Princess and the slave.
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It was Saturday morning—Princess Sabrina's day to inspect the slaves at the mine. A tiring duty, but part of being a princess.
"It's such a sunny day," she sighed, making her way with Nina and the guards, who kept a respectful distance.
"Yes, my lady, that's why I brought the umbrella," Nina said, immediately opening it to shield Sabrina from the scorching sun.
"You should hold it for both of us. Don't stay under the sun," Sabrina insisted. Nina wanted to protest, but a glance from the princess silenced her. She moved closer, sharing the shade.
As they walked, palace staff watched. They were accustomed to Sabrina's generosity and humility—a stark contrast to other royals who rigidly enforced the divide between royalty, nobles, and servants.
Finally, they reached the mine.
Many toiled tirelessly under the sun—men, women, some pregnant or nursing, even children. Guilt gnawed at Princess Sabrina. Here she was, under an umbrella, well-fed, living a privileged life, while these people, merely because they were once Zandian, endured endless torment. And it wouldn't stop; their children would automatically be born into slavery.
"Are you okay, my lady?" Nina asked, noticing Sabrina's distant gaze.
"Yes, I'm fine. Let's walk a bit more," she replied. Then, taking a step, she stopped and turned to Nina.
"Lower the umbrella, Nina. I prefer walking under the sun."
"What? My lady, I..." Nina began to object.
"Do so, Nina," Sabrina ordered, her voice firm.
Nina folded the umbrella, and the princess walked deeper into the mine.
---
Nearby, a weary slave woman, exhausted, decided to rest on a hot rock.
"Arghhh..." she groaned as pain hammered through her waist and joints. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as she gasped for breath. Thirst gnawed at her, but water wouldn't be distributed until noon.
Suddenly, a figure appeared behind her.
Her heart seized. It was Derek, the slave master—a devil incarnate.
She shot up, head bowed.
"I... I'm so sorry, sir. I j-just wanted to rest for a while... I was going to return immediately."
A harsh slap landed on her cheek, making her stagger and lose balance.
"You bitch," he cursed, gripping her hair tightly and pulling it hard.
"Ahhh..." she wailed, tears stinging her eyes, her scalp burning.
"I'm sorry!" she pleaded through tears.
Another hard slap struck her cheek, making her scream louder.
"You dare defy the order and rest, bitch! You dirty, lowly slave!" he roared, yanking her hair harder.
"P-please," she cried, begging for mercy.
"I'll teach you a lesson, so next time you won't dare defy orders here, you dirty slave!" he spat venomously, kicking her hard in the stomach.
She groaned. Unmoved, he dragged her by the hair to a less crowded area.
"You lowlife, you dare disobey, unh?" he yelled, raining kicks and punches on her, ignoring her screams and cries.
After beating her to his satisfaction, he pulled her head up. Her face was tear-streaked and cut.
"I know what you want, and trust me, I'll definitely give it to you," he spat, beginning to remove his lower garments.
Understanding his intent, her pleas intensified.
"No, no, please, I'm so sorry, Sir Derek, please, I beg you! I won't dare disobey again, please have mercy, please!" she sobbed.
"Shut up, you lowly slave! You should have known better than to disobey," he barked, still fumbling with his underthings.
"By the time I'm done with you, unh, you'll know your place."
---
"And what is going on here?" a voice boomed.
Annoyed, Derek turned, ready to yell—but what he saw and heard froze him.
"Oh, save me, my lady, save me, Princess Sabrina!" the helpless slave sobbed, crawling towards the princess.
Embarrassed, Derek quickly rearranged his clothes.
"Oh, Princess. What are you doing here?" he asked, flustered.
"Oh, oh, you dare speak to the princess like that!" Nina scolded.
Derek immediately bowed his head.
The princess gestured to Nina to stop.
"I said, what is going on here?" she asked again, her voice calm but authoritative.
"Forgive me, Princess, but this lowly slave kept idling around, so I decided to discipline her," he said, intentionally stepping on the woman's toes.
The princess closed the distance—and slapped him.
He was surprised, and as he made to speak, another slap landed on his cheek.
"Lowly slave, you say?" she scoffed.
"My lady, I—"
"If you dare open that filthy mouth again, I will definitely make you regret it," she said, her voice dangerously calm.
"Get on your knees," she ordered, surprising him again.
"Now!" she commanded, her voice firm with undeniable authority.
He was instantly on his knees, head bowed in shame.
"You dare manhandle a lady? Beat and harass her? How dare you?"
She felt the urge to slap his filthy face again but restrained herself.
"Believe me, Princess, I wasn't doing anything bad, I was—"
"Shut your mouth!" she yelled for the first time.
Princess Sabrina turned to Nina.
"Take the girl to the palace clinic now, Nina."
"Yes, my lady," Nina bowed and wasted no time supporting the injured woman away.
---
"What is his name?"
"Derek, Your Highness," he replied, head still bowed.
"Mark my words, Derek. You will pay for this," she said finally, walking away regally without a second glance.
"Your Highness, I am really... Arghhh!" he yelled, seeing she was gone.
What would happen to him now?
It was all that slave's fault!
"That stupid bitch!" he cursed, getting to his feet.
Almost immediately, two palace guards appeared.
"Hey! What are you doing?" he yelled as they grabbed his arms and manhandled him away.
He was definitely in for it.
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