The Cursed Prince And His Beloved Maid

Once upon a time in the 16th century AD...

In the middle of the vast ocean. In the dark night without the slightest light except from the stars and the moon. I lay on a floating ship's door. There are so many corpses around me. They weren't dead from drowning. They were all dead from freezing. Their frozen corpses float in this ocean. The ocean water is so cold and piercing my skin, even my red hair has frozen.

The mainland may be hundreds of kilometres away. I can't even move an inch. I'm not submerged in this cold seawater, but I feel like i almost frozen like everyone else. And soon enough, I might die.

"There's no one here. No one can help me. They all died. I am alone. Oh, why am I the last one to die? Is death as painful as it is told in books?" I thought.

The cold numbed my brain, and I lost most of my memories. I remembered that my family also died because they had nowhere to float as I did. My grandfather asked me to climb on top of this ship's door. He save my life instead than saving his own. And now, I don't even dare to look at his frozen corpse. However, I don't remember why we boarded the ship. Where are we going? Why did the ship sink? 

*****

As the minutes passed, the night grew darker, and the cold air became more piercing. Death still hadn't come.

I accepted my fate, dying alone in the vast ocean, under the beautiful night sky, while gazing at the distant galaxies. It's horrible but beautiful at the same time.

For some reason, I suddenly wanted to sing a song my grandmother used to sing to me before bedtime. The piece of my childhood :

My dear Anna, listen to my voice.  I am by your side, O our Haseki. Our young lady, grow up beautifully in your motherland. A land that swears it loyalty to you. Dear Anna, our young lady. My beloved Haseki.

Just as I finished singing, a light came. And I heard someone shout:

"Here... There's a woman here!"

A group of men in a small canoe pulled the door I was lying on and carried me onto the canoe.

"She is the only survivor." 

They gave me a blanket. And they bring me to their ship. They sat me down by the fire. I survived. Bye, death, come back later. I don't know who these people were and what they were doing in the middle of the ocean. Anyway, on this ship, I saw so many young girls. The girls looked at me with a hostile glances.

One man brought me a warm drink and food. Then, he ask :

"What's your name? Where are you from?"

"I'm... Anna...I lost my memory. I forgot where I came from. One thing is for sure, all my family members are gone." I answered honestly.

The man called his friends. And they were talking to each other about me. I could hear their conversation."What are we going to do with her?" Said the bearded man.

"I think we should kill her. Look at her. That girl has purple eyes. There's a rumour that women with purple eyes are witches. Just kill her before she casts an evil spell on us."

"So we throw her back into the ocean?"

"No... no. I have a better idea. Take a look at the girl's hair. It's red. I heard that Prince Erwin likes redheads. We'll sell her to the Imperial harem. The girls we brought aren't pretty enough. Even if the prince doesn't like her, we'll sell her at slave market. You know that red-haired slave girls are very expensive."

"But what if she is a witch? Are you willing to risk Prince Erwin's life?"

"Damn it. Don't think about him. Just think about ourselves first. We have no food supplies for the next week."

"Alright then. So, we all agreed to sell her to the Imperial harem. If the prince reject her, we'll sell her at the slave market."

The bearded man then came to me and said:

"Woman, you are a slave now. Our slave. We will sell you in the Imperial harem. You are beautiful. Perhaps the prince will like you and make you his consort."

I didn't know whether to be happy or sad. I was empty. To be honest, I wanted to die. All the people I loved had died, leaving me behind. I have no reason to stay alive. 

***

I just discovered this ship is a slave ship that carries slave girls. 

"Are you really forgot where you came from?" A girl named Helena asked me.

"Yes," I replied.

A white-haired girl whose name I didn't know joined my conversation with Helena:

"How do we know you're not a spy sent to kill Prince Erwin?"

"How do you know Prince Erwin will like me? He wouldn't want to get close to me even if I were a spy." I said.

"He'll love you. You are the prince's dream girl."

"Does that prince really like redheads? Why does it sound like he's obsessed with redheads?"

"I heard a rumour that Prince Erwin keeps many paintings of redheads in his room. He rejected all the concubines that were presented to him. The reason is that they are not redheads."

"He's like a maniac," I said.

"You know what, Anna? Prince Erwin is incredibly handsome. He was tall and well-built. His hair is blond, and his eyes are crystal blue. He's only 26 years old. He is not only most handsome man, he is the most beautiful human being in the world. Women, men, animals, plants, and furniture fell in love with him. The soldiers respected him more than they respected the king himself. Even the king was afraid of him. Ahhhh, he is perfect. After this ship arrives, I can at least see him. I hope he bought me. He already has a lot of pretty concubines in his harem. But, one night with him is enough for me."

"It's scary, loving a man who can have many women in his bed," I said.

And she replied:

"In that case, it would be an honour to get my heart broken by him."

"Silly girl," I said at last.

**

After three days on the ocean, the ship landed in the harbour. I heard that the noble family that ruled this continent was surnamed "Harlow ."They are the only noble family that rules this very-vast continent. And even this continent is named after them, the "Harlow Kingdom."

"That's amazing. Even if that Prince Erwin weren't handsome, all the girls would still fall for him since his family rules this land. Who wouldn't want him?" I thought. 

The slave girls and I were asked to wash our faces before being taken off the ship. They also gave us new clothes. Then, we were led to the Mistere Palace, located right near the harbour. Mistere Palace is the Harlow royal family's residence. We were taken to an open field right in the front of the palace. 

A stern-looking woman emerged from inside the palace. She told us to line up, stand straight, and raise our chins. Then, she looked at our faces one by one. She picked some girls. All the girls she chose were the most beautiful of the lus.

She pick me too, but I suddenly fell limp before she took me in. My body fell to the ground. Since three days ago, I've been a little sick of not eating enough. The food and drink on the ship were in short supply. The slave master kicked my body many times to get me up, but I lost all my strength. 

Suddenly, someone announced that Prince Erwin had arrived.

 

"Wake up, little bitch. The prince is here. Don't make me look bad." he said as he kick my body harder.

Then, I heard someone say:

"What kind of man beats a powerless lady." 

"Forgive me, my prince."

That man sat me on his lap. I looked up at his face, my vision a little blurry. He gave me his drinking bag. I drank greedily and hurriedly till the water in the drinking bag ran out. I couldn't help it, I was so thirsty. 

"My lady? What's your name? Do you understand our language?" he asked.

I nodded.

Then, my vision began to clear. My eyes widened when I saw the man who gave me the water. He was totally gorgeous, like he came straight out of women's sexual fantasy. I He is the embodiment of male's beauty. Blue eyes. Blond hair. Yes, he must be the Prince Erwin that everyone talking about. His handsome face successfully brings a happy smile to my face. He smiled back at me. 

He then carried my body in his strong arm. 

"How much did you sell this one for?"