Clack, clack, clack!
The sound of pink heels echoed through the corridors of the large and idle castle of the Kingdom of Viremont.
"I hope she didn't die this time. I think I went too far," said their owner, Princess Cynthia, accompanied by her maids as she walked.
Her steps stopped in the last room at the end of the corridor. It was easy to distinguish it from the others, since the door—unlike the rest, which were made of the highest-quality wood—only had worn steel cabinets.
"Hey, Dannep, sweetie, I'm here to get you out. You know it's your fault. I was just teaching you discipline," said the princess as she took out the keys.
With an elegant movement typical of people of her class, she opened the door, letting the castle's light flood inside.
"Yes, Princess, I know. I regret my mistakes," said Dannep as she bowed before the princess.
She didn't care that her dress was dirty or that her eyes were sunken from hunger. She had to fulfill the princess's wishes.
"That's it, my sweetie. You know that I, Cynthia, care about you. That's why I took you out after a week. I'm generous, aren't I?"
Already used to this dynamic, Dannep brushed off her maid's uniform with her hands, trying to look as clean as possible before stepping forward.
The two maids behind Cynthia couldn't help but smile as they looked at Dannep's haggard appearance.
Unbothered, Dannep merely looked at them with an expressionless face and turned back to the princess instead.
"Yes, Princess. You are the most generous person I've ever seen," Dannep replied with a forced smile.
"See? That's why I love you, sweetie. Never repeat what you did before, understood? Good. Come on, today we have a special meeting."
After saying those words, Cynthia began to walk, while Dannep joined the other two maids.
"Wow, the poor girl with the weird eyes survived a week in there. I thought she'd die this time," whispered one of the maids with a smile.
"Yes, Tayla. I heard Princess Cynthia whipped her more than thirty times that night. She's so stupid. When is she going to learn?" the other whispered back.
"She never will, Margaret. She's just a poor girl from that stupid church no one goes to."
Dannep ignored their mockery and simply kept walking. After all, they weren't lying.
An orphan with pink eyes like hers should know her place in society, and Dannep had accepted that without resistance.
Her skin still burned from Cynthia's lashes, but she was already used to the pain.
"Sweetie, come here," the princess called, stopping suddenly.
Dannep hurried to reach Cynthia, unable to refuse.
"Yes, Princess. How may I help you?" she asked, even though she already knew what she wanted.
"I'm stressed, sweetie. My father gave me another one of those stupid marriage proposals I hate. You know what to do to help me relieve stress."
The two maids behind them wore pleased smiles. They both knew what was about to happen.
Dannep ignored them and leaned her face toward Cynthia, closing her eyes.
Slash!
A slap landed directly on her right cheek, snapping her head to the side.
"Oh my goodness, I finally managed to release some stress. Thank you so much, sweetie. Come on, let's continue," Cynthia said as she resumed walking toward her room.
Dannep and the others simply followed her. As they walked, Dannep began to think about how she had ended up like this.
How her sisters betrayed her, how she had to sell herself to Cynthia for the person she loved…
"All right, it's time to make myself beautiful!"
Dannep's thoughts were interrupted by Cynthia's shout as she reached her room.
"Of course, Princess. If I may ask, who is coming to our castle that the great Princess Cynthia needs to look so beautiful?" Margaret asked cautiously.
Although it was a normal question, it was obvious she wanted to know if Princess Cynthia had finally fallen in love with a prince. It was well known that Cynthia had rejected every proposal.
"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. Today we'll be hosting Ilyss Dracoryth at the castle," Cynthia said calmly.
Everyone in the room—including Dannep—swallowed hard upon hearing Cynthia's words. Everyone knew that name.
"W-wait a second, Princess. Ilyss? The one known as the Demon Queen?" Tayla asked, clearly frightened.
"Yes, that one. To be honest, even I'm nervous about dealing with that monster, but I don't think it'll be that bad," Cynthia remarked as she looked over her collection of more than a thousand dresses.
Ilyss Dracoryth, Queen of the Kingdom of Drakmorya—the strongest kingdom of the current era, all because of her.
It was said that Ilyss was a woman capable of bringing death wherever she went. Every kingdom that underestimated or attacked her for being a woman lasted only a single day before being destroyed by her three dragons or her magic.
No one knew how she obtained the power of those ancient beasts or how she reached such strength, but all stories about her agreed on one thing: Ilyss was a demon.
"So, with that said, I want to wear something nice for the occasion. I don't want to look pretty—just not prettier than her. We don't want her burning us alive tonight," Cynthia continued, examining her dresses.
Cynthia approached Dannep and hugged her before beginning to bite her ear.
"But I won't be bored, because you'll be with me, right, cupcake?"
Blood began to trickle from Dannep's ear, but she didn't care and simply replied:
"Yes, Your Excellency. I will accompany you always."
She didn't understand why Princess Cynthia insisted on bringing her to every important dinner or celebration.
Maybe it was a way to humiliate her—bringing a poor orphan with strange eyes to a high-class event. It was like bringing your pet along to show it off to your friends.
"Good. That's why I love you, sweetie. I'll let Tayla and Margaret change me. Go eat and get changed. The uglier you look, the better. If I notice even the slightest shine on you, I'll whip you. Remember?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. I understand. If you'll excuse me, I'll go change."
Dannep took her leave properly and began descending the stairs. Her room was at the very back of the castle, just below the guest waiting hall.
As she walked down the stairs, she remembered everything she had suffered that week—how she truly thought she was going to die, how truly afraid she had been.
Without realizing it, tears began to fall from her eyes. It was something that happened when she wasn't in front of others. She avoided it at all costs in front of Cynthia, since the woman became excited every time she cried and increased her punishments.
Pam!
Lost in her thoughts, Dannep collided with someone.
"Ah, I'm sorry—"
But her apology died halfway when she saw the figure before her.
A woman with hair golden as gold, eyes red as blood, and a gaze as cold as ice.
It was Ilyss Dracoryth.