EYES: THE DOOR TO A BETTER WORLDIn the evening, Danika was in her room when the maids knocked and extracted her. They said it was the king’s orders that they should take her to the royal dressing room.
While they bathed her and clothed her, she wondered what was happening. The only time this had happened was the night she bedded the king for the first time.
Why was she having a royal bath?
But when the outer clothing she’d wear was brought out, Danika swallowed tightly because she knew.
Slaves wore that outfit on a specific occasion. The Mask Festival.
The Mask Festival was a something that happened every year in all the kingdoms. People that attended the festival wore a mask on their faces. They did it to honor the traditional god no one sees.
If The Mask Festival was happening in Salem, that could only mean that a lot of kings would be coming. She swallowed again.
A gathering of kings was never a good thing for slaves. Especially unwilling slaves.
They dressed Danika in a petticoat and long corset gown. In front of the mirror, they styled her hair and clipped her nails. They put makeup on, and it concealed the red mark from Karandy’s slap.
Finally, they were done. Danika stared into the mirror and saw traces of the princess she used to be staring back at her.
“The king is waiting,” one of the older maids said to her.
Her eyes found her bangle on the nightstand. The gold glistening bangle screamed royalty, and it was priceless. She had the urge to wear it.
You’re no longer a princess, Danika.
She looked away from the jewelry, got up and walked out of the dressing room towards the king’s chambers.
When she got to his bedroom, a guard there informed her that the king was not there, but in the bedroom at the end of the hallway. She thanked the guard and started down the hallway.
At the door, her heart was already beating out of her chest. She knocked once and waited.
“Come in,” the deep voice she hadn’t heard in three noon days came through.
Danika opened the door and entered the unfamiliar room. She took a brief look around.
An enormous bed sat in the center of the room, an old flower in a flowerpot was on the windowsill, and a wooden lantern at the nightstand. The room screamed royalty, but it also screamed barrenness. Obviously, someone hadn’t been in this room in ages.
The king stood in front of the wall beside the bed, his hands behind his back as he stared up at the wall. He was dressed in his formal wear.
As Danika walked further into the bedroom, she saw it wasn’t just a wall. It was a painting of a man sitting on a throne. The king’s father, her mind whispered to her as she stared at the painting.
Danika’s mouth dropped in awe. The painting was that of a man older than King Lucien, but the resemblance was striking.
She walked up and stood several feet behind him. He hadn’t acknowledged her presence anyway, so she waited for him, saying nothing.
“He fought for a lot when he was still alive,” he spoke at last, surprising her. “When the fight for the end of slavery proved difficult, he focused on abolishing some of the animalistic laws in the kingdoms.”
Danika bit her lips and said nothing. This topic was uncomfortable, and she suddenly wished she was anywhere else instead of this place. Her father killed this king. Danika was very sure that the conversation wouldn’t end well for her.
“King Sebah sided with him in court and a few other kings. He was almost near to achieving that mission, but then King Sebah died.”
Danika closed her eyes tight before opening them. King Sebah was her grandfather. She never knew him because she was still a child when he died.
“And then King Cone took over. He hated the cause and always disputed it in court. My father kept fighting for it, no matter how much Cone hated it. And then,” He paused a bit. “Cone killed him and his family, took his throne, took his son and his people into slavery.”
He finally turned and stared at her, his face expressionless.
Danika said nothing, just stared at the floor. She wanted desperately to apologize, but somehow, she knew he wouldn’t appreciate that. A memory tugged in her mind about that night.
She remembered saying she was sorry. She also remembered the king telling her curtly that he didn’t need her pity.
“Today is The Mask Festival, but it is also an introduction day. You’re getting introduced again, Danika,” he announced abruptly.
All the blood drained from Danika’s face, and she went as pale as a ghost. Tears of anger and hurt and shame and dread pooled into her eyes. Did he arrange another introduction for her? Did he hate her that much? Why would he want her to go through something so painfully degrading and shameful?
Danika squeezed her hands tight in front of her and bit her lips hard. The floor was blurry because of the tears that threatened to spill onto her cheeks. Danika always prepared herself for the worst. Always.
But hearing this made her realize she wasn’t prepared for this.
“Y-yes, Master,” she whispered, at last, her voice hoarse.
The king watched her carefully. He read all her facial reactions to the news, but he said nothing more to her, did nothing. It was okay for her to think of anything she liked. Then his eyes zeroed in on the faint red bruise on her cheek. “Who stuck you across the face?” he asked.
The unexpected question threw her off balance. She raised her hand and caressed that stinging part of her cheek.
The question reminded her of that slave trainer, and her heart grew heavy. She’d told herself not to think about him all afternoon. Did she kill him?
But the king was waiting for her to answer his question. Her throat worked tightly as she swallowed. “K-Karandy, the slave trainer.”
“Why?”