You’ll be punished
Iris brought her hand to her chest and took a breath of relief. Adolphus’ words forced her to think the other way. It was the first time she had such long conversations with someone, and the person wasn’t someone normal. He was the alpha, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom.
She brushed the pad of her index finger on her lips and recalled the touch of Adolphus’ lips. She shook her head. Iris had heard how the royals, the nobles, used to take advantage of the young women around them. She would not fall into such a trap ever again.
She met Anthony in the corridor, who had the ledger in his hand. He pushed the spectacles up and carefully jotted down something on them.
Iris walked away to work in the kitchen with other servants. She went to the common bathhouse for servants to wash her feet. She took water in a wooden mug, sat on the tiny stool, and lifted her dress a little. She put her shoes aside and poured the water on them.
Four servants came inside to wash their faces and hands after working in the garden. They saw Iris but ignored her presence. Iris heard their conversations where they were mentioning the Princes.
“I saw Prince Edon today. I cannot believe such a man exists. I wish I could be a werewolf of a powerful pack, then Prince Edon would have shown interest in me,” the young lady sitting in the middle of the right said.
“We humans cannot even dream of marrying royalty,” the young lady at the left end said.
Suddenly, the door banged against the wall, frightening everyone present in the bathhouse. Iris found that the four young female servants shut their mouths to see the woman. While motioning her fingers around her toes, Iris took glances at her. To her surprise, more female servants entered after her.
Also, judging by the dress, it seemed she was a rank higher than all of them. She had worn a blue-colored gown with sky-blue colored sleeves with slight pleats on it near the waist. Iris lowered her head and poured water over her feet.
“Aren’t you the new servant?” The same female servant spoke, and Iris lifted her head.
“Yes, Miss.” Iris didn’t know what more to say.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
“What were you doing in the Crown Prince’s manor for such a long time?” She asked Iris, who was perplexed and, at the same time, terrified of her.
“I only did what I was told to,” Iris replied, while keeping her eyes low.
The four female servants who were also present in the bathhouse decided to leave quietly.
“You are not supposed to go close to the Crown Prince. You should listen to me. I am the head female servant in the crown prince’s manor,” she threatened Iris.
“Miss, I have been appointed as His Royal Highness’s personal attendant. I cannot comply with your command because the Crown Prince may punish me for going against his wish,” Iris said while curling her toes. Her throat went dry.
“Miss Clara, she doesn’t seem to understand you. Why don’t you punish her?” One of them said with a wicked smile on her lips. “We omegas aren’t allowed to go near the Crown Prince and a human did it!”
Iris gulped, and fear ran through her entire body. What would they do? Would they beat her? No, she would not take any beatings anymore. She decided to run away and stood up when Clara clutched her hair in her fingers. She pulled Iris back, and she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Please, let me go, Miss Clara,” Iris requested, who pushed her down. Iris fell on the bathroom floor and hit her hand on the stool. Tears formed in her eyes and she looked at the four female servants for help, who had lowered their heads.
The female omega started to tear her dress while Clara continued to smile evilly. “Now, go outside while being naked, you filthy human!” Clara spat at her. Iris covered herself with her arms as her clothes were torn from various places. She could not believe her fate. It was the same as before. The same abuse that she had undergone in her house for so many years. She continued to weep when Clara spoke.
“Next time, if I find you inside the Crown Prince’s private chamber, then you’ll be punished more,” Clara warned her before turning to leave. She looked at the four female servants and asked them to leave. They immediately left the bathhouse. Soon, those omega female servants also left the bathhouse.
Iris looked at herself and found that she would not be able to go out in that state. She sobbed and wiped the tears from the back of her palm when she felt the slight pain in her wrist. She looked at her thin wrist and found it was reddened because of the hit it had gotten earlier. With difficulty, she stood up, trying to find something wearable. However, there was nothing in the bathhouse.
Now, how would she leave? She decided to wait till evening. By 5 o’clock, servants would return to their respective rooms. That was when she would sneak out, not getting into anyone’s site. She rested her back on the left end wall, which was far from the door of the bathhouse. No one could see her from that far.
“I wish I hadn’t run to the dark, forbidden forest that night,” she murmured as more tears streamed down her cheeks.
The bathhouse turned dark sooner than usual, and she realized that it was time to sneak out. Iris searched again for something to cover herself with, and after searching for ten minutes, she found a white cotton fabric. She quickly wrapped it around her body and, with trembling feet, moved towards the door.
She opened it a little and peered out and saw that the sky had turned dark. It was nighttime. She dozed off to sleep and didn’t realize the time. She stepped out of the bathhouse and walked ahead. If anyone saw her, he would be terrified to look at her. Such was her state, currently. Her hair was messier and she didn’t even have the conscience to brush it with her fingers. The only thing that she wanted to do right now was to get to her room.
She moved ahead while looking around, making sure no one would catch her. Anthony had given her strict instructions not to move around at night, but she was helpless. Somehow, she reached the corridor, which was near her room, when she heard a voice.
“Who is there?”
She widened her eyes, and fear engulfed her. A cold sweat appeared on her face and nape. Her mind had turned messy, and she ran in the direction she wasn’t supposed to run in.
It seemed like today was her last day in that body.