The beautiful crimson and gold gates of Seukine opened and a small young woman couldn't keep the excitement from her eyes. She dutifully traveled behind a large entourage. Her head pivoted back and forth in astonishment and awe. She heard that Seukine could rival the Holy Palace of Vahnain and Phirynei believed the rumors the moment she reached the first gate. She had never seen such a magnificent estate.

Asila, her home estate was beautiful in its own right, but couldn't begin to compare to the splendor of Seukine. Unlike Asila, Seukine even had outer and inner gates. A testament to its enormous size.

They had not even entered the inner gates and already they were surrounded by rows of blooming cherry blossom trees. They scored the path to the second gate. The roadway was a distinctive white stone that was like marble and clear of any blemishes. Unusual pink crystals also lined the edge of the path. The soft glow was a reminder that Seukine was a special estate. Phirynei wondered where they came from since Vahnaine didn't have many crystal deposits. They seemed kind of familiar to her but she couldn't remember where she had seen them. Her thought was interrupted abruptly as her threadbare shoes touched the cold stone. It was uncomfortable to walk on but manageable.

"Danu Phi if you continue to dawdle, you will be left behind." Guard Gi was a fairly tall man with ordinary looks. Brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was to guard the last attendants in line as part of the Outer Guard. His was to keep them safe since they were the furthest from the Estate Master's personal guards.

He frowned at her and she lowered her head quickening her pace. Apologizing sincerely she continued with her eyes toward the ground. If she were to make an excuse, this was her first time outside of Asila. Since she arrived there as a child she had not seen the world outside of its gates. It was hard for her to not feel amazed at the elegance around her. Everything seemed so much brighter and lively at Seukine and they had not yet even entered the main gates. Asila's colors were always darker tones but seeing Seukine's bright red and white made her wonder if life there was the same.

"Guard Ro Gi, where is Danu Phi? Our Master has called for her several times already." Guard Ji Eriseni stormed over to the other guard and invaded his personal space. Ji Eriseni was the Captain of the Outer Guard and of the first rank. He was a huge hulking man who was well into his forties and made Guard Gi look average in size. The younger man stepped back to regain some space but the man's imposing size was still suffocating.

"Danu Ro, Phirynei is h-here," she stepped forward quickly not wanting to get the sixth-rank guard in trouble. Ji Eriseni was already soured by having to travel so far back for her, so when he grabbed her arm she was not surprised by the strong grasp.

She didn't dare to speak out or voice her pain as he started back towards the front of the line. Being almost three heads taller than her, she was nearly running to keep up with his long strides. Even if she briefly slowed down she feared she would risk being dragged.

"Master 'dea has called your rank and name several times already and you refuse to answer. If you were my slave I'd have already killed you."

"I am sorry. I am not allowed to travel near our master closer than eighty paces and as we are traveling with an attendant line, I am not allowed to be in front of anyone. I truly could not hear the call of our Master," she stumbled unable to keep up as he pulled her along.

"I do not want to hear your excuses," Ji Eriseni yanked her forward and her stumble turned into a fall. She tried to stop herself but it was useless as the guard didn't break his stride. Phirynei tried to get her footing but she came down hard on her right knee and was dragged.

It took her three tries to get on her feet and on the third one she only managed because they were close to the leading carriage. The guard had slowed down and Phirynei realized that they were now at the second gate.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She had never seen the Holy Palace gates of Vahnain but seeing the gates of Seukine made her feel like she was seeing a glimpse of them. They were crimson like the outer gate but the huge pillars on each side of the gate entrance had golden flowers sculptures wrapped around the pillar from top to bottom. The walls around the estate were made from the same pristine white stone that paved the walkway.

She walked passed the pillars and saw the very fine details painted neatly at the base of the pillar. She would've loved to take a closer look, but that wasn't allowed and even if she could the foreboding feelings growing in the pit of her stomach would have stopped her.

The Estate Master calling her to the front of the line was strange. She should be the last to enter the gates. She would earn the contempt of the attendants for the slight. Why he would do that was a mystery to her. She waited silently at the side of the attendant line. She grasped tightly to the scratchy fabric of her apron and glanced up to the carriage.

The Estate Master Fhain'dea Lashir stepped down out of the carriage. He was a tall man with a regal appearance. Every strand of hair was in place and secured in a low ponytail by a deep green hair tie. The man was handsome and had a strong imposing physique that was fitting since Lashir was a General of the Vahnain Military. He was three years short of his third walk of life and already had a main wife and several concubines. Phirynei had heard how stunning he was and seeing him up close for the first time confirmed it. He *was* the portrait of masculinity.

She had heard from gossiping attendants that he considered his eyes one of his most valued assets. She couldn't help but take a look due to curiosity.

He was right, he had deep dark forest-green eyes that would draw in onlookers and leave them wanting to peer deeper into the cloudy depths. Their eyes met and she dropped her head and bowed low almost folding herself in half. She could get in trouble staring at him.

Lashir had smirked at her when their eyes met. She didn't feel any humor or comfort from his smile. Instead, she remembered his reputation that everyone knew. He was just as beautiful as he was cruel.

"Danu Ro." He called her by her estate class and rank.

Phirynei felt her heart skip a beat. She had never been so close to the Estate Master nor did she ever want to be. She vaguely thought about how her apron would be wrinkled by her grip and tried to make a conscious effort to let go.

"Master." She kept her head down as she acknowledged him.

"As we enter Seukine you are to remain at my side. The steps you know in the law will be disregarded for the duration of this stay."

"M-master ?" Phirynei looked at him. As a Danu Ro, Phirynei was not ignorant of her class. She was a sixth-ranked servant and a slave. She was the lowest person in all of the estate. Then she was also an unclean Danu because her duties involved the cleaning of the latrines and taking care of the animals. Being near the Estate Master was considered a crime and yet he told her to stay close. It made no sense.

"You must remember my order Danu," Master Lashir said turning back to the carriage to aid his main wife down. As the main wife, she had the title of Mune the third-highest title in an estate. Phirynei quickly moved back to the appropriate space to avoid insulting Mune Lashir.

Lashir picked up the tiny woman and sat her down. They both wore matching black and green attire. He wore an expensive black suit with a deep green collared shirt. His black cloak was embroidered with a silver design. While the Mune wore a slightly puffy black dress with emerald jewelry. The dominant color black brought out Mune Lashir fair skin.

The woman was the perfect match for Lashir. She was as beautiful as he was handsome. Her doe eyes were a deep brown that made her look like a doll. Her blonde hair was rare and indicated her foreign background. Her hair was done in an intricate style that was the current fashion. She glanced at Phirynei and then looked up at her husband.

"Ai'dea?" she spoke using a term of endearment reserved only for the main wife.

"Ai'han, bear with her. No indignity will fall upon you as long as I am by your side." The man's sweet words smoothed over his wife's concern.

The small woman inclined her head to her husband, and he took her hand gently to guide her forward to the opening gates. Phirynei was unsure of how she was to proceed. There would undoubtedly be many servants inside and Asila servants were an issue as well. She was in an impossible situation that was putting her life in danger. Still, she had no choice but to obey his commands. He was her owner and his words were law.

Phirynei's hands search for the hem of the black tattered apron. Grasping it tightly she followed as far back from the couple as she could but with enough space to avoid being too close to the attendants. She was unsure how she would even make it through the day when moving around had become so tedious and attention-consuming. The ill feeling in her stomach began to change into a gnawing that only seemed to worsen as they entered the gates.