The quiet beeping of her bedside alarm pulled an exhausted groan from Serenah's mouth. She was lying on her stomach, eyes squeezed shut, her tired mind and body rebelling against any movement. Finally, it was Sunday. The last day of the two-week punishment her father had handed to her. She would be free of this suffocating cage called her home.
No more daily whippings. No more grand duke inappropriately groping her. No more pain. No more soul-crushing loneliness from being separated from Romeo. Her fated mark chose that moment to throb a stabbing prickle of fire into her veins.
She gasped, rubbing at her wrist. Her mark glowed briefly, and she felt a flicker of Romeo's presence. She smiled.
"Romeo, soon," she whispered.
She could do this. She had to make it through today and then have the freedom to return to school. Keeping that thought firmly in mind, she got up and showered. She put on the maid dress, quickly pulling her hair up into a bun.
Serenah didn't check her appearance. She slid on her shoes and went to Naywren's office. The head maid glanced up when Serenah entered. She made her wait a few minutes before speaking in a bored tone.
"Today is the last day of your service with me. Color me impressed, Serenah. I didn't think a royal would be able to handle a servant's tasks. You are full of surprises."
Serenah didn't say anything. She wasn't sure if Naywren was complimenting her or mocking her. It was safer to say nothing. She didn't want any extra punishments added.
Naywren continued, "You have to clean four guest rooms, clean the secondary kitchen, and do the east laundry room's bins of laundry. Any questions?"
"No, ma'am."
Naywren gave her an assessing look before shooing Serenah out of the office. Serenah didn't waste any time. She went to the guest rooms to begin cleaning. She fell into a rhythm, humming softly while cleaning. The sound calmed her and made her work bearable.
Time flew by. Soon she was down to the last bin of laundry. Serenah paused to wipe the sweat from her forehead. She stared at the completed laundry in satisfaction. Though her father thought making her a maid was a harsh punishment, Serenah didn't feel the same.
What her father didn't know was that she had done such tasks before back in the Old World. When she and Alaster used to sneak outside the palace and visit the nearby towns and common folk, she would work with them. At first, they had been wary of a strange child and her silent guard. Eventually, her friendliness and sincerity won them over.
Their friendship didn't change even when they found out Serenah was the youngest princess. If anything, the care and love from the commoners increased. They gave her the affection and attention she lacked from her family. She cared more about them than her own flesh and blood.
They were the reason she sometimes considered becoming queen. She wanted to thank them for their trust and compassion. She hated how her father, sister, and the majority of the nobility treated them. If she could make it better for them, then she would do what was needed to make that happen.
A noise at the door brought her attention back to the present. She saw her father's guard standing in the doorway.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has asked for your presence in his office."
Serenah dried her hands on a nearby towel. She went to the guard's side and followed him inside to her father's office. She steeled herself for this last day of punishment. I can do this. Tomorrow I'll be back with Romeo.
She kept that thought firmly in her mind as she entered the office. She froze, her mouth going dry at the sight of the room's occupants. Amanah, Noward, and her father were all present. Why was her sister here? Did the universe hate her so much that it would put all her enemies in the same room with her at the same time? Amanah's snicker broke her tumbling thoughts.
"Oh my. Looks like my sister isn't happy to see me."
No, she wasn't happy to see Amanah. Serenah felt suffocated by her enemies' presence. Anxiety skyrocketed. She had to find a way out without suffering too much. She didn't think that was possible or even probable.
Her eyes stayed on her twin as Amanah stalked toward her. Serenah tensed. Her sister halted before her, her dismissive gaze hurting Serenah. There it was. Both her father and sister were good at making her feel small.
The backhand from her sister was swift and brutal. Pain blossomed across her cheek as a surprised cry escaped her mouth. She turned, her hand flying to her face to stare at her sister. What had she done to deserve a slap?
"Your confused face never gets old, sister. How did you contact Romeo during your punishment?
"Contact him? You broke my phone! How in the world would I be able to contact him?"
"Father, Serenah's bad habit is showing," cooed Amanah, her eyes gleaming with malice.
Serenah's cheek throbbed, a sharp reminder that the enemy surrounded her. She had to be wary lest they trap her with their schemes.
"Liar!"
Slap.
Serenah yelped, backpedaling, trying hard to escape her enraged sister.
"How…did…you…do…it?" snarled Amanah, lunging forward to grab Serenah's hair and yanking her toward her.
Serenah screamed, reached up to claw at her sister's grip. "Let me go! I didn't do anything except the work assigned to me! Stop it, Amanah!"
"Liar, liar. Pants on fire! If you didn't contact Romeo, why did he avoid me for the two weeks you weren't there?"
Serenah's heart skipped a beat at her twin's words. Romeo had ignored Amanah. Something warm filled her chest. Romeo still loved her, not her twin. She couldn't stop a smile of happiness from briefly flitting across her face.
"So you did do something," announced her father, coming toward them.
Her smile disappeared, replaced by fear. Anger simmered in her father's gaze. Oh no, I'm screwed.
Serenah frantically shook her head no. She saw the calculating look in Amanah's eyes right before her sibling opened her mouth to fan the flames of their father's anger.
"Father, my twin is smart. I'm sure she contacted Romeo by email or some other way. May I punish her for lying and trying to keep what isn't hers?"
Serenah's breathing sped up. She whimpered. This was bad. So bad.
"Yes. It is your right as Crown Princess to put arrogant people in their place. Make sure the lesson sticks."
Her father's cold, bored tone pierced Serenah's heart. Life was so unfair! She didn't have time to prepare before her sister was on her, blows flying and landing everywhere.
Serenah collapsed to the floor, her arms coming up to cover her head as she curled into a ball. Her pained cries and whimpers filled the room between the sound of her sister's fists connecting with her flesh. Abruptly, the blows stopped. Serenah's harsh breathing was loud in the air, her body screaming its hurt.
She heard her father's footsteps and trembled in fear. She yelped when his fingers tangled in her hair, and he jerked her upright.
"Such a disappointment. Well, I have a cure for that."
"Father, make sure you give her extra lashes for lying," goaded Amanah.
"No, please," Serenah moaned.
He dragged her stumbling form to the desk. She tried to fight, but her body wasn't cooperating. Just like every other day of these two weeks of hell, Grand Duke Noward joined her father in pinning her down. She heard the zipper of her dress being pulled down, the cold air of the room brushing her back.
"Hmm, such lovely work, Your Majesty," said Noward, his tone full of admiration as he trailed a finger down Serenah's back.
She flinched from the touch of his finger on her skin. She had to endure this. Tomorrow, she would be free of this torment. She could do this. She held on to that thought as the whistle of the whip became loud in her ears. She closed her eyes and willed her mind to escape the present situation for dreams of a pain-free future.