“Where’s that cursed child been today?” Bas Twilym nee Legume asked. This question was directed to the female servant that was currently massaging her legs.

“Her highness said she did not want to come down for breakfast because she missed her mother,” The maid blandly replied without stopping what she was doing.

“Heh,” Bas scorned, “She misses breakfast because of that woman. Haven’t I said this before Tiffany that these marrying these Centriams was a mistake. They don’t know anything about how to act in public. They only know how to fight and eat but this one doesn’t even know how to eat.”

“My lady,” Tiffany said softly in a cautionary manner, “She’s the daughter of the King.”

“Bah. I was the daughter of the King. That means nothing,” Bas dismissed but the conviction in her voice had been reduced. There was no response from her closest maid. Tiffany had been with her since she was a teenager, her point had already been said.

“Since she does not want to eat, then don’t force her,” Bas said after around a few minutes of silence.

“My Lady, what about your brother -”

“Tiffany, don’t go beyond your station.” Bas interjected and stood up. Tiffany visibly flinched and immediately knelt in apology. It was very difficult to serve Bas. She would allow advice and objections some times and at other times would consider those to be signs of insubordination. She would be need to be careful for the next few weeks.

“Anyway, if our dear Princess does not want to eat because she wants to think about her mother, let’s give her all the time she needs,” Bas said smiling, “Tell the kitchen staff to stop preparing meals for her. It is not as if she can die from missing a few meals.”

“Yes, my lady,” Tiffany replied obediently.

“Good. Also, you’ve gotten worse at massaging. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what will happen if you are so atrocious the next time I ask you to attend to me.”

“I’m sorry, my Lady. I’ll do better next time.”

“You better.” Bas said and walked towards the door leaving Tiffany kneeling on the ground. When she reached the door, she stopped and turned back to look at the servant. “By the way, you do know to punish anyone that gives the child anything but water.”

“Yes, my Lady. I’ll immediately remove them from their position.”

“Remove them from their position? Oh no no,” Bas said laughing disdainfully, “Why should I lose manpower because of their mistakes? No. If they feed her even a morsel of hard bread, take them out and flog them. If someone saw them giving food to the child and did not report it, they will also be flogged as well. In fact, they will be flogged more than the perpetrator. Oh don’t look at me like that Tiffany,” She said to her growing look of horror, “I am one of the best employers in this country and all I require is a measure of obedience and loyalty. If they can’t even do something that little, they shouldn’t have applied.”

Tiffany took in a deep, shaking breath and nodded her head while looking down at the ground. “I will obey your orders,” She said in a hushed voice.

“I just knew that you would. See, this is why you are my favourite.” Bas said then left ignoring the fearful look on her supposed favourite’s face.

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Choice hid under her bed and drew her covers over her head. It had been a week since she had come to her aunt’s place and although she had tried to follow what her mother said, she missed her mother very much. She was still scared about the dream she had had before she left the palace. Mama told me that I won’t get eaten but Mama’s not here. What if the monster comes here as well.

Choice’s stomach rumbled and she made a pained face at the hunger pangs. She was really hungry but she wanted her mother to come and pick her up. This place was not as good as the palace. She missed her own bed and her silver decorations on the wall. She missed her toys and her brother and her friends. She did not like how her aunt spoke of her mother and to her.

Choice had refused breakfast because she thought if she stopped eating, someone would come and give her what she wanted. She almost always got what she wanted by putting up a tantrum in the palace. Yes, it was childish but oh well, she was a child.

Choice was very certain that this plan would work so she was very surprised when it was afternoon and no one came to get her. If she was home, by this time her mother would have come to get her. A lot of times her mother scolded her but it was a sure way for her mother to come get her.

You’ll have to pardon Choice. Yes she had promised her mother to be well behaved and she was a smart child. But she was still a seven year old child and children are remarkably resilient. She had been chased and she had had a horrible nightmare but if she had gone back to her normal life, she would have recovered completely and might have even forgotten these incidents. But she was not home anymore.

Around six in the afternoon, Choice could not ignore her hunger anymore. She crawled out from underneath the bed and dropped her covers right dear. Opening her door, she peeked out to see no one walking down the corridor. Bas’s home was a very huge manor and she had sent her to a part of the house that was as very away from her section as possible. She had not wanted the foreign brat to be anywhere near her or to corrupt her darling sons. This had the effect of placing Choice in a part of the house that was not very frequented.

As a result, Choice was often ignored or forgotten. An older Choice would sometimes appreciate this distance as it gave her more freedom to be herself away from her aunt’s watchful eye but for this Choice would was used to people being everywhere in the palace, this lack was unnerving. Even though the sun had not yet set, this part of the manor seemed to be dark.

“There’s no monsters there,” Choice mumbled as she walked down the hall. She tried to get to the grand hall but kept on getting lost on her way there. Frustrated and scared, Choice began to cry. Heaving sobs wracking through her small body.

At this time, one of the servants walked out of another part of the house. He saw the young girl crying and hesitated before walking past her. He did not want to get involved with the little princess. He didn’t know if there was going to be additional punishment for even speaking with her; the Lady of the house was so unpredictable.

However, although he wanted to leave Choice alone, Choice was not ready to leave him. To her, he was a light that had appeared to rescue her out of the darkness of this dreary domicile. She immediately stopped crying and started chasing after him.

The young man looked behind him and saw the princess trying to catch up to him and increased his pace. He cursed his luck in choosing a new route to leave the kitchen under his breath and hurried even more.

“Mister,” Choice shouted, panting, “Mister wait up.”

I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing, he thought to himself, Just move quickly and I’ll be out of danger.

“Wait for me,” She continued calling but he refused to listen. Choice took in a deep breath and tears welled up. What do I do? He’s not stopping. What can I do to make him stop? Ah I know. I’ll do that thing that baba does. Having made a decision, she nodded decisively and raised her voice.

“Are you ignoring your King?” She said in a voice that sounded somewhat imperious but it was obvious that she was repeating something she had heard somewhere else. Still, that was enough to stun him. For a second, she had sounded vaguely commanding. No baba is a king. I’m a princess. I can only be the King when I’m older like mama says. “Um, no not king,” she said less certain then with more certainty, “Princess. Are you ignoring your princess? I’ll tell my aunt. She’s also a princess and she’ll punish you.”

Shit, the man thought, The Lady can be crazy but she’s very proud of being royalty. If she tells her I might be in trouble. He put on a strained smile and hurried back to Choice. “Of course not, your Highness. I didn’t know you were speaking to me.”

“Hmm. Then I’ll forgive you,” Choice stated, sticking her nose up in the air. He looked at her posture and quickly down to hide the laughter that was threatening to come out. Perhaps Choice thought that she looked kingly and commanding but to his eyes, she just looked adorable. The stiffening in his heart loosened. She was just a child. Surely he would not get into trouble just for speaking to her.

“Thank you very much for your kindness,” he said, amused.

Choice nodded approvingly which made her look even more ridiculous and childish. “Well then um… what’s your name?”

“Timothy.”

“Then Timothy, take me to the grand hall. I want to have my meal now.”

“Ah,” Timothy said and immediately frowned. This was trouble. He had almost forgotten the order given to all the servants and particularly the kitchen staff, which he was part of, to not feed the princess. “Your highness,” he began tentatively, “I’m sorry but there’s no food set up for you.”

“No food? But there was food in the morning.”

“Yes. But my lady, your aunt has said that we should not feed you anymore.”

“No food?” asked Choice slowly, her bottom lip quivering and tears present in her eyes, “But I’m so hungry. My tummy has been making rumbling sounds all day. Is there no food to eat.”

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Timothy looked away from the pitiful sight and sighed. “I’m sorry your highness but you’ll have to speak to your aunt about that. I can’t help with anything.”

“But I’m so hungry. My tummy hurts. Is there really nothing you can do.”

“I’m afraid not,” He said gingerly, hoping that she did not start crying. No such luck. At his pronouncement, Choice’s tears finally spilled over and she started bawling at loud. “No no, stop crying,” Timothy said, hoping to calm the girl but this even made her cry more. He looked at her in pity - she was just a child - then glanced around him. They were in a deserted part of the manor that very few people came to and he was sure that no one was around.

After looking around a bit more, Timothy knelt down and put his hands on Choice’s shoulders. “Okay okay, that’s enough,” He said appeasingly in a hushed tone, “I have some food I can give you.”

“Really,” Choice shrieked.

“Shh,” Timothy hushed then looked around again, “Be more quiet.I’m not supposed to give you any food but you can keep a secret, can’t you Choice?”

“Yes,” Choice replied in a whisper, “I even kept the secret that… my mama told me to keep.”

Was she about to reveal a secret. Can she really keep quiet, he thought then looked around him again. For a second, he thought about telling the princess that he didn’t have any food after all but he looked at her tear stained face and the thought vanished. No, she’s a princess. All them nobles know how to keep quiet. Such a poor child though to be stuck here with her. No need to worry Timothy, it just some bread and no one will ever know.

“Here you go,” He said and past her something wrapped in cloth. It was a small piece of bread. “Eat this now and then I’ll take you to the kitchen where you can drink some water. Go and beg your aunt and if she does not lift the ban, you can come and meet me here until she does.”

“Okay, Timothy. Thank you very much,” Choice said and then curtseyed to show her gratitude.

“Ha ha. No don’t do that,” Timothy said sheepishly then took Choice’s hand to lead her to the kitchen. He did not know why he made such a promise but he hoped that the ban got lifted soon.

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Five days had passed and her aunt had not lifted so Choice stayed more frequently in her room where she kept dreaming of the attack and the nightmare with the monster. There was a difference between the dreams she kept happening and the nightmare but that didn’t stop it from being terrifying. She was already getting more and more used to the hunger she felt which was only eased by drinking a lot of water and the pieces of bread that Timothy was able to sneak away to her. These were no desirable replacements for food but Choice had stopped complaining about it after she had begged her aunt for food and she had laughed scornfully at her. Everyone else in the manor either ignored her or looked at her with contempt whenever she was around so she was very happy that Timothy gave her food and spoke to her.

She had sensed that her aunt did not want to be near her and so she was surprised when she had gotten a summons to meet her. When Choice stepped into the room, the first thing her eyes went to were the cakes arranged on the table in the middle of the room.

Bas noticed where her eyes were going to and chuckled warmly. “Come in, sit down. Are you hungry? Have some cake,” She said kindly. Choice looked at her aunt in surprise. She’d never heard her speak so warmly to her before. She still remembered the first time she’d met her aunt who had looked her up and down and then scoffed with contempt before ignoring her. She was more used to her insulting her mother and putting her down. “Are you not coming in?” Bas said a little more sharply but still with that gentle tone.

“Yes, Aunt Bas,” Choice replied and then sat down, her eyes glancing past her aunt, her maid, the door behind her aunt before going back to the food on the center table. She stretched her hand slowly to the cakes and when she realised that her aunt was not going to stop her, quickly grabbed one of the cakes. She was so hungry.

Bas smiled and went back to the book she was reading while Tiffany occasionally refilled her cup of tea. It was quiet with the silence only broken with the sound of flipping pages and Choice’s eating. It was peaceful and Choice wished that it would always be like this with her aunt. Sadly, this did not last long as the door behind Bas opened and another maid came out. She nodded to Tiffany who had turned to look at her before closing the door again. Tiffany bent to whisper to Bas.

“Finally,” She exclaimed, standing up. She put down her book before extending an arm to Choice.

“Have you ever watched a play before?”

“No. Mama said it’s no proper for children to watch them,” Choice said taking Bas hand. Her other hand was still busy picking up the cake on the table.

“Such a pity. I understand. It’s not proper for women either to watch them. They’re such vulgar things. But I am—was a princess so people often looked the other way. When my husband died, I hired a drama troupe to perform any play I desired. It was exciting for a while but reality tops all that.” She nodded her head and her eyes glittered almost menacingly, “Reality is often more interesting than petty fiction. But you’re too young for that, aren’t you? Well come along then, I have something to show you.” Choice got up from the chair but did not put the cake down. Bas looked at her with annoyance. “Put the cake down Choice,” she said sneering, her gentle veneer gone. She bent down and put her face close to Choice, “Too much of it is not good for you.” The caring words contrasted with the sharp, acidic tone she took with her.

Choice tried to tug her hand free from her Aunt’s grasp but she held on so tightly that it actually began to hurt. At that, she stopped tugging and followed her Aunt’s instructions to put down the cake. Bas’ grip loosened and Choice reluctantly followed her through the door. She really didn’t want to. She felt that she would not like what she saw through that door.

What Choice saw when she went through the door made her drop her Aunt’s hand like it was a scorched stone.

“What’s the problem?” asked Bas maliciously, “See something you don’t like.”

“Why is he here?” Choice stammered out. She saw Timothy tied up and kneeling in the middle of the large room. He glanced up at them and hung his head back down.

“That’s a good question, Choice. Why are you here, Timothy?” Bas waited for a moment for a response and smiled when she received none. “Nothing? Nothing in your defence? Look at that Choice. It looks like Timothy knows why he is here and he’s ashamed of it.”

“Why is he tied up, Aunt. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Bas laughed. “Nothing wrong? I sent an order to my household and he broke it. Is that nothing wrong? For being a princess, you are extremely dumb. When I was your age… Well, it must be your mother’s fault. You Centriams corrupt everything.”

Choice looked stunned before she summoned her courage. “Don’t insult my mother. You’re being very rude.”

“Rude! Heh, rude. Did you know that Timothy here has worked for me for about five years? He was on track to becoming the head chef in a few years when the current one retired but because you appeared that may never happen. Rude? Isn’t it you that is rude. Do you think because you are a Princess that you can do whatever you want? Well, I’ll teach you what your mother could not?” Bas finished saying this and turned to look at the servants standing beside Timothy. They immediately moved behind him.

“What are you going to do to him?”

“When I made the order, I also laid out a punishment. But Timothy continuously flouted my order, so I can’t just give him a flogging. It’s got to be permanent somehow. I thought about cutting his tongue” — Choice flinched — “ but I need him to taste food as a cook in the future. I thought about harming his hands but how will he make food. So, I decided on his legs.” Choice had taken a step back at this nonchalant talk and Bas smirked at the look on her face. “Don’t worry I won’t cripple him. I’ll just make it difficult for him to walk in the future. You guys can start.”

“Y-you can’t do this. Stop. I’m telling you to stop. It’s my fault don’t punish him.”

“Yes it is your fault. Can’t you see little girl, that you are just a curse. But you are still a princess so I can’t hurt you in anyway. What would my brother think if I harmed his only daughter. No, better to punish the disobeyer.”

“You have to stop. Or I’ll tell my papa.”

“Oh you’ll tell your father what? That I punished an unruly servant. Do you know what I’ve done for my brother. Enough that he doesn’t care about how I came to control this town or how I run it so why would he care about one disobedient cook. No, all you can do is nothing except watch.”

“No, I won’t look,” Choice said and the child turned her head to avoid watching Timothy being flogged. But now that she was no longer arguing with her aunt all she could hear was the sound of the whip hitting his back and legs and smell the blood that oozed out of the wounds. Not seeing was even worse than seeing and Choice started to back away.

Bas rolled her eyes and grabbed the girl before she could leave. “And what do you think you are doing? This Timothy is paying for your actions and you are just going to avoid him. Open your eyes and see the consequences. If you don’t open those eyes, I’ll just increase his punishment”

Choice opened her eyes after Bas words and her Aunt smiled cruelly. She took some cakes out of the tray that Tiffany held and offered some to Choice. She smiled even more at Choice’s refusal. She stayed quietly besides her munching and eating away while Timothy was flogged.

It did not last long but to Choice’s mind it lasted forever. Eventually it ended and Bas stood up from her chair, satisfied.

“Now you know what happens if you disappoint me. I’ll punish but I won’t physically touch you. No. someone else will have to pay the price for the princess’ naughtiness. Perhaps next time I’ll let you pick who amongst the people you speak to will be punished. Now that’s a thought.” Bas finished this statement and turned to leave.

But Choice looked at Timothy who had helped her lying prostrate on the floor weakened and tears streamed out of her eyes.

“Y-you are a bad person. I don’t want you to be my aunt,” she cried, whirling around.

Bas paused and slowly turned to face Choice. Then in a burst of motion, she reached Choice, bent down and squeezed her face. Her face was contorted in rage and loathing.

“I’m a bad person? You reject me as your aunt?” She spat out, “I never wanted you as my niece either. You and your mother are just annoying parasites that can sink this family and I won’t let that happen. But you are my niece now and I’ll even do as my brother said and reform you. After all, even wild dogs can become guard pets. So, you should really be happy that I am here to correct you. You should be glad; I’m saving you from yourself. If I wasn’t here, your nature would lead you to become as disgusting and revolting as the rest of your kind. I will train and you will take everything I give you and you will like it. Is that clear?”

During this rant, Choice remained stiff and still. Her muscles locked and her breath slowed as she looked wide eyed at the snarling woman before her. For the first time, she felt outright terror at her aunt. Cowed, she nodded her head to her aunt’s question.

Pleased, Bas let go of her niece’s face and straightened up. Her expression smoothened as if nothing had ever happened. “Good. There’s hope for you yet. Also, I hope you enjoyed the cake because that’s all you’re eating for a week. You didn’t really think I would let you dodge your punishment, did you?” — she smiled sweetly here — “Well, see you tomorrow. I’ll introduce you to the texts you need to read and the tasks you need to do. Good day dear.” Bas departed with excellent posture, a look of boredom on her face while she took some biscuits of the tray.

Choice remained in that still stance until her aunt left before she breath in, a marionette given life. She rushed to the fallen man with her little feet. The tears that had dried came back flooding her face.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay, Mr Timothy?” She asked grasping at his arm.

Timothy pushed off her arm and sneered. “Stay away from me. What they say about your kind is true. You Centriams always causing trouble for us Legiams. I should have listened.” He looked mournfully at his legs and choked back a cry. It would heal if given proper rest but he had been told to resume work in three days. Even that was apparently concession as originally you would have resumed his work the next day.

A feverish look in his eyes, he glanced at Choice with disdain pinning her as the cause of all his misfortune. If she hadn’t been here, he wouldn’t be suffering. Choice flinched at this look and took a step back. How was she to know that this would enrage him even more?

“Yes. Back away. All you elites know is to look away. Go away. Go away. GET OUT! FUCKING GET OUT ALREADY!”

The child back away at every word that came out of his mouth until she ran away crying, his curses echoing behind her.