The next day.
Sai didn’t want to get out of bed. However, he forced himself to get up. He summoned Three Sour Apples. That morning he had the worst breakfast of his life.
“Three apples a day keeps the pain away,” Sai tried to cheer himself up. “Blessings.”
Level 1 Title Hero Agility 0 Durability 20 Mana 0 Mind 0 Strength 3 Remaining 0 Gift Sour Apples
Sai then moved to exercise.
He performed push ups until his arms were sore,
Next he did sit ups until his stomach was aching.
Next he did jumping jacks until his legs and arms were hurting.
Sai was panting heavily. “At this rate, I am going to be ripped like those body builders.”
He sat and then layed on the cool ground of his room. His heart was pounding from the workout.
He needed to escape from the cruel princess and Sapphire Principality grasp. He lacked both the knowledge and brute strength to gain his freedom. “I just need to escape,” Sai whispered to himself.
A male servant entered his room. The servant wore a blue suit with the Sapphire emblem on his shirt. “The princess has summoned you.”
Sai grimaced.
----
Sai followed the servant to the Royal Palace.
Sai was immediately struck by the sheer colossal size of the Royal Palace. Its towering walls are made of smooth, polished marble, and its columns reach up to the sky. The palace is surrounded by lush gardens, filled with flowers and bubbling fountains.
Stunning artwork lines the walls. Oil paintings depicting battles and mythological scenes hang from the ceilings, while smaller, more intimate portraits of the palace's former residents adorn the walls. Every corner of the palace seems to be filled with art.
Sai looked around the palace, taking in the bustling activity of the servants going about their daily tasks. He couldn't help but notice the subtle hierarchy that seemed to exist among them, with most of the servants were level 1,while the knights were level 5. The highest knight he encountered was level 10. Which was concerning since he recalled he was traveling with level 20 knights and mages.
Sai was led outside to the garden. The garden is sprawling and filled with an array of flowers and plants, from fragrant roses and towering trees. In the middle of the garden was a gazebo.
Inside the gazebo, there is a small seating area, perfect for enjoying a cup of tea or reading a book. The seating area is surrounded by hanging plants and flowers, giving it a cozy and intimate feel.
In the shade of the gazebo, the princess was sitting with a wine glass in her hand.
Few knights and a single maid were all standing behind her.
The servant that Sai followed bowed his head. “Your majesty, I have brought our guest.”
The princess took a sip of her wine glass and then said. “Bow your head servant.”
Sai pretended he didn't hear anything. 'Go eat shit you pompous bitch.' His mind echoed like a curse.
The princess raised her hand. A silver ring glowed softly.
Sai metal cuffs were burning, it was like acid was poured on his skin. "Fucking hell!"
It was super painful and in minutes from the excruciating pain, he was forced down to his knees. Until the princess was satisfied.
“Learn to behave or your stay will be difficult. The Sapphire Principality doesn’t need a hero. I have come to the decision to make you a servant in the Tulip Palace,” The Princess then looked at the servant that was bowing. “Dimitri escorts the new servant to the Tulip Palace. He’ll be stationed there.”
“Yes your majesty.”
----
Dimitri led Sai to a smaller palace compared to the royal palace. The first thing that catches Sai's eye is the stained glass windows depicting tulips.
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A maid approached the pair. The maid wore a different uniform and style than the standard uniform in the royal palace. It was white dress with a black apron with a white diamond. The maid was beautiful but her eyes were haunting and dim.
"Is he the hero?" The maid asked softly.
Dimitri looked at Sai with a conflicted expression before turning back to the maid. "He is the former hero. He was assigned as a new servant to the Tulip Palace. We were just on our way."
The maid stepped forward and grabbed Sai's hand. "Good, I found you. Come along, we have much to discuss."
"Wait!" Dimitri said in haste and grabbed the maid's hand. "Where are you taking him? The princess will be displeased if the hero disobeys her."
The maid stared dead in Dimitir's eyes. "The King's daughter will do nothing. As the Head Maid of the Tulip Palace I will teach the new servant how to perform his duties. So be a gentleman and remove your hand. "
Dimitri let go in fright. "Please forgive me."
The maid was dragging Sai with her. Leaving the servant Dimitri behind.
-----
The maid led Sai into the Tulip Palace. Unlike the Royal Palace it wasn't adored with sculpture and painting. It was bare, however it was well kept and clean. The maid led Sai to a room.
Inside the room was a couch. The couch is large, plush, and looks incredibly comfortable.
In front of the couch, is a polished table. The table is adorned with a vase with fresh flowers.
"Please sit, would you like a drink? Wine, tea or water?" The maid asked.
Sai sat on the couch and shook his head. "No, I'm not thirsty at the moment."
The maid nodded her head. She continued standing emotionless next to the wall.
Sai waited for the maid to speak. However, she kept standing next to the wall without speaking. The minutes kept getting longer.
Sai sighed. 'Well this is awkward,' Sai thought.
"So..." Sai started the conversation. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"
"Your Fairy Godmother will be arriving tomorrow. Is there anything else you wish to know?" The maid asked.
"What's a Fairy Godmother," Sai asked, was this like Cinderella?
"I am not an expert on Fairy culture. However the Fairy Godmother are assigned to Heroes by the Great Fairies. The relationship between Fairy Godmother and their respective hero varies," the maid said.
Sai nodded his head and then he leaned back into the comfy couch. He briefly wondered if there were any question he wanted to ask. 'The question I really want to ask is, if I can trust you,' he thought critically. 'Well trust isn't earned in a day.'
"Can I ask for your name?" Sai said hesitantly. "My name is Sai Giri. I'm new to this world."
"My name is Erisenda. Is there anything else you need? We will need to make sure your stay is comfortable?" Erisenda asked.
'Why yes, remove this awful collar!' He thought. "What do I need to do, it seems I am a slave or servant to the princess."
"Please enjoy your stay in this humble palace. You don't need to work and we will treat you as a guest. The King's Daughter might treat you as a servant. In the eyes of the Fairy Religion, Kingdom people and Great Fairies you are a hero. You are more of a political prisoner than a slave," Erisenda explained.
For the last two weeks Sai has been treated like trash. "Your joking right?"
"Kingdoms have fallen for killing a hero," Erisenda explained softly. "The fairies are fond of heroes."
"Oh..." Sai simply said. "Is that why the princess hates me?"
"Perhaps. I don't know what goes through the King's daughter's head," Erisenda said, then shaking her head.
'Well that's good. At least I am not going to be killed any time soon,' Sai smiled. 'Now my next step. Train, train, train, until I can leave this miserable place.'
----
The room that Sai was given would be room for servants. The room has a small sized bed with linens and pillows. A large window with a view of the surrounding area. There was a wooden desk and chair.
Sai was lying on the bed. It was criminal how stiff it was, he dearly missed his bed back home. He finally stopped and touched his iron wrist. He could still remember the pain and anguish he felt this morning.
He sat up from his bed and crossed his feet. 'I'm going to be living here from now on. I might as well start exploring.'
Sai left the room and moved into the corridor. He took extra attention to the art piece on the wall making sure he didn't get lost in the palace.
A maid was cleaning the window, Sai went toward her to ask directions. "Hello there, is it possible to show me around?"
The maid turned around and Sai flinched when he saw her face. A large burned mark scar covered her face.
"Please follow me if you are comfortable with me showing you around the palace," the maid bowed and started walking.
The maid showed him the dining hall, banquet hall, great hall, library, chapel, kitchen, pantry and servant quarters.
Sai realized that the tour would be longer than originally expected. "Is there anywhere I can train?"
The maid paused and headed outside. "You may use the courtyard for training. We also have an armory not far from here."
The maid escorted him outside, where two guards were stationed near a smaller building with an iron door.
"Hello Mary, who is this gentleman?" one of the guards inquired.
Mary, the maid, introduced me. "I believe he is the hero."
The second guard scrutinized me from head to toe. "Looks like a Southerner to me. Pleased to meet you. My name is Roy."
The first guard thumped his chest. "My name's Ray."
"Is there anything else you require, or can I entrust you to these gentlemen? I have other duties to attend to," the maid asked.
"Thank you, Mary. But before you go, let me introduce myself. I'm Sai Girl," he said with a grin.
The maid acknowledged him with a slight nod before departing to complete her other tasks.
"So, what brings you to the armory, hero?" Ray.
"At the moment I was thinking about training," Sai said. "What do you think about the princess?
Roy had a big smile on his face,"Ah, the princess. She's quite the leader. She's been running the Principality quite efficiently since her father's demise."
"Is that so," It was a surprise, since he expected someone so arrogant to be a terrible ruler. "So, what do you guys do to pass the time?"
Ray answered, "Well, it can get pretty boring around here. We usually play cards to pass the time."
Sai was briefly torn between training and playing cards, but he ultimately made a decision. "Mind if I join you?" he asked.
Ray nodded his head. "Not at all. In fact, we could use a third player."
Roy brought out a deck of cards, "Sorry some of them are missing."
As they played cards, they continued to talk about the kingdom and the princess. Roy spoke highly of the princess's leadership skills, while Ray interjected.
"Actually, I heard that the minister was the one really running the kingdom. The princess is only concerned about increasing the army," Ray explained.
"Is that true?" Sai wondered about the structure of the kingdom.
Roy frowned. "Well, I don't know about that. All I know is that the princess is doing a great job."
Ray leaned in, "Speaking of the princess, I overheard a conversation among some of the nobles. Apparently, the princess is planning to go to war."
Sai frowned, "War? That's not good. Why would she do that?"
Ray shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. But it seems like most of the nobles and the minister are against it."
Sai sighed. "That's troubling. I hope I don't get dragged into a war."