53: Allure of the water

Allure of the water

Music Recommendation: The Real Work Begins- Kris Bowers

—

It wasn't that Anastasia wouldn't attempt to escape, but the taunting tone of Dante's words made her feel cautious. It reminded her of helpless prey that would never escape the clutches of a predator once caught. She stared into his black eyes that held no trace of the glowing red she had noticed earlier. 

"Stop dawdling in the corridors and get back to your room. Now," Dante ordered, whilst his eyes subtly narrowed. 

Anastasia nodded, and she offered him a bow in response. 

Turning around, she began to walk on the cold marble. And as she moved, her eyes fell on the open windows that offered a view of the towns beyond the kingdom walls. Her heart felt heavy thinking about how close she and her sister had been to their freedom. When her eyes continued to gaze through the last window in the corridor, they fell on a shadow that followed not too far behind her. 

Anastasia's eyes fell on Dante, and she asked in a low voice, "Isn't your room on the other side of the palace, Prince Dante?" 

"I am thirsty and thought of getting a glass of water," Dante responded, but Anastasia could tell he was lying. The man was only making sure she didn't try to flee at the next possible opportunity! 

Remembering something, she waited until Dante came near where she had stopped. She asked, 

"May I ask something?" Seeing his head cocked to the side, she asked, "How did you know the location that served as inspiration for the drawings? Have you visited the place?"

"When I was young, I came across a book with illustrations of the place along with others. The artist had travelled across the sea and tried to capture the details of the places he passed through," Dante answered nonchalantly, adding, "The book isn't in the library, just in case you are planning to look for it."

"I see…" Now that the truth was out about her being the artist behind the drawings, she wondered if she could go back to drawing the way she did all these years without anyone questioning her. Maybe she could draw Marianne, she thought to herself. 

She decided to ask Princess Emily for permission to use the leftover coal from the fireplace so that she wouldn't be accused of stealing this time. Her eyes moved to the corner, noticing the cursed prince walking behind her like a phantom. 

When Anastasia and Dante arrived at the servants' quarters, she was going to walk to the kitchen with him, but his quiet glare stopped her in her tracks.. 

"Didn't you hear me when I told you to go to your room?" 

"That—It is hot. And… water," Anastasia's words were broken. It was true, though, that the weather felt hot tonight, and she felt like she was evaporating. Did the prince always have to scare her with his presence and words? But then, it was better than greeting his dagger. 

Dante didn't respond and continued to walk towards the kitchen, and Anastasia followed him with a good distance between them. 

When they entered the kitchen, Anastasia quickly walked towards the big clay pot and picked up two glasses. One was made of clay, and the other was made of glass. She filled the glass and offered it to the prince. 

As Dante began to drink, he stared at the maid with a look of suspicion. He had done her a favour by advising her not to escape because anyone else in his place would have dragged her in front of the Vizier before punishing her for treason. But this one liked to push her luck, and as he saw her fill her clay glass, he questioned her, 

"Have you ever been punished before?"

Anastasia turned her brown-eyed gaze at him and nodded, "I have, Prince. Many times when I first arrived… I was locked in the dungeon, confined to the darkroom for hours, and sometimes without food." 

Dante stared at her. He wondered if it was her foolishness that left him feeling slightly intrigued that he wanted to see what would happen. He took another sip from the glass before he questioned, 

"Do you know what follows the consequences you have already experienced?" 

"Death…" Anastasia replied, knowing that was how the world they lived in worked. 

Dante leaned his lower back against the slab on which the clay pot sat and asked, "How were you planning to escape? Humour me."

Anastasia wondered if he was trying to extract information from her so that he could catch her the next time she tried to escape. She hadn't taken a sip yet from her clay glass, trying not to crush it due to the pressure she felt emanating from this prince. 

Noticing the conflict in her eyes, Dante remarked, "Why don't you tell me about it, and I will point out the flaws of why it wouldn't work. Consider it a lesson to reflect on for your next attempt."

"Are you suggesting that I have a chance to escape?" Anastasia asked in slight surprise. 

Dante's lips twitched at the innocent question, which held hope as he stared at his glass of water. He looked up from the glass, and with a touch of mirth, he stated, "Didn't I tell you that you are free to try, but that doesn't mean I will quietly sit back and watch. So, what was your plan apart from using camels?"

Anastasia pursed her lips and decided to say, "My plan was to use camels and follow the trade route. Marianne said there was a small village near the sea where we would have been able to sneak into where cargo is loaded onboard ships. Eventually, when the wealthy families travel back to their home countries, it would have been easy to pose as their maids before we would depart."

"Do you think the people on the dock wouldn't be notified about a missing maid? Of course, they are on vacation," Dante's words were sarcastic and half amused. "The seaside is teeming with pirates. A lone woman in maid attire walking in the village, you will be captured and sold again, returning you to the very bottom from where you started. And even if they don't return you here, do you think they will spare a young, pretty woman?" 

Anastasia was about to argue, but his words calling her pretty distracted her, causing her to pause and blink at him. 

"What?" Dante raised one of his eyebrows at her. 

Anastasia shook her head and whispered, "Nothing."

"Even if you somehow do manage to sail away on a ship, that wouldn't lead you home, but to a random destination," Dante pointed out to her. "And who knows, the freedom that you seek might move even farther away from your reach."

Anastasia raised her glass to her lips before gulping it down. A few drops of water slipped from the corner of her lips. Dante, who was watching her closely, caught the water drops tracing a path down her neck, trailing towards her upper chest before disappearing beneath the fabric of her cotton night dress. 

Dante looked away from her and muttered through his teeth, "Not an ounce of wariness." She would be captured and sold in an instant. 

He wondered if this was the consequence of not sleeping with women for so long. He raked his fingers through his hair and wondered if he should take his grandmother's absence as an opportunity to relieve his pent-up tension. But then, at the same time, he hadn't forgotten the hassle women brought into his life, and the one in front of him did too. 

Dante's eyes moved back to the woman, who finished drinking the water and wiped her neck and chest with one of her sleeves. His eyes narrowed, and he questioned, 

"Did your sister teach you proper etiquette when it comes to eating and drinking?" 

Anastasia shook her head, "No." She wondered why he asked because eating and drinking was something everyone knew how to do—not knowing that Dante had questioned her to know if she was purposely spilling the water. Most of the courtesans and concubines used tricks like these to gain favours from men. 

"Straight to your room," Dante ordered her, placing his glass on the slab. 

Instead of exiting from the doors they had entered, Anastasia watched Dante make his way to the back door and disappear. She wondered where he was going this late at night, as if he couldn't sleep. 

Outside the palace, when Dante was walking, he caught Norrix Gilbert coming in the opposite direction. Mr. Gilbert noticed the prince turn to look behind him before he turned. The man quickly bowed and informed, 

"My Prince, the horseshoe has been fitted in your horse, and there are three more of them if you ever need to use them. I will be making a check once again before you leave the day after tomorrow morning."

"That's good. Thanks, Norrix," Dante said, and Mr. Gilbert bowed once again. "There's something else I need."

"Yes, Prince," Mr. Gilbert waited for the order. 

"Send a concubine to my room now," and though Dante said it nonchalantly, Mr. Gilbert stared at the prince. 

"A c—concubine?" Mr. Gilbert asked in shock because the prince, who had threatened every concubine and courtesan, was now willing to ask for one. Perhaps with the second prince who had turned into king, Prince Dante was trying to compete for it? After all, they did drive  Lady Lucretia away with the other Blackthorn women. He quickly nodded, "I will have one sent right away! Anyone in particular you would like me to fetch?" 

Dante's mind flew to the woman he had caught in the corridor, and his glare was directed at Mr. Gilbert, who turned weary. He quickly corrected himself and said, 

"I will send you the best one," he said, and he quickly returned inside the palace. 

Mr. Gilbert quickly arrived at Madame Minerva's door, knocking on it. When the woman opened the door with sleepy eyes, she asked, 

"What is it?" 

"I need one of the concubines on the prince's demand," Mr. Gilbert relayed. "It is urgent."

"Is Prince Aiden having a hard time sleeping?" Madame Minerva asked as she wore her cloak and walked towards where the concubines were sleeping. 

"It isn't for him, but for Prince Dante," Mr. Gilbert informed her, and the woman's eyes rose to her hairline. 

"You don't say," murmured Madame Minerva, who worked indirectly under Lady Maya and was loyal to her. It seemed like this was something Lady Maya would like to hear about. She said, "Kailani will make him happy."

After getting Kailani, one of the best concubines, ready, the woman was sent to Prince Dante's room, accompanied by Mr. Gilbert. Knocking on the door, Mr. Gilbert announced, 

"Prince Dante, I am here with what you asked."

"Come in," came the distant voice from the other side of the door, and Mr. Gilbert turned the doorknob before letting the concubine in. He then closed the door. He couldn't wait to let the Mother Queen know about this! With that thought, he left the floor. 

Inside the room, the raven-haired concubine with green eyes stood with her hands folded in front of her. She couldn't believe that the first prince had summoned her, and she couldn't wait to capture and entice him.  0

"Prince Dante, shall I dance for you?" The eager concubine asked him. "I can sing and dance together if you wish to."

Dante, who sat on the edge of his bed with his legs crossed, though he stared at the concubine, wasn't looking at her as he was in deep thought. 

"Get the glass of water from the table," Dante ordered the concubine, who was happy to do so. But when she brought it to him, he said, "Drink it. Slowly."

The concubine was taken aback by the order and only misinterpreted it as him taking care of her before she would serve him. She decided to drink it the way she had learned. She brought the glass close to her mouth before running her tongue across her lips. 

"Did you not have your dinner?" Dante questioned with a bored expression, and the concubine's mouth turned into a fish's. "I told you to drink water, not to treat it as food."

The concubine quickly offered a bow and did what the prince ordered. But when she took two sips and stopped, she heard him say, 

"Keep drinking."

Kailani did what she was told and finished drinking the entire glass of water. 

Dante, who watched the concubine drink the water, didn't find the allure that had sparked a while ago in the kitchen. Maybe it was the way it was drunk. He ordered her again, "Fill the glass with water again."

The concubine did as she was told and returned to stand before the prince again. 

"Drink in a way that the water slides down from your lips." 

The concubine was speechless. The king and the princes had often fed her. This was the first time she was made to drink water. She bowed and tried to drink the water as ordered, but either the water didn't spill or spilt too much. 

"Again," Dante ordered, and the concubine felt the sadistic nature of the prince. 

When she finished half of the third glass, not only was her stomach full, but the attempt to look enticing mixed with the order led to her spilling the rest of the water on her dress. 

Dante's lips twisted in annoyance, and he stood up from the bed before leaving his room. The concubine turned to the closed door, wondering if the prince would return. But he never returned for the remainder of the night. 

pqdm.com