The mute concubine

Marguerite only saw a stream of white light blinding her sight before she woke up in a bed.

She can feel a headache coming along as she slowly tries to sit up, but fails miserably. She can only console herself by thinking that she fainted and was sent to a hospital by a good Samaritan passing by. The young girl slowly calms down and tries to look around to see if there are any nurses around she could talk to.

Her eyes are quickly obstructed by a veil with intricate sewed on patterns that seem extremely expensive and artsy. She notices the model of the bed, a Chinese brick bed with heating underneath. Her body is used to sleeping in soft mattresses and fluffy covers, and so she finds the hard brick on her back tiring. Nonetheless, she feels warm enough that she falls back asleep, all the while wondering what hospital she is in, that would have such extravagant bedding for their patients.

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In a different room, a small girl dressed like what looks like ancient Chinese outfits made for the maids and servants at the time is approaching a room with quick, small steps and sharp movements. She sees a man dressed in robes and a horsetail whisk in his arms and walks to him.

"Have all the maidens been checked yet?" Her voice is light and immature, contrasting to her neat demeanour and straight back, it betrays her very young age.

"Yes. Everything is in order. The ones that had lost their virginity and still shamelessly came to present themselves have been sent back and the rest is waiting for their servants to lead them to his majesty. When you go prepare the tiles, remember to ask the mother servants for the dispatching of the chamber servants."

The small maid nods in understanding and does a quick bow before deserting at an equally fast pace. The head Eunuch brushes his heavy garments and thick robes before heading off to an unknown place in the palace maze.

Poor unknowing Marguerite is suddenly awakened by a cacophony of voices loudly speaking close to her canopy bed. Her splitting headache comes back in full force as she squints toward the source of the unpleasant noise.

There, she sees many little ladies, all aged from 14 to 17, discussing something fervently in a language she does not understand. They seem to be pointing at each other and arguing about something concerning herself.

Marguerite sits up and soon, the little ladies realize that the new young mistress has awakened. They all cluster around her and speak in a foreign language she has never heard before. It sounds like a mixture of Japanese and Norse, with a bit of Russian sprinkled on top.

"Miss, you were pushed and hit your head on a stone pillar. The physician said that you should be fine by now. We have to quickly get prepared for the gathering."

Her headache subsides, which enables her to look around her and find that she isn't in a hospital, but in an eastern house. The walls are carved with many shapes and drawings of dragons and phoenixes, and a floral-patterned carpet tickles her small, naked white feet.

Still drowsy, she dumbly looks up to the surrounding maids, only to find them strongly staring her down, as if waiting for something.

It seems they have asked her a question. She doesn't know what to do and starts wondering if she was smuggled into a foreign country by a human trafficker who saw her laid out on the barren, wet street.

Fear takes grasp of her heart at the thought, and she starts to have a small panic attack. Many scenarios play in her head; being sold to old men for prostitution and beaten by disgusting thieves while they let her rot away in a cell. She scares herself nearly to death as she frantically struggles to breathe. The maids start to panic and quickly shout for a physician. But the concubine has already fainted on the bed.

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The physician that was called to check on the girl frowns noticeably. The woman looking at him with her frightened eyes has refused to utter a word ever since she woke up. Physician Gao concludes his diagnosis by saying that she suffered a fright and has leftover trauma from the fall. Either she has become an idiot, or she will gain back her speech in a few days.

The three maids thank the doctor and send him to the door. In their hearts, they feel that they couldn't be less lucky. Serving a dumb master means living a life of poverty and suffering. Cursed be the bast*rd's 18 generations that pushed our lady. They better tell their family in the village to light some incense and pray for them.

Marguerite is still in shock and stays quiet. The maids pull her up and start applying all sorts of powder on her face, all the while tying her hair and finding suitable clothes for herself. In the mirror, she is shocked to see that her appearance has completely changed. Her face is that of a young teenager, her hair is black and her eyes are dark blue. She doesn't comprehend what she sees and unconsciously doesn't react to the shocking reflection, choosing to question it later.

She doesn't understand where she is going but is too scared to ask questions. Her first thought is that she is going to be sold to prostitution. Her heart jumps to her throat, but she quickly swallows it. She will find a way to escape once the maids lose their guard.

On their way to the main hall, Marguerite is utterly shocked and in awe of the size and intricate beauty of the castle she is in. Everything is so dazzling and shiny, that she can't help but wonder who on earth has such a big house. She has never heard of such a rich human trafficker. However, she quickly realizes that if she is in the hands of the mafia of this country, it will be extremely difficult to escape. Worse comes to it, her family might even be involved. Her irrational thoughts jumble and tumble in her head until a voice breaks the thread:

"May the Emperor live ten thousand years!"

She did not understand what was being said but regardless knelt with the rest of the people as to not stand out like a sore thumb.

After the ceremonial greetings, which confused Marguerite to no end, the women in place were invited to chat over tea at the table with the king.

Marguerite starts to walk with her maids towards an available chair, she throws a glance at the big boss sitting up high in front of the table. Such a young mafia boss, maybe he won't notice her escape? She starts to build hope for herself out of fear, and stiffly sits in imitation of the other womenfolk around her: legs folded like a fishtail laying casually on the hard floor, hands atop on knees unless busy eating or laughing while hiding teeth, back straight and shoulders relaxed. She easily blends into the surroundings while sadly remembering her former mother-in-law that would teach her the etiquette she had to suffer through as a young child. The melancholic-looking little girl remembers how her mother-in-law would constantly remind Marguerite how lucky she is to have been born at such casual times. Now she isn't sure anymore, on the matter of her luck.

Some women curiously glance at her wondering if this cute little girl is ok. Could it be that she ate something weird? Her posture is so stiff, it almost looks like she's in pain. Is she shy?

Meanwhile, others sneer in disdain at this frail-looking child who is wearing that stupid look on her face on such an occasion. She acts as if she was forced to come here against her will. Who does she think she is? So disrespectful towards his majesty! Which family raised such a child? She must come from a merchant family.

Marguerite doesn't know that her silence and fear makes her stand out in the crowd. People remember the rumour of a lady falling on a pillar and hitting her head silly, rendering her an idiot. They quickly lose interest and continue dining and drinking with their peers, intermittently throwing flirtatious glances at the young man sitting above.

Marguerite isn't sure how long this hell lasted when she suddenly notices from the corner of her eye a blue little creature hiding beneath her robes. Not sure what it is, she discretely extends her hand towards the little bundle and brings it out to see under the table.

It's a little blue furry mouse, it's color and eyes give her a familiar feeling as she stares at this little cute creature in her hand. Out of the blue, a familiar voice makes itself known in the confused girl's head.

<We meet again, Marguerite.>