Just like that, she turned away, up the stairs and the servants started leading each down the hallway, to seven different doors.
Everyone got a male and a female servant to help them to their door. The female servant helping
Belladonna was a couple of inches shorter than she was, although she looked older, like she was in her early thirties. She had bags underneath her eyes and a few wrinkles by either side.
The male servant on the other hand was just an inch or two taller than Belladonna. His face was calm and he seemed collected.
Asides that, they were both wearing sought of deep blue uniform and they looked like as if they are well taken care of.
Belladonna got the fifth door.
Hung on it was the kind of slate which had a name carved on it.
Moria Nakunriver.
She furrowed her eyebrows at that.
That was the name of the previous bride, the one who had authored the book containing all those rules she had read. The bride whom everyone had thought would be the last.
Had this been her room?
Before she could think too much about it, the female servant beside her, jumped forward, clumsily yanking off the name before she looked back at her and smiled sheepishly.
"Please don't tell the King about this." She whispered in a small frightened voice. Although the male servant still looked calm, his shoulders seem a little tensed too.
Why were they so afraid because they simply forgot to take off a name? It didn't make sense to Belladonna. Yet again, nothing happening right now really made sense.
"We should have taken away the name earlier but she stayed longer than anyone and--"
"Raquel!" The man cautioned in a hush whisper.
Raquel bit her lips before slapping her cheeks for talking too much.
Her action spiked Belladonna's curiousity, increasing her fear. Why did she just hit herself? What was going on? But her mind quickly raised a point that whatever it was, it wasn't her business and if she played her cards right, she would be returning home soon. Although that home was hell on its own, it was still better than whatever this place was.
So, she dismissed her questions.
Raquel stepped forward, opening the door.
"Please, come in." Her voice sounded normal now, all the fear gone.
Belladonna looked back to see that the rest of the Potential brides were stepping into their rooms too, some were already even inside.
She stepped in and Raquel lit up the candles.
She smiled brightly at her this time without the fear in her smile but still, it was in her eyes, somewhere there. Then the man stepped forward, right in front of Raquel, hiding her away from Belladonna's scrutinizing gaze.
"What is your name, my Lady? So that we may hang it up by the door."
"Belladonna," she said before her heart started racing suddenly.
Everything that happened earlier started flashing in her mind and for some reason, she feared that giving them her name would mean something.
Something she would eventually come to hate.
There was something about this place. Something really off. She needed to get out of here!
"My Lady?" The man urged. "Belladonna what?"
"Belladonna Drayzika," she eventually added, defeated.
The man smiled.
"Do you have any request, my Lady? Anything you need?"
She shook her head and the man nodded.
Then he turned and with Raquel following right after him, without looking back, they left.
Now that she was all alone, the silence resonated with her and it seemed like as if she could faintly hear the growl of the dragon from a distance away.
She slowly sat on the bed, thinking.
All she had done so far was simply give her name but why did it feel like she had just bounded her destiny to this place?
She wanted to stay awake but her body still ached from her mother's beating and the journey that took place tonight.
QWorn down with fatigue, she gave into sleep.
***
Belladonna had never come to hate the dinner time as much as she had now hated it.
It was never really a time to eat anymore but a time to learn more and more rules on how to please the Dragon King.
She loved the dinner time for the same reason she hated it though. Since Lady Kestra was always teaching them on how to please the Dragon King and eventually get chosen as a bride, Belladonna had it figured out that to get sent back home, she just had to go against everything Lady Kestra had told them to do.
Although she would have to be careful not to overdo it. She was trying to get back home not become a dragon's meal.
A week of training had passed, tonight was the last night.
Lady Kestra who sat at the table was asking each lady seated by the dinning table some questions to confirm that her teaching hadn't gone to waste.
"Lady Rowiya, when the King asks you why you should be his bride, what will your answer be?"
Romiya stood up with a smile. "I will go straight to the point and tell the King truthfully about my unique traits."
Lady Kestra nodded in approval and Rowiya took her seat.
Rowiya had been chosen as a potential bride the last time the Choosing Ritual had happened at Inaymi and she had been chosen once again. Belladonna couldn't help but wonder, could she truly not remember what had happened the last time she had been here?
But from the way Rowiya behaved, her facial expression and how enthusiastic she was about pleasing the Dragon King like all these was happening to her for the first time, it was obvious she didn't remember.
How odd. The way the ones that return never had any memory of what happened.
"Lady Belladonna!" Lady Kestra's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
Belladonna rose clumsily to her feet, startled. All eyes were on her her, including Lady Kestra's angry ones.
She had probably asked her a question while she was thinking.
"Avoid to be absentminded like that in the presence of the Dragon King!" Lady Kestra snapped. "Or else, it will not end well."
"My apologies, Lady Kestra."
Lady Kestra scoffed. "Your apologies will do nothing if you make such mistakes again. Be glad that I'm merciful." She smiled then asked, "what will you do when you get into the King's dinning hall?"
"I will stand by the door and wait for an invitation." Belladonna responded.
"You are not an absolute waste then. Sit."
She did and the Lady Kestra moved her questions along to the rest.
Belladonna ensured that she was attentive now. To do otherwise might jeopardize her plans. Imagine her accidentally pleasing the Dragon King. It would ruin her!
So she took more of every word and action.
Soon the night was over and the next night came upon them.
The test then began.
***
For four nights now, each lady had been attending dinner with the Dragon King.
Each one had a different story to tell but the one who Lady Kestra seem to be pleased with so far were Irie and Rowiya. Irie wasn't so happy about that but Rowiya was. Piper and Niti were certain that once they attend their own dinner they would be able to win over Lady's Kestra heart but they had to be patient, they were the sixth and seventh on the list and they would have to wait for the sixth and seventh night.
Tonight, however, was the fifth night.
It was Belladonna's turn to attend the Dragon King's dinner.
While Raquel styled her hair into her usual low bun and the male servant whose name she had now learnt to be Colin, reminded her of the dinner rules, Belladonna just stared back into the mirror, thinking of how she would subtlely go against each and every one of those rules.
Wouldn't want to risk it looking intentional?
"Done." Raquel said, "good luck, my Lady."
Belladonna smiled in fake appreciation.
She had been made to wear a simple red silk gown. Something Belladonna wasn't so happy about because red wasn't really her colour.
"How do you know the rules so well? Which of the Potential Brides did you serve in the past?" She turned away from the mirror, to Colin. "Is it Moria Nakunriver?"
Colin's calm and collected expression did not change, "her and many others, my Lady. Let us waste no more--"
The door flung open at that moment and Lady Kestra stepped in, her firm gaze combed the room quickly, and landed on Belladonna.
"You. Up. Now."
Belladonna immediately staggered to her feet. There was something about her voice that was ever commanding, something that made others always obey.
"It is time, now follow me."
She did.
Followed her out of the room, down the hallway, up the stairs, inside an hallway till they were facing a gigantic golden door.
"Now don't forget everything I ha e taught you." Lady Kestra said like she was speaking to a child which was a little strange, considering the fact like she only looked like she was two or three years older. "Whatever you do in there, determines your future. Do it right."
Belladonna gulped.
Then Lady Kestra smiled at her in fake encouragement then she left.
There were no guards by the door, only candles by the hallway.
Maybe she should run away. Make a run for it. Escape!
As foolish as she knew that was, she found herself sprinting off but not for too long.
The floor beneath her slid open and she fell, a scream escaped her lips but it became silent immediately as the floor closed up perfectly, erasing every trace of her ever being there.