15. The karma of wicked slaves

THALIA'S POV

Before I could argue, Matilda dragged me by the ear, taking me out of the maids' quarters. She didn't let go until we were in front of a gathering of maids, all belonging to Janette.

She pushed me to the center, then began pacing around me, her cane behind her back. "Today, I will show you all what happens when you forget your duties as a handmaid," she said, then ordered, "pour her the water."

Instantly, cold water poured on me from all angles. The force was so powerful that I fell, and before I could realize what was going on, Matilda's cane hit my body multiple times.

I screamed out, begging her to stop, but she wouldn't listen.

"This is what happens to wicked slaves," she yelled, increasing the speed of her whipping. She was part lycan, so the force from the cane was more excruciating.

I screamed out my lungs as she flogged me. There was no one coming to my rescue; rather, the laughter of the maids mixed with the sound of the cane fogged my senses.

However, my sharp hearing caught on to the real reason for my punishment. "Served her right for making the king embarrass the queen publicly," one of the maids whispered to her gossip mate.

That was the true reason why Janette instructed Matilda to punish me, and after hearing this, I swallowed the pain, refusing to cry out so they wouldn't get the satisfaction of seeing me in pain.

It made Matilda angrier, and she increased the use of her strength, but I still refused to cry.

She gave me a total of 70 strokes, exceptions to the ones I wasn't counting when I was pleading for pardon. When she was done with me, I could barely walk, but I refused to let myself fall even though I wasn't strong.

I dragged myself to my room. My head was spinning from both pain and hunger. But, to my utmost surprise, a guard came to deliver food to me.

I didn't need to ask who sent him because I knew it was Savior's wolf, but how did he know I had not eaten? I pushed aside the thoughts and wolfed down the food. It was a large food tray, so I was able to leave some leftovers for Ellie.

We slaves rarely had the opportunity to eat such grand meals, and most of the time, the leftovers were barely enough for all of us to share.

Ellie came back in the dead of the night, exhausted and looking like she had barely survived a fight with a bear.

She dropped face down beside me like a sack of rice. "I hate Karina so much," she said, groaning. "Would you believe that, that witch made me massage her legs for hours while she gossiped with the Luna?"

"No surprise that those two are friends," I joked, rubbing Ellie's stiff back.

She suddenly turned her head to me. "Did you hear what happened to WhoreTilda?"

WhoreTilda was the horrible nickname that Ellie gave Matilda for all the times she punished us for no reason at all. "I really don't care if she falls in a well, Ellie."

"But would you care if she got flogged half to death?" Ellie raised a brow.

I furrowed, sitting up. "Where did you hear that from?"

"When I was massaging my godforsaken mistress," Ellie told. "That was the gossip your mistress shared with her. They both seemed unhappy by it and promised to make someone suffer for it."

My brows fell, and I sighed. I already knew the scapegoat would be me even when I had nothing to do with what happened to their devoted housekeeper.

"What offense did she commit and to whom?" I asked curiously.

"The King."

"The King?" I repeated in shock.

Ellie nodded. "Yes, the king. The Luna said that WhoreTilda's whip accidentally hit the king when he was passing by as she was punishing a slave along the corridors. To make matters worse, she didn't apologize; rather, she made a run for it and was caught in no time," she narrated. "She was flogged by the head lycan guard and was thrown in the dungeon, stripped of her title."

I couldn't stop my lips from turning up in a wicked grin. "Serves her right."

"I thought my day was bad until I heard that Matilda flogged you before she received her own beating," Ellie said, empathy in her tone. "The goddess is still alive; she paid Matilda back in two folds. Are you fine?"

I nodded, but when Ellie touched my body, I winced. She frowned. "You are not fine, Thalia. Here, drink this."

Ellie handed me a potion. At first, I hesitated, but I trusted her, so I took a sip. It was half bitter but also had a hint of a metallic taste.

"Lila?"

"Lycan blood," my wolf replied. "I don't know who it belongs to, but it smells very familiar."

I gave Ellie a meaningful look, but I didn't dare to ask her where she got fresh purebred lycan blood from. I was scared I wouldn't like the answer, especially since the state in which she returned was alarming.

"Thank you for the potion; I suddenly feel better," I said, hinting at the lycan blood, but Ellie feigned ignorance.

"What smells so good?" She asked, sniffing the air.

I smiled, understanding that she wanted to change the subject of our discussion.

"High table food," I said. "A guard randomly brought it for me. I guess he missed the room he was supposed to deliver it to, but I didn't tell him otherwise." I winked, trying to hide my own secrets.

Ellie's voice became low. "I see."

"I left some for you; eat it up before it becomes completely cold," I suggested.

Hesitantly, Ellie began to eat. I knew she was hungry, but she also didn't want to eat food from whom she assumed was causing me more harm than good.

As she played with the food, a knock on the door distracted us. Ellie answered it. She turned to me with a skeptical look on her face. "It is for you."