-Nicolaie-
"Please, my King, I beg of you." Maddie pleaded, trapped in a corner of the room.
"You disobeyed me, Maddie. You broke the agreement, and now you want mercy?" I replied and locked her eyes with mine, forcing her to face my rage and accept the consequences of her actions.
"Please, I didn't mean to..."
"Lies, lies, lies," I said abruptly, getting sick of her explanations.
"Do you know what happens to liars and thieves, Maddie?" I asked and walked up to her. I grabbed her head, tilted it to the side, and scraped my teeth alongside her neck.
"Yes, my King, but plea..."
"Just shut up!" I grabbed her in my arms and sank my teeth into her neck, sucking the life out of her while hearing her last screams fade away.
Gah, it's so satisfying to feel the life drain out of a human, their warm blood pouring down my throat, feeling their soul just for a moment before they're gone, forever.
I left Maddie's lifeless body to fall to the floor.
She had been perfect; tragically, she let it all get to her head and thought she could double-cross me, her King, and get away with it.
"Guards!" I called and wiped my mouth, "Yes, my King?" Robert said upon entering the room.
"Get rid of her body, burn it, bury it, I don't care!" Yes, my king, " And Robert, Call a maid to clean the room." Robert nodded.
I walked through the castle, and every guard and maid bowed as I passed them, and I soughed of boredom.
All my girls were gone, dead - none of them had lasted more than a year, except for Maddie.
But Maddie, my blonde little angel, had gone behind my back, fucking one of the guards, and then she stole gold from me, amongst other things.
She thought she was untouchable and that I favored her too much to kill her. Big mistake.
-Dawn-
Everything had happened so fast. I knew I was leaving my family one day, but not like this.
I thought I would live on another farm, marry, and have kids, not head to join the King's harem. Whatever that meant.
I was sharing a carriage with four other girls and Lord Kotzu.
It could have been a more pleasant ride. But we were forbidden to speak.
The four girls and I kept our heads low and only spoke when questioned by the Lord.
We had been traveling for three days when we finally arrived at the castle after dark.
Lord Kotzu took the lead, and we followed him through the palace, which was dim and cold. Candles were lit along the halls we walked, and we were led into a room where the Lord left us after presenting us to six other women.
I was too nervous to remember the other women's names, but one of them stuck with me: Elena. She was beautiful. Long, brown hair and plump lips. Beautiful lashes framing her blue, almond eyes.
"Greetings, my ladies. My name is Donna, and I am the headmistress of this castle." Donna announced with a sharp tone. Her hair was dark, gathered in a slick updo, and covered with a black headscarf. She was dressed in a black dress, a simple dress with long sleeves and a deep cleavage that displayed her immense bosom.
The other women beside her had the same outfit and shared similar looks, cold and intimidating.
"This is Miss. Laura, Miss. Jane, Miss. Eva, Miss Eliza, and Miss. Olga. You will always address them with Miss and me as Mistress." Donna continued, and each woman nodded when presented.
"Now, here are the laws of etiquette expected from you: At the presentation to our King, kneel and remain until the King asks you to stand. When he asks you to stand up, you will address him as: 'My king.' You will only speak when asked to. You will obey orders from me and the King. You are forbidden to engage with the guards, other castle servants, or men passing you. You will speak truthfully when questioned. ." Donna eyed us up before she continued.
"You will always remain in your given room and are only permitted to go outside when escorted by your maid to various activities. These are the laws. If they are disobeyed, severe punishments will fall on you. But that's it for now, and you will learn with time. Each of you will be assigned your own maid now, and then we'll help you prepare for the meeting with the King in your given room." Donna handed each of us a maid, and I was paired with Miss. Olga.
"Come with me, my lady," Olga said, gesturing for me to walk with her. We left the room and walked down the hall, and then she opened the door to another room.
It was a big bedroom, even more significant than our house on the farm. The bed was huge, covered in deep, red satin with curtains hanging from the bed frame above.
Two big dressers stood tall, in dark wood, with beautiful carved patterns on the doorframe.
The bricked, gray walls were cold, and the floor was as well. I was speechless, which must be good since I didn't dare to utter a word, fearing I would get punished.
"Follow me for your bath, my lady," Olga said, walking into a connecting bathroom. A large, beautiful bathtub filled with hot, steaming water stood in the center of the room; it was beautiful, with a golden frame underneath it. "I prepared your bath before the meeting, my lady," said Olga, and I flinched when I felt her hands on my body, starting to undress me. "You need to be clean before meeting the King, my lady," Olga said when I stood naked before her. "Now, get in the water, my lady," Olga continued.
I sank into the water and clenched my jaw when it painfully burned my skin, not uttering a word in fear of reprimands.