14 A Hot Welcome for the Guests

By Manar’s order, I was dragged out of that disgusting puddle and sent to Alaya so she could make me look more “presentable” for these fine gentlemen.

Unfortunately for me, Alaya wasn’t alone in this mission. Several young women were sent to help her in the grand process of transforming me.

They washed me for what felt like hours with fragrant water, rubbed me down with all sorts of creams, dried and kneaded me with four hands at once, combed my hair, dressed me, and did who knows what else. Apparently, smooth, hairless skin is highly valued here as well, so some of the procedures were… educational — and at times, extremely unpleasant.

Once they had me wrapped up in the gaudiest dress imaginable, I was finally “ready.” Manar himself, along with Dildan, came in person to inspect the result.

After the grand inspection, I was officially handed over into the “caring” hands of the king’s attendants — specifically, the so-called bride wardens, who had come for me. From this moment on, as Manar jokingly put it, I was their headache.

The guards were about a dozen tall, broad-shouldered men in armor — clearly well-trained. And leading them, of course, was that insufferable man, Kays — who, as it turned out, was one of the royal mages authorized by the monarch himself. I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly he had done to earn that title.

For the guests, the village threw an entire celebration — a grand feast with songs and dancing. After all, the delegation was staying overnight. At dawn, we were to set out on a long journey.

Aside from me, the royal envoys had already found two more girls from other settlements — my fellow victims of fate, Vasmiya and Nufira. Both of them were stunningly beautiful — the kind of beauty that could make anyone stop and stare.

Vasmiya was clearly the youngest among us. A frightened, withdrawn brunette with deep, perceptive brown eyes, she looked as if she had never seen a man in her life. Every time one of the guards so much as glanced her way, she flinched and darted her eyes around like a terrified rabbit surrounded by wolves. A child, really — though her body had already become that of a grown woman.

Nufira, on the other hand, was the complete opposite — confident, composed, and, surprisingly, quite calm. A long-legged, curly-haired blonde with bright green eyes and a full, luscious chest, she seemed utterly unbothered by the situation. Instead of fear, there was curiosity in her gaze — especially when it came to Kays. She didn’t even try to hide her interest; her eyes kept wandering back to him again and again.

And to be fair… it was hard not to be fascinated by him. The man was absurdly handsome — infuriatingly so. Those piercing eyes, that daring smirk… for a moment, they made your breath catch before you could even realize it.

We weren’t being guarded out of fear that we might run away — Kays had placed some sort of binding spell on us. We couldn’t move beyond a certain distance from him, though within the limits of that invisible boundary we could walk freely. That’s why, at the moment, the three of us sat together on enormous pillows directly across from the royal mage himself, while everyone else around us celebrated with reckless joy.

The guards and the local officials were enjoying themselves to the fullest — stuffing their faces with food and drink, laughing, and boasting about the adventures they’d faced on their way here. I, however, couldn’t swallow a single bite — my stomach was tied in knots from anxiety and disgust at their stories.

When the ceremonial speeches and displays of pomp were finally over, and most of the villagers and children had gone home to rest, the square where we sat began to change. People started putting up thick curtains and tall tents, enclosing the space.

It didn’t take long for me to realize why they were going to all this trouble.