Chapter 45 The Goddess's Complex Life
Chapter 45 The Goddess's Complex Life
Viyara's POV
People stare at me as we make our way out of the palace. I sway my hips in the exquisite dress that I chose from the many that he had gifted ungrateful Taya. Her jewelry is a lot more precious than what I was given. So I wore the biggest necklace, several diamond hairpins and five bracelets of silver and gold.
Emperor Namon's hand holds my waist possessively. I hate that I have to carry the baby whose silk covers hide my beautiful curves from being seen.
"Did watching people get slaughtered for dragons disgust you the first time I sent you to the slaughter hall?" Lord Namon asks.
The god of Unmaking did not give me Taya's memories. There is no way to know how she felt about those who were slaughtered. She must however have been terrified for her own life.
"Uh . . . no. They were criminals. But I was shaking with fear. There was no guarantee that the beasts would not eat me too," I answer.
He regards me with a curious gaze. His intense stare lasts so long that I start feeling uneasy.
"If I did not know any better I would think that Harom replaced your brains while I was away," he says, making my heart pound with worry that I failed to think like Taya.
"Why did you not tell me that you were a goddess before I sold you to that Alpha?" he asks.
I am once again unsure of the best answer. Why didn't Taya reveal she was a goddess even after he made her my pet slave? Why did she let herself be sold as a slave?
"Would you have believed me?" I ask.
My guess is that she was afraid of being punished for lying. No one knew that Axon had a secret daughter and that daughter was abandoned to become a servant.
"I would not have sold you if I thought there was a chance you were a goddess. You would have remained a slave of my palace," he answers.
"I am sorry I was afraid that you would not believe me. I did not want to be punished for making a blasphemous lie," I say. "I will make up for the mistake after our marriage. You can have this body every night."
His eyebrows rise again. What did I say wrong? He doesn't want my body every night?
The baby in my arms stirs and starts crying before he can say anything. I am yet to learn the baby's name. And I cannot afford to get it wrong. I try swaying her gently in my arms to see if she will stop crying, but she only gets louder.
"When was the last time you breastfed her?" Lord Namon asks.
My mouth falls open with shock and my hands start to tremble. I do not think I have the ability to breastfeed the baby. And she chose now of all times to cry.
I would snap her neck if Lord Namon did not care about her. She is his lucky heir. I must pretend to love and care for her so no one will have doubts about my identity.
"You may take a moment to breastfeed her. I will wait for both of you in the slaughter Hall," he says.
I gladly nod so that I can be left alone to figure out what to do. He walks away after patting my back. I turn back and hear fast towards the palace kitchen.
All cooks bow deeply at the sight of me. Everyone seems to respect me more now than they did when I was their Empress and had my real face.
"Welcome, M'lady! What can I get for you?" one asks.
"Just a cup of water," I answer.
His counterpart quickly fetches me the water and hands me the cup. I turn away in search of a secluded corridor where no one would witness my desperate actions.
I feed the baby a little of the water and she stops crying. I know it is a momentary solution. I will figure out what to do about her hunger later. Right now I must get to the slaughter Hall before Lord Namon becomes inpatient.
I dump the cup on the floor and make my way out of the main palace. I pass by dragons that are tamed to guard the palace and they seem to notice the baby in my arms. They have never before looked in my direction.
My heart starts to pound once more as I walk through the open doors of the slaughter hall. I immediately feel disgusted by the sight of dead, chopped bodies laying on the floor which is covered with blood and other bodily fluids. There is a line of criminals and slaves bound to the right wall and their mouths gagged. The servants that I asked Emperor Namon to turn into slaves and feed them to dragons are among the last in the line.
I am unable to resist a smile at the sight of their terrified faces. They enjoyed whipping me in the name of training me to be Taya's servant. I would love to slaughter them myself if I did not have a baby in my arms.
Emperor Namon stands close to a metal door at the other end of the hall. A muscular, shirtless and tall man stands beside him. The shirtless butcher regards me with a joyous smile. He forgets to bow his head in respect as I approach.
"Taya!" he extends his hand for a handshake like I am a person of his worthless status.
"What makes you think that I would touch your hand, servant?" I question in annoyance.
He appears shocked as if his behavior was undeserving of my reprimand. His gaze studies me with suspicion.
"My apologies, your highness," he finally bows his head. "It's just that I thought we were past personal titles after everything that happened. Congratulations on your new status. It's everything I thought you deserved. But don't you owe me some gratitude?" he asks.
Emperor Namon looks back at me. I have no idea what happened between Taya and this lowly servant. Why would she owe such a nobody anything?
Regardless, he owes her respect now.
"If you helped me in any way it was because I was a goddess and the mate of your Emperor. How can you demand gratitude for doing your job?" I chastise. "Show me some respect before I order your body to be fed to the dragons as well!"
The man doesn't appear frightened by my warning. He instead regards me with more suspicion. Why is Emperor Namon not reprimanding him? Is this servant special?
"My apologies again, M'lady. I am clearly in the wrong," he says in a flat tone. "I will not delay you any further."
He turns and opens the metal door. "Welcome. Some of the dragons have missed you," he says, gesturing at me to lead the way in.