ISABELLE’S POV The soldier stops in front of a tent. There is a fire near and some soldiers are preparing food. Everyone is looking at us. Some are looking at us with lust as if we are meat that they want to eat for dinner while there are some other soldiers as well who are looking at us with pity. Their eyes hold kindness and pain for us. They know that it is bad what is happening to us but they still cannot do anything about this. My attention moves towards the man coming toward us. He is none other than the commander Hugh because of whom I got slapped. He is walking towards us as if he rules this place and there is no one stronger than him. He has his big sword in his hand. “I have talked with the king. King has ordered me to shift them in a tent. These are now slaves and will be taken to the palace. We will leave for the city tomorrow”. He says and leaves. I just want to cry at my misery. I have now become a slave. Why did this happen to me? I was a free person who could do any

ISABELLE’S POV This is how I was brought into the palace and then never got a chance to escape. My bracelet was taken from me by Lillian. She must have thrown it. That was the only memory of Robert. Ivy and Elsie became my friends that day and since then we have been best friends. On the next day, I was shifted to this room and was made a special slave. Then Esme started behaving badly with me. Later I got to know that the king had gone to war. I look towards the door. It must be evening now. I have spent my whole day in this room. Maybe I should now go to the main hall. Ivy and Elsie must be free now. I will spend some time with them and then I will come back here. They will help me to get rid of the thoughts about my past. Yes, this seems like a good idea. It is not like I am enjoying being alone here. I am getting bored so why not go to the main hall and talk with everyone. I get up and look at myself in the mirror. I am looking just fine. I open the door and start going towards

ISABELLE’S POV “Look, Isabelle. Stop crying. All the slaves in the harem are waiting for this chance but the king has blessed you with this. You should be thankful to God. King likes you and has called you. This is inevitable. You have to accept this either with a smile or with tears. Don’t fight the inevitable. This has to happen because it is written in your destiny. No one has even won in the fight with destiny and you will not either. I am giving you sincere advice. Accept it. Now come with me”. Lillian says and again starts dragging me with her. For a moment, a very brief moment, I thought that Lillian has a heart, after all, she is also a woman but no she does not have it. She is also heartless like her tyrant king. I don’t know what to do or how to save myself. I am lost. We stop in front of big magnificent doors. The door has a beautiful pattern on them. “Don’t forget my advice. Please the king tonight and you will be rewarded. Don’t fight the king or else he will kill you”.

ISABELLE’S POV After the rough sex that we just had, the king kiss me on the lips. It was a lingering, soft and gentle kiss. He looks at me and smiles. “Now I am satisfied”. The king says and gets up from above me. I relaxed a little. Finally, he is not near me now. I am now so tired and feel like my legs have no energy to even stand. My breathing is still not in my control. I feel like all energy is drained from my body. I look towards the king and see him leaving the bed. He picks up the robe which he was wearing last night. He again wears it and then looks towards me. He comes towards me and sits beside me. He is sitting while I am lying. He moves his finger from my cheek to my breast. “I want to have you again, Isabelle. The thirst for you is still not quenched. I want to be with you the whole day”. The king says and leans down to kiss my cheek. I do not say anything. What could I even say? He wants to be with me the whole day while I don’t want to be with him for even one more

ISABELLE’S POV When we are finished eating, the king stands up from the chair. I also do the same. I am standing still while looking at the floor. I just noticed that the carpet is quite a nice one. Of course, it would be because it is laid in the king’s room. The king comes towards me and takes my hand in his. “I love you, Isabelle. I love you so much that I want to make you my queen. You will be my queen and will rule this world with me”. The king says. His voice is now back to normal. The coldness, and harshness which was in his tone a few minutes ago disappeared. “I am not worthy of your love, my king. I am just a slave and before this, I was a villager”. I say to the king. I said these words purposely. I want to convince him that I am not the person whom he should love. I want to convince him that I don’t deserve this. I am doing this because of one motive in my mind. If I succeed in convincing him that he might let me go. “It does not matter. The only thing that matters is th