Just like a bear that stands between the hunter and her cub, Julia remained firm and immovable before the angry presence of Count Solera. The looks of the servants that until recently were diverted from the punishment on the maidens, now were incipiently nailed to the morbidity of what would happen to the slave.
Feeling Margarita's trembling hand clutch her skirt tightly, Julia frowned, clenching her teeth at the count who was about to swing the whip at her face.
"How dare you give me that kind of look! You miserable slave!" – When the piece of leather was about to hit Julia's face, a hand got in the way of the whip, holding it firmly.
The fine fabric of the glove, immaculately white as snow, soon began to stain a vivid shade of carmine.
-"You have so many desires to lose your head, Count Solera!"
- "My lord, why have you intervened?"
-"You forget that this woman belongs to me!" – With his face visibly angry, Rafael had made an appearance when he heard the tumult in the room on the first floor. With his black hair and clean-shaven face, dressed in his white suit with scarlet and gold motifs. He was about to celebrate the graduation of the new cadets of the academy when his gaze went to the crowd that was milling about the heated discussion.
Without giving it much importance, he was about to go to take his horse when he heard Julia's voice coming from the large crowd. Driven by the curiosity that the actions of that woman had provoked in him lately, he approached slowly and as soon as he saw that incident in the distance, his body moved instinctively as if he did not control his impulses.
"But what am I doing? Why am I defending this woman? - Rafael thought to himself as he looked at the incredulous Julia, who was squatting hugging Margarita against her chest.
– "Solera, you are one of my most reliable men. Therefore, I will overlook this incident so please immediately withdraw from the palace."
-"Yes my lord. As you say" – Trying to contain himself, Solera resented the humiliation that slave had caused him, swearing to himself that he would take revenge on her as soon as he had the opportunity.
"What are you doing standing here watching? Take the maids and take them to the infirmary immediately. We cannot afford to lose manpower when the banquet is so close" – Extending his hand giving the order, Rafael rebuked the servants, who, seeing the monarch's attitude, were confused to the point of being petrified.
"Is that perhaps I have to repeat my orders! Withdraw" – Raising his voice even more, Rafael made his dominant air felt over the maids and servants, who fearfully nodded and proceeded as the king had ordered.
"Solera hurt you somewhere? I asked you if Solera hurt you!" – Like the servants, Julia was speechless at Rafael's behavior. Who, taking her firmly by the wrist, lifted her off the ground with force, making their faces close to each other.
Losing himself for an instant in the clear green hue of Julia's iris, the king reacted to her behavior by letting go of her, leaving the imprint of his fingers on her skin.
"What have you done to me woman?" – Turning around, Rafael approached his assistant who already had a change of gloves ready and as planned, he left the palace for the academy.
The question that Rafael had asked made Julia feel confused, even more so when she thought about the moment their eyes met for that brief moment when they were so close to each other.
"Sister, I want to go with mom" - Barely speaking in a low voice, Margarita seemed to have come out of her panic attack. Visibly exhausted from bursting into tears at the overwhelming trauma of meeting Solera, the little girl sighed momentarily as Julia carried her to the kitchen.
Dinora was as usual near the stove testing the seasoning of the dish she was preparing, concentrating on the quantities and adding in proportion what she felt was missing on her palate.
Hearing the sound of the kitchen door opening, I glance sideways to tell Julia to put the eggs on the table. But his gaze was distorted in an aspect of panic, seeing that little Margarita came in his arms with a slightly reddened face soaked with tears.
Carrying her to the bed and laying her down to sleep for a while, Julia left the child and asked her aunt to take a seat in the kitchen for a serious talk.
-"We met Count Solera on our way back"
- "Did he recognize Margarita?"
-"I don't think so, if that were the case, I couldn't have brought her back" – As established by the slavery laws of the kingdom of Antioca , any runaway slave upon discovery had to be handed over to its rightful owner. If someone was found covering up his escape, he would be considered a criminal and the penalties could vary in each situation.
If it was a nobleman, the penalty would be a fine only on the amount of the value of the slave. In the case of a commoner, he would become a slave owned by the owner of the fugitive and would have to spend the rest of his life in servitude.
But in the specific case of Julia, the fact that a slave hid another, was entitled to the death penalty.
If the solera count had suspected Margarita, at the time the king questioned him, he could have invoked the legal clause on the kingdom's slave code. In the presence of all the witnesses, not even the king could have intervened on Julia's behalf.
"We can't stay in the palace any longer! If that man ever discovers her…"
– "That will not happen, trust me. I'll find a way to get you and Margarita out. But you must be patient" - With the preparations for the big banquet, the fact that the cook and her daughter were suddenly absent would raise suspicions. Knowing the petty character of Count Solera, Julia anticipated that he would seek a way to hurt her through the girl. Therefore, he asked Dinora not to let the little girl leave the room until the day of the royal banquet was over.
"Damn bitch!" – In a mansion within the first square of the royal capital, with large pillars as white as pearls and on the sides of the main door two heraldries with the fleur de liz . Blinded by rage attacking all the objects inside an office, Count Solera did not stop yelling and cursing Julia.
Being a proud man and devoid of any consideration for outsiders, Solera had experienced such humiliation for the first time in the presence of commoners. The job of brainwashing Prince Raphael for years seemed to have vanished in one fell swoop just by having the slave nearby.
"If you think that you are going to throw away all my efforts and sacrifices of these years, you are very wrong Valera. Just as I incriminated your father to direct the prince's wrath on him, so I will also do to you, you dirty whore" – Deafened by the noise inside the office, a knock on the door was not noticed by Solera. Who, thinking that it was a servant, threw a letter opener that stuck dangerously against the edge of the door.
"I heard from the servants that you beat the housekeeper to a pulp for asking if you wanted some soothing tea. But I didn't imagine you would be so out of your mind to almost kill your daughter" – Waist-length wavy red hair, a pair of curious heterochromic cat-like eyes and slightly full lips adorned with cool lipstick. Berenice Solera, the count's second daughter, was a beautiful woman with a sober and calculating character.
Unlike her father, the coldness with which she used to handle situations that bothered her had earned her the nickname of the ice princess in social circles.
"It would be a shame if you died before being useful to your father" – Unlike the treatment he had with his eldest son Rómulo, Solera did not hide his misogynistic behavior even towards his daughter. Whom he saw only as a piece on his twisted board of games.
"I have heard that the king has invited the sons of the king of Tigris to the banquet. Isn't this dangerous for your plans? I know that Princess Sofia is a lady who knows how to keep her form in meetings, but Prince Eleazar has a bad reputation for loosening his tongue after drinking too much. If he talks too much at the banquet and it reaches Rafael's ears, don't you think that…"
"You don't think I've thought of that!" – Pounding his fist on the desk, Solera glared at his daughter, admiring how capable she was of anticipating every detail that he himself had previously thought of. That intelligence that he wished Rómulo had inherited had remained in the daughter he despised so much.
"For the night of the banquet, I have a plan to take care of that undesirable detail with Eleazar. And I'll also be able to get rid of an annoying rat that won't stop screeching around me" – Feeling a chill from the cloudy expression on her father's face, Berenice thought that she was lucky not to be the person on whom her father's anger relapsed
-"To all this, how is your relationship with Rafael?"
– "It seems that it is just as the rumors say about him, he is a man who has unconventional preferences in bed. But I have ordered a drug from an herbalist that will allow me to have it in my hands soon" – Smiling capriciously, Berenice rested her left arm against her belly. Implying that she was prepared to conceive a child by Raphael and thereby bind him to her as the future queen of Antioch .
Two days before the banquet, as Dinora and Julia had agreed, the little girl had remained inside the kitchen area without accidentally looking out into the halls of the palace. Since that day they met Solera, Margarita had remained taciturn in character, in stark contrast to her usual smile.
Understanding the girl's feelings after having gone through similar things during her childhood, Julia set out to go to the market in the main square to get her a gift.
Coinciding with the date on which the banquet would be held, the little girl's birthday was near; Giving Julia the opportunity to cheer up the girl a little, with whom she had grown fond in the short time of meeting him.
Being a slave, the young Julia did not have an assigned salary for the work she performed inside the palace. Occasionally earning a few coins by doing chores for other maidens, who took the opportunity by delegating their work to Julia, to go meet her lovers. The young woman had saved enough to buy a hair clip.
Since slaves were not allowed to decide on their own bodies, Julia had grown her hair to her shoulders in those months. Accustomed by her role as a man to having short hair, her hair used to make her uncomfortable while she was scrubbing the floors.
Ribbons or barrettes, despite being common elements among commoner women, were still a luxury that slaves could not easily dispose of. Even if someone wanted to give them one, slaves could not have personal property beyond what their master granted them. In the same way, sellers would hardly sell anything to a slave, unless they did it secretly, increasing the cost of the object.
-"Mrs. Dinora, how is Margarita?"
– "These last two days you have eaten better and talk a little more. But he still has nightmares at night. Julia, were you able to find a way for us to escape?"
-"Yes, yesterday I spoke with Gregorio, the old man who is in charge of supplying the palace with oil. I told her that a friend needs to go to see a relative in the country, but she has no money to pay for a carriage. He has agreed to take them halfway to Sicona .
When you get there, look for a small cabin near the willow forest. That place was a little shack my father used when we went goose hunting. There under the floorboards, you will find a small box with some money.
They were some savings that I made when I was a child and I used to play thinking that I was a pirate burying his treasure. It's not much, but it will allow them to get some food and lodging for a few days" – Evoking childhood memories that will never come back, Julia felt a lump form in her throat at the thought of her father. Despite being a tough man, the moments they shared on the hunt were the ones when she felt closest to him.
"You are an angel my girl. I can't understand how life has allowed so much pain to hit you" – Sincerely moved by Julia, Mrs. Dinora brought her hands to the young woman's face, gently caressing her cheeks.
-"Mrs. Dinora, I will go to the market in the square for a birthday present for Margarita. Please if anyone asks about me, just tell them you saw me on the way to the stables"
– "But girl, you have already done a lot for my niece and me! I could not accept more than what you have already given us."
– "I do this because I am very fond of Margarita. You shouldn't worry about it" – Smiling like she hadn't done in a long time, the warmth in Julia's face reflected the grace of a heart that has been saved from darkness. Captivated by that expression on Julia's face, Mrs. Dinora asked her to wait for her while she looked for something in her bedside drawer.
Asking her to close her eyes, Dinora carefully took Julia's hair and gathered it behind her neck while the sound of a latch closing was heard. A brass brooch in the shape of a butterfly rested on the burnished brown of her hair.
-"Dinora, is this?"
-"Yes my girl, a farewell gift" - Giving each other a hug, the two women realized that it would probably be the last time they would see each other. After the banquet, Dinora and Margarita would be far from the heavy walls of the royal palace. Leaving Julia in that prison where she would see the years of her life consumed.
"I have to go" - Feeling heavy heart, Julia gently said goodbye to Dinora to go to the market before someone noticed her absence.
The flea market in the capital's square was the most popular place for commoners and servants of the nobility. Concentrating products from different parts of the world, it was a place that totally captivated the senses.
From the aroma of oriental street food and spices, to the vivid color of imported fabrics, the flea market had everything a person could imagine.
From the troubadours singing verses near the fountain, to the street performer practicing illusionism, such a sight was a delight to the eyes no matter which way one looked. During the time she served as royal guard, Julia rarely left the palace except for Prince Raphael's personal errands. Who had a predilection for mint and honey candies that were sold at the market.
"Miss, miss, come over and see if you like something!" Julia was trying to cover her bondage mark with a cloak she had taken from the stables. Firmly pressing the cloth to his chest, in order to pass through the crowd without that ominous emblem being seen.
Arranged on a carpet on the floor, a large number of rag dolls with hair of different colors towards a rainbow that could captivate the eye of any girl who sees them.
Thinking of the doll Margarita slept with, Julia thought that a doll would be the best idea for a birthday present for the girl. Bending down to reach one of the dolls for a better view, one of the passers-by stepped on the hem of the cloak, exposing the slavery mark to the merchant's view.
-"You are a slave! Get away from my post immediately. I have nothing to sell you."
– "Please, it is for a birthday present. I'll pay you double."
– "I told you that I have nothing to sell you. Get out!" – Violently pushing Julia towards the crowd, the young woman felt that she collided with the chest of a man who was standing behind her.
-"So sorry!"
"Are you apologizing to me for crashing? Or is it something else you feel you should apologize for?" – That man's face was covered and his head had a black cape that highlighted the tone of his skin. But that voice was unmistakable for Julia, who felt her heart beating so hard that, being so close to him, she could be heard with some effort.
-"Re..." - Bringing her hand to her mouth to silence her, Rafael took Julia firmly while throwing two silver coins at the feet of the seller to take the doll that the young woman was looking at.
Moving quickly through the crowd until he reached the trees of the central park, Rafael released the young woman, who fell to the ground on her knees in front of him, clutching her cape begging for mercy.
"Seeing you as a skittish rabbit has become boring for me. So much so that it would sound strange for me to say it, but I miss the days when you challenged me with your eyes when I thought you were a man" – Lowering the scarf from his face, Rafael had a smile different from his usual sinister way. To Julia, it was as if someone else was wearing the face of the king.
For a few days, Rafael had stopped drinking the tea that the maid served him to help him fall asleep at night. Feeling how his character changed to a more relaxed tone, the monarch continued pouring the tea into the fireplace, making him believe that he was drinking it. Well, he was beginning to suspect that something strange was happening behind his back.
"Here, wasn't this what you were trying to buy?" – Throwing the doll into his arms, Rafael pulled a cloth bag from the side of his belt, from which he took a small mint candy that he put in his mouth and began to savor.
-"Do you still like mint and honey candies?" - Afraid that the man in front of her was acting, Julia said those words with a shyness that she had never experienced before. It wasn't fear what he felt inside his being, but something more strange that caused a tingle when talking to him.
"Wake up Julia! This man was the one who brought my father to ruin. He is responsible for your hands being full of blood" – The young woman thought to herself that crude truth, trying to deny that feeling that confused her heart.
"The palace is currently very busy. If you arrive alone and they discover that you ran away, you know that the punishment is twenty lashes. With all the dignitaries who have come to stay in the palace, not even I as king could protect you" – Despite being the most powerful man in the kingdom, it was that same power that tied him in many ways to his behavior. A king who cannot follow the very laws that emanated from his onslaught, in the eyes of the nobles, was someone who would not have the moral capacity to demand that they be complied with.
Aware of the heavy burden, Julia nodded to her lord and proceeded to escort him back to the palace in the carriage that was waiting a few meters from the park. Looking at him for moments without realizing it, the young woman observed the melancholic countenance of the king while the carriage circulated through the streets of the capital.
From the talks she used to have with the princess in the past, Elena had expressed concern about her brother's sudden change in behavior in childhood. After the queen's death, the two princes had been left in the care of a governess who had been recommended by a nobleman whose name she could not remember. Being that point where Rafael's demeanor gradually changed to the point where everyone currently knew him.
"On the day of the banquet I want you to be by my side serving me. I'll have my assistant prepare some clothes for the occasion and a prosthetic eye. Do not separate yourself from me for a moment that day" – That order took Julia by surprise, who being a slave never thought that she would be allowed to attend the royal banquet as a servant.
Without a doubt, the change in Rafael's behavior coincided with the fact that he stopped drinking the tea that was served to him at night.
"!My Sir! Please, follow me this way" – The king's assistant had a pale face, as if he had just seen something that could disturb his lord's good spirits.
-"What happen? Can't I, being the king, go freely through my palace?
- "My Lord, Count Solera has applied the law on the ownership of slaves and has killed the royal cook"
-"What have you said?" – Quickly getting down from the carriage while taking Julia by the arm, the king hurriedly walked through the corridors that led to the palace kitchen. Feeling for an instant how the temperature in Julia's skin dropped to the point of looking like a walking corpse.
-"What's happening to you? Why are you pale?
"Margarita… Dinora" – Seeing how she squeezed the doll she was holding in her arms, the king realized that this gift was for the girl he had protected from Count Solera days ago.
"Sebastian! Take her to my chambers right now and do not allow anyone besides me to enter. It is an order" – The king's assistant agreed to his lord's command, taking Julia by the arm, taking her slowly to Rafael's chambers.
Seeing her dismayed face, the monarch preferred that the young woman move away from his side as he continued on his way to the kitchen.
Arriving at the place, Rafael's gaze was completely lost in the scene that was in front of him. The place was completely scrambled, as if a fight had broken out inside that room. Wheat flour along with other foods was scattered on the floor until it reached the door of a room. Where Solera remained leaning against the door frame, holding his hand to his chest trying to stop the bleeding caused by a kitchen knife.
-"Solera! What has happened in this place? Answer to me!"
-"My lord, days ago I had an altercation with your slave who protected the girl who lived in the kitchen. You didn't let me explain at the time, but that girl was familiar to me because of her face.
It was the same face of a slave who had run away from my farm four years ago. Suspecting that it was the daughter of my slave, I asked the cook to uncover her left arm to check that the mark was there." – Lifting the sheet that was placed on the bed, the bodies of Dinora and Margarita remained embracing, bathed in blood.
From the torn fabric of the sleeve of her dress, the mark of slavery with the symbol of a fleur de liz could be seen . The heraldry of the Solera family was irrefutable proof that she was a slave.
"But why did you kill her? Why also the girl? – Visibly upset by the shock of seeing the bodies, Rafael took a few steps back while trying to maintain his composure in the face of such an unpleasant event.
"As you can see, the maid, when she was discovered, went after me with the kitchen knife. That is why I defended myself with my sword, proceeding according to the law before commoners who wound a nobleman. But unfortunately, she was holding my property at the time I swung my sword" – Referring so coldly about the girl, the king couldn't stand Solera's behavior anymore. Grabbing him hard by the neck crashing him against the wall.
-"My lord, being the king will not keep the proper compliance with the law? Won't you watch over my interests as your loyal subject?"
-"It is due to your services that I do you the favor of not sinking my sword into your chest at this time"
"It would be a pity, my lord, if the assembled witnesses witnessed such deplorable behavior of a king towards his subjects and laws. But if I am also doing him the favor of covering up his slave. Since she was an accomplice in hiding the fugitive" – Whispering those words so that only Rafael would hear them, Solera smiled cynically at the king, who was aware that the fate that awaited Julia would be to be beheaded if that secret was known.
"My king, I will continue to serve you loyally, no matter the circumstances. Just as you will continue to listen to me, even though you don't want to" – Releasing his neck allowing him to breathe more relaxed, Solera ordered the guards to take the bodies of the executed women and wrap them so that they would not be seen by the eyes of the invited dignitaries. .
Feeling guilty deep in his heart, the king ordered the servants to leave the kitchen, collapsing on the floor next to the bed where until a few moments ago Margarita and her aunt had been.
Carrying his hands on the floor trying to stand up, his fingers collided with an object that was lying near the bed. Taking it firmly, he could see that it was a rag doll that was stained by Solera's shoe prints.
"Julia! I must go see her" – Coming back to his senses after losing his temper, the king hurried to his chambers opening the doors wide.
On the bed, holding the musical sphere, Julia listened to the melody produced by the cylinder inside her. That melody was a lullaby, the same one that Margarita came to hum.
Sensing that something was not right, Rafael approached the young woman, who had a distant look as if the brightness in her had been extinguished.
"Julia! Answer to me! Julia!" - Holding her hands tightly trying to come back to herself, Rafael felt his heart was going to see that the maiden did not react to his voice.
After a brief moment, Julia came out of her trance and turned to see Rafael with her eyes shedding tears that did not stop flowing.
-"Edmund! What I am going to do? If they find out I'm a woman I'll have to leave the academy. They'll even kill me."
"Who is Edmund? Julia, react!" – Desperate to see her in that trembling state, Rafael hugged Julia trying to make her come back to herself. Being surprised by the touch of her lips.
"I can only trust you Edmundo" - Kissing him firmly, Julia held Rafael's neck. Who stunned without knowing how to react to that situation, still experiencing the aftermath of having seen the bodies of the maid and the girl, surrendered bitterly to the warmth of lips that did not pronounce his name.
For so many years, the monarch had been in love with Julia without caring that it was a man. Since that day in the mansion when he snatched that musical sphere from her, Rafael had awakened his feelings for the young woman. Seeking to keep her by his side in any way, like a child who has seen the vastness of the ocean for the first time.
That warmth of her skin that pierced the thin fabric of her clothes, made Rafael surrender to the young woman, laying her down on the bed. Bringing her hands under the fabric to her chest, hearing a moan in response to her touch.
-"Edmund! Tell me you're going to protect me."
– "Yes, as long as I live I will protect you. Julia" – A pang pierced the broken heart of the monarch, who felt guilty for taking the flower of innocence from that young woman. At the same time he shed tears when he saw that she gave herself to him thinking about another man, feeling like a thief taking something that wasn't his.
Due to the damage that the drugs put in the tea for so many years had affected his emotions and affections, making him a more visceral than rational man, Rafael let the flesh rule the passion on his bed. Consummating the union with Julia by depositing his seed in her womb.
Hours passed while the sun fell over the horizon until nightfall, time in which, like animals that follow their instincts, Julia and Rafael gave themselves to each other, remaining exhausted on the bed sheets, stained by the blood of the virtue of the maiden.
"My lord, is it propitious for me to enter?" - On the other side of the door of the room, Sebastian's voice was heard a little dismayed waiting for his master's response. Taking a dressing gown from his closet, Rafael got dressed and incidentally covered Julia's naked nudity with the sheets.
-"What's wrong Sebastian?"
- "Sir, Miss Berenice has requested an audience for tomorrow before the banquet is held"
- "The daughter of Count Solera?"
-"Yes my lord. He says that it is an urgent matter to deal with regarding the delegates who will participate in the banquet" – Being the person in charge of coordinating the affairs of the diplomatic mission to be held, it was normal for Rafael that Miss Berenice asked to see him.
Having her in a different concept from her father, he saw her as a reliable and capable woman to handle such matters.
-"Alright. Tell her I'll see her two hours before the banquet."
-"As my lord orders" - Closing the door, Rafael directed his gaze towards the bed where Julia was fast asleep. Still thinking of the hours they had shared, he leaned to one side not daring to lay a hand on her.
"Mother, what would you think of me if you saw what I have become? – Bringing his hand to his face, Rafael exhaled deeply and proceeded to turn off the light of the lamp.