After dinner, Gertha led them all to the room they would be sharing. The room was big enough to fit seven small beds and a cabinet for their clothes.
All the girls fell asleep immediately after lying on the bed, it was nice to sleep without having their bodies knocked on the walls of a carriage like it had been for the last week.
Dahlia on the other hand had trouble falling asleep. Each time she closed her eyes, her mind was plagued by the image of her parents.
She would occasionally have nightmares about them whenever she was stressed out and what was more stressful than being sold as a slave to a kingdom that hates her guts? She wondered how they would treat her once they find out she is from Kayer.
It took a few minutes of Dahlia tossing and turning all over the bed before she could finally sleep.
The next morning had a similar flow to the previous day; Gretha woke them up, they showered in the bathhouse, and wore the same uniform dresses.
Luckily for Dahlia, when it was time to prepare breakfast, she had the responsibility of washing the utensils rather than cooking. Being raised in a castle, Dahlia hadn't the slightest idea of the first cooking steps, but dishwashing was easier to manage and wrap her head around.
She had to carry the utensils to the backyard, fetch water from the well in a small wooden pail, and then return everything back to the kitchen in due time. By the time breakfast was ready, each of the girls was exhausted beyond measure.
The hardest part of it all was adapting to a new life of slavery, contrary to their previous life of comfort.
"Thank you for the food." They all showed their gratitude before digging in.
After breakfast, Dahlia found herself walking behind Gretha as they headed to Lucy's room.
Dahlia wanted to ask why she alone was suddenly being summoned and not any of the other girls but she reckoned keeping her mouth shut was the smartest thing to do. It would be immensely foolish to question the person she was quite literally sold to, especially someone like Lucy.
"Thank you for bringing her, you may leave, Gretha," Lucy said.
"Of course," Gretha slightly bowed before taking her leave.
Something about the way Gretha acted around Lucy made Dahlia believe there was more to the story than either of them was letting on. There seemed to be some sort of tension whenever the two were around each other and she couldn't pinpoint why.
"What is your name?" Lucy asked Dahlia now that they were alone.
"My name is Dahlia, ma'am," Dahlia tried being as polite as she possibly could.
"Lady Lucy... refer to me as Lady Lucy at all times from now on." Lucy declared.
"I understand, Lady Lucy." Dahlia kept up her act, making sure not to get on Lucy's bad side.
"Good," Lucy nodded approvingly, "Do you know why I called for you?"
Dahlia's jaw nearly hit the floor after Lucy's question. They had only known each other for less than a day and in that time, neither of them said anything directly to the other so how was she supposed to guess why Lucy called for her?
"Not at all, Lady Lucy," Dahlia replied after regaining her composure.
"Of course," Lucy twirled a wine glass in her hands as she spoke as if the two were friends catching up but the power imbalance between them begged to differ. "As of today, you'll be working elsewhere." She suddenly declared as if expecting Dahlia to understand exactly what she was saying.
"I'm not sure I understand what you're saying, Lady Lucy." Dahlia voiced her confusion.
"Do I have to spell everything out for you?" Lucy dramatically rolled her eyes, "You'll be working at the castle from today." She finally explained.
Dahlia was stunned by the turn of events and wasn't sure how to react to what she had just heard.
"This decision didn't just happen on a whim," Lucy continued, "The plan was to send three girls to the castle but after seeing you all, you'll be the only one going. Although you're all slaves and no one really cares about you, the palace is a place of sophistication and we can't have unapproachable people working there. Out of all the girls you're the only one pleasing to look at, the rest are a pain to the eyes." She rudely gave her remarks.
Dahlia felt uncomfortable with the way Lucy judged the girls based on their appearance but she kept those concerns to herself not wanting to dig a grave for herself. "I understand, Lady Lucy."
"Now don't think you're anything special because of this," Lucy snidely said, "You're just a slave after all and realistically speaking, you're also not that attractive."
Dahlia nearly scoffed at Lucy's comment. She knew she was very attractive and hard to resist, even more attractive than Lucy herself so it was clear that Lucy was intimidated by her to say such a thing. "I wouldn't dare think of myself as something special, Lady Lucy," She sarcastically said.
"Good. It's good to know your place," Lucy deviously smiled, "Back to the topic at hand, I was informed that you were sold by the King of Kayer directly, what's your relation to him."
Dahlia clenched her fists at the mention of Draco. She had been trying to avoid any thoughts of him as she hoped no one would find out about the connection she had to Kayer but that hope was trampled upon. "I have no relation to him, Lady Lucy."
"Of course, why would someone like you be related to someone of royalty?" Lucy laughed, "Just be careful before people start calling you a witch, considering where you're from... You can leave, Gertha will lead you outside where you'll be taken to the castle."
Dahlia gave Lucy a bow and left the room. The only word she said that was stuck in her mind was the mention of her being called a witch. She knew it was only a matter of time before the discrimination against her would start.
Just like Lucy said, Gertha was waiting out for Dahlia and she immediately started leading her outside.
"Are we leaving right now? Can't I say goodbye to the others first?" Dahlia asked, bothered by the sudden urgency.
"From what I heard, none of you have ever said more than two words to each other so why would you want to say goodbye to people you don't know? Besides, it's not like you have any belongings to carry so we should head out now, time waits for no man." Gertha gently replied.
"Alright," Dahlia replied. She knew Gertha was right and she wasn't close to the other girls to begin with but she still felt guilty about leaving without saying a word.
After walking through the complicated power, they were finally outside where a carriage was waiting for them.
"Get in, I'll be taking you there myself," Gertha said.
Dahlia got in without question and the horseman immediately started moving. Although she felt guilty, she wasn't sad to be leaving that creepy tower she was more than happy to do so.