The Royal Deal

Chapter 237

Chapter 237

“So, you’re going to work on behalf of Pauline?” The head maid looked at Amethyst with suspicion. “What is your relationship with her?”

“We’re friends.”

The maid laughed. “Is that so? Have you done this kind of work before?”

“Yes. I’ve worked as a maid for a short time.”

“Really?” The maid didn’t seem like she believed Amethyst, studying her small frame. “Fine. But since you are not officially employed, I won’t be giving you wage.”

“That’s fine. I only ask one favour. Don’t fire Pauline for this.” Amethyst wanted to make sure her friend was safe.

The head maid scratched her head with a pen, considering the request. “Fine.” She accepted. They needed the labour.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. The work will be hard. There will be a lot of laundry, as the workers will be coming down from the mountain today. You can go to the washing stations by the lake in the back grounds. What did you say your name was?”

“Carol.”

Amethyst headed to the lake at the back of the property with the other maids who were assigned to do laundry. The Veolense family owned a huge mansion and an immense amount of land. The property was located on the outskirts of the city, at the base of the mountain.

She passed the large gardens and came upon the shores of the lake. It was so far from the mansion that the mountain seemed to loom right over them. The first thing Amethyst noticed was the piles of laundry waiting for them on the shore. She couldn’t believe that they did everything by hand and didn’t use a machine.

The process was very old-fashioned. There were a dozen barrels full of fresh water from the lake. The laundry was placed inside the barrel and then a maid would get into the barrel and clean the laundry with their feet.

Amethyst, like other maids, took off her shoes and emerged herself into a barrel to start stepping on the laundry. If they used their hands, it would take more than a month to get through all of the piles. Also, they would most likely destroy their wrists with all of the wringing. As she stomped out the dirt from the clothes, the water quickly turned a muddy brown.

As she hung the first load to dry, drained the dirty water, and refilled the barrel, she wondered what the workers did that would make the clothes so dirty. She repeated these actions at least a dozen times as sweat poured down her face. Soon all of the laundry hung on ropes to dry. There was a nice gentle breeze, which would speed up the drying process.

Amethyst was exhausted, but proud that she survived the day. How long had it been since she did such physical work? She would definitely sleep well that night.

As she sat on a rock to rest, someone grabbed her wrist, roughly, from behind. Amethyst turned in fright. Standing behind her was the man with the ashen hair that Pauline had told her about.

***

Alexcent no longer had a name. He was now known by number 24885. A slave was not dignified with a name.

He had stayed hidden at Duke Roden’s mansion for a few months. Michen thought people would be suspicious if this new slave would be sent away right after he had arrived. They waited for the news of Duke Skad’s sudden disappearance to die down, then felt it safe to transfer him to a different noble family.

Even though he was now considered a slave, the treatment in Duke Roden’s household was not bad. He wore decent clothes, had three solid meals every day, and the labour was not intensive. Once he left Duke Roden’s household, it was an entirely different story.

Even though his magic had been locked up, his skill as a knight was still exceptional. His swordsmanship was the best in the Empire, though he had to pretend to be less skilled than what he was, so as to not raise suspicion. Still, it was a shame to let him rot as a slave and not put his skills to work. Duke Roden decided to send him to the boundary of the Empire where he could help defend the borders from invaders if the circumstance arose.

Once he left Duke Roden’s care, he was shown what being a slave truly meant. The carriage that was carrying him to his destination vanished after a couple of nights leaving him stranded on the side of the road where they had camped. He would have to walk to his destination which, under normal situations would take six months to reach. Thanks to his physical condition, he made the trip in three months.

When he arrived at the home of the noble family that he was to be a slave for, he was instantly beaten for being late. The slave wardens would not accept his explanation of being abandoned by the carriage driver. Now, after four days, he was still beaten daily when the sun came up. His body was covered in bruises, and some of the open wounds were becoming infected.

Without magic or proper medical care, it was up to him to take care of his injuries. He headed to the lake behind the mansion to clean up the wounds. Arriving at the shore of the water, he gazed at his reflection. He didn’t know if his face contorted because of the beating or from ripples in the water. His eyes were swollen, and his lips were bleeding. It was hard to look at the monster who stared back at him.

He washed his face and lay down on the grass to rest. The words of his sister echoed in his mind. Even though you are a slave, please try to act with the dignity of a Duke. Protect the weak.

It was hard to stand up for the other workers. They were treated like animals. He knew now what it truly felt like to be a slave.