She laid in the dungeon. Laid there with mosquitoes that she'd been avoiding and mice that kept walking up her legs. It was dark and she was sweating profusely. She'd been there for a day without tasting anything. Krysia tried to visit her but the guards kept pushing her back.
She didn't want to believe it but she knew she had been transported back in time. She knew pretty much about history because it was one of her favorite subjects in highschool which made her certain that she was in the 18th century.
Everything she was experiencing felt like a nightmare to her. Why was she brought to this century? Why her?
The century of death, the century where lives were like invisible ants and could be easily stepped upon, the century where humans weren't equal, the century where you had no right to express yourself.
"This is hell". She breathed out and tried to sit up. It was another night and the prince didn't even visit her. He had probably forgotten her.
Could the prince be Gyenk? Gyenk might be a fraudster but he wasn't evil. Gyenk was cunning but not cold-blooded. Their characters weren't thesame but their tastes.... could gyenk be from his generation?
She breathed out and pulled her hair. "Stop thinking! Stop thinking about them. Whether he's gyenk or not! It has nothing to do with you".
She felt like her head was going to bust with the headache that woke her up the next morning. Her body was numb and she couldn't sit up. She was hungry and couldn't lift a finger. What kind of prince would be so cruel to a woman. Wasn't every prince charming.
Just then, she heard the sound of keys clashing and a door unlocking. The door opened and she shut her eyes immediately she was dragged out. She hadn't seen light for days and the sudden ray almost blinded her. She opened her aching eyes slowly, bracing herself to what was to come. She was tossed on the ground outside by the guards and someone hurriedly ran to her.
"Zora! Zora!" It was krysia. She could only smile as she watched krysia cried. She lifted her head and put it on her laps. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I got you into this mess. I'm sorry".
"It's not your fault". She managed to say.
"I was expecting something like this". The head maid who Zora didn't know was standing there suddenly spoke up. "I told you to stay away from the second prince didn't I?"
Zora couldn't say anything. She was confused. She was stressed out. Her mind wouldn't stop thinking about her current situation and how gyenk was related to the crown prince.
Suddenly, she started feeling dizzy. Her head began to spin and in a minute, she lost consciousness.
She woke up, still feeling tired and hungry. She sat up and her eyes wandered the tidy room. She was on a small but soft bed with a white sheet on her body and before she could stand up, krysia entered with a meal.
The lively look on her face made Zora smile as she dropped the meal.
"Come on. You must be hungry. I stole this from the food to be served to the prince". She said and pulled Zora out of the bed slowly. "Careful".
"Why did you steal them". Zora inquired after sitting.
"It's lunch time and maids don't eat lunch. So there was no food except from the ones to be served to the king, the queen and the princes. Fortunately, I stole this before the maid serving the prince came back".
"Thank you". Zora smiled and started eating. Krysia watched her eat and filled her cup whenever she wanted to drink water.
"I'm sorry again". She apologized.
"No you don't have to be". She waved it off, her strength coming back slowly. She wondered if it was gyenk who ordered for her release. Why? Wasn't he supposed to leave her till she was ready to talk?
"Who ordered for my release?"
"The first prince".
"What?" She almost choked on her food. "The first prince?"
"Yes." She nodded. "When I knew you were in the dungeon, I cried to the head maid. She was angry and she didn't answer me. I tried to get through to you but I wasn't let in.".
"Yes I know about that". She said, mouth full.
"But later she agreed to intervene. Going to the second prince wouldn't work, he might probably cut off our heads so the head maid went to the first prince. She convinced the prince and surprisingly, he agreed. He almost fought with the second prince."
"They almost fought?"
"Yes. The second prince had no right to touch any of his maids and putting you in the dungeon without his permission was out of the line so he released you". She shrugged.
Zora giggled as she imagine how furious the second prince's face would be. "I should probably thank the first prince. He's nicer than I thought".
"No he's not. I don't think he is".
"Why?"
"I asked and I heard the first prince is as dangerous as the second prince. The first prince doesn't really show it. He's like a green snake under the green grass. But the second prince is the other way round." She explained again and Zora almost got jealous of how current she was.
"Whose room is this?" She asked as she pushed the empty plate aside and took her cup of water.
"The head maid. She's really nice to you. She really cares about you and the other maids seems to be jealous. They're all jealous". She giggled. "I hate them so much".
Zora stood up and walked to where her clean dress was. "Did you wash this?"
Krysia nodded as she packed the plates. "The head maid said you can use her bathroom immediately you wake up. I'll go now". She carried the plates and as she was about to step out, she heard,
"Thank you". Zora ran to her and hugged her from behind, almost knocking the plates off.
"Careful you'll break them!" She cautioned as she tried to make the plates steady.
"Ops! Sorry". Zora chuckled and left her to go out.
She was lucky to have someone like her in her unlucky situation. She was kind and didn't think only about herself. It was just sad she had an incurable disease and couldn't live long.
She stepped outside the head maid's room silently after showering and dressing. No one would know she just came back from the dungeon with her look but unfortunately, bad news spread fast.
When she passed through the kitchen, the maids were staring and smirking at her. They were happy she was punished by the second prince but Zora was good at ignoring things. She walked like they were invisible till she got outside the kitchen.
She kept her head low as she was instructed and walked through the halls and Chambers till she got to the first Prince's chamber.
She was instructed to come in after a while and she saw the head maid washing the prince legs.
The head maid frowned at her as she walked in, scared she would cause another trouble again.
Zora stopped six feet away from the prince and bowed.
"It's the new maid". He said slowly as he stared at her like he was drunk.
"Your Highness, this unworthy maid is here to thank you. I appreciate you for your kindness and for setting me free. This maid will forever be grateful". She said with her head low. She had learnt those lines from a drama she watched when she was in her modern world. She didn't mean a thing she said.
She secretly lifted her gaze and saw the head maid smiling at her. At last.
The prince sighed and removed his legs from the water. The head maid wiped his feet slowly and he stood up. He walked to Zora and lifted her head with his finger.
"You know you're beautiful right?" He inquired.
Zora glanced at the head maid, not sure of how to reply but instead of getting a signal from her, she saw her gasp silently. Her face held the mixture of surprise and fear.
"Thank you Your highness".
"You know there is another way you can thank me". He almost cut her off. He slipped his hand slowly under her waist and smirked. "Like this".
.
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