8.LADY VICTORIA

NIKOLAS POV

The humiliation still burned within me as I scrub the floors of the personal servants' quarter. My cheek still stung from Sophia's slap.

Well you will be wondering what happened, so it started when Sophia and Jace approached our table, Sophia eyes were flashing with annoyance. She poked me with her finger, "So, you are the new special plaything the king brought himself,"

I tried to explain, but she cut me off. "No excuses, human slave. You will listen to what I have to say."

I felt my face heat up with embarrassment as Jace looked me up and down, his gaze lingering on me like I was a piece of meat he wanted to devour.

Elara bless her soul , immediately came to my defense. "Sophia, that's enough, Nikolas is new here. He doesn't deserve your cruelty."

Sophia snorted. "Cruelty? Ha! This little human needs to learn his place. And I am just the one to teach him."

Jace chuckled, his eyes never leaving mine. "Yeah, I can see why the king likes him."

I felt a shiver run down my spine as Sophia's gaze snapped to Jace. "You stay out of this, Jace. This doesn't concern you."

But Jace just shrugged. "Oh, I think it does. After all, we are all curious about the king's new toy."

Elara stood up in anger. "That's enough! Nikolas is not a toy, and he deserves to be treated with respect."

Sophia sneered at Elara. "And what are you going to do, defend him? You are just a slave too, Elara. You have no power here while I have it all" and that's when Sophia slapped me

" Clean our quarters , the entire place especially my room , human"

I looked at Elara and Finn, they wanted to help but they had their own work to do and they couldn't risk getting in trouble for my sake.

I continued to scrub the floors, my hands raw and sore, Sophia returned to the quarters. I could sense her presence before I even saw her.

" Get the fuck up, human " she snapped, "You are going to continue later , now get to the kitchen and help with the preparations for lunch."

"What do I have to do in the kitchen?" I thought but Sophia's glare silenced my doubts, and I scrambled up to my feet with the bucket and scrub brush still in my hands.

"Yes, Sophia," I muttered,

Sophia snorted. "Don't 'Sophia' me, slave. You are not worthy of addressing me by my name so call me ma'am."

I felt a sting from her words, but I bit back my retort again knowing better than to cross Sophia after that hot slap she gave me ,I made my way to the kitchen.

Walking through the hallway to the kitchen, I saw a beautiful lady being escorted by two female servants, who were holding bags and boxes. She looked like a noble, with her elegant dress and beautiful features. I wondered who she was and why she was being brought to the palace, but I didn't dare ask anyone. I didn't know who to trust, and I didn't want to draw attention to myself.

I entered the kitchen and I was greeted by the hustle and bustle of cooks and servants as they quickly move in preparing lunch . I spotted Finn who is the head chef and he handed me a knife and a basket of vegetables "Chop these, and be quick about it. The guest lunch can't be delayed."

I nodded taking the knife and basket as I begin to chop the veggies, my mind wonders back to the mysterious lady. Who was she? Why was she here? I shake my head and focus back on my task.

The kitchen is still bustling with activities and I kept my head down, trying to blend in and avoid notice. I didn't want to draw attention to myself, especially not from Sophia, who seemed to take great pleasure in making my life miserable . But I didn't have time to think about it for long, as Sophia stormed into the kitchen, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on me.

Quickly I start to chop. the vegetables fast but I can still feel her stare on me so I glanced up to see her marching towards me, her eyes blazing like fire with her face twisted in a scowl, and her lips are pressed together in a thin line.

"Nikolas, what are you doing?" she hissed.

I swallowed hard keeping my hands steady. "I am chopping the vegetables for lunch, ma'am" I replied.

" Well you are doing it wrong," she spat. "You are supposed to chop them finely, not into big chunks like that."

I felt frustrated but I kept my calm . "I am sorry, ma'am. I will do it again."

" Do it well this time and you are going to be serving the new guest," she added.

"But the king said I am to serve only him," I I retort .

Sophia's laughter was like a slap in my face. "Oh, you think you are special, don't you? The king's favorite plaything," she taunted. "Well, let me tell you something, Nikolas. You are not as special as you think you are. You are just a slave, a human one at that and you will do as you are told."

"But what about the king's orders?" I asked, trying to reason with her.

"Where is the king ? I am the one in charge of the servants here , and you will do as I say so finish cooking, Nikolas then you will follow Elara as she will show you where to serve the guest their lunch."

I nodded reluctantly, hiding my disappointment,"Yes, ma'am" I muttered, turning back to the stove to finish preparing the meal.

Elara, my new friend approached me with a sympathetic smile. " Talking about tough luck. But hey don't worry, I will be with you. We will get through this together."

I smiled back, "Thanks, Elara. " I whispered.

Elara winked. "Come on, let's go serve this guest and get it over with." I followed her out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Elara, who is this guest we're serving? Sophia didn't say." I asked as we left the kitchen

Elara glanced around the hallway making sure no one was listening. "It's Lady Victoria , I heard she is here for a few days, and the castle wants to make a good impression."

I raised an eyebrow. "What's so special about her?"

Elara shrugged. "I don't know, but Finn said she's really important. Something about her family having a lot of influence in the kingdom but that's not all , rumors are going around the castle that she's going to be the king's betrothed."

My eyes widened in surprise. "What? That's crazy! The king can't just marry someone without announcing it."

Elara shrugged. "I know, but that's what people are saying. Apparently, Lady Victoria's family has a lot of influence and power and there's more , the supernatural committee thinks the king might be cursed because he hasn't found his fated mate yet."

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Elara leaned in closer. "Well, the committee thinks that maybe the king's inability to find his true mate is a sign of a curse. And they have sent Lady Victoria to be his betrothed, hoping that she can break the curse."

"But what about the king's feelings?" I asked. "Does he even want to marry her and what if he doesn't even want to find his fated mate?"

Elara shrugged. "I don't know but the committee are really powerful and be careful, Nikolas. Lady Victoria is known for being difficult."

I nodded understanding the complexities of the situation. But one thing was for sure - I had to make a good impression on Lady Victoria for me to survive .

We arrived at the dining hall, and I see Lady Victoria seated at the table.