Chapter 71

71 I’ll tell you your place

“Neera..:” Emma called as though trying to find a similarity between her name and Lilah’s.

“Where are you from?” She asked and Neera paused, then she replied;

“Emonir, a small village on the outskirts of Taos.” She replied.

“Mm, I see. How did you come here?”

Emma continued to ask; Neera wished she would just disappear, she knew they were not going to let her go until they had milked out every information they wanted to know from her.

“My parents sold me off as a slave.” She replied; there was quiet before Lyra added;

“And you came here and forgot what you forgot what are. Now you have to audacity to think of climbing into the King’s bed?”

Neera raised her eyes in shock and looked at Lyra.

“Never, your highness. I dare not.” She said in fright. Lyra was staring at her disgustingly; she hated the sight of her. She wished she would just disappear and she would know she had only the Princesses to contend with.

.....

Her existence alone meant that Zavian would be swayed in making his decision on who would be queen.

“But you stay in the King’s court, right beside the king’s chambers.”

Lyra added and Neera opened her mouth but no words could come out. After some seconds, she bowed her head. She was right, she was staying right beside the King’s chambers. But it was not her fault. It was the king who had asked her to stay there, why was she being punished for it?

But she couldn’t say that. It was her fault that she looked like the former queen. It was her fault that she came to the Castle and is trying to seduce the king. Everything was her fault.

There was no way they would like her, there was nothing she would do that could change their minds, so Neera just stood there and waited for any punishment they would unleash her.

“Kneel...” Kitana who had been quiet all the while, spoke suddenly and Neera looked at her.

Her face was devoid of emotions but her eyes were filled with utmost hate and disgust.

Neera lowered to her knees, and she bowed her head.

The other Princesses looked at Kitana wondering why she was telling her to kneel down.

In a split second, Kitana stood up and walked to her, and before anyone could say anything, a very dirty slap had landed on her right chin.

The Princesses gasped, but there was no time for them to recover, as a dirtier slap landed on the other chin, sweeping her face to the other side. They thought it was over, but Kitana held her face and landed two more slaps on each cheek before she let her go.

Neera shrieked in pain as she fell to the floor, sharp sounds ringing in her ears. She opened her eyes and for a few seconds, she could not see a thing.

She had been slapped a lot in her life, but this was the most painful slap she had ever received. Her face burned as she dragged herself from the ground, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth.

Tears poured freely from her eyes as she struggled to kneel upright, she knew Kitana did not like her but she didn’t know to what extent until that moment.

There was a whole minute of silence as the Princesses stared in shock. They did not like the girl but, to slap her in that manner, it was just overboard.

Kitana had always wanted to do this. For over five hundred years, she wanted Lilah to kneel before her and she slap her dirtily for taking what belonged to her, and finally, she had gotten a chance to do it.

Kitana heaved a sigh of relief and stretched her hands, then she walked back to her chair.

“I called you and you decided not to come. Do I look like a joke to you?” Kitana asked, but Neera remained quiet. Her mouth was too heavy to speak.

“You’ve forgotten so soon that you’re only but a wretched slave. The king shows you some kindness and you feel you have a right?

You think a royalty can call you and you would choose not to answer?

Well, I’m going to teach you a very bitter lesson now. You, go get me a pair of scissors.”

Kitana ordered one of the servants that had been watching from the side and he looked at her in shock;

Was it not enough? Did she want to punish her more?

He wondered. The girls face and lips were already bleeding, what more did she want to do?

“Are you deaf?!” Kitana blared when she noticed the servant was hesitating to move.

The servant quickly ran off and Kitana breathed, turning back to Neera.

“When I’m done with you, you’ll know your place.”

The other Princesses felt it was a little too much but they did not say a thing, they did not like the girl anyway.

Neera knelt down with tears pouring from her eyes and she did not say a word. She did wrong by running from Kitana, but she knew the end result would not have been different anyway.

Kitana would find any reason to punish her, and this was just one out of the many reasons she would have found.

The servant boy returned with the scissors and Kitana walked to Neera and held the neck of her dress and began to cut it.

Neera did not struggle, she just let her do whatever she wanted.

The Princesses and servants stared in awe. They knew Kitana was wicked, but they did not think she would be that evil to naked a maiden in public. It was forbidden to let your nakedness be seen, and she knew that.

She wanted to ruin the girl.

Neera just stayed still as she watched Kitana shred her clothes into pieces.

...

Zavian was walking out of the Castle when he heard a few maids talking;

“Everyone, Princess Kitana is beating Neera up. Did you see?! Oh goodness, she’s very wicked!”

“Where? Where is she?” Another maid asked and the first replied;

“They are under the maple tree, everyone is gathered! Come let’s go!”

Zavian froze when he overheard them. It took him a few seconds to process what they just said and a sudden gust of rage overtook him. In a second, he turned and walked towards the maple tree.

...

A small crowd was forming as the servants gathered, watching Kitana deal with Neera.

When Kitana saw the crowd, she smiled in her mind. It was exactly what she wanted; to disgrace Neera in public and in front of everyone.

A woman who was stripped naked was considered lowlier than a slave, no noble would even come close to her. If she did that, Zavian would never behold her with his eyes again.

She had shredded Neera’s dress and it was left the white undergarment, which wrapped her nakedness; at this point, Neera tried to struggle, but Kitana slapped her again;

“Move your hand, unless you want me to slash your face with these scissors;”

She ordered and Neera moved her hand, hot tears pouring from he eyes.

The scissors went between the cloth that covered her bosoms and cut twice before a deep angry voice rang out;

“What are you doing?”