Poema's POV

"I'm pregnant" i declared, as I bowed my head to avoid his piercing gaze on me.

"I'm not ready to be a father yet, so take it out" He replied icily, my eyes which was filled with tears, widened.

That night, exactly one week ago was one that brought misery into my life. I was naive and that led me straight into the Devil's Den.

"You forgot your place!" He mocked me while I laid on the floor in tears of shame and disgrace.

His cold voice hit me hard without warning, "I don't do peasants" then he smirked. I felt my throat go dry as I took hold of the hem of my dress and held it tightly. Was I just called a peasant?

'Shut it! Aren't you one?' My subconscious mind mocked in my head, and I sobbed pinching myself because I did forget my place as a 'maid'.

"Rebels don't surrendered to emotions" his eyes darkened as he spoke those words to me after which he turned to and left. More tears streamed down my eyes as I watched his retreating steps.

I made a terrible mistake, I knew I should never have done but i guess that's what happens when you're just an innocent naive young lady.

Rumors! I've heard countless of them even before our paths crossed that never should I fall in his trap and I did!

Everytime I remember, it hurts my heart so bad but there is absolutely nothing I can do..I'm just a maid.

I'm just a Palace maid and my life story is pretty much of a disaster. My parents, well they are so poor and unfortunately, I had to lay down my future and dreams just so they won't rot in jail.

Here was worse than jail anyway, every maid like me would attest to that. You might be wondering what my parents did and why I had to yunno give up my dreams for them. But now, I'm tied up in a more terrible situation and I won't want that to add to my headache.

My name Poema always gives me hope for a better future but all that would end soon. I love my name so much because it reminds me of my dreams to become a poet. My parents are from this Kingdom, so am I. I was born and brought up here too; the Kingdom of Nereza.

I sat on the floor with tears all over my face, my eyes fixed on nothing in particular. I was loosing my mind! I was going darn crazy.

"The Queen sent for you" I heard some guards tell someone from a distance. I stood on my feet then wiped my tears away, I must not be seen crying. To make matters worst, I must not be seen with him. This pregnancy, that night everything must be a secret between myself and him.

Weak, I dragged my foot against the floor as I walked with my barefoot. Something about maids here, is that not everyone is permitted to wear shoes or even sandals and that's because of the hierarchy of power that has been established into a custom here.

There are three chains of maid servants but a concubine has the highest authority around here, and disobedience to them can cause heavy punishments from my master and them too. We address them as Elites.

The second are the housekeepers who supervises activities in the Palace and those who also help in ceremonies like the butlers, dancers, and those who oversee the activities of the maids. They are not respected much because they don't have much power like the elites. Staffs, that's what we call them.

And we, we're called maids, the kitchen maids, chamber maids and others who perform menial tasks just like ours. I am a chamber maid with the most terrible humans as colleagues.

I scurried back to my room which was always dark and cozy just how I like it. We are five in the room and they all are thorns in my flesh, one elite maid and three staffs.

However, this grading or hierarchy has no business with the royal family. To them, everyone is just a maid, except my master though. It makes me resort sometimes that this is only done in my master's Quaters.

Thankfully, no one is in presently, some peace of mind for me. I sat on my foam which was soft as a cotton; that's because it's been over used and I sadly do not have the right to request for another.

My thoughts finally drifted back to him, the man that took my virginity and I sniffed. His words really hurt me but it's just the truth he said, all this I have been warned beforehand.

In this Palace, I'm a new maid, I was brought I just one month ago and I already have a baby inside me which no one should know about.

But I have a plan, two actually and that's death. Either I die by my hands or get killed and the second is to 'escape' to another kingdom very far away.

On the contrary, I have no idea on how to carry out my plans but whatever I have to do, it must be quick..very quick. Aborting my baby is no way an option for me. My naivety brought her into this world, she never did.

Funny enough, I don't know the gender of my unborn baby yet but if I could live to birth her, I would want to girl child hence addressing her as 'She'. I sure won't call my baby a 'It'.

I'm just one week gone and I'm so glad that I haven't started showing signs of pregnancy, maybe a pardon for me to act as quick as I can and avoid making any mistake. I can't mess things up, not now that I'm in danger. I took in a deep breath then exhaled loudly as I shut my eyes.