Six

CINZIA POV

Talking back seemed to earn me the harshest punishment I'd ever received.

I didn't understand why I did it, but the slap I received felt uncalled for. Still, I couldn't bring myself to fight back, not that I hadn't wanted to. Any thought of retaliation was swiftly dismissed by the Hybrid King.

This king, shrouded in mystery, had yet to reveal his face. It was infuriating. He'd left the bitch in charge of me, and she was making sure I experienced hell. And this was only my first day in the palace. Receiving punishment felt entirely unwarranted.

I shuddered to think about what might happen on my second day, and the one after that.

"Put this on!" Delicia's voice cut through the air, even though I was standing right next to her. She seemed to prefer yelling. I grabbed the clothes she had knowingly tossed onto the floor and dusted them off.

Raising them up, I couldn't help but grimace. It was a khaki shirt paired with a knee-length skirt in the same material. It looked dreadful, and I couldn't imagine myself wearing it. "This is what the maids wear. You're only wearing it because we don't have official outfits for slaves yet," she explained. "You'll wear this all the time, or you'll face severe punishment."

I let out a sigh and followed her as she walked away. It seemed I was the only one under her care, though I couldn't fathom why. I scanned the surroundings, hoping to catch a glimpse of Rhea. We'd been separated as soon as we arrived at the massive gate. I had no idea where she'd been taken, as I'd been dragged along like a dirty rag doll, denied the chance to take in the new environment.

"You're not paying attention!" A yank on my hair brought me back to reality, and I turned to face Delicia, though I couldn't bring myself to say her name aloud.

"I'll let you off this time. But if your mind wanders again during my talk, you'll regret coming here," she warned, emphasizing, "Don't meet my eyes, always look at the floor!"

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, but chose to nod instead of letting the retort at the tip of my tongue slip out. My gaze flickered to the floor momentarily before returning to her, then wandered again.

"This is your room," Delicia announced, nudging me into the cramped space.

I couldn't see a thing, and I coughed, wafting my hand in front of my nose to disperse the dust that filled the room. It seemed like eons since anyone had set foot in here. I wasn't even sure if it was habitable. But the woman wanted me in here. What worse could come of this?

My life had transitioned from a privileged princess to a privileged prisoner, and now, to nothingness. I wondered if all slaves were subjected to this treatment.

Delicia huffed and scurried to the door. Waving her hands in front of her, she wrinkled her nose. "You might come to appreciate the space after a bit of cleaning."

A twisted smile played on her lips. How could anyone in their right mind find solace in this desolate place?

"If there's more information, I'll inform you. Make sure you're up at 4 A.M every day," Delicia stated before walking away.

"Bitch," I muttered, then turned around in the cramped room.

I grimaced and ran a hand through my hair. Exhaustion weighed on me. We'd endured 10 hours from the prisoner camp to here. I needed to bathe and attend to basic needs, but I doubted I could manage without collapsing halfway.

I rubbed my growling stomach, hungry and uncertain if I'd receive a meal today. My thoughts circled back to my bidder. I'd thought he was a decent man.

Now, I knew better. Perhaps he was some wealthy middle-aged man with thinning hair. Certainly an Alpha, given the condescending tone he'd used earlier before Delicia arrived.

And I couldn't help but wonder about his species, being a hybrid. Perhaps a mix of werewolf and vampire, as those were the hybrids I encountered most frequently. Witches combined with werewolves were far less common.

Finding myself in hybrid territory was daunting. If he had vampire blood in his veins, his bite would be lethal to a werewolf. So why did Delicia stay with him?

Frowning, I recalled not seeing a mate mark on her neck. Maybe they weren't officially together. But it was only a matter of time before they would mate, and even a slight nip on her neck could lead to hemorrhaging and eventually dessication.

My thoughts continued to revolve around the mysterious man, and I didn't notice the door opening. I flinched as a hand tapped me, a shriek escaping before I could stop it.

"Goodness, child!" Rhea's voice came, her hand quickly covering my mouth. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

"Rhea?!" I blinked, surprised to see her. "You scared me!"

"I didn't want to startle you. You seemed lost in thought."

"I was," I admitted. "But that doesn't mean you can scare me."

Rhea playfully nudged my side, and I couldn't help but giggle. She sighed and shook her head.

"The witch instructed me to stay here. I know I'm no longer the princess I once was, but I was expecting something better than this."

"Lady Delicia?" Rhea asked.

"You met her?" I asked, and Rhea nodded. "I've never encountered someone as unpleasant as her before."

"And what about the person who bid on you? I can't imagine they paid such a sum for you to end up here..."

"I don't know," I murmured. "Perhaps, I'm bearing the consequences of my father's sins. Now that he's gone and I'm his only child, I'm left to face the aftermath..."

"Things will get better, darling. The moon goddess will ensure it," Rhea reassured, squeezing my hand.

Whether or not things improved was a concern for another time. Right now, all I wanted was to survive. Survive being brought here, and ultimately, survive Delicia.