Yasmin couldn't breathe, she felt like she was suffocating. Her chest hurts and she could feel the back of her blouse sticking to her skin uncomfortably due to the sheer amount of sweat she was producing. She was currently seated in a carriage across from lord Javier who didn't stop looking at her from the moment they both got inside and started their journey to the Augusta estate. Yasmin had been looking down all this time to avoid making eye contact with the man but her neck was starting to hurt from the angle. She decided that her next best option was to stare out the carriage window, the sun was beginning to set and it lit the sky with an array of colours. The pink and orange hues brought a slight calm to Yasmin's overworked mind.
She found herself releasing a small breath, her shoulders slouching, her body achieving a semi relaxed state. Her position caused the little light left in the sky to reflect in her eyes, the melted gold becoming swirls of colours. Javier took great notice of the little detail, his eyes narrowing further on the servant's face. The first thing he noticed was the glasses, round lens rimmed by brass frames. They were surprisingly in good condition for a slave. Her hair was a thick mess of tight curls loosely pulled back into a low bun, a few stray curls had managed to escape its hold and now frame around her hairline randomly. Her eyes were a light amber that was slightly slanted upwards resembling that of a cat's, her nose was small and slightly flat, similar to a button. There was a curve to her upper lip– a cupid's bow, while her lower lip was slightly chapped and had shallow indents mostly likely from her teeth.
Yasmin's features weren't necessarily outstanding but they were above average for a slave. She may not be the kind to stay on your mind after seeing her once but you will have a second glance in order to appreciate her looks more.
"Little one," Yasmin tried not to frown at the name as she looked away from the window to face the duke. She was sure that she was older than him. "Have you got a name?"
"It's Yasmin, my lord."
Javier hummed in thought, "not bad, we won't need to change it. Though that's for my dear sister to decide."
Yasmin stayed silent, it was best not to talk unless asked a question in these situations. She also hoped lord Javier didn't speak with her much, he was the kind to ask unnecessary questions to try and rile you up for his own amusement. However, it seems luck wasn't on her side.
"You're from the south right? I mean ofcourse you are– it's quite obvious," at that he gestured his hands towards Yasmin's appearance. "Were you born there or did you grow up here?"
Yasmin hesitated for a moment, afterall she wasn't actually from the south, it was just the best cover story. Though now would be the best time to add more details to it.
"...I was born and raised in the south." For now it was best if she didn't give too much information. Just answering the question straight forward was the best choice.
"Oh, so were your parents slaves?"
"They weren't…."
"So you weren't born a slave?"
"I wasn't…"
Javier hummed, "that would explain your speech….you speak well for a slave."
Again, Yasmin remained silent. 'Stop asking me shit, dammit'.
As if her thoughts were heard by the gods, lord Javier didn't ask anymore questions. The carriage fell back into complete silence except for the sound of hooves and wheels rolling over dirt and gravel. She soon felt herself growing drowsy but she refused to fall asleep, especially in the presence of this psycho. Eventually, Yasmin went back to staring out the window. It kept her mind occupied and dulled out the call of sleep, soon she zoned out completely. Time flies when your mind is floating and soon enough they arrive at the Augusta Estate.
Yasmin's mind jolted back to reality when she felt the carriage stopped. She was a little confused at first when she looked around and saw that she was now somewhere new and that the sky had turned dark. The trip to the dukedom wasn't a short one and would naturally take up a whole day or more if they decided to make stops. Yasmin guessed that they had used a terminal; a magic shortcut of sorts. It must have happened while she was completely zoned out, she quickly brushed off the feeling of confusion before turning her attention towards lord Javier who was still seated before her, a book now in his hand. She wondered when he had pulled it out but soon shrugged off the thought.
The carriage door was then opened and Javier gently closed his book before getting off the carriage. He looked back at Yasmin once he saw her still seated.
"We have arrived little one, come on down." He raised a brow, "Or are you waiting on me to help you?"
Yasmin resisted the urge to flip him off and quickly scurried off the carriage. She began to look around as soon as her feet touched the ground, bright eyes scanning the surroundings with curiosity. The few knights that had escorted them stood off to the side quietly awaiting their next orders, Yasmin briefly glanced over at them before looking back at the building in front of her. The place was massive, it was practically a castle. She couldn't make out all the colours and designs due to the darkness of night though the many lamps provided enough light to see the walkway that was lined off with servants on both sides.
"Welcome back your grace." They all said in union while doing bows and curties. Yasmin was a little creep out by the perfect synchrony, she looked down at their heads as she walked by behind Javier. She soon entered through large doors leading to a very spacious ballroom, double spiralling staircases facing her from the opposite side.
Everything was bright and sparkling, and very very…
Gold.
It was everywhere, from the railings of the stars, to the frames on the walls, even the high ceilings. One can clearly see the obvious wealth of the Augusta family. Marquess Williams wasn't lacking in wealth but compared to the Duke….
"Welcome back your grace," a young man greeted with a slight bow before straightening his posture and placing his hands behind his back, "how was your visit to Marquess Williams manor?"
Yasmin was so busy ogling the interior of the duke's manor that she had failed to notice the additional presences in the room. She looked around to see that the servants from outside had made their way inside, along with additional servants that were already waiting on the inside. Yasmin then glanced over at the man who had just spoken, he looked young- most likely in his middle twenties or older. His chestnut brown hair was fluffy atop his head and his teal green eyes looked shimmery under the bright lights of the crystal charged lamps that were placed in every corner of the manor. He had a delicate appearance but Yasmin could bet that under that perfectly pressed steward uniform were compact muscles due to years of harsh training.
Javier hummed before looking over at Yasmin, "I guess you could say it was fruitful…"
Sedrick followed Javier's line of sight before stopping at Yasmin who stood quietly behind him. His sole attention was on his lord that he hadn't even noticed the young servant girl behind him. No– actually he had noticed her but had assumed she was a servant working here. Now that he was paying full attention to her he noticed the difference, her uniform which was that of the Williams monor. The wisteria purple blouse, the colour of the royal family. Due to the marquess being the nephew of the king he was given the right to wear and use the colour as his own.
"Oh?" Sedrick finally said, his raised eyebrow reflecting his confusion.
Javier chuckled, "I'll explain it to you later." He then turned to face Yasmin, "Are you tired?"
'Yes'
"No, my lord"
Javier's lips curved up into a menacing grin, "Wonderful."
Immediately, Yasmin regrets her answer.
She watched as lord Javier turned to a group of servants standing to the side, their expressions eager to serve their lord.
"Take her to the branding chamber, I'll be there in a moment."
"Yes, your grace."
Yasmin was then held by both her arms as servants flanked her from each side. Without even giving her the chance to process what Javier just said, they began dragging her further into the manor. Yasmin's mind rushed to caught up with what was happening, when it finally did one word stood out from Javier's statement that made everything clicked.
Branding.
He was going to brand her.
'No no no no no no-' She immediately started panicking, trying to weigh herself down so the servants would have a hard time dragging her but her efforts were futile. She even tried pulling her arms free but once again had no luck.
It seems like that was a common occurrence these days for her; having no luck. And to her dismay she arrived at the branding chamber sooner than she thought. She was breathing roughly and sweating at her temples by the time she arrived, she had put up a fight along the way but the servants were as determined to restrain her as she was to getting away.
When Yasmin was brought into the room her nose immediately scrunched from the overwhelming smell of copper and rust. She was too busy trying not to gag to notice when the servants released her to quickly push her onto a metal table. Yasmin tried to pull herself up only to be pushed back down to lay flat on her stomach and held into place by too many hands, her hands and feet were quickly tied down by leather restraints before all the servants released their holds and backed away from Yasmin who was wildly pulling at the restraints. She wriggled and skirm, groaning out her frustration when all her attempts proved futile.
She even looked over to the servants with pleading eyes but they all just ignored her and kept their heads down. Just when she was gonna finally start cursing them out like a sailor, she heard footsteps coming from the direction of the door and along with it Lord Javier's voice sounded behind her.
"Ahh, I see that everything is already set up. Wonderful, wonderful." He said with a clap, his voice lace with excitement.
"Get the hearth going." He commanded with a wave of his hand.
Two servants immediately obeyed and Yasmin felt her heart drop to her stomach. She started fighting against the restraints once again, her hand and feet getting rubbed raw in the process, but she was too busy panicking to notice the pain.
"Hush now little one, you'll only end up hurting yourself." His tone was condescending and Yasmin didn't like the fact that she couldn't see his face.
"Let me go! I don't want this! Let me go!" Yasmin cried.
Javier only chuckled, "It's common knowledge that all slaves are branded by their owners." He reiterated as he slowly stepped around Yasmin, brushing his hands against her back. "It's just that you were lucky enough to be owned by Marquess Williams who's merciful to his servants."
He came to a stop in front of Yasmin before gripping her jaw and forcing her head up to meet his eyes. "But you now belong to me....and unfortunately, I don't share his stance for mercy."
Yasmin glared openly at him, her teeth clenched so hard that her jaw hurt. All her panic was replaced by burning rage, she hated this man, she hated him so much. It was the first time she felt such strong emotions since she entered this world. Even with everything that she'd seen and experienced, at the back of her mind there was that one thought that always resurfaced to ground her…
'It wasn't real.'
None of it was real to her, it's how she managed to accept everything so easily thinking that eventually she'll wake up from this wacky overly realistic dream. And with those beliefs, it's what gave her the courage to say her next words.
"Fuck you."
Javier's eyes went wide.
"What…..what did you just say to me?"
Yasmin kept glaring at him, her mouth now slowly spreading into a dark smile, "I said. Fuck. You."
Javier hold on her Jaw tightened, his eye now reflecting the bustling hearth and his lips twitching up into a deathly grin.
"Very well then."