Concubine's House
All the women entered and got their respective rooms. They flocked to the dining room. The boisterous voices of the girls, most of whom had just tasted the luxury of dining in the kingdom, echoed throughout the dining room.
Gayatri comes and hits a small piece of wood on the table. "Shut up!" she shouted. makes all mouths shut. And the room is silent.
"You must be honorable concubines. Don't be like thugs! "
"Quickly finish your breakfast and gather in the hall. I will punish anyone who makes a sound! "
The notorious Gayatri manages to keep them quiet and eats regularly. Gayatri really doesn't like noise, because this is a kingdom, not a market. Girls must be disciplined in order to be someone who is elegant.
"She is the meanest woman here." Ambarwati, who was sitting next to Sekar, whispered. Incidentally, they also get the same room. Each room is occupied by two concubines. It seemed they were destined to be friends in this great kingdom.
"Is that true?" Sekar asked.
"You never heard of it? I think everyone already knows. "
Sekar shook her head. During her life out there, she only works to earn money to pay off Darma's debt and save herself from being sold. Sekar doesn't have time to gossip with other people and talk about things like that. Especially for just making friends with someone and playing games. It was an impossible thing for Sekar to do.
"You have to be careful with her. They say she likes to punish. " Ambarwati said again to Sekar.
Sekar nodded. She feels that what Ambarwati just said is true, Sekar remembers that she almost got into trouble during the first round of selection with Gayatri yesterday. "I think you're right. He's a little grumpy. " Sekar agreed with Ambarwati's sentence.
As they have agreed not to anger Gayatri, the girls quickly finish eating and gather in the hall, as per Gayatri's instructions. The girls gather and line up neatly before Gayatri and Renjani.
"Because all of you will be prepared to serve the King. You also have to do sports for fitness. Eat healthy foods, and take good care of yourself. You will also be given a class to learn to dance. " As Gayatri explains emphatically,
From today onwards, they will be well educated because their main task is to serve the King. And they must give pleasure to the king. There were times when they had to dance in front of the King if it was necessary. What is clear is that they must be educated to become classy people in front of the King.
"You will be given proper facilities and live in the palace. as long as you don't do anything wrong. If you commit offenses, you can be dishonorably expelled from the kingdom. " This time it was Renjani who explained.
"You are not allowed to leave this concubine's house without our permission. I know many of you are from the lower classes, but I hope you will adapt soon and make yourselves more polite. Even more so in the presence of the King. " Gayatri's cruel mouth speaks again.
The girls before Gayatri answer in unison and say they understand. From today onwards, they will be trained mentally until they are ready to face the king. "Okay, if you understand. Tonight you will meet with Kanjeng Ibu. So, use the time you have to clean yourself up. And change all those ugly clothes of yours! " Gayatri orders them before they disperse and return to their respective rooms.
Sekar and Ambarwati returned to their room. In the room, some clothes have been prepared to change. No wonder Gayatri says their clothes are ugly. The clothes provided there are all good. Sekar never even imagined she would wear such luxurious and expensive clothes in her life.
"Wow, this is a boon to women." Ambarwati undressed in front of her and smiled happily.
How not? All the women out there are definitely jealous of what they get. nice clothes, a luxurious place to live, and no hard work. Their job is just to be beautiful and have the charm to make the king happy.
"You're not happy?" Ambarwati turned to Sekar, who was silent. Her friend seemed uninterested in the nice clothes in front of her.
"Look at that!" Ambarwati pointed to a small table in the corner of the room, which was filled with several things to polish the face. "You can dress up however you like," she said.
Sekar smiled and nodded. "Yes, you're right," even though Sekar wasn't really interested. She preferred to walk next to the window and look out over their room. Sekar prefers to visit places within the kingdom. She was curious about the contents of the luxurious building she had seen earlier.
"I prefer to walk around the palace," said Sekar.
Ambarwati put her clothes back on and walked over to Sekar, who was standing next to the window. "Didn't you hear the vicious woman's warning earlier?" asked Ambarwati.
"Yes, she said we couldn't leave the concubine's house without their permission," Sekar answered clearly.
"Then don't even try to fight it. She will punish you, Sekar. " Ambarwati explained. "And one more thing, haven't you heard the rumors circulating in the community that this young king who has just taken office is very cruel and has no mercy?"
This is also something new for Sekar. "Is that true? I had never heard anything about the King. So far, all I know is the price of services to help people in the market, " Sekar answered honestly. That's his job. The market offers many services to those in need in the market.
"How about we go out quietly?" Sekar offers.
"They wouldn't know if no one told them, would they?" Basically, Sekar is a girl who has a high degree of curiosity. That's how she was, fearless. If only she had feared Maybe Sekar wouldn't have run to help Darma the night he was beaten by three people.
Ambarwati shook her head quickly. "No," she refused. "I don't want to risk the first day of entering the kingdom."
"In that case, okay. I'll go around on my own, "said Sekar.
Ambarwati hits Sekar. "Don't Sekar! You scared me. I could be punished too if you get caught. "
Sekar laughed. "No, I'm just going around here. If you keep it a secret, I promise you won't get caught. " Then she sneakily walked away. It made Ambarwati flutter uncomfortably.
***
"Sekar is at the concubine's house as Baginda expected," said Krishna. Facing back to Umbara after carrying out the order well
Umbara's face looked happy to hear that. That means his hunch wasn't wrong. "Good. Then I can see it immediately, "replied Umbara.
Krishna bowed respectfully to Umbara. "There is one more thing that I heard from the house of the Concubine's house, Baginda," said Krisna.
"Say! What did you hear? " Umbara stares and waits for the news this trusted person brings.
"I heard that Kanjeng Ibu will come to the concubine's house tonight," explained Krisna.
Umbara was silent. So, his mother preceded Umbara to go there. It was unusual for Bhanurasmi to take care of small things like this. "Then, what do you mean by telling me this, Krisna?" asked Umbara.
"I think Kanjeng Ibu is still looking for an excuse for Baginda to speed up this competition. And I think it's better not to be seen around Sekar, or Kanjeng Mother will find out. "
Umbara burst out laughing. His voice echoed throughout the room. "Are you worried about me or Sekar?" asked Umbara. This personal bodyguard of his also couldn't talk about this kind of thing. This time, his face looked worried.
"Sorry if I'm presumptuous, Baginda. I'm just being careful," replied Krisna.
Umbara nodded. In fact, what Krisna just said is true, because Bhanurasmi would not remain silent if she knew that her son was attracted to women from the lower classes whom he met in brothels. So Umbara had to hold himself back for a while until Bhanurasmi calmed down a bit.
"How could I bear not to meet her? Meanwhile, she has to pay me ten times as much compensation, "Umbara muttered. Umbara deliberately didn't say anything to Nyai Kasmirah at that time. He will ask for the compensation directly from Sekar. Because while remembering that night, Umbara remembered something. The night when Umbara had to stain his sword with blood and use the sword outside of war. just to help a woman.
"Krisna, have you made sure that Nyai Kasmirah took the men at that time?" asked Umbara.