LIORA HARROW
"Aunty, please", I begged as my aunty continued whipping me with the belt.
"You whore. I sent you to the palace to work not to spread your legs for the princes. Do you think they'll take pity on you once they've been between your legs? Huh?", my aunty, Isolde Harrow, gritted out as the belt landed on the side of my face, the end coming in contact with my eye and shutting it close.
"Aunty, I didn't", I sobbed. "I wasn't with any of the princes"
"Then explain why you are coming home by this time", she paused the belt mid-air and I scrambled up to my knees.
"The king announced that there would be a party held tomorrow in honour of the first prince", I hurriedly explained, my hands in my lap shaking terribly.
"Oh, really?", she scoffed and I nodded furiously.
My aunt went silent. The silence was unnerving but I didn't dare look up at her. That would only anger her more.
Fear gripped me like a vice and I started shivering all over. I had to grit my teeth hard to avoid the loud chattering from escaping my lips as I waited for my aunt to speak.
After what felt like hours but was only in fact just a few nerve-wracking minutes, my aunt threw the belt in my face.
"Get rid of your filthy mess on my floor and make sure you leave no stain", she ordered.
"Yes, aunty"
She walked out of the storage room and I waited till I couldn't hear her footsteps anymore before I let out a deep shuddering breath.
I got up slowly on shaky legs, my legs almost giving out in the process. I swayed a little but steadied myself against the wall. When I was sure I wouldn't fall, I moved my tired and wounded body to go get a rag and bowl of water.
I wiped the blood and sweat off the floor carefully so I wouldn't miss a spot. When I finished, I went to the bathroom to clean myself up.
I took off my clothes one piece at a time before standing under the cold shower. I hissed as the pressure of the water hit my wounds and stung.
I washed my body slowly and gingerly. When I was satisfied, I turned off the shower and wrapped my small towel round my body. It barely covered my behind but it was all that I had. Along with a few worn-out clothes.
I went to my small closet room which didn't qualify to be called a room at all. I took out the soothing balm Annalise had given to me. We both worked as maids in the palace and she was the closest thing I had to a friend.
I applied it to the wounds I could see. The ones on my back would just have to be left like that. I sighed picking up my broken mirror—careful not to press on the sharp edges— and stared at my right eye. It was swollen and already turning purple.
I was going to be getting a lot of weird looks tomorrow because of it. But it wasn't anything new.
I put down the mirror and wore my nightdress. Or at least, what was left of it. There were holes in it and though I always made sure to stitch it up, the dress was so old that it couldn't even hold the stitches anymore.
I crawled on top of my equally old mattress and folded myself up. The purpose of the mattress to ward off cold had been defeated a long time ago. All it did now was to cushion the hardness of the ground—which it didn't do so well.
I closed my eyes and took in a long breath, counting to three before releasing it.
It will all get better. You just have to hang in there a little bit. You can do it, Liora.
That was what I told myself every night, praying to whatever god was out there that they heard my plea.