My Name is Seria Anderbach… or better was…
I had a Nickname: The golden City Flower.
I was pretty and also pretty narcissistic and vain. Showing of my beauty always brought me joy, as the people stared and either awed or envied me.
Born as the daughter of Lord Anderbach, I was Nobility. While we did not have our own Fief as we were below the Barony, we had still our own pieces of properties in the great Dukedom and were honourable doing business.
People with Nobility had it easier to do Merchant work as my father always said, but we were so close to becoming a Baron family we just needed a supporter, and that was when all was going down hill…
Duke Falk was infatuated with my beauty. He was old and had already a wife, but if I would become his… Concubine, we would become Barons in no time. At first I was totally against it, but my Family pleaded with me. As I was close to agreeing suddenly strange rumours came out and my whole Family was framed in embezzlement, illegal substance trade and having dealings with the Underworld. So close to my families dream and we were all either put in jail or made work slaves for a few years before becoming commoners again.
While I thought I would work some kind of menial job, I was scared of where I was brought. The Mansion of the Duke… My first thought was, he did not want to wait any more and just took me by force. Forging my death certificate and making me an illegal Slave was in my mind and my fear was made true, but it was oh so much worse...
When I was chained up in the hidden room not the Duke came through the door… but his wife.
Some people love pretty things like me… some loved to destroy pretty things… like me...
I remember the agony as she ordered the man she brought with her to peel off my face. I never cried in utter pain like this before. Afterwards I was made the favourite punching bag for the Duchess.
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Pulling out my Fingernails, covering all my skin in rash inducing tonic, ripping out my hair bushel by bushel, kicking, burning and breaking my bones.
I got finally numb after she brought a silver tablet and unveiled it to be the head of my younger brother. If he was dead, then… I did not feel any more at that point. Even when she brought the Head of my Mother and Father I did not care. I already knew they would be dead, too. So she got bored with me.
Discussing about selling me to a brothel was quickly thrown away as an Idea, as she thoroughly destroyed me. So I just needed to be ‘disposed’.
While she definitely meant to be killed, she did not care and her helpers just sold me for such a low price I would have laughed, as my former cheapest accessory was worth more than that, but… like how I was, maybe the Slaver did pay too much.
I was brought to another City in another barony to not accidentally be found out of me being an illegal Slave and marked as Victim of an alchemic explosion in the laboratory. I could not refute, as my tongue was already gone.
That was when he came. He took me out of this horrible World and gave me a new life a new start… he gave me back my face!
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The Name is Seria, and I am the dedicated Maid for my Master and my Master alone. While my past is behind me, he gave me the strength and motivation to live a life with my close Sisters and a reason to finally smile again.
I am highly educated in Arithmetic, Calligraphy, Law and Business. I take care of all the tedious tasks of my Masters off the book Market of selling diverse products, where we have superior quality or a Monopoly.
While those things can only be sold on the grey market and sadly some very niche items on the black market, I hold his financial Empire in my hands for him. He trusts me unconditionally and I will never abuse his trust in any way, even if I have to die or worse.
Unlike my Sisters I wear a veil, as I only want to be seen by my Master or my Sisters. I remember when he healed me and just looked with his eyes dumbfounded and muttered ‘so pretty’. At first I thought he was messing with me but really my Face… my true face was back and more!
Only he has the right to see my true face. Alas, I would him show so much more of me but he only cuddles… But I can wait, as my Sisters do it too. We wait for him, even till our death if needed.
By the way the former Dukedom I lived in, broke apart. The Duke was murdered and all his children too. Their Heads were found stacked on a silver platter and the cry of the Duchess was rumoured to have been heard through the whole Mansion.
It came out witnesses had seen how she herself killed them laughing maniacally and in horrible ways at that! While she was put on the axe block to be beheaded, I was there. She even saw me from her white face and how she wanted to cry out again, but the axe was faster and her cry was never heard.
Well she saw my true face, but her head flew off a second later, so it should count as punishment for looking at something she should have not seen, right?