughed heartily.

"We better be on our way now," the Minister of Defense said as they stood from their seats. "We will come back later." I stood watching them with disdain. As soon as they left, the queen dragged me by the arm out of the throne room and pushed me to the floor as soon as we reached the hallway. "So much for you being smart," she scorned.

"Let's see how far your smartness will get you now," she grinned wickedly.

"I will deal with you so severely that you will regret the day you were born." The smile on her face faded and was replaced with anger and disgust. "Guards!" she called.

"Yes, Your Highness," they bowed before her.

"Lock this wench up in the darkest place of the dungeon."

"Please, Your Highness, I am so sorry. It won't happen again," I screamed and pleaded as I was roughly bundled away by the palace guards.

"Put me down!" "Put me down!" I screamed, hitting the guard on his back.

"Put her down. You wouldn't want to rough handle a lady like that, would you?" Enzo asked. The guards put me down and waited for further instructions. I had wondered where he was after I pushed him and stormed into the throne room earlier. Now he was obviously about to exact his revenge.

Immediately my legs hit the ground, I ran towards the hallway, but Enzo caught me by the arm just in time.

"Not so fast this time around, young lady," he growled at me, his rage evident in his voice.

I struggled to break free but couldn't.

"Leave me alone, you son of a bitch," I said and spat on his face. He wiped his face with a handkerchief and looked at me with very cold, angry eyes, his jaws clenched as he placed his hand on my neck and threw me back against the wall, trying to strangle me. I choked and scratched his arm to no avail.

"I have been waiting for this moment all my life, the moment I will strangle you to death, and no one will do anything about it!" he smiled as he tightened his grip on my neck. Horror filled my eyes at his words as I struggled unsuccessfully to break free.

"Enzo, put her down this minute," his mother screamed.

"Don't you know it is an abominable act to kill someone on the palace grounds?" she scolded, and he loosened his grip on my neck, making me hit the floor with full force, and I whimpered in pain.

"I am sick and tired of this bitch, Mum. We need to get rid of her!" he scowled.

"You are not the only one, my son. We need to kill her, but not on the palace ground," she said, looking at me with disdain.

My eyes grew wide. Kill me? They want to kill me? I remained expressionless. I needed to think; I needed to find a way to escape. I can't let them kill me, I just can't.

"I think I have a better idea," Enzo chuckled. "Killing her would mean letting her off so easily, Mother."

"What do you suggest we do, my son?" she queried.

"Let's sell her off at the slave auction tonight!" he looked at me and snickered. "That would ensure she suffers for the rest of her life."

"That is a great idea. You are very smart, my son," she patted him on the back with pride.

"What did I do to deserve this treatment from either one of you?" I blurted out in fear.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked, looking at the guards. "Bundle her and take her to the dungeon this instant!" she shouted.

"And make sure you don't give her food or water!" Enzo chimed in as the guard hauled me on his back and made his way to the dungeon.

I was too weak but still had some fight in me. "Put me down!" I screamed as I kicked my legs in the air and hit the guard on the back. He got to the dungeon and threw me inside before locking it.

I went to the corner and sat down. Everywhere was pitch black. My eyes glistened with tears. "If only my father was still alive, none of this would be happening to me. My dad loved me so much, just as my mum did. They never let any harm come near me. My mum died when I was just 14 years old, and since then, my father took it upon himself to make sure I never lacked anything I wanted and was taken care of. My stepmother, although jealous of me, always pretended in front of the king, my father. Now my father was no more, leaving me alone in this cruel world where my wicked stepmother does with me as she pleases.

******

It was already evening. I thought so hard, as I had done in the past few hours, about an escape plan. My stomach churned, and I remembered I hadn't eaten anything all day long. I went to the door and knocked.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

"What is the problem, Princess?" the guard asked.

"Please, I haven't eaten anything since last night. I need strength for what lies ahead," I sobbed.

"Prince Enzo will kill me if I did that," he said with a low tone.

"He wouldn't have to know. Please, for the sake of my father, your late king, please help me."

"I'll be back," he said, and I thanked my stars as his footsteps receded. At least I would have food to eat. I needed my strength if my plan of escaping was to be successful.

A few moments later, he came back and smuggled two mussels of bread from beneath the iron door.

"That is all I could take out without getting noticed, my princess," his voice was laced with concern.

"That would do. Thank you," I ate the food as my life depended on it.

A few minutes later, the door to the dungeon was opened, revealing my stepmother and her son.

"It's finally time, sister," he said with a wide grin on his face as he approached me with two guards behind him.

"Bundle her out," my stepmother ordered from behind them.

As soon as the guards put their hands on me, Enzo said, "Don't worry, I want to do that myself."

He lifted me on his shoulder, carrying me like I was a log of wood.

We walked through the palace corridors, and I could feel the eyes of the staff on me. No one dared to interfere or speak up. Fear had paralyzed them all. We reached the entrance of the palace where a carriage awaited us.

Enzo pushed me into the carriage, and the guards followed suit. The door slammed shut, trapping me inside with my captors. I looked out the window, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone who might be able to help me, but the palace was eerily quiet.

Enzo sat across from me, his gaze filled with malice. "Enjoy your last moments of freedom, Alicia. Soon, you'll be nothing more than a slave."

I ignored his taunts and focused on formulating a plan. As the carriage rolled along, I observed our surroundings, searching for any opportunity to break free. But the guards remained vigilant, watching my every move.

 We soon arrived at the auctioning ground, a place I never knew existed until now. I saw girls tied up, waiting to be put on the auction stand for bidding. The sight of the men who gathered around petrified me. I looked at my stepmother with pleading eyes.

As soon as my stepbrother brought me down, I ran to my stepmother and held onto her leg.

"Please, please save me," I sobbed, "I promise I will do anything you want. Please let me be your slave," I begged, but she yanked my hand off her leg, and I had my hands bound by one of the men who approached us. The scene I had caused made them put me on the auction stand.

Biddings for me soon started, and I looked at the men who had lustful eyes, struggling for who would go home with me.

"100 shillings for the damsel," one said excitedly.

"200 shillings for the pretty lady," another said, beaming with a smile as if he had won.

"1000 shillings for the fair lady," a handsome man said as everyone gasped in surprise. I threw a glance at my stepmother and saw her beaming with a smile.

The auctioneer, seeing that no one else was going to make a higher bid, immediately closed the deal. Just as the bidder came to collect his prize, an envoy arrived, causing everyone to bow in fright at the sight of who walked in. Everyone except me. I looked in awe at the man who stood 6 ft 4 inches tall and had the appearance of a Greek God. I had never seen such a handsome man in my life. He looked like he had fallen from the sky. I felt an instant pull towards him.

When his mouth tipped, I realized I had been staring. He stared at me with his dark, hooded eyes. My whole body went hot, and my breath caught in my throat.

He had a strong hold on me and everyone present at the auctioning grounds.

The bidder immediately rushed towards me, held my hand, and tried to run away.

"I'll take her," the unknown man said in such a way that made his upper lip curl up and his eyes darken, bringing the bidder to a halt.

"Huh?" The auctioneer grunted.

The unknown man stared at me warmly. His expression gave me the feeling he knew exactly what I was thinking and feeling.

He grinned, showing perfectly straight white teeth, "She's mine."

"T... Th - the deal on her has been sealed. I - I mean, someone paid already," the auctioneer stuttered.

"I'll give you ten times the price," he said in a way to tell the auctioneer that they were done negotiating and what he said was final."

The bidder wasn't happy with the turn of events. He scoffed and turned to the auctioneer. "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm sorry," the auctioneer said with his head bowed.

He turned to the unknown man. "What?! Who are you, huh? You think you're some kinda big shot?"

He advanced towards the unknown man, but he stood at a point with his chin lifted, his head and shoulders held high. There was something about him, something that sent shivers down my spine.

The bidder scoffed, "I will go home with the fair lady, and you are going to step aside quietly."

Before he could finish, the unknown man held him up by the throat with one hand and ripped his heart out of his throat, silencing him. Everyone scampered away in fright.

I screamed in terror as the unknown man approached me.