JASQUIREI walked down the hallway, heading down the direction of my father’s room. The hallway stretched long, dimly lit before me.Two guards appeared up ahead. They strolled at a slow pace, talking in hushed voices, steps lazy.I recognized them vaguely—Daniel and Jordan, two of the younger men in the rotation, barely older than me but always acting like they were the best.Which they clearly weren’t.They weren’t my concern. Not really. Still, something in me stiffened.I measured my steps. Not too fast, not too slow. I couldn’t afford to look hurried, and certainly not afraid.The air was thick with suspicion lately, and everyone seemed to be watching—especially now that Steven had left, it stirred up more gossip than you could think of.If only he kept his damn mouth shut.I kept my gaze forward, willing myself to look disinterested, as if I didn’t even see them. I hoped to pass without a care in the world.Just a few more steps.But then, I felt it. The eyes on me like they had
For years, every kingdom suffered under the regime of tyrant King Elijah. He whipped women, took the men as nothing but drum fetchers. The entire eight kingdoms were under him and he did no good. He was a bad king to his own Kingdom, and a worser one to others. Until six years ago, when he was finally brought down and killed by Lord Alejandro, a child he had undermined so badly. As punishment for him not having a male heir, the Lords took his one and only daughter, Meandra, and declared that she suffers the sins of her father. She’s to serve each kingdom for a year, as a slave nonetheless, tortured and broken just like her father did them. But with one thing never to be touched. Just one.———————-PROLOGUE“Get up,” he sneered at the woman curled against the wall, her hair looking so unkept and covering the entirety of her face.Her head moved in a slow motion, her orbs looking so dead as she looked up at him, blinking once before staring into his eyes. For a moment, he let himself
MEANDRA’S POVI winced at the burning sensation that I felt on the palms of my hand. I don't know how much time had passed and I had no idea how much time would be left if I'm done with feeling the drums. I could hear the not so subtle snickers and the cackling of the guards in the background. I knew my hands were probably going to be swollen in the morning but I couldn't find it in me to care. If anything I anticipated the pain that would follow, each time I pulled the fetcher from the well. I could already feel my body becoming weak with exhaustion but I didn't allow myself to linger on the feeling. I don't know how long time had passed but from the look of the moon, I could tell that it was approaching the wee hours of the morning.“Should probably consider taking her in for the night. Been long since I had some entertainment,” I heard one of the guards laugh. Even though I tried to show no emotion, no matter how much I tried to feel nothing. I still felt the cold shudder trav
MEANDRA’S POVA gasp escaped me at the feel of the cold icy sensation that pierced through me. My eyes fluttered open almost immediately and I hurriedly adjusted in a sitting position. My heart was suspended in a state of frenzy and panic. When I was finally able to get a hold of my bearings. I raised my head to look up at the guard that glared at me like I was the filth of the earth. My eyes shut closed for a moment as I tried to regain some composure. I shivered as what was left of my clothes glued to my skin.I was soaked and drenched in ice water. I bit hard on my bottom lip to stop my teeth from going to have to get some sort of control. “Are you just going to keep sitting there or am I going to have to drag you out, my fucking self,” he growled, baring his yellow teeth at me. I was heavy with exhaustion and my muscles screamed in protest as I forced myself to rise up from the ground. This wasn't the time to allow my mind to linger on the exhaustion that threatened to consume
ALEJANDRO’S POVI was certain that I had stopped breathing for a moment. My heart raced within the confines of my chest. I could barely comprehend what was going on in front of me. My gaze lingered on the beautiful swell of her breasts and they trailed down her supple, soft, beautiful, pale skin. “What the hell do you think you're doing?” The words slipped from my lips, harsh and laced with growing frustration, as I tilted my head slightly to the side. My gaze swept over her, taking in every inch of her still, silent figure. But it was her face that held me captive—her expression, which was devoid of any emotion. No fear. No surprise. Not even a hint of hesitation or regret. It was as though she were completely indifferent to everything around her.That hollow, unreadable look in her eyes unsettled me more than anything. Something about it gnawed at me, twisting my insides in a way I couldn’t quite place. Why was she so... blank?I waited, expecting some kind of response, but she re
ALEJANDRO The longer I thought about it all, the more my anger intensified. As the minutes passed, it became more and more harder to contain it. I wondered how I was able to stop myself from exploding until now. The room was silent along with my two advisors who stood with folded hands, waiting expectantly for whatever I had to say next. “I want you to send letters to the lords. To all of them, requesting their presence immediately,” I said. Surprise flashed across Elias's face before his expression became neutral. “Whatever my lord wants,” he bowed slightly. “Don't you think that this would cause some odd tension between you and the other lords? Having sex with a slave is the most common thing anyone could do. It would be absurd to gather everyone here because of a slave,” Malachi said dismissively. I froze and turned around until my glare was fixated on him. Any anger that I thought I might have felt earlier intensified. Elias swallowed nervously and looked away from me immed
MEANDRA’S POV The guard's grip on my arm was unyielding, his face contorted with disdain as he propelled me through the dimly lit corridors. My mind was a whirlpool of confusion. First, the Lord had me dressed and refrained from touching me, a stark contrast to what I had known. Then, he had summoned me to inquire about the First Lord. And now, I was being escorted to an unknown destination. I was confused and quite anxious. We arrived at a grand dining hall, one of such overwhelming luxury. The guard gestured tersely toward a chair. "Sit!" he commanded, his voice dripping with contempt. Before I could ask questions, a maid approached me, her demeanour polite yet cold. "What would you like to eat?" she inquired. I blinked in surprise. Eating was a luxury I seldom experienced, especially not before completing my assigned tasks. The drum of water remained unfinished, and the thought of punishment instantly materialized in my head. "I'm not hungry," I replied cautiously. "Please,
MEANDRAMy eyes fluttered open slightly. I was not as weary and exhausted as I was before. Maybe I had gotten more sleep than usual. Normally, It would be a good thing but at this point, I'm just wondering why I had to sleep in for so long or why I was just allowed to.I caught sight of Alejandro and a woman talking and I quickly closed my eyes so I could listen in on whatever they were talking about.“She seems to be recovering slowly but there are signs of forced penetration from her last sexual encounter and lingering signs of an infection as well,” she sighed. Silence lingered for a moment.“But I'll look into further and we should be able to get it treated in the space of a week and some days,” the doctor assured Alejandro.“If you're planning to be intimate with her. She should be fully recovered anytime soon,” she said. The thought of Alejandro wanting to have sex with me, made my breath get caught in my throat.The thought of being in the same space or room with him always ma
JASQUIREI walked down the hallway, heading down the direction of my father’s room. The hallway stretched long, dimly lit before me.Two guards appeared up ahead. They strolled at a slow pace, talking in hushed voices, steps lazy.I recognized them vaguely—Daniel and Jordan, two of the younger men in the rotation, barely older than me but always acting like they were the best.Which they clearly weren’t.They weren’t my concern. Not really. Still, something in me stiffened.I measured my steps. Not too fast, not too slow. I couldn’t afford to look hurried, and certainly not afraid.The air was thick with suspicion lately, and everyone seemed to be watching—especially now that Steven had left, it stirred up more gossip than you could think of.If only he kept his damn mouth shut.I kept my gaze forward, willing myself to look disinterested, as if I didn’t even see them. I hoped to pass without a care in the world.Just a few more steps.But then, I felt it. The eyes on me like they had
MEANDRA“I haven’t seen Steven. Is he okay?” Belle asked. Her tone startled me. I paused with my fingers mid-twist, the thick strands of her hair coiled in my hand as I tried to wrap them into a neat bun at the top of her head.The question hung in the room like smoke. My hands resumed their motion, slower now. The silence filled up the space between us. My throat tightened, but I swallowed the lump before I spoke.“He’s taking care of his wife,” I informed her, not wanting to reveal anything. She was just a kid, I couldn’t burden her with stuff like this. “Why?” I asked, curious as to why she brought his name up.“I know what happened,” she revealed. She turned to face me, and I paused my actions, looking at her furrowed eyebrows. “I heard the maids talking about it. They gossip a lot,” she added, turning back to look at the mirror.I parted my lips to speak, but I had no words.“Shantai didn’t tell me either. She thinks I’m just a kid. Everyone does,” she added, lowering her head. T
MEANDRAEver since Steven left, everything had begun to feel… off. The hallway felt colder. The conversations were quieter. And Jasquire—she had changed. Or maybe she hadn’t changed at all. When she saw Alejandro, her entire demeanor transformed. Her expression would light up —eyebrows arched with delight, eyes glinting with mischief. Her lips would stretch into a soft, sweet smile, the kind that seemed so genuine, so effortless, it could’ve fooled anyone.Anyone but me.Because I saw it for what it was-a performance. There was an innocence in the way she tilted her head, in the carefully placed hesitations in her speech, the false warmth in her voice. And Alejandro? He was just there. It made something in me twist. Not out of jealousy—at least, I didn’t think so—but something deeper.But her eyes—when they turned to me, she showed her true self.She didn’t bother pretending with me. Her gaze was cold, sharp, and disdainful. She looked at me like I was an inconvenienc
MEANDRAI still couldn’t believe it.Even as Jasquire’s words echoed in my mind, over and over again, I couldn’t force myself to accept it. He wouldn’t do that. Not him. He wasn’t capable of something like this. It wasn’t in his nature.He even hated her.That much had been clear. The bitterness in his voice when he spoke about her, the way his jaw would clench at the mere mention of her name, the way he always left the room whenever she entered—those weren’t the habits of a man who could even tolerate her presence, let alone… No.It didn’t make any sense.He didn’t make any fuss, he just left. Just like that. No warning.I hesitated.My legs felt heavy, trying to hold me back, trying to convince me not to follow, not to know. But I couldn’t stay behind. I had to see. I had to understand.So I followed him.After a moment of silence, I called out. “Steven”.He halted and turned, his lips spreading into a smile at the sight of me. “Meandra,” he responded. “Are you okay? How have you be
MEANDRAI heard a sound.My eyebrows furrowed, and my fingers twitched. I felt uncomfortable, but I stayed in place, trying to relax my brows and the tension I felt.Suddenly, a piercing scream piercedthrough the silence.My eyes flew open, heart pounding against my ribs.For a moment, I laid frozen, my fingers clutched at the thin sheet as my mind scrambled to process what I'd just heard. It wasn’t a dream. It was real.I scanned the room, trying to make out where the sound came from.I tried to calm myself when I heard it again. My breath caught in my throat.Fear coiled in my stomach, but I threw the covers aside and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.The wooden floor was cold beneath my feet, but I barely noticed.There it was again.That was all i needed to jerk out of bed. I rushed to the door, fumbling with the handle, my breath stuck in my throat.Who was it? What had happened?The hallway beyond my room was dimly lit. Every step i took echoed.Silence.My pulse throbb
JASQUIREI had to do it today. I waited all day to do this. It had to be now.There was no more putting it off. I would have done it yesterday if it wasn’t for Belle. She always got on my nerves. Today was the day. I stood motionless in the middle of the kitchen, scanning it as I tried to gather my thoughts. I took a breath. Then another. My fingers curled slightly at my sides. Then I began to move. The first was making tea. I had something to pour it in so that would do. I reached for the top cupboard beside the sink and opened it with a gentle tug.Nothing.Just mismatched mugs, a chipped measuring cup, and a half-empty jar of honey sitting beside a tin of salt that had long since lost its lid.I frowned and closed it. Then tried the one above the stove. Spices. Tins of sardines. No tea bags. I opened the drawer below, then another.My hands moved faster now, trying to hasten the process before someone came in. This wasn’t about the tea anymor
ALEJANDROThe words in front of me had stopped making sense. They all looked like some foreign language I had never learned. I blinked hard, trying to refocus, but the letters only grew more distant, as if the page itself was mocking me.How long had I been staring at this single paragraph?I glanced at the clock on the wall.Midnight.My hand was still holding the pen, fingers cramped from gripping it too tightly.Still confused, I groaned.None of it mattered right now.Not when my mind wasn’t here. Not when it had been elsewhere all night, pulled in the direction of a girl I had no business thinking about.I dropped the pen, leaning back and taking in a breath. I stood up and walked away from the cluttered table, irritated.I walked across the room and threw myself onto the couch, letting gravity do the work.I wasn’t tired, not exactly.I was irritated that my mind was still clouded—it had hit a brick wall. I tried distracting myself with work, but even that has yielded no favoura
MEANDRAJasquire’s antics didn’t stop. She still visited Belle multiple times, ordering people around and keeping up an act till Belle was finally healed.It was probably the irritation towards Jasquire that made her heal faster. She couldn’t stand Jasquire, and it showed.She smiled whenever Alejandro passed by but lowered her eyebrows and brushed past Jasquire when she wasn’t. She wanted Jasquire to know she wasn’t buying her nice girl act. No one was, but everyone played along.Jasquire hadn’t bothered me in hours which was surprising and a little suspicious but I savoured the moment.I stood in front of the only mirror in my room and brushed my hair gently. It’s been a while since I’ve brushed or styled my hair.My lips spread into a faint smile at every motion I made, gently pulling the brush down, taking it away then gently repeating the motion.“Meandra,” a tiny voice called.My lips spread wider.It was Belle.My heart didn’t skip in fear, but awaited her arrival. It was nice
MEANDRANo one was buying it.Jasquire pushed the door open, walking in with a smile on her face. She pushed past Shantai and me. Shantai stumbled back slightly, caught off guard by Jasquire's sudden burst.Jasquire planted herself on the bed, spreading her arms wide.Leaning forward, she directed her focus toward Belle, who sat on the bed. Belle's eyes widened in surprise, reflecting a mix of shock and disgust as she stared at Jasquire.Her expression shifted quickly; the furrow in her brows deepened as she instinctively inched backward, trying to create some distance between herself and Jasquire.“Come on, Belle. Don’t be scared!” Jasquire teased, her voice light and playful. She leaned even closer. It was as if Jasquire thrived on the thrill of pushing boundaries. Belle looked over at Shantai and I for help.Shantai, who had regained her balance, stepped forward, trying to interfere.“Jasquire, please give Belle some space. The doctor said she needs rest," she said."I just want