Two weeks later.
Octavian studied the face of the girl standing in front of the gate.
The girl's head was bowed down. But he could see that she had an attractive appearance. Her milky white and smooth skin set her apart from most slaves. She also has a nice body, with long wavy hair that looked like silk.
Al in all, Octavian could say that eventhough the slave might not be a virgin, but she was well-maintained. The General would surely appreciate what was prepared for him. Octavian only hoped that the woman wasn't too fragile before Daemond finished playing with her.
"So you're the slave that was sent by the wife of District Chief Diggory Millys?" Octavian asked loudly.
The girl in front of him startled.
"Y-yes, Sir," she answered without lifting her head.
Octavian's eyebrows raised. Not good. General Daemond didn't like weak and easily frightened women.
"What's your name?"
"Annica, Sir."
Octavian observed Annica once again before deciding that it wasn't his concern whether the General liked the girl or not.
Right now, they were looking for a common slave not a bed slave to satisfy the General's sexual desires.
The man already had a string of women to satisfy his needs that was as big as his body.
What they needed was a servant. Someone to take care of the needs of the General's concubines. Perhaps an obedient woman was right for the position, considering how troublesome and difficult the concubines were to manage. Many of their servants had already quit because of those five concubines.
Octavian sighed. Since when did his job include dealing with household matters like this?
How he missed the days when peace was still far and all he could see was war. The days when he and Daemond were together, standing shoulder to shoulder against their enemies on the battlefield. Swords and chaos were more interesting than dealing with women and all their drama.
"All right then," Octavian said with a snort. "Follow me."
The young commander swung his hand, summoning Annica to follow him inside.
Half running, Annica followed Octavian's wide strides, who was already several steps ahead of her.
"As you can see, this house is very spacious," Octavian began his explanation as they passed through the field in front of the house. "There are three main buildings in this house. The front one is used for meetings, the second one for banquets, and the third one is the residence of the General with his concubines. The servants and soldiers have their own barracks around the main buildings."
"The General likes cleanliness," Octavian continued. "So make sure that things are always returned to their places after being used. The General also brings selected soldiers, scholars, and intellectuals with him. Mathematicians, scribes, and the smartest people working for the kingdom. As well as his five concubines. That's where you came in. Your task is to obey the concubines' orders and serve whatever they need. Do you understand?"
Octavian looked back and stopped abruptly when he saw that Annica was no longer following him and was now standing in front of one of the rooms peeking inside.
"Hey!" the man snapped.
Annica, who was gaping at some men in the finest silk clothes arranging rolls of paper in the cabinet, hurriedly ran towards Octavian.
"S-sorry, Sir," the girl answered. All this reminded her of her father's job. Wearing the finest silk clothes and working with rolls of paper all day long. Until the monster appeared and changed everything.
Annica quickly fixed her facial expression when she realized that the man in front of her was watching her. Fortunately, he seemed not to notice the anger that appeared in Annica's eyes and continued his steps.
"Quickly, now. I don't have all day."
Octavian continued his delayed explanation.
"Although the work here seems plenty and complicated, I hope you won't be careless in doing it. I don't want you to damage or lose valuable items in this house. The punishment you'll receive if that happens will be fatal. You could lose your head if any important documents or expensive vases disappear. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir," Annica quickly answered. She no longer paid attention to the words of the man walking in front of her because her eyes were now watching in all directions.
Wherever Annica looked, she saw faces. Men. Women. Guards standing with swords tucked at their waists. Palace servants now lifting kitchen utensils and tidying up. There were so many people bustling around her.
But out of all that, Annica didn't see the person she was looking for. She didn't see Daemond Sand.
It didn't matter. She just needed to be patient. She just needed to bow her head to avoid attracting anyone's attention while continuing to watch. She would remember the habits of that man and made note at his every move. Then, when he was alone. When he slept. When the guards outside his room left. She would find the weakness of that monster and kill him.
Annica knew that what she was about to do wasn't easy. Daemond Sand was the leader of the strongest army their kingdom had.
So, even if the chances of survival after her mission were very slim, Annica knew she wouldn't back down. Whether successful or not, she was ready to die.
Octavian's steps finally stopped when they reached the third large building in the residential complex.
"All right, we're here. I will take you to Lady Brianna, and she will take care of you," Octavian raised his hand and knocked on the door in front of him.
After a while, a woman in a servant's uniform opened the door and bowed when she saw Octavian.
"Commender," the woman greeted softly.
"Can I see Lady Brianna?" Octavian asked.
"Of course, Commender," the woman nodded and stepped aside from the door. "Please come in."
Octavian entered followed by Annica.
Once the servant closed the door and disappeared back inside, Annica glanced around the room they had just entered. There were still several wooden boxes in the corner of the room, probably containing unpacked items.
Annica was still eyeing all the things inside the room when five women finally emerged from inside. One more beautiful than the other.
When the last woman appeared, Annica could see that she was different from the others.
The other four women had beautiful faces, but the last woman appear to had an unusual… aura. Her chestnut hair hung loose behind her straight back, shiny and gleaming, while her elongated face was adorned with thin makeup that further accentuated her round eyes. She has long eyelashes and thick lips that looked perfect. Even the jewelry worn by the woman seemed more precious than the other four. Even before getting to know them, Annica could guess which one was the General's favorite.
"Good afternoon, Ladies," Octavian greeted, bowing his body towards the five women who appeared.
All five bowed to Octavian, but only one replied. The most beautiful woman among them.
"Good afternoon, Commender Octavianus. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Octavian lifted his head and looked towards the woman standing in front of him.
"I'm escorting the slave sent by District Chief Diggory Millys, Lady Brianna. General Daemond wants her to stay in this barracks to assist with the concubines' servants."
"Oh... right... I almost forgot. Ruth Millys said she would send the most beautiful slave from Savo for General Daemond. Is it this one?"
The woman's gaze instantly shifted from Octavian to Annica, who immediately lowered her gaze.
Annica didn't want to give the women any reason to hate her.
If there was one thing Annica learned during her five years living in Ruth Millys' house, it was not to challenge the authority of the lady of the house. All five, especially Lady Brianna, clearly had the power to make her life miserable. They could not only punish her, but also kicked her out from this place. So Annica was determined to control her emotions and do whatever was ordered of her. At least until her plan succeeded.
"Yes, Lady Brianna," Octavian replied.
"Ah... well then," Brianna nodded with a wide smile. "Thank you for escorting her here, Commander Octavianus."
The woman bowed and paid respect to Octavian once again, waiting until the man disappeared before lifting her head.
Annica thought her efforts to be in Lady Brianna's good graces had succeeded, but as soon as Octavian disappeared, Brianna's smile and all her kindness vanished.
The woman now stared at Annica like a snake eyeing a mouse.
"So..." Brianna stepped closer and circled around Annica standing in the middle of the room. "You're the slave prepared for General Daemond by the District Chief of Savo, huh?"
Briana stopped in front of Annica, who lowered her gaze and observed Annica from head to toe.
"What's your name, Slave?"
Annica raised her head and looked at Brianna's face before answering, "Annica, My Lady."
Annica saw Brianna's hand raised before a hard slap hit the side of Annica's face.
"Ah!" Annica exclaimed in shock, holding her burning cheek.
"Don't you dare lift your head when you speak to me, filthy Slave," Brianna growled, pointing her finger at Annica's face. "This might be allowed in Millys' residence, but I won't tolerate such insolence. Understand?"
Annica quickly lowered her head and nodded.
"I understand, my lady."
"Good," Brianna straightened her back and folded her hands on her chest. "You know, Annica, I'm quite good at judging someone's face. And judging by your face, you seem to be a whore. Are you a whore, Annica?"
Some women in the room chuckled softly.
Briana grabbed Annica's hair and pulled it hard when Annica didn't respond.
"Answer when you're asked, filthy slave. Are...you...a...whore?" Brianna repeated her question while the laughter from the other four women grew louder.
Annica winced as she shake her head. "No, I am not—"
"Wrong!" Brianna cut Annica's respons short. "Try again. Are.. you.. a… whore?"
Finally Annica nodded.
"Y-yes, My Lady. I'm a whore."
"Hmm... I thought so," Brianna smiled and began pulling Annica out. "Follow me."
"W-where are we going, My Lady?" Annica asked, feeling uneasy.
But Brianna just laughed.
"Don't be afraid, Whore Slave... I just want to make sure you're clean before staying here. Whores like you, who knows who you've been with. We don't want you to bring diseases or dirt from outside, do we?"
The women who followed them now laughed uproariously.
"Where are we going to do it, Brianna?" one of the concubines with her exotic narrow-eyed gaze asked.
"Hm... Let's do it in the backyard, Serenilla. I don't want this whore to leave dirt inside our new house," Brianna replied.
"Good idea, Brianna," another woman with a round face chimed in, smiling widely. "It's secluded there. No one will disturb us."
Sensing danger, Annica began to struggle. To bad, between Brianna's hand gripping her hair and the four other women surrounding her, Annica couldn't do anything but submit.