1 ~ The Mark of Slavery

Cassandra POV

I was dragged to this place by my hair. It was the lavish Slave house of a renowned Empire, The Castro Empire. My life was shattered into pieces in just two days. The great King of the Castro Empire attacked us suddenly in the morning and we lost the battle in just a single day. We were unprepared for the attack. My only family, my brother was dead now. I saw his head ripped out of his body. The bloodstains stuck to my clothes when he swung the sharp sword through his neck right in front of my eyes. And it ripped me apart.

I fell to my knees seeing the loss in front of my eyes. My tears felt less for the unbearable and immense pain I was feeling. Witnessing the sound of steel swords clashing with each other, the smell of blood in the air, the screams of ladies, children, and soldiers, and the frightening bloodiest battle, broke me into pieces. 

I had lost everything. My family, my empire, my people, and now I was about to lose my Identity.

I was the princess of the Great Reges Empire, Cassandra Reges who was now standing in a queue so that the stamp of slavery would be marked on my arm. Well, these were the perks of losing the battle. You would become a slave of the winning Empire and your life would change in just a moment. That's what happened to me.

I was possessed by the soldiers of the Castro Empire along with other ladies and children when our empire lost the battle against them. They dragged us brutally to their empire and now they would sell us to the highest bidder.

“You are the next,”

The lady in her fifties caught my attention and I looked at the door where I had to enter now.

I did not know what would happen to me. I did not know what was ahead for me. I did not know anything. My eyes dried, running out of tears, my cheeks red and lips swollen with the amount of crying I did. I felt lifeless, broken, and shattered. 

Suddenly, the door banged open and I was pushed inside with a group of ladies. My heartbeat raced to see the scene before me.

It was like a bathing room and the girls were standing naked just wrapped in a small fabric, in a queue. Some were completely undressed and there were two ladies who were checking each woman one by one.

“Take off your clothes,”

The lady ordered me.

I was a little taken aback by her words.

“Why?”

I inquired.

She did not care to answer politely but yelled.

“I said, take off your clothes. We do not have the whole day,”

I shivered a little and tried to fight back.

“I am a princess. You cannot do this to me, Please,”

Fresh tears started rolling down my cheeks and the lady looked at me for a moment. And came a little closer.

“Do you want us to call some soldiers and help you strip off?,” Her voice sounded scary.

My teary eyes just stared at her being so monstrous. A fresh trail of tears slipped from my eyes and I almost begged.

“Why? I do not want to do it, you cannot insult me like this, Please,”

But, rather than even listening to me or seeing my condition she spoke coldly.

“All the slaves have to go through this process. We need to check your physique so that you will be allotted suitable work and master,”

She informed and looked at the four soldiers standing outside the door. She signaled them to come and my heartbeats raced.

“No, No, No, Please, I will d… I will do it,” I almost cried.

My shaking and trembling fingers reached to the hem of the fabric over my shoulder and with a heavy heart, I slid it off my shoulder. The white gown fell to my feet revealing my body and I walked slowly to the corner of the bathing room.

I was stark naked and my cheeks turned red out of shame. Even though there were only women but this was insulting as hell. I could not bear it.

"Come here," The lady in her forties called me.

I walked slowly to her, keeping my head low. One hand hiding my chest and the other hiding my core.

The woman touched my chin and angled my face right and then left to check something.

"Clean face," She muttered.

I looked at another lady who was noting it down on paper.

Then her hands raked to my chest. She moved my hand aside and touched my chest, slightly pushing them.

"Young and soft, with tight breasts,"

Tears collected in my eyes feeling even more terrible right now.

Then her hands moved lower and removed my hand from the core. She forced me to sit on a bench. Spreading my legs she touched my sensitive area.

I felt her slipping her finger an inch inside me and I shivered.

"She is a virgin," She informed and the tears slipped through my eyes like a waterfall.

"You got a great figure, girl, especially your rosy lips," She commented and the other woman threw a cloth at me.

“Send her to the Whore House. She can be a personal sex slave for King Ryan Castro,” The lady informed others. Their words were sounding like a hammer on my head.

I quickly wrapped myself with the cloth and she ordered.

"Go, take the bath,"

My body had turned numb as I had never been treated like this before. I did not know what they wanted to do to me. Their behavior seems worse than an enemy.

I walked slowly towards the pool. Stepping down the stairs I let my body feel the cold water. And, when the water touched my core, it reminded me of the lady's finger inside.

I tried to wash the blood of my brother off my skin. His dead body was haunting my vision again and again. It felt like I was about to go insane. 

"Set all the ladies in a queue, quick!"

I shivered suddenly as a male voice traveled down my ear.

The bathing room turned chaotic all of sudden and I could not understand anything. Snatching the fabric from the floor near me, I covered my body as much as possible.

But, before I could come out of the pool. A tall man with broad shoulders and a deadly aura entered the area.

From the corner of the pool, I was looking at his dark eyes scanning the place. He had a strong physique and sharp looks. Anyone could tell that he was a dangerous man.

All the girls stood in a line wrapping the cloth on their bodies. Honestly, I was frightened as hell.

"This, this, that one and…"

He pointed at the few girls and then his sight landed on me.

"You," 

His voice was dominant as he signaled me to come closer.

I felt goosebumps over my skin.

"I cannot, I am not wearing anything,"

I was glad that I was inside the pool now.

He gave me a deadly glance and a lady interrupted.

"Young lady, do as the master said," her eyes told me that I made a huge mistake by denying his order.

I lowered my gaze and took steps forward toward him slowly. Climbing the stairs of the rocky pool, I came outside. The wet cloth stuck to my skin like the second skin. My hands covered my breast tightly as I walked to him.

He came closer and looked at me from head to toe. 

"Dark red hair with hints of black, blue eyes and pink lips. I am sure she would become the best Whore for someone," he said to the lady and they nodded.

"Yes master, we thought the same," the lady kept her head low.

"Show me your breast,"

My heart was pounding in my chest loudly. There were soldiers standing behind him and he was asking me to show my body.

I chose to stand stubborn not showing anything to him.

He came closer and ordered dangerously.

"I said, show me your breasts,"

His gaze irritated me and started boiling my anger. These people were sick. I was done.

"No,"

I said clearly.

But, he moved a little closer and tried to pull the clothing off my body.

My hand swung in the air and landed right on his cheek with a loud slap sound.

But before I could come out of the moment his hand gripped my neck tightly and forced me against the wall. 

His eyes bled with anger as I looked into them struggling for my next breath. I shivered to the core as his eyes changed color from light brown to the darkest black. His face looked angry as hell and his grip on my neck made me feel numb.

And to race my already frightened heartbeats, he growled almost showing his sharp canines.

"Please...leav...leave me," I begged, tears falling from my eyes. I was scared as hell. How the hell did his eyes change colors? And those dangerous canines. I was sure he did not have them before.

"Master, mercy," the other ladies begged.

He came closer threatening me even more. I was struggling under his tight hold. 

"I will serve you to the King. He will teach you how to behave well in front of masters. I am sure he will make you a damn whore and then--- you can beg for mercy,"

He left my neck in a jerk and I coughed harder. Falling to my knees, I almost struggled for my next breath. 

I cried out loud feeling the unbearable pain in my heart. The separation from my brother was killing me madly. And now these people were making me insane. I did not know what they wanted. What work did they want me to do? And most importantly what did the whore mean?