With the banquet taking place in the great hall, the palace servants and maidens had gathered at the venue to serve the guests. Leaving a good part of the castle deserted, where occasionally some nobles were seen who took advantage of the noise to sneak away and give rein to their libertine behavior.
So it was not suspicious to casual glances to see Count Solera accompanied by a woman, already intoxicated by the liquor and ready for the desires of the flesh.
"It seems that tonight everyone is having fun inside the palace" - Exclaimed the head of the merchants' union, while he gave a mocking laugh at the debauchery of those who called themselves nobles.
That scathing comment resulted in an injury to Solera, who limited himself to giving him a grimace of a smile containing his anger.
Arriving at one of the back doors of the palace, a soldier who was on duty stopped them when he saw that one of the men was carrying a palace servant. When he saw that the man accompanying the hooded man was Count Solera, the guard abandoned his position and made way for them until they reached an old wagon pulled by two horses.
Throwing the maid inside the car, the hooded man grabbed Julia's arm, who kept her hands clinging to the doll that Rafael bought.
-"Solera, you did not tell me that this slave was retarded"
– "It is not my dear partner, the real doctor diagnosed her and she only suffers from a trauma. But with time he will recover" – With a skeptical look on Solera's nervous face, the hooded man kept his hand on his pistol holster trying to intimidate him to check that he wasn't lying.
"I'll believe you just because of the fact that we've made deals in the past. But if I have any loss, I'll charge it on any future deal we have" – Leaving his hostile posture, the hooded man again held Julia and put her on the car, closing the door with a padlock.
Departing from the palace courtyards, the carriage began its journey through the cobbled streets of the royal capital. Just like in the palace, in the streets the commoners celebrated festivals with total hubbub between lampposts, food and liquor.
The sounds of the laughter of the passers-by, the street music and the smell of the food, reached the interior of the car, causing the servant to wake up from her lethargy by the swaying of the carriage.
"Where we are?" – Putting a hand to her head, still stunned by the hooded man's assault, the maid looked around her, dismayed at the situation she found herself in.
"Who are you? Let me out of here!" – Clinging to the bars of a window that communicated with the front of the carriage, the servant hit her face trying to convince her captors to release her. But all their pleas were in vain, only causing one of the men in front to close the window, leaving them completely in the darkness of the car.
The sound of the horses' hooves hitting the cobblestones became a dull echo after a few hours. That vehicle had left the residential area of the great capital, to make its way through the dirt roads that communicated with the rural environment.
While the maid was on her knees on the floor of the car, imploring a god to whom her pleas would never reach, Julia was prostrated on one of the benches inside the carriage. Indifferent, as imperturbable as days ago she was lost in her thoughts.
As the sun began to break through the dawn, the carriage stopped dead at the neighing of the horses in response to the bridle.
With dark circles on her face under her eyes reddened from crying, the maid kept her gaze in the direction of the carriage door as if searching for an opportunity to escape.
On the other side, the voices of the hooded men seemed to be arguing over some matter regarding what they called disparagingly as merchandise.
-"We must call Demetrius first, you know very well that he is the only one who knows how to contact the nobles for the auctions. If Demetrius finds out you're acting on your own, he…"
-"Demetrius, Demetrius, Demetrius! You already have me fed up with your babbling, Rubén! Have you perhaps forgotten who is in charge here?
– "Gabriel, you know that I have always followed you in your plans! But if Demetrius finds out that you are pretending to be him" – Just as the door began to open, as if it were a beast trying to escape from its hunters, the maiden threw herself against the door board.
Due to the surprise caused by that situation, Rubén fell to the ground on his hips while the maiden jumped to try to run as soon as her feet touched the ground. Blinded by the glare of daylight, the maiden raised her arms to eye level, trying to see the path ahead of her in the clarity of the light.
A countryside surrounded by a thick forest, where the meadow seemed desolate except for an abandoned farm that stood imposingly on the plain.
"Where do you think you're going you fucking bitch!" – Pulling violently by her hair, Gabriel took the maid furiously, knocking her to the ground while resting her knee against the maid's fragile back. Who gave a cry of pain as he felt how part of his spine was injured by the weight of his captor.
"Damn Ruben, stop rubbing your ass and come help me with this slut!" – Screaming at the top of his lungs in the deserted field, Gabriel cursed his partner who ran to where he was to tie up the maiden and take her inside.
Spitting on the ground while scratching the back of his neck, Gabriel returned his steps to the car where Julia was still. Leaning on the door frame, that man pushed himself in, placing himself next to the young woman, who he took by the hip and proceeded to carry her out of the carriage.
- "Hey Gabriel, why do you treat that girl who looks flawed differently and treat the other beauty as if she was worth nothing? They would pay more for her than for this…"
"Ha, you are an idiot! This cutie will make us filthy rich and you're thinking of that cheap thing. Take a good look at the emblem marked on his chest!" – Uncovering the torn fabric at the neckline of the dress, the mark of the royal family of Antioca looked as fresh as the day it was placed on her pale skin.
Seeing it, Rubén effusively nodded to Gabriel with a smile from ear to ear, savoring in advance the immense amount of gold that the nobles of Begonia would pay to possess it.
"Take it along with the other one and tell Marcos to prepare the hardware on the coals. And let Matilde know that she is ready to fix these two sluts for tonight's auction" – Leading the tied young women almost dragging their feet through the mud, the men talked about their plans until they reached the mansion.
Without the slightest chance to escape, the maidens and Julia were thrown into a cell in the basement below the mansion. Inside it, a group of young people were tied against the walls with their arms outstretched deprived of all mobility.
The looks on their faces were dull, their expressions like that of a china doll languishing on a shelf gathering dust.
"Prepare first time. Hold her tightly by the arms and put a gag on her so she doesn't swallow her tongue." – A robustly built man with an abundant beard that contrasted with the baldness of his head, held the red-hot iron in front of the maid who screamed for mercy as they bare their chest to place the burning metal.
The smell of charred meat bathed in the maid's sweat mingled with the stench of the stale basement air as her screams drowned in the limestone walls. As the iron peeled away from the lacerated flesh, the maid fell unconscious to the ground with blank eyes and her mouth open.
The young women who were imprisoned there had already lived and seen that spectacle several times, making them lose all sense of surprise. Without shedding a single tear, knowing that such destiny was shared by all of them and the unfortunate woman who came through those doors.
When Julia's time came, Marcos ordered them to turn her over to place the ironwork on the slave's back, since he did not want to accidentally damage the mark that gave it its considerable value for the auction.
"It's a nice skin! It is so white as snow that I feel sorry for putting another brand on it. But business is business" – With an unprecedented viciousness, Marcos pressed the red-hot iron on Julia's back. Who, due to the immense pain that caused him to feel the scorching heat of the metal on his spine, woke up from the lethargy in which his mind was plunged. Giving a scream that resembled the scream of a woman giving birth.
"Okay, it's ready. Take all these beauties to Matilde so she can clean and tidy them up. That woman is an artist with makeup, she will hide how emaciated these slaves look" – Taking Julia by the chin, the cruel executioner looked at the face of his victim licking his lips like a wolf that has seen a rabbit.
"Put more force in the hips, keep your back straight and launch the rapier with the weight of your body" - Under a blue spring sky, when the leaves of the trees begin to recover their green, two young men practiced their fencing in the fields surrounding the military academy.
-"You are not going to give me a break, Edmundo"
-"I don't know, would you do it, Andrés?" – After learning Julia's secret, Edmundo had fully committed himself to the task of protecting her inside and outside the walls of the academy. Spending their days as two good friends, sharing their concerns and wishes for the future.
Feeling relieved to have someone who did not judge her for her secret, Julia had found in Edmundo that oasis that her thirsty soul longed for with all her heart. The months that followed that day seemed like a dream to the young woman. Who came to smile from the depths of his heart, as he had time not to have done.
"Hey Julia. Julia! Wake up, I can't believe that on a day like today you want to stay in bed" - With just a few rays of sun peeking over the horizon, Edmundo shook Julia's shoulder trying to make her get up.
The still sleepy young woman rubbed her eyelids trying to clear her vision, seeing a blurred silhouette on one side of the bed holding a box.
-"It hasn't dawned yet. What do you want, Edmundo?
-"Happy Birthday!" – Unable to remember the last time someone congratulated her on her birth, Julia opened her eyes in surprise at Edmundo's smiling face. Who stood firm in front of her giving her the box in her hands.
A long box wrapped in olive green paper and adorned with a gold bow, provoked Julia's curiosity, who glanced at Edmundo's impatient expression.
Carefully opening the folds of the paper without tearing it, the young woman unwrapped the box, leaving the ribbon aside. The anxiety that overwhelmed her with every second of anticipation made her fingers tremble as she lifted the lid of the box.
-"Edmund, what is this supposed to be?"
-"A dress. Don't you see it?"
-"! Why am I seeing it is that I ask you. Is it a joke? Get out of the room!"
- "But Julia?"
-"Go away!" – Throwing the box to the floor, Julia sat on the bed bending her legs to cover her face. Edmund, seeing her in that state, remained silent and left the room fulfilling his partner's wish.
For Julia, who had lived her whole life longing to be able to wear the same clothes as other girls her age, the very idea of having a dress was something she could not afford due to the iron scrutiny of her father.
After an hour that the house was silent, the young woman looked up to see the dress that was lying on the floor.
A beautiful dress with ruffles and ribbon at the waist in sky blue, accompanied by a pair of matching gloves. Without a doubt, the fabric of that dress and the workmanship seemed designer; costly even for a marquis's son's grant, coupled with being despised by his own father.
"I'm rubbish!" – Getting up from the bed and taking the dress from the floor, Julia took off her nightgown and dressed with that beautiful gift. Seeing in the mirror how the silhouette of the dress clung to the contour of her body from the waist and back, she turned around causing the hem of the skirt to rise up like an umbrella.
"What's that?" – Looking curiously at Edmund's bed, there were still two gift-wrapped boxes that had been prepared by the noble knight. In one was a pair of slippers that matched the dress, while in the other, a hat and a wig of long black hair was laid out for a costume.
Completing the outfit, the young woman opened the door of the room and carefully walked down the stairs until she reached the first floor where Edmundo was sitting in an old armchair.
"So sorry. You deprived yourself of many things for me to make this gift and I treated you unfairly" – Hugging him from the neck and kissing him gently on the cheek, Julia realized that Edmundo had a sincere expression of pain in his eyes.
– "I did not think well about your feelings. The one who should apologize is me and not you."
-" Shhh , don't say anything else. Just take my hand and take me to eat" - Smiling candidly, Julia's eyes sought Edmundo's, who nodded and took her by the arm as an escort out the back door that led to the alley so as not to be seen.
"Come on, what are you waiting for, bring her to the bench and sit her down so I can do her makeup" - A somewhat harsh female voice from years of being a compulsive smoker, made Julia open her eyes once again.
Looking bewildered around her, the walls with an old navy blue wallpaper peeling off and the aroma of tobacco permeating the air, made the young woman see that she was no longer in the palace.
The last memory she had was of Rafael telling his assistant to take her to his chambers, leaving her in total darkness as soon as she followed him a few steps.
Unable to react properly, the slave stood still looking at herself in the dressing table mirror while Matilde passed the blush over her face while she puffed on her cigarette.
– "Okay, all set. Are you ready for the big night?
-"Great night?"
– "Little one, you are in an auction house. Dozens of nobles from Begonia often come to this mansion to buy some concubine. Some girls are lucky and are bought by good nobles, while others…" – Pausing, lowering her eyes, Matilde took a deep drag on her cigarette while shaking her head with a deep feeling of sorrow.
-"Take this. It may be your good luck charm" – Placing in Julia's hands the rag doll that Rafael had bought her at the capital's flea market, Matilde leaned over giving a kiss on the forehead of the young woman who looked at her incredulously.
"It's time" - Opening the door of the room, a hooded man with the crest of the merchant union entered by Julia to escort her to the events room. Walking through the corridors of the mansion, the aroma of burning candle wax mixed with the subtle fragrance of the jasmine perfume with which Matilde had prepared it.
"Stay here with the rest and don't try anything crazy" - Leaving Julia with the rest of the young women in a pavilion near a stage, the hooded man left, locking the door.
Looking carefully around her, the faces of the young girls who had been diligently made up by Matilde, gave the appearance of ladies who were about to make their debut to society. There was no doubt that this woman was a skilled makeup artist who managed to get the best look out of any face, even those that were marked like Julia's.
"Distinguished gentlemen of the principality of Begonia, it is an honor for the merchant union to bring to you the following items for tonight's auction. Without a doubt, the beauties that you will see parade on stage will be able to captivate your hearts. And for the grand finale, we will have a very gratifying surprise prepared for you" – The voice of the announcer reverberated so intensely in the acoustics of that stage, only being overshadowed by the thunder of applause from those attending the event.
Just finished the welcome speech, the auction began with the first girl who was brought to the center of the dais.
The nobles present had their faces covered with masks decorated like a carnival, with drawn smiles leaving small tails at eye level. Some with well-shaped silhouettes that stood out in their suits, gave the impression of being nobles who came from a lineage of skilled knights in combat. Many others showed in their waists the abundance of food and comfortable life that they used to enjoy.
That motley hue of characters bid incipient amounts ranging from 10 to 200 gold doubloons for the first young woman in the auction. Closing the bid at close to 300 doubloons, it was given to a nobleman with a graceful appearance and whose countenance in his eyes looked like that of a person without malice.
The second to be auctioned was the servant who came from the palace along with Julia, who remained trembling before the eyes of the men who began to bid up to a thousand gold pieces, just knowing that it was a woman who served him to his majesty Raphael.
The two men who bid the most at that time were well known for being exiled noblemen from Antioch ; Bloodthirsty men who enjoyed torturing their concubines, knowing that the woman in front of them belonged to the corps of maidens of the royal family, did not hesitate to raise the amount until it reached five thousand gold pieces.
When the mallet of the master of ceremonies hit the table, closing the offer, it did not matter who the young servant ended up with, since her tragic destiny was already marked in blood.
The auction continued for a few more hours until it was time for the main event. Just as the announcer said at the beginning of the auction, the most desirable product was walking onto the stage with her beautiful face veiled at eye level.
The initial bidding began with thirty thousand pieces of gold, rising drastically from a thousand to a thousand before the rampant strength of the greedy nobles who yearned to possess the woman who belonged to his majesty Raphael.
The figures accumulated until they reached the sum of five hundred thousand gold coins to the delight of Gabriel, who was behind a pillar in the enclosure observing the auction in silence.
"I offer six hundred thousand gold coins!" - Just when the deck was about to close the offer, a voice was heard loudly from one of the balconies reserved for the highest ranking nobles.
Unlike the nobles who were at the forum level, the bids of the nobles on the balconies were considered closing bids. Only the nobles on the balconies could continue to bid from then on, leaving the nobles on the forum unable to continue.
"Sold to Duke Voltaire!" - With a shout the announcer closed the offer granting that man the right to claim Julia as his property.
Directing her gaze in the direction of the nobleman on the balcony, Julia noticed that the man did not take his eyes off her as she was escorted into the halls of the mansion.
"The duke ordered that you take her to his room. He will be waiting for her, hurry up" – The master of ceremonies firmly took the shoulder of one of the guards, whispering it in his ear, emphasizing that he should not allow any of the nobles present to see the slave going up the stairs.
Covering the woman with a sack, the guard took her around the waist and shifted her weight onto his shoulder as he made his way to Duke Voltaire's room.
- "Sir, I have brought it as you requested"
– "Leave her and go right now. Let no one bother me tonight" – Removing the sack from her, the young woman stood in the middle of the room illuminated by the lights of many candles placed around it.
In front of her, a man of considerable height with his face covered, stood firm looking at the window, turning his back on the young woman; who, feeling attracted by an air of familiarity, slowly approached him.
"How many years has it been since I last saw you? I feel like it was yesterday that I saw you in a dress just like that. Without a doubt, sky blue always favored you" – That last sentence that man pronounced completely shook every fiber of Julia's being, who brought her hands closer to her face, placing them on the mask , longing to remove it as she did that year with the gift wrap.
-"Edmund!"
-"It was many years without hearing from you, my dear friend" - Taking the girl's hands, Edmundo smiled with that purity of the years spent in the academy.
His face marked by the relief of scars resulting from countless battles as a mercenary, was drenched in tears of joy as he contemplated in front of him the woman he had carried every day deep in his heart.
Hugging her around the waist, holding her tightly against his chest, Edmundo rested his head on Julia's shoulder. Who cried at the top of his lungs as he pressed his hands against the back of that man he thought he would only see again through dreams.
The light from the candles that illuminated the room cast the shadows of those two bodies made one by that embrace, an embrace that broke the barriers of time and distance.