MEANDRAAll that I could feel was raw and unbridled pain. The nauseating emotions that I felt within the confines of my chest threatened to consume from the inside out. Each time I tried to convince myself that I could take and endure.Something intense happened. The more I shattered. The more I paid for the sins of my fathers, the more I was forced to accommodate the consequences of my father's wrong doings.Sometimes I wanted to believe that I was in a nightmare. I wanted to believe that this was all a dream and hopefully it was going to end soon but unfortunately, I woke up every morning and It became more clear that this was my reality now. I have become nothing.From a princess who was secure in the comfort of her room and territory, to a slave who went to bed hungry and spent the night in a cold cell.The irony of it was almost overwhelming to think of. I don't know how long I remained in the comfort of Belle's arms but I didn't want to leave. It was ridiculous but somehow the a
MEANDRAAll I could register was the burning sensation in my scalp as the guard pulled me towards the direction of Alejandro's office. I was certainly bound to get a headache after.A terrible headache. Just when I thought the day couldn't possibly get worse. I didn't regret pushing the guard away, I didn't regret threatening him either. I've had enough of people thinking that they could touch me freely and get away with it. “You're going to pay. I promise,” the guard growled as he continued to roughly drag me along. I let him.I was too tired to struggle anyway. The only thing that I was certain of was that I wasn't going to allow anyone to touch me.i was tired of letting people think that they had their way with me.Finally we reached Alejandro's office and Alejandro paused mid conversation as he snapped towards the direction of the door. His eyes fixated on the both of us. I also recognized the man that he was talking to. It was the kind man from earlier. Elias.He looked surpris
ALEJANDROIt's been a long day but as I closed the last file and placed it on top of the file, I felt satisfied. The day has been nothing short of productive.Except from the time that the guard had abruptly brought Meandra in. I had managed to scan through every file on my desk attentively without interruptions. As I stood up from my seat, a slight wave of exhaustion hit me.I couldn't wait to retire to bed for a good rest. Elias was with me. He stood at the other side of the room with his hands folded together as we made discussions every now and then about the feast.He was still convinced that Malachi was clearly acting out of malice instead of the good of the kingdom. A part of me considered listening to whatever it was that Elias had to say.I have always respected the man's advice since I was a child but the other part of me didn't want to make any decision that would look like I was showing Meandra compassion.I had a reputation to protect. As the Lord with the highest author
MEANDRAMy chest was clouded with intense fear as I shrunk away from the men that approached me. I looked down at myself and I realized that I had no clothes on. I looked up at men in horror.The longer I looked, the more realization dawned on me. They were the faces of the lord that I had stayed with. The looks in their eyes became even more terrifying as they closed the distance between me and them.I attempted to escape, to make a run for it but for some reason that I couldn't yet identify, I was unable to move and I could do nothing about it. They looked hungry and ready to rip into pieces. Lustful and vengeful, the promise that all they would do is take and take was quite certain. I screamed as their hands became imprinted into my skin.They grabbed me painfully.I hurriedly spring into a sitting position. My heart was racing terribly as I struggled to breathe and my senses were slowly coming together as I began to recognize where I was.My eyes fluttered closed as I sighed. I co
MEANDRAThis was a nightmare that in any moment from now was going to wake up. It was nothing but a bad dream but the more I repeated the mantra mentally, the more reality began to set in. This was my life.This was really happening to me. I was forced to parade around the hall in a ridiculously skimpy dress. I could barely use my hands to cover some parts of my body because I was forced to serve drinks. Degrading comments and cat calls were thrown across my way and no matter how much I tried to school my expression into a neutral, it was getting to me terribly and I was becoming even more bad at hiding it.My eyes tried to catch Alejandro's once more but he made it obvious that he was ignoring me as he casually conversed with the other lord. I closed my eyes and sighed.A hand brushed against my thigh as I served drinks. I looked down to see Martin staring at me. My heart was clouded with horror as he made a show of his traveling down the length of my body. I was tempted to make a r
ALEJANDRONo matter how I tried to ignore the tug in my chest, I still felt it. My gaze was fixated on hers and for some reason, I was unable to look away. Her eyes were broken and shattered and I could see the betrayal in them.It was just reputation over her feelings. She was a slave. She had no say. Her words screamed in my head and no matter how much I tried to ignore it, it was stuck there.I claimed to be order and justice and fair treatment but I was neither of those things. Maybe she was right. What I had were double standards.Maybe I was more concerned about my reputation than I was concerned about treating her fairly. Her empty eyes were not so empty anymore. They were broken and shattered and they were begging for mercy. Martin's laughter suddenly rang so loudly in my ears to the point that it was becoming irritating.He looked beyond happy to be here. Too happy.“Don't think too much about it, she knows her place already,” I watched as Martin yanked her forward, raising h
JASQUIREMy face flushed with embarrassment as I made my way out of Alejandro's room. I couldn't believe that he would do this to me. I was in a haze. It was hard to recover from shock as I began to button up my dress.He never even gave me time to dress up quickly before he locked me out. Just when I thought that everything was going according to plan, everything was suddenly ruined by that slave girl. I've never been more humiliated like I was now and all because of a pathetic slave girl that no cares if she lives or dies.At that moment, I was filled with so much hatred that I wasn't so sure that I could function on the spot. It's like ever since he became king. He turned into someone I couldn't even recognize.It was like I lost all trace of existence to him and just when I thought I was on the pathway of getting him back. This slave girl ruins everything. I was almost tempted to face palm myself. Father had give me one job and I wasn't able to go through with it. I hadn't been ab
ALEJANDROI was terrified. Maybe terrified was too much of a word. But I could feel my ego clashing with whatever feelings were coiling in the deep pit of my belly. The reality was slowly beginning to dawn on me and I could feel my confusion slowly shifting into panic.Meandra was all I could think about. The image of her in that ridiculous dress was still stuck in my memory for all the sick reasons that I didn't want to admit. I was supposed to be different, I was supposed to lead by example. I was supposed to be everything a king was.Upright, different, just. Now, I felt that I was no better than a hypocrite. I could see her tearing her eyes looking at me. Like she'd rather be anywhere else than In front of me and for some unknown reason.It was beginning to bother me. My confusion was slowly shifting to anger because this was the last thing that I wanted to be feeling.Especially not for a girl whose father murdered mine. If anything, I was too ashamed to admit that I was angry wi
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
MEANDRAThen there it was—the unmistakable sound of her footsteps. I had become so accustomed to it, a haunting echo that seemed to follow me wherever I went. The way she walked—confident, almost predatory—sent a chill down my spine. I tried quickening my steps, but she had already seen me.There was no escaping her now.My heart raced.She didn’t yell, which gave me more anxiety. Maybe because Alejandro was closeby so she didn’t want to risk getting caught.I curled my fingers into a fist at my side, taking deep breaths to brace myself for what was to come. I could feel the weight of her gaze on my back, a tangible force that pushed me forward but there was nowhere to hide.The hallway was wide, bright, and long. I wonder how many steps I would take before I reached the stairs.Would that be a good idea? My eyebrows furrowed as I wondered. Would letting her linger behind me as I took steps down the stairs be wise? Suddenly, a hand grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back. I stumbled
MEANDRABelle had left with Shantai, and I resumed my work, doing whatever I could possibly do to avoid Jasquire. I held a broom, sweeping the kitchen with a sense of urgency, trying to drown out the chaos.I hummed softly as I focused on the task at hand, hoping it would keep my mind off everything else, especially Jasquire.Then they were footsteps, I ignored him, still hoping it wasn’t Jasquire. I braced myself either way just in case I was wrong. The footsteps grew louder, and I felt a knot tightening in my stomach.I knew it was only a matter of time before she found me—if that was her. I took a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm. “Please, not Jasquire,” I thought, wishing for a moment of peace.Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted.“Meandra!” the voice yelled, breathless and urgent. I halted, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion and concern. The tone was frantic, and I could feel my heart rate quicken.Slowly, I turned to face the direction of the voice, bracing myself f