The sun hadn't fully risen when I woke up due to my rumbling stomach. That hunger had prevented me from sleeping soundly all night. I still remembered clearly, last night I only ate a piece of hard bread full of dust that was even difficult to chew.
I tried to get out of bed, but a sudden stab of pain shot through my hand. Reflexively, I held it gently.
The wound was no longer visible, but the pain remained, a faint, persistent throb reminding me of everything that had happened yesterday. Every time I moved my fingers, that painful sensation radiated to my wrist.
Besides the physical pain, my thoughts were again shaken by memories that made my heart even heavier.
I remembered those two servants, Leo with his mocking laugh, and Mira with her cold, humiliating smile.
The way they forced me to dance and crawl for bread. The searing pain of her shoe pressing down on my hand.
Every detail resurfaced, making my body tremble, not just from pain, but also from a shame and fear that wouldn't go away.
I let out a long sigh, trying to push the memories aside. With a body still weak and a hand throbbing softly, I decided to look for someone who could tell me the location of the kitchen. Maybe there was a servant already awake and willing to help.
Maybe there was still someone kind in this palace. Someone who wouldn't laugh at me, who wouldn't force me to degrade myself just for a piece of bread.
I got out of bed and slipped on my worn shoes, the last gift from my hardworking mother.
With that, I stepped into the dimly lit corridor. Only oil lamps were lit in a few corners, providing faint light. I walked slowly while looking for signs of life, hoping to find a friendly servant. Every step felt heavy from hunger.
But my unlucky fate continued.
"Hey, look who's here!" a rough voice called from behind a pillar.
Two figures emerged from the corridor under the flickering oil lamps, fully armed and their faces adorned with sneering smiles. I didn't recognize them, but their presence immediately made my heart feel tense.
One of them looked at me with a sneering gaze.
"Hey... who are you? What are you doing out here at this hour?"
I swallowed, my voice trembling.
"I-I… just want some food…"
The tall guard leaned closer, looking me up and down.
"Heh... so this is the talentless hero everyone's talking about?"
I fell silent, my heart pounding loudly hearing that term.
"I... I'm not—"
But my voice faltered under their sharp eyes.
The shorter guard laughed, scarred face twisting in amusement. "Food? You think you can just take it as you like? You're trash. Go back to the barracks and sleep. Maybe you'll get to eat in your dreams."
They surrounded me, their faces full of pleasure seeing my fear. The smell of alcohol wafted from their breath, making me even more afraid.
"Let's play a guessing game," suggested the shorter guard with his sharp, slanted eyes.
"Answer correctly, and we'll tell you where the servants dining room is."
He spat near my feet, his saliva almost hitting my shoes. "Guess, how many spit are on this floor? If correct, we'll take you to the kitchen."
Tears began to pool in my eyes. "Please... I'm so hungry. I haven't had a proper meal since yesterday."
"Hungry?" The tall guard pushed my shoulder until I fell.
"That's not our business. Now leave before we punish you for wandering without permission. Or better yet, we'll lock you in the detention room overnight."
I was still on the cold floor, their mocking laughter ringing in my ears, when a captain with a sturdy build appeared at the end of the corridor. The dim oil lamp light revealed a face covered in battle scars.
He had slightly messy silver hair and the weathered face of a man in his forties. His brown eyes were sharp, looking at the guards with clearly felt authority even from a distance.
"What's going on here?" his voice boomed in the quiet corridor.
The guards immediately stood straight, their faces changing from arrogant to fearful.
"C-Captain!" a shorter guard stammered.
"We found this talentless one wandering without permission! She was trying to steal from the kitchen!"
A jolt of panic shot through me.
"N-no! That's not true!" I protested, my voice trembling.
"I... I just wanted to find some food, not steal!"
The captain looked at me with sharp eyes, utterly unmoved by my protest.
"Silence." he said, his voice a low threat.
"Your reasons are irrelevant. Here, you obey. Or you suffer the consequences."
"I am Captain Gregory, supervisor of the palace servants," he continued coldly. "Now come with me."
His hand shot out and seized my arm before I could pull away. The rough contact sent a stab of pain radiating from the wounded part of my hand, a brutal reminder of the previous night's ordeal.
I held my breath and bit my lip to prevent a scream from coming out, my body trembling to withstand the pain.
"So you're not only useless, but you also can't follow rules? You think the palace rules are a joke?" he said.
his eyes sharp as he stared at me. while my body trembled holding back pain and shame. Every pull on my arm seemed to emphasize how helpless I was before him.
He dragged me through the still dim lit corridor. His hand gripped my arm tightly, leaving red marks.
"You will learn today. In this palace, those who don't obey will be punished."
We arrived at the smelly horse stable. Captain Gregory threw a rusty shovel to the ground beside me.
"Clean all this manure before the sun is high. No food until your work is finished. And if you stop before finishing, you won't eat until tomorrow."
I stared at the shovel, my hand still throbbing and trembling. When I tried to pick it up and gripped it, the pain in my hand immediately stabbed, forcing me to let out a soft scream.
"Ah...!" Every grip felt like a stab in my wrist, yet hunger and fear forced me to remain standing, with no other choice.
When I started cleaning the stable, my body was weak and stiff. The pungent smell of horse manure pierced my nose, making my stomach even more nauseous.
My injured hand throbbed with a fresh wave of pain each time I tried to lift a shovelful of manure. And with every lump that fell back to the ground, I felt my dignity being dragged down with it into the filth.
My heart was shattered, but I kept moving, holding back tremors and ragged breaths.
"Why... why does this have to happen to me? Why am I always the one tortured, humiliated... why?"
my voice sounded faint, almost breaking, as if only the cold air in this stable heard it.
In my mind, the faces of Eri and her friends who always mocked me flashed, followed by the images of Eldrin and King Thorian who looked coldly, as if indifferent to my suffering, then memories of the two cruel servants who treated me like an animal, and the guards who treated me like trash. All those memories mixed together, creating a stinging disgust that reached my chest.
The shovel grew heavier in my throbbing hand, pain radiating up my arm with every feeble grip. Exhaustion, hunger, and pain piled up inside me, pressing down on the last fibers of my strength. I spoke again, even though I knew no one was listening.
"Do I deserve to be treated like this? Am I really just trash to them?" my voice disappeared between my own breathless pants.
There was no one around. Only me, the shovel, and the horse. My words drifted into the empty air, dying without an echo, unheard and unanswered.
As I cleaned the stables in disgust, dawn slowly began to break. In the distance, through the stable's bars, I could see servants bustling toward the dining hall, carrying trays laden with food. The fragrant aroma of fresh food reached my nose, making my stomach cramp even more.
A short while later, I saw Eri, Dito, Sari, Maya, and Mr. Anton having breakfast in the luxurious dining room. From a distance, I could see them sitting around a long table filled with various dishes.
Eri laughed freely while eating fresh fruits, Dito was busy cutting roast meat, while Sari and Maya seemed to be enjoying warm bread with butter. Even Mr. Anton, though still looking gloomy, was eating a bowl of warm porridge.
My mouth almost watered seeing them eat so heartily while I had to clean horse manure on an empty stomach. My hands trembled holding the shovel, but I had to keep working if I didn't want to starve longer.
Envy and sadness flooded my heart. Why could they eat well while I had to endure hunger, working hard under indifferent cold stares? A feeling of despair enveloped me. But behind all that, memories of my mother emerged.
I remembered when I was little, seeing my mother being scolded by one of her clients when she worked as a seamstress.
Innocently I asked. 'Mom, why are you okay with accepting that?'
Mom smiled, a tired but steadfast look on her face, and hugged me.
'Sometimes life is unfair, my child' she answered.
'But we must be strong. Don't let others break you.'
That memory ignited a small flame in my heart. Even though my body was weak and full of wounds, I held my mother's words tightly.
I had to endure. Even though in pain, even though hungry, I couldn't just give up.
After they finished breakfast, they immediately headed to the training ground.
They stood on the well maintained green field, surrounded by colorful fresh flowers in the morning.
I could see them from afar, Eri, Dito, Maya, Sari, and also Mr. Anton, standing in the middle of a vast field.
Then, Eldrin appeared among them, holding a crystal staff that sparkled under the sunlight.
I was too far away to hear his words. All I could see were the deliberate movements of his lips and his unyielding stance. The wind carried his voice away, leaving me in the silence of my own small world.
I looked down and returned to my work. The shovel in my hand felt heavy, and every movement of stirring the soil mixed with manure made my wrist hurt. The stable smell was so pungent, piercing my nose and making my throat sore.
Meanwhile, in the distance, they looked majestic and clean in new training clothes, like young knights ready to conquer the world.
I saw their laughter as Eri glanced in my direction, a familiar smirk twisting her lips as Dito joined in with a mocking laugh.
I didn't know what they were talking about, but I didn't need to hear it. I understood enough from the way they laughed.
It felt like a recurring nightmare. Even in this new world, I remained in the same place, below, dirty, and unacknowledged.
My gaze briefly met Mr. Anton's. His stare made my chest feel warm yet painful.
He seemed to want to help, but I knew he couldn't. Maybe like me, he was also bound to a role we never asked for.
I took a deep breath, trying to hold back the swirling feelings in my chest.
I had to be strong.
Clenching my teeth against the hunger and the tears welling in my eyes, I continued cleaning the stable. The stench of horse manure clung to my clothes and burned in my nostrils.
My back ached and my hands were blistered from gripping the rough shovel, but even more torturous was the constant mockery drifting from the training field.
After finishing the first stable, suddenly Captain Gregory appeared, and I was moved to the vegetable garden to pull weeds.
Hunger had weakened me, my head felt light and my vision blurred. But Captain Gregory didn't allow me to eat.
"Work faster!" he snapped.
"You think this palace is a place to laze around? Look at your friends, they are the heroes who will save this Kingdom! And you? You can't even clean the garden properly!"
A bitter retort burned in my mind, I'm not lazy...I'm starving. But not a single word escaped my lips. Instead, I bowed my head lower, my silence a louder plea than any words could be, and forced my trembling hands back to the weeds.
After that, Gregory left the garden.
While I was pulling weeds, my stomach growled so violently that my head began to spin. The world seemed to spin, and I fell, my hands touching the damp, cold soil. The accumulated fatigue made my body almost unable to stand. However, with great difficulty, I got up again, enduring the pain radiating in my hand and every screaming muscle from exhaustion. I just thought all this was due to hunger and an overly weak body.