The celebration of Ashumaye went on for longer than I thought it would. Zavi had disappeared after showering me with those venomous words.
Nizain mingled with the others while I stood in a corner, trying my best to be invisible.
Now that I had a mental map of the central part of the palace, I wanted to return to my room. I had received enough of the sour looks from the guests around me. I have never been a fan of parties; this one was the worst. I pushed against one of the pillars, my feet hurting in the high heels. The few glasses of sweet juice I had been sipping on must have had something like alcohol in it. I had gotten drunk a couple of times just to know what it felt like, and although I wasn't precisely drunk right then, I was buzzed for sure. My bladder was becoming an urgent issue, demanding immediate attention. The ache grew unbearable with every passing second, and I knew I had to find relief soon. I glanced around, scanning the grand hall for some clue of where I could go. My eyes landed on a narrow passageway where a few elegantly dressed women were entering, their laughter and whispered conversations fading as they disappeared from view.
Hoping it led to a restroom, I staggered toward the passage, my steps unsteady thanks to the alcohol in my system. A tall, broad-shouldered guard blocked my path before I could step inside, his imposing figure a solid wall of resistance.
"It's only for the guests. Kaambh girls are not allowed," he said flatly, his tone devoid of emotion as he looked me over like I was nothing more than an insect beneath his shoe.
Annoyance flared in my chest, and I glared at him without thinking—something I wouldn't have dared to do if I was sober. His expression didn't change, not even a flicker of acknowledgment at my silent rebellion. Realizing it was futile, I turned on my heel and walked away, muttering under my breath.
I returned to my secluded corner, frustration gnawing at me. That's when my eyes caught sight of the stairs behind the podium. They were partially hidden from view, likely off-limits, but I didn't care. The alcohol buzzed in my veins, numbing my usual caution. Whatever consequences might come from venturing where I wasn't allowed, they seemed distant and irrelevant.
Without a second thought, I made my way to the stairs. My heels clicked against the marble floor, but no one seemed to notice—or perhaps no one cared. My heart pounded in my chest, but not from fear. It was a strange, reckless thrill, like I were crossing an invisible boundary.
The stairs led to a beautifully adorned corridor. The walls were covered with rich tapestries, and ornate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a warm, golden glow over the carpeted floor. The air was thick with the scent of polished wood and faint floral undertones, a stark contrast to the raucous atmosphere of the party below.
As I wandered deeper into the hallway, I spotted a girl in a kitchen uniform hurrying across with a tray of empty plates balanced expertly on her arm. Her footsteps faltered when she noticed me, and she froze in place, staring at me with wide, startled eyes.
"Where's the bathroom?" I asked, ignoring the surprise etched across her face.
Her shock quickly morphed into disdain, her lips curling into a sneer. "Aren't you one of the Kaambh girls?" she asked, her tone dripping with contempt.
I nodded, too desperate to care about her judgment. "Yeah. I really need to use the bathroom."
She scoffed, the sound sharp and cutting, like the snap of a whip. "There are no bathrooms here," she spat, her voice laced with venom. Without waiting for a response, she stomped past me, her footsteps echoing loudly in the otherwise quiet hallway.
I stood there for a moment, stunned; clearly, even basic human needs were too much to ask for in this place.
She said 'bathrooms' instead of 'bathroom.' It was evident that there was more than one bathroom here. I explored the place further instead of going back. I had seen where the kitchen was, at least the one where ordinary people's food was made; this was not that kitchen area. It was bigger and cleaner, with well-dressed workers milling about.
I hid behind a metal thing, looking around the busy kitchen. I didn't think they would take notice of me even if I went up and stood in front of them, every one of them was busy doing their job. I saw a bathroom across the kitchen in the back. I took a quick sprint to reach it . Unlike the cold stone seats we had in the kaambh quarters in the name of toilets, these were made of a luxurious wooden material. I relieved myself, righted my clothes and then came out. The massive mirror on the wall reflected my flushed skin. I looked like a mess.
And then I got lost. The corridors were too confusing and my brain was too hazy to make out the minor details. Before I could find my way back to the party, one of the guards recognised me.
"What are you doing here?" he barked, gripping my arm. Guards were not supposed to touch Kaambh girls. I must have really crossed a line to garner such a response.
"I lost my way," I mumbled with my tongue feelinng thick in my mouth.
"What's happening?" another guard came onto the scene and interrogated.
"I found a Kaambh girl loitering near the royal quarters," the first guard announced, his voice gruff and devoid of any concern for the trouble he was about to cause.
The second guard, slightly shorter but just as imposing, stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at me. "Does she have a weapon?" he asked, his words dripping with suspicion. Without waiting for an answer, his hand shot out and grabbed my breast, squeezing it roughly.
I gasped, the shock and violation sending a wave of fury through me. "Let me go!" I spat, jerking his hand away as hard as I could, though my strength was no match for their brute force. My attempt to escape only tightened the first guard's grip on me.
"We should check her clothes for weapons," the second guard suggested, his lips curling into a lecherous grin. His eyes roamed over me like a predator sizing up its prey. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to run, but the first guard's iron grip pinned me in place.
I stiffened, dread pooling in my stomach as his intentions became clearer. "No," I protested, desperation lacing my voice. "I don't have any weapons, I promise! Ask Nizain—I'm his date for tonight!"
The two guards paused, exchanging uncertain glances. For a moment, hope flickered in my chest.
"She's lying," the second guard declared after a beat. "Nizain always brings Meekh to Ashumaye. This girl's trying to pull one over on us."
"Hold her still," the first guard growled. "I'll check her for weapons myself."
My heart thundered in my chest as panic surged through me. "No! Stop!" I screamed, thrashing in their grasp. My struggle was futile. The first guard held me firm while the second one reached for the electric rod strapped to his side.
"Shut her up," he snapped, his expression darkening.
The next thing I knew, a searing jolt of pain tore through my body as the electric rod made contact with my ribs. I cried out, the sound ripped from my throat involuntarily, and my legs buckled beneath me. The ground rushed up to meet me, cold and unforgiving, as I crumpled into a heap at their feet.
Gasping for air, I clutched my side where the electric shock had burned through my skin. The pain was blinding, but it wasn't enough to distract me from what came next.
The second guard crouched down, his filthy hand creeping under the hem of my skirt. His touch was rough and invasive, sending waves of revulsion coursing through me. My body screamed for me to fight back, but my limbs felt like lead, weakened from the shock and the overwhelming terror gripping me.
"Nothing here," he sneered, though his hand lingered far too long for it to be a legitimate search.
Tears stung my eyes as I bit down on my lip, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. My mind raced for a solution, for a way out of this nightmare, but I could feel the weight of their control suffocating me.
"What is she doing in the royal quarters? " someone barked. This voice was much scarier than the ones of the guards. This one held the power to kill me, make me disappear through sheer force of will alone.
"Raza," the two guards greeted, lowering their heads. "This Kaambh girl lost her way here."
I wanted to laugh at their hypocrisy. Now, they didn't bother to mention that I was here to assassinate one of the royals.
"I thought you were checking me for weapons." I managed to blurt out. I heard footsteps coming closer and halting in front of me.
"Take her back to my shameless brother. I don't see why he brings these filthy creatures to royal celebrations." Zavi said through gritted teeth before walking right past me.
"Get up!!" one of the guards yanked me up and shoved me along the hallway back to the party.
"Kirti, I have been looking for you." I heard Nizain's dramatic voice before I saw him. I sighed, unable to muster the energy to deal with him. "Are you okay? You look terrible."
"I am fine." I managed to say.
"Do you want to face judgment?" he growled at the guards. "What did you do to her?"
"Nizain, I am fine; I drank a little too much of the red stuff they were serving."
"You should be more careful." Nizain held my arm and helped me walk back to the crowded party.
"I need to get back to my room," I mumbled. One more minute in this awful place would make me sick to my already bruised stomach.
"Let's go." I had closed my eyes by this point, relying fully on Nizain as I walked through the crowd, when we were startled by a loud cry. I turned my head back to decipher the source of the sound. A few meters from where we stood, a slave woman was being kicked in the stomach by a drunken guest.
"Forgive me, ma'am ," the woman begged but the evil lady was beyond reason.
"You pathetic creature. You ruined my dress," the woman yelled. No one tried to stop her as she assaulted the girl on the floor. My body shook with the need to do something, yet I did not make a move. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the scene unfolding at barely some distance from me but the girl's cries pierced through my soul. I couldn't do this again, I couldn't bring attention to myself again. As if my body wasn't in my control, I dashed to the women at lightning speed. It could also have been the ill-treatment of the guards or a culmination of everything that had happened till now, that evoked my actions.
I pushed the woman away from the slave girl and she stumbled back but stood her ground. The room went silent. Nizain gripped my arm and pulled me back.
"Who are you, bitch?" the woman yelled, standing before the trembling slave girl, her whole face red and blotchy. "Nizain, why is this Kaambh girl laying hands on me?" the woman said, her face distorted into a mean squint.
"I am sorry for her behavior. She is drunk." Nizain tried to distract me from the situation, but the woman spoke up again.
"This girl should be sent to judgment day." It was Nizain's turn to go stiff.
"I think you are being too harsh on a mere Kaambh girl," Nizain muttered in a low voice so only the woman could hear him.
"Why are you being so lenient towards this woman, brother? You have never been this way with Meekh."
"I don't think..." Nizain started to talk, but the woman interrupted him once again.
"I want her to face judgement. I can't have a Kaambh misbehave with me and live to see the next day."
Zavi commanded the room effortlessly as he descended the stairs, his imposing presence pulling everyone into silence. Ashu followed closely behind, his movements measured and regal, but it was Zavi who stole the air from the room. His stormy, unyielding gaze was fixed entirely on me, and it sent a shiver down my spine.
The drunken haze that had clouded my thoughts earlier dissipated in an instant. His eyes burned with something I couldn't quite place—anger, certainly, but there was something else too, something darker and more enigmatic.
He didn't break his gaze, not even as he stepped into the heart of the gathering. His focus on me felt suffocating, like I was being stripped bare under his scrutiny. The weight of the other attendees' eyes pressed down on me as well, shifting between him and me, their curiosity and judgment palpable. My pulse pounded in my ears.
What was he doing? I was nothing to him, just a discarded toy from his kingdom's dealings. A mere Kaambh girl, insignificant and replaceable. Why now? Why this attention?
Before I could stop myself, his name slipped from my lips, soft but audible. "Zavi."
The moment the word left my mouth, I knew I had made a grave mistake. A collective gasp rippled through the room like a crashing wave, horrified murmurs following in its wake. Their Raza's name spoken so casually, so intimately, by a lowly girl like me—it was unthinkable.
One of Zavi's personal guards appeared in an instant, his heavy hand gripping my arm and yanking me away from Nizain's side. The force made me stumble, but he didn't care. He shoved me down, pressing my head toward the ground.
"Apologize," the guard growled, his voice harsh and devoid of mercy.
Tears blurred my vision as I struggled against his hold, humiliation clawing at my chest. Before I could utter a word, Zavi's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"Let go of her, Jormia."
The guard hesitated but ultimately obeyed, loosening his grip on me. I straightened shakily, tears slipping down my cheeks—not from pain but from the unbearable mortification of the moment.
How had I ended up here? Of all the terrible things I had endured in this palace, this felt like the sharpest blow. To think that I had once harbored foolish admiration for this man, this heartless, ruthless monster—it made my humiliation all the more excruciating.
Zavi stood before me now, his towering figure casting a shadow that felt as oppressive as his gaze. His expression was a mask of indifference, no compassion, no regret—only a hint of irritation, like my very existence was a mild inconvenience.
I had to tilt my head to meet his eyes, but I almost wished I hadn't. Those eyes were fathomless, cruel, and hauntingly beautiful all at once. They drew me in even as they made me feel like nothing.
He stepped closer, and before I could react, his fingers gripped my chin with a force that made me wince. The pressure was sharp, bordering on painful, and I cried out softly despite myself.
He tilted my face up, forcing me to look at him directly, his cruel grip making it impossible to turn away. His voice was low and calm, but it carried a weight that silenced the entire hall.
"You haven't earned the right to call me by my name," he said, his tone devoid of warmth. "Did no one teach you that?"
My eyes darted to Ashu, who was still seated on the podium. His ears twitched, his expression wide-eyed and alert. Did he care about the scene unfolding before him? Did he recognize me, even if his master didn't seem to?
Zavi leaned in, his face so close to mine that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin. His lips hovered near my ear, but his next words weren't meant to be a whisper.
Instead, they rang out loud enough for the entire room to hear, a deliberate act of cruelty.
"Do you have no love for your life, woman?" Zavi gritted.
I heard a low, troubled purr escape Ashu in the silent room, which others might have taken for a warning but I knew what it was for what it was. Ashu was worried. He was worried for me. He even stood up from his seated position.
"We have given you too much slack. We need to make an example out of you," Zavi said.
I gulped down the painful knot in my throat.
"You will be my Dasi until I figure out how brutal your punishment should be."
I didn't know what a Dasi was. I guess I would find out soon enough. When he finally let go of me, the guards dragged me to the same part of the palace I had gotten lost earlier.
"The Raza has never taken a Dasi before," one of the guards murmured, his voice low but clear enough for me to hear.
"Every royal member has one, so why should he be any different?" another chimed in, a cruel edge to his tone. "He must have something special planned for her."
Their laughter echoed off the cold stone walls as they dragged me down the corridor. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat heavy with dread. I stumbled as they pushed me forward, their grips bruising and unrelenting.
When they finally stopped, they shoved me through an ornately carved door. I stumbled into a room that seemed too grand to belong to the nightmare I was living. It was enormous, the kind of room you'd imagine in a fairytale, with high ceilings, intricate tapestries, and golden accents glinting under the dim light of the chandeliers.
In the center of it all was a massive bed, its frame carved with elaborate designs and its silken sheets pristine and inviting. But to me, it wasn't luxurious—it was terrifying. A looming symbol of what might come.
Beyond the bed, a large window spanned an entire wall, offering a breathtaking view of distant mountains bathed in moonlight. The beauty of the scene felt grotesquely out of place, mocking the panic clawing at my chest.
I barely had time to take it all in before the guards seized me again.
"What are you doing?" I demanded, my voice shaking as they pushed me toward the bed.
They didn't answer at first. I fought against them, my fear mounting as they began binding my wrists and ankles to the sturdy posts of the bed. The cold bite of the chains against my skin sent me spiraling into panic.
Memories of the pain room crashed over me like a tidal wave—the suffocating air, the sharp sting of punishment, the helplessness. My breathing grew shallow, my heart hammering as though it wanted to escape my chest.
"What are you doing?!" I cried out again, desperation creeping into my voice.
One of the guards smirked, his expression dark and filled with amusement. "What did you think a Dasi was?" he sneered. His words dripped with mockery as he gave the chains a final tug, ensuring I couldn't move.
They laughed as they walked toward the door, their cruel amusement cutting through my frantic thoughts like knives.
"Good luck," one of them added with a grin before they exited the room, leaving me bound and alone.
The heavy door closed with a resounding thud, the sound reverberating through the room and sealing my fate.
I was left in silence, my body trembling against the unyielding bed. The chains rattled softly as I tried to move, their cold weight a stark reminder of my helplessness. The dread that had settled in my stomach earlier now consumed me entirely, filling every corner of my being.
The mountains outside seemed so far away, unreachable and indifferent to my suffering. I stared at them through the tears, blurring my vision, praying for some kind of miracle, even as I felt the crushing weight of reality settle over me.