5 THE MORINA'S PALACE

"Miss, I took you all the way here. You have to pay for my service," he explained. He never met such a weird and naïve lady before. For a person not to know that they had to pay for services, that was unthinkable in this town.

'Is she some kind of noble lady in disguise? Or could it be that she is a princess?' he wondered.

"B-but, I only have three bronze coins," Veronica stuttered in a panicked voice. She didn't imagine that she would need money to find a guy. She brought some money from her savings so that she could eat some street food. She heard that the street foods were tastier than restaurant food.

"What?!" the man yelled in anger. "Why did you think I've worked so hard to bring you here?"

He shouted loud enough to attract some attention. Veronica flinched. She was frightened. It was the first time someone spoke to her raising their voice.

The man let out a growl. "If you can't pay money, why don't you pay with your body?" He abruptly grabbed her slender arm and pulled her.

"W-wait…" Veronica stammered. She was so scared that her words got caught in her throat. She couldn't speak in fear. The onlookers pitied her but they didn't come to help her. She looked at them hoping they would help her but her hope was crushed as they looked away. 'No way…' she thought in horror. 'Why aren't they helping me? Shouldn't they save me? The people of Utahill were supposed to the kindest people on earth. Why is this happening then?'

The man took her by force to the fifth floor. Seeing that she wasn't panting after climbing so many stairs, he smirked. "You've got lots of stamina. Good then."

"Thomas, did you bring a lost lamb again?" a sultry voice asked.

The man named Thomas turned to face the owner of the voice. Veronica turned her head as well. Her eyes shimmered seeing a tall, slender figure of a female. She was wearing a revealing red dress that showed her ample cleavage and a generous amount of her legs. Her curves could be noted from her tight dress. Her eyes were like cats. Her lips were red enough that it seemed like blood was dripping from them. What striked Veronica the most however, was the absolute lack of shyness that the busty woman possessed.

Thomas stated, "Yes, she needs to pay me two silver coins. Give her the job that will help her pay for my service."

The woman smirked. "Oh, but she doesn't look like she will be of great help."

Thomas looked at Veronica and said, "Since you are healthy, you can work right? Working in the Morina's Palace will earn you five silver in a single night. You can pay me back after you have earned the money."

Veronica hurriedly told the woman in front of her, "…I-I can cook, wash clothes, wipe floors…" She knew that being in debt wasn't a good thing. Moreover, she wanted to get away from this shady man as soon as possible. That's why she wanted to take this opportunity.

The woman chuckled. "You are one amusing little girl, my dear. Unfortunately, we don't need someone to wash clothes and wipe floors at night. We already have the best cook in town. Why don't you serve food to the customers instead? Although it won't earn you five silver coins. Remember that. If you work hard, I can pay you three silver coins. Does that sound fair?"

"Y-yes!" Veronica easily agreed. As long as she could pay, she had no reason to fight.

"That's great." The woman clapped her hands and two women came to meet her. They were also wearing slightly revealing clothes but they weren't as beautiful as the woman in red clothes. She instructed her workers, "Take her to the dressing room and dress her up. She will serve the customers."

"Yes, madam Morina," the women replied in a monotonous voice before they escorted Veronica inside the room.

Madam Morina stepped closer to Thomas and asked, "Why don't you sell this little lamb to me? She looks exquisite. She will do a good job in our field."

Thomas snickered and it somehow made his face look uglier.

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"Wait, wait, wait, I can get ready on my own," Veronica did her best to cover her bosom as those two women tried to take off her clothes.

One of those women said, "Madam Morina's orders. We must help you to dress up."

"B-but…" seeing that they wouldn't budge, Veronica sighed. "All right, but let me take off my own clothes."

After changing clothes and putting on some makeup, she looked at herself in the mirror. She gaped at her own reflection. Her hair was loosely braided to one side and the silver accessories shone in the light. Her eyes were highlighted with golden glitter and her lips were colored red.

She was wearing a deep blue dress. It was short-sleeved and the skirt's hem touched her ankle. The dress sparkled since some glitters were added on the dress. The only problem with the dress was – on the left side of the skirt, it was ripped off and her beautiful slender leg was showing. There was certainly enough skin on display to lure any hot blooded man to her beauty.

She covered her leg uncomfortably. "Umm, is there any way to cover my leg?"

"…" Those two women got tired of dressing her up and doing makeup. Veronica stopped them from touching her and there and almost fought with them as they kept putting colors on her face. When it was finished, they felt like they had won a war.

Veronica realized she shouldn't say anything anymore. She took their silence as a 'no' and asked innocently, "What do I have to do now?"