“I really have to go, love.”

Jorne really didn’t have the energy when it came to leaving this woman!

He didn’t want to go!

If only she would come back to his side, they could continue this affair more often…

Shaking his head into a certain neck, to try and not think of the possibilities, it was already too late.

For a while they had just quietly cuddled, but he could feel like it was not enough…It was never enough!

With just one move and…

“I really…Have to go!”

Clenching his fists into balls, he took a deep breath in and pushed up, looking at the most beautiful sight…

Those misty eyes of hers, that silky smooth skin…Her beautiful hair, a bit knotty but it was obviously enjoying its freedom…Her bosom and…

“Dammit!”

Moving his hand down to a soft area, he pushed her towards him and started yet another dive into a sweet sensation.

Never had a woman been a reason why he was late!

Breathing heavy, Jorne looked at the girl that was a bit of a mess but sexy as hell.

Upon cleaning himself and then her, he was put into a state of being reminded of something that he had forgotten all about.

It seemed that this woman of his was just starting the bleeding process in her cycle.

Being reminded upon that, Jorne felt a bit overwhelmed.

In the past, with Lady May, he had never forgotten!

Even though it had been quite a while for him to have been intimate with a woman, he had forgotten the basics on what it was used for!

It had been a couple of days now and he had not thought about pregnancy once!

He was still content relishing the body of the woman he desired for so long and no thought of that had entered his mind…But…He had already decided anyway that the mother of his children was going to be Oliver.

The thought of Oliver carrying his child was a pleasant feeling. It was also something he thought should happen soon, not because he was finally with her in that intimate way, but because of everyone wanting him to have an heir.

What worries him though, is that she was not his consort at the moment…Yet…

Sighing to this matter, Jorne gave his woman one more kiss on the forehead and smiled before leaving.

He was late…

Again…

Well, if his imperial father asks, then he’ll just state the truth by saying he’s coaxing over his beautiful wife!

That will be enough for his imperial father to stay off his back!

“Oh! Young Prince is very tame, let me take you for a walk!” I state in a manly voice and walk away from the laughing boy behind me.

“I’m not walking with you, you’re a girl!” The Prince tried to say but giggled too much to be serious.

“A girl you say, what about my manly voice!” I state back.

The boy giggled again and hit the table.

I laughed and leaned down, “Prince, don’t tell me she said that to you!?”

“It was…Close to that. You made it sound really different!” The Prince said.

“Who dares!”

Both the Prince and I look over to see Lady Venus coming closer.

I stand up straight and wondered what was wrong.

“Take her! How dare she flirt with my husband when I’m around!”

Suddenly, I was taken by the arms and I heard the Prince get up in a hurry, trying to get the extra hands around me off me.

“Let her go!”

“Husband, do you not know the rules? I am your wife, therefore I am also the leader of your…Inner harem.”

I looked over to the vixen and saw her clear her throat, she must have a problem with that word or something, I thought.

“She’s my maid!” The Prince stated firmly.

“Yes, I know, my dear Husband. But I am also the one that will control the maids in the residence! Take her away!”

“Wait!” The Second Prince said, “She…She can easily be put elsewhere! It is better for your sake to not lay a hand on her!”

The Prince was only thirteen and his courage only took him so far, so now that he had said his words, he was looking down at the ground, biting his lip.

“Oh, I can’t even do what I’m supposed to do? Your Highness, I don’t understand!” Lady Venus stated.

The Prince mumbled something that even I didn’t hear, and I honestly wasn’t surprised that he was like this. I was also glad that he had gone this far to try and protect me. But…He had done enough, and I didn’t want to get him into trouble.

“Don’t be mad at His Highness the Prince, Lady Venus.” I say, trying to keep the Prince out of this…Debacle.

“You!”

Seeing the vixen point at me and then move her hand, I was then taken away, now no longer able to help the Prince.

While walking, something was placed into my mouth and I could no longer talk…

What was going on?

Normally, when someone gets taken away, they didn’t stuff their mouths like this! Wasn’t she going a bit too far!?

Being escorted back to a lavish room and then tied to a pole, I didn’t see Lady Vixen anywhere.

The maids watched over me and I was wondering what would happen after I had to leave. That poor prince was someone easily discouraged so…Would he be able to tame the rotten person?

Probably not…

But…Wasn’t this a good thing?

Looking at my clasped hands and feeling my mouth unable to talk, I wondered how long it would be before I could…Leave…

Jorne came into my mind then and I seriously didn’t know if I was ready or not.

I had gotten my period two days ago, but he still came to cuddle me at night.

We had a conversation of babies and I was still stunned about it but we both did agree that I probably shouldn’t get pregnant right now.

It really was like my future was just starting. That a family was already in the works and that I was going to be a mother. Honestly, I was scared but seriously surprised at how determined Jorne was at wanting a family with me.

But now…Now I remembered that I did have a goal…I’d just forgotten all about it!

I had been only able to think of simple things lately and the big things that I did think about…All had something to do with Jorne!

What if Jorne comes tonight to find me gone?

What would he do?

Will he even find out that I’ve been taken by Lady Vixen?

Wouldn’t he easily figure out what I would do if I get taken to that prison again?

…He’d be mad right?

Could I…Do I even have the strength to make him mad?

What if he gets that mad that he doesn’t like me anymore?

“How dare you…A maid, try to steal my husband!”

Looking up at Lady Vixen, I bend my head back down.

Even if I wasn’t ready to leave, I guess I hadn’t another choice now…All I had to do was wait until this Vixen puts me into a cell!

***

I regret it…

I should have just been a good maid and kept my distance…Or gone back to Jorne’s side. Either one would have been better than this but…It is done…And so where my thoughts of staying!

Flinching to the pain in my back, I look through from what used to be a cupboard space to store things…That was now my cell.

She had done well, this Vixen, as she hadn’t even placed me into a cell that was in the prison. No, for two days now, she has made her very own cell in her own room and I even know that someone has come to demand me away from her.

The problem was, Lady Vixen seemed to have a talent with words and ended up getting that person into trouble instead!

She really was a piece of work!

I have now experienced so called punishments that I had never even thought of before.

They had punched and kicked me through a blanket, put needles into my back and now, seeing Lady Vixen look at me angrily, I could just assume that I was bound to get hurt once again in some way that made me feel like I’d die.

“How dare that they even think that I am being disrespectful!”

She had just returned from being away, a momentary relief to me, but now she had come back and looked angry.

“Get her ready to leave the area!”

Was it…That I could go?

It felt like an eternity since I had felt hope and seriously…I was scared to hope, I was scared to think that their will be a chance for me to break free from this crazy lunatic!

I didn’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t…

After they had even scratched my face, I had since then even felt like I couldn’t even face Jorne anymore.

There was simply too much that happened in just two days that had made me stumble back to where I used to feel.

I had been cursed at, being innocent of the charges. I had been abused over nothing, making me remember all the hardships prior to my maid dying in my place of Crowned Princess.

All those times that I had been placed behind the weasel, how could I forget?

Even my status back then, of being the first wife of the Crowned Prince, had not been taken seriously and I remembered it now that the vixen was doing her utmost to abuse me.

I’ve realized that this woman was a sadist.

She took some sort of pleasure in giving someone she thought deserved pain. She also came across as though she was too good for everyone, someone that thought that she could do whatever she wants!

Telling me that I’m just a maid, that her husband is hers, that I deserve nothing.

The vixen hadn’t cared that there was nothing going on between I and the Prince, no, she just had needed a reason to put me in my place!

Really…I wondered if she really were going to let me go but…

It seems I finally found out what happened to Madeline.

Madeline had upset the vixen and so…What was happening to me had happened to her.

This was not the first time that the vixen had placed a cell into her own quarters and abused someone day and night.

The problem was, I had heard what had happened afterwards and my resolved completely switched towards leaving the palace to never return…And that was only if I could leave here to begin with…

Madeline, that poor soul never left this cell alive…

She could have actually died because of more then one reason. She was starved, dehydrated and hurt.

I found this out and felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me…

The prison…I was never going to make it…

I was never going to be able to just walk out of the palace…And I was really starting to grow weak over being so hungry and thirsty and it had only been two days.

The maids were quiet most of the time, but they did speak of Madeline once when the vixen had been angrily muttering once…And since then, I have changed my mind…

No, I had my original goal back and felt even more resolved into never returning back here!

They had even punished me for something as natural as bleeding, but at that time she had laughed, having stated that at least I couldn’t be pregnant with her husband’s child…

I really didn’t get it though, the prince was only thirteen!

How could she even think that we could have been intimate, yet alone me becoming pregnant!?

She was just a plain maniac and I hated her!

The people who hurt me weren’t her, but she was the one behind every attack!

At first, I had wondered if Jorne would come to save me. I didn’t completely expect him too, but I did wonder if he would. Now…Now I don’t want to see him, I don’t want him to save me and I hope…I hope so much that I could make it to that prison!

I hope that I can get out of this dirty, rotten place!

And this is why I feel so deflated…Because that hope isn’t real…It isn’t something that I should wish for because…It simply won’t happen!

The Vixen had used her ‘status’ over me plenty of times and I had wanted to yell at her that I was someone even more important than her but I had come to my senses and realized that I couldn’t do it…And I’m glad of that!

I’m glad that I didn’t tell her that I was the Crowned Princess! I’m glad I didn’t talk back and just took on what I found was her personal anger problems!

If she was mad because of the food she ate, she looked towards me like it was my fault and I would be hurt.

If she was angry because she heard a rumor of herself that wasn’t good, she would look at me like I had started it!

I was sick of this…I was sick about how the palace was and how power was used!

When I was a merchant, I hadn’t thought about the way palace life was like. I didn’t know that so many secrets would be there!

Being a merchant…I had felt freer. I had been able to live the way I wanted, I had been able to laugh and…

Remembering that lately I had been happy with Jorne, I just shut my eyes to try to forget.

Being lifted up in my weak state, I was then placed into a barrel and found myself in the darkness.

I was already unable to speak, having been unable to most of this time, but at the moment I sort of didn’t care. If this barrel took me to the prison…That would be good…

Leaning against the edge of the barrel, I found myself getting lifted slightly and then it seemed one of the people had let go or something and I bumped my head as I fell with the barrel.

Then, in my utter disbelief, I was then upside down and I let out a muffled groan as I hit my head again.

If ever I had the chance to pay back for these last two days…I was going to do it so well!

With such a predicament, that I couldn’t stay like this, I spent the next half an hour trying to turn and get comfortable again but by then, the barrel had stopped moving.

When I felt that I was now alone, I tried to open the barrel but…It was nailed shut…

Looking down at my cramped feet, I see that if there was a top that would come off easier…It was below me!

But…I had to get out of here and I was going to try my hardest to make that happen!

I guess…This must have been the reason why they had turned the barrel around!

Putting my head against the barrel, feeling my thirst really becoming painful, I clenched my hands and sighed.

I had not been able to eat much, I had even had to eat from the ground like a dog just to entertain the Vixen.

This really was torture for me and even though I was weak…I still had to try and get out of here!

My hands were still roped up, but they were in front of me, so I tried to push the barrel, hoping to topple it over but…

I couldn’t even feel the slightest change…

Oh…So, they had put something on top then?

Taking in a deep breath, feeling completely useless, I tried harder than before and groaned to pain when I felt something go into my hand.

I brought my hands up to my face and covered my eyes.

I didn’t want to cry, I didn’t want to think that things were over but…I was stuck, I was also wondering now if I would ever make it to the prison!

‘Come back with me’.

A tear dropped and I regretted not following Jorne back.

Even though I felt like things were ok right up until I was taken by the Vixen, now…Now they were bad!

I was weak, thirsty and hurting and I just didn’t have much confidence at the moment!

“This came out of Lady Venus’s quarters?”

“Ye…Yes, Your Highness…She only placed it here for now…While…While we were cleaning her room.”

Opening my eyes, I felt like there was some type of light out of this mess!

It was the second Prince!

“Very well.”

Hearing footsteps disappear, I wanted to hell out, I wanted to scream!

I’m in here!

Don’t leave me!

“Where do you want her, Your Highness?”

“Change the barrels.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Feeling the barrel get picked up and then placed onto something else, I felt like things were going to change for the better.

If the second Prince, if only he could open the barrel, then I could…

“Take it away!”

“Yes, at once, Your Highness!”

“When…If, if it is her, give her this.”

I tried to let out a noise, but it seemed that nothing was done, and I heard footsteps moving, making me think that I was on the back of some sort of wheeled platform.

I know I heard the prince…I was sure that he…He was doing something for me, but I started to get frozen in shock…

Madeline…She was taken away when she had died…Through being in a barrel…

What if they think I’m dead? What if I end up in some sort of pit of dead bodies?

After stopping a couple of times and even hearing something hit the barrel that I was in, I started to finally wonder what was going on…

Then…I was moved, I felt it, and I was sure that I was on some carriage or something because I heard the horses hitting the ground…

It wasn’t the smoothest of rides and I really was wondering where I was going because…It felt like I was leaving…

Was I going to be out of the palace then?

Will I not get hurt anytime soon?

Will I be able to eat properly? Dress properly?

Was it really the prince…Had he saved me? Was I safe now?

…With my burdens strangely easing, I found myself slipping into sleep, unable to stay awake…