Chapter 2

A torrential rainstorm hit that night. The kennel only had a partial roof, leaving half of the space exposed.

I huddled in the only dry corner, pressed against the mastiff. Strangely, the dog did not bite me. Perhaps it decided I was too thin to be a worthwhile meal.

A fever took hold of me, leaving me shaking violently. When the courtyard gates opened, two elderly servants approached under umbrellas, carrying a food tray.

"Oh, still alive," one of them mocked, kicking the cage. "His Highness says you get a meal."

Opening the small hatch, she threw in a bowl of spoiled stew. It hit the ground and cracked open, the foul-smelling broth and hardened bits soaking instantly into the dirt.

"Eat," the other servant urged. "His Highness said you have to eat from the floor like a dog if you want to follow the royal rules."

I looked up and told her, "I'm not eating."

The fat woman let out a cold sneer. Reaching down, she scooped up a handful of the mud-slicked stew and shoved it straight into my mouth. "You don't have a choice."

As I struggled, my stomach churned with nausea. Suddenly, the dog stood up and barked furiously at the woman. She leaped back in terror, cursing the animal for protecting a wretch like me. They left, shouting insults as they went.

I collapsed on the floor, retching violently.

The following day, I was dragged from the kennel to the training grounds. Alistair sat on a high platform, with a bow in his hand. I was tied to a wooden post a hundred paces away, with an apple balanced on my head.

"My archery has grown a bit rusty lately," he said, aiming the arrow directly at me. "If you move a single inch, this arrow goes straight through your head."

I closed my eyes, and my undergarments were soaked with cold sweat. The arrow whistled past my scalp, pinning itself into the post behind me. A few strands of hair fluttered down.

I opened my eyes, gasping for air. "Your aim is impressive, Your Highness."

Alistair dropped the bow and walked toward me. He gripped my chin so hard that I thought my bone might snap. "My men searched the chapel. There was no sign of the seal," he said.

His eyes cut into me like a knife, slicing across my skin. "Did you dare lie to me?"

I looked at him and forced a weak smile. "You're so brilliant, Your Highness. Why would you believe a lie that wouldn't even fool a child?"

His eyes narrowed, and his grip tightened. Just as he seemed ready to kill me, I whispered, "The seal is with Vanessa."

He let go, and I slumped to the ground, coughing. "Liam hid the seal within Vanessa's wedding gifts and sent it to Benson's estate. If you kill me, you'll never get it."

Alistair looked down at me. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I want them to die," I replied.

My voice was low, but it carried a weight of absolute hatred.

Alistair watched me for a long time and then suddenly smiled. "Fine. I'll let you live."

He turned to his guards. "Take her to the laundry chambers. She washes a hundred garments a day until she dies."

As I was dragged away, I passed Liam in the corridor. He stopped when he saw my wretched state.

*****

The water in the laundry chambers was ice-cold. My hands remained soaked until they turned crimson and swollen, the skin finally breaking into painful ulcers.

"Move it. If you don't finish, you don't eat," the matron screamed, whipping my back with a cane.

I gritted my teeth and didn't make a sound. I worked until long after midnight. As I dragged my exhausted body back to the servant's shed, I found Liam waiting for me. Beside him stood two burly matrons, their shadows looming large.

I lowered my eyes to hide the hate. "Father."

"Don't call me 'father,'" he roared, striking me across the face. I fell to the ground, the taste of blood filling my mouth.

"You little brat. What in God's name did you say to Prince Alistair?" Liam barked, shoving a finger in my face. "Today in court, His Highness thwarted me at every turn.

"He even stripped me of my position. Was it you? Is this your filthy handiwork, you vile wench?"

I covered my face and let out a cold laugh. "You overestimate me. A laundry slave has no power over Prince Alistair."

He strode over and grabbed a fistful of my hair. "You dare to talk back to me? Where is the pendant your mother left you?"

A jolt went through me. That pendant was the only thing I had left of my mother, and it was the key to unlocking the power of the seal. "I do not know," I said.

"You do not know?" he sneered. "Vanessa said she saw you hide it. That pendant belongs to this family. Hand it over now, and I may spare you some pain."

"It was a gift from my mother," I said, looking up at him with defiance. "You took everything else for Vanessa's marriage. Will you not even leave me my mother's last memento?"

"Insolent," he barked, kicking me hard in the chest.

I curled into a ball, gasping, pain exploding behind my ribs.

"Your mother was nothing more than a common concubine. What was hers belongs to this house," Liam yelled.

He glanced at the hags and barked, "Search her! And if it's not found, don't stop hitting her until she's dead!"

The two women lunged at me, their hands clawing and tearing at my clothes fiercely. I fought them with everything I had, but it was useless. My dress was ripped to shreds in their wake.

Suddenly, the pendant slipped from the lining of my chemise and hit the floor with a hollow thud.

"My lord, we found it," one of them said, handing it to him.

Liam held the pendant up, a satisfied smirk spreading across his face. "You should have been this cooperative from the start."

As he turned to leave, I lunged forward and grabbed his leg, finding a sudden burst of strength. "Give it back. It's mine."

"Get off me," he snapped, kicking me away.

My head slammed into the corner of a table, and blood began to stream down my face. My vision blurred as I watched him walk out.

Standing just outside the door was a dark silhouette. It was Alistair.