Chapter 59 Princess Reunion "Oh, it's you?"
I was taken aback for a moment before asking, "Then why are we training here?"
“Why not?” she shrugged. “This is the Queen’s private territory. It can teach you foreign women etiquette and broaden your horizons so you won’t be caught off guard when you encounter certain situations in the future.”
The phrase "certain scenes" is full of ambiguity.
"But don't they think this place is...undignified?" It took me a while to come up with the word "undignified".
“No, this is the best place,” she said in a low voice. “You’re all a bunch of country bumpkins who’ve never seen the world.”
Back in my sleeping quarters, I was still reeling from the shock, wondering what kind of world she was talking about, and whether we would ever actually see it.
To be honest, as I was thinking this, my mind was filled with images of top-tier Japanese adult films. Could it really be that exaggerated? I thought, having to watch it live? That's terrifying!
Well, as long as it's not a live-fire exercise, it doesn't matter. Anyway, we're not the ones who suffer losses.
But a month has passed, and "unfortunately," the so-called "broadening of horizons" has not happened.
For the past month, our training has focused entirely on etiquette. The so-called "practical training" involved serving dishes and drinks at formal banquets, helping ladies change clothes, and adjusting their makeup. It was quite an experience.
As the training was nearing its end, I used the pocket money I earned from cooking for the cooks and doing odd jobs for the laundry workers to "pay my respects" to the supervisor in charge of personnel, and managed to get the girl who had threatened me into the team as a handyman, finally fulfilling my promise.
The day of departure was terribly hot. After the sun had fully risen, I and three other chosen girls in sheer veils boarded a completely sealed black carriage, which carried us toward an unknown destiny.
After a bumpy ride of more than an hour, the carriage came to a stop.
I was the last to disembark from the carriage, and I was stunned by the magnificent and imposing palace.
I almost thought I was in Türkiye.
It really does look like a royal palace from the Ottoman Empire; I've seen pictures of it.
This beautiful palace sits atop a huge, easily defensible hill, with an extremely long, mud-brick-paved path leading from where the carriage stopped to the top.
“Only nobles can ride in carriages; you all must walk up,” the leading woman commanded.
The girls in sheer veils and I looked up at the top of the slope, then steeled ourselves and started walking uphill.
The woman in the lead, accompanied by two guards, rode ahead on black horses—her rank was likely higher.
Under the scorching sun, we walked until we were drenched in sweat and dizzy. Several girls in thin veils and I even suffered from heatstroke at different times, but we were quickly brought back to our senses by ice towels and cooling balm.
It seems these people were prepared – heatstroke is a common occurrence.
We walked for a long time, occasionally taking a break to drink water, but we didn't have time to eat. We could only eat dry bread as we walked.
As the sun was about to set in the evening, we finally arrived at the palace gates.
We all collapsed to the ground.
The woman in the lead jumped off her black horse and urged us to stand up, saying, "If we go in now, we can still make it for dinner."
We managed to stand up, supporting each other as we followed her toward a small side door.
Dinner consisted of a dry piece of bread, a banana, and a glass of water. But it was still better than what I ate in Bernot's territory; at least the bread wasn't made of stone.
After that, I and three girls in sheer veils were taken to a dormitory room to sleep.
The next day, before dawn, I was woken up, took a bath and changed clothes, and followed the woman in the lead through a series of long blue brick corridors until we arrived at a large white gate that split open on both sides. We slowly walked inside.
Several girls in sheer gowns and I couldn't believe our eyes; it was just too beautiful!
The huge room was covered with light yellow flooring, and sunlight streamed in through a row of floor-to-ceiling windows, making the floor look like it was covered in gold.
Luxurious beaded chandeliers, a jewel-encrusted fireplace, a pearl-adorned armchair, and a lavish coffee table covered with an exquisite white tablecloth.
It's like a luxury paradise.
However, this was only a reception room; the princess's real room was still inside.
A head maid in a jewel-encrusted gown appeared and gestured for us to follow her inside.
Another large white door opened from both sides. I held my breath, expecting to see an even more luxurious room, but the moment I looked closely, I discovered a luxurious hell.
Yes, hell.
The gorgeous wallpaper, the gleaming floors, the large, soft bed, and the exquisite ceiling were all splattered with blood.
The luxurious bedroom was stained with blood.
Even pearls, gemstones, jade, and crystal cannot beautify the cruel torture that is taking place.
Five muscular, handsome men were suspended by their hands from the ceiling beams, their feet fixed to the ground by a long, thick iron chain.
A woman dressed in a simple white robe, with disheveled hair, is using a sharp knife to carve blood-red roses on the chest of a handsome man.
With each carving, the handsome man would twitch.
But no sound came out.
Each handsome man's mouth was completely blocked by cracked skin, so he couldn't make a sound.
They were covered in blood and hung in mid-air, like human flesh being sold and hung on iron hooks.
I and three girls in sheer veils collapsed to the ground at the same time.
Hearing the sound, the sculpted woman turned around.
"Useless." Her long, disheveled hair obscured her face, but a clear, melodious voice rang out, "Looks like you can't win over my tyrannical husband. Drag them all away."
The head maid stood still, half-threatening and half-persuading, "We're leaving in half a month. The Queen is already angry and says there must be at least five dowry members, but you haven't chosen a single one yet."
"That's because they're too bad."
"We've sent you thirty or forty maids in total, how could you possibly not be able to choose one?"
The disheveled woman impatiently threw down her knife, stood up, and said, "You all keep babbling on and on. Just look up."
The head maid glanced at us, who were sprawled on the ground, and we hurriedly got to our feet.
"Oh, it's you?" The previously impatient voice suddenly turned to surprise and joy. "Come on, come and see my work."
This was a bit strange, and I was wondering about it when I suddenly realized that everyone's eyes were on me.
Startled, before I could react, I was lifted up by a slender yet strong hand and pulled to the chest-muscled, rose-colored handsome man.
"How is it? Not bad, right?" she said proudly.
I finally saw her face through her disheveled hair and froze in shock.
It was her—the youngest princess who was once imprisoned in the iron cage of the Black Castle.
No wonder the name "Yani" sounded so familiar.
Back then, her round eyes and round face were very endearing. But now, her chin is pointed, and although her eyes are large, they exude a fierce aura, making people keep their distance.
"Well, you recognized me, didn't you?" she said, smiling at me.
I moved my lips, but couldn't utter a word.
"Come on, let me teach you how to carve a rose." As she spoke, she placed the sharp knife in my hand, grasped my hand, and was about to carve a cut into the handsome man's chest muscle. Before she even got close, I felt the handsome man shrink back.
My hand recoiled as if electrocuted, and the dagger fell to the ground.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Everyone looked at me in horror.
I was filled with fear and trepidation—had I violated some major taboo?
"Ugh, this is so boring!" Her complaint broke the awkward silence. "Fine, I'm not playing anymore."
She took my arm and pulled me to three girls in sheer veils. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll pick two more. Which one do you like?"
My heart pounded with fear, and I couldn't say a word.
She pouted. "Alright, let's keep them all. I heard they can paint, practice swordsmanship, and things like that, right?"
The head maid respectfully replied, "Yes."
She laughed, "Let's see how many days they can charm that hothead."
She looked at me again and smiled, “Men are like that. They like perfect women who are beautiful, talented, have a great figure, and are rich and powerful with a good personality. But when such a woman actually appears in front of them, they get tired of her after a while because they need the admiration of other women. But when you pretend to admire him, he will fall in love with strong women. When you become strong, he will be obsessed with obedient women. When you try to be a combination of strong, obedient, gentle, and unique woman, he will feel that having only you is not enough, that there is no passion, and that he needs constant stimulation.”
“So, a man’s desires are like a deep ditch,” she laughed, pulling me out of the bedroom. “If they can’t be satisfied, he says he likes talent, but actually he likes novelty. What do you think? I haven’t had breakfast yet, come with me.”
Everyone watched us leave in astonishment, completely unable to believe it.
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Author's Note: There will be one more update today, thank you everyone!
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