Playing The Alphas

Chapter 60: The Preparation

SAMANTHA

As I left, all the other sex slaves began to cast envious and resentful glances my way. I could feel their eyes on my back. Their whispers followed me down the corridor.

"She thinks she is special now."

"The king gave her a villa. A villa!"

"It should have been me."

"I would know how to please the princes."

"I hope she fails. I hope they discard her."

"One day, her evil ass will be exposed. All the things she’s doing in secret will come out in the open."

I ignored them. Their envy meant nothing. They did not know what waited for me. They did not know the terror that lived inside my chest.

What if I was summoned to a villa to serve a poisonous snake? Or to be swallowed by a were-lion?

The servant led me through the palace and after sometime, we arrived at a building I had never seen before. It was separate from the main palace.

It was elegant, modern--with big white glasses, a science and AI coded place and it had lots of futuristic art. The walls were white stone. The windows were tall and arched. A small garden surrounded the entrance, filled with flowers I could not name.

District A. The penthouse. My new home.

I was taken aback by the unexpected beauty of the house. My breath caught in my throat and my feet stopped moving.

It was spacious. Too spacious for me alone. I could see a living room through the open door. A kitchen. A hallway that led to what looked like a bedroom. There were amenities I had never seen before—a large bathing tub, a mirror with a golden frame, soft carpets on the floor.

It was spotless. So I was the first lady to come here?

And there was a garden in the back. I could see it through a window.

At entering the home, I marveled at the way the living room was decorated exquisitely. The furniture was velvet. The curtains were silk. The walls were painted a soft cream color and paintings of me were already hung. How did they get paintings of me so fast.

My anxiety and fear began to die down even though I didn’t know what the future held in stock for me. At least I did not have to share a cramped room with other girls anymore. At least I would have a door I could close. At least I would have a moment of peace.

Since I arrived at this palace, I had prepared to sacrifice my body with great reluctance. I knew it was coming. I knew it was inevitable. But knowing and facing were two different things.

Reflecting on Leslie, who had now been cast out and refused any mercy, I had to remind myself that this was a difficult situation. I had no choice but to submit to the powers around me.

I had to endure all trials until I rose to strength.

This resolve somehow eased me. Just as I wanted to explore the rest of the house, the servant spoke.

"Miss Samuels," she said, "let me prepare you for Prince Darlington tonight. I want you to make a good impression." freewebnovёl.ƈom

I nodded. I had no choice.

As she spoke, the servant tugged painfully at my hair. She pulled a brush through my tangles without care. I winced. She did not stop.

She brushed harder. The bristles scraped against my scalp, tears prickling at my eyes.

Then she moved to my face. She opened a small case filled with powders and paints. She applied them to my cheeks, eyes and lips.

When she was done, she handed me a mirror.

I looked like a clown.

My cheeks were too red. My eyes were too dark. My lips were too bright. I did not recognize myself.

"This is necessary," the servant said. "The prince expects perfection."

I said nothing.

She led me to the bathing chamber. The tub was large. Big enough for three people. Steam rose from the water.

"Sit in the hot water," she commanded. "Oil yourself. Every part of your body. Do not miss anything."

I removed my dress. I stepped into the water. It was hot. Almost too hot. I sat down and let the heat soak into my skin.

The servant handed me a bottle of oil that smelled like flowers.

After the bath, she performed strange rituals on me. She burned herbs and waved the smoke around my body. She chanted words I did not understand. She sprinkled salt in the corners of the room.

"These rituals are to ward off evil spirits," she said. "To make sure the prince is pleased."

I did not believe in evil spirits. But I said nothing.

Finally, she opened a drawer. She pulled out a piece of fabric. It was a red lacy lingerie.

She held it up.

"The prince expects you to wear this," she said.

The sight of the lingerie made my belly churn. It was not clothing. It was a suggestion of clothing. It would cover nothing. Hide nothing or protect nothing. freēwebnovel.com

I stood up. My feet moved without thinking. Panic flooded my chest.

"Absolutely not!" I declared. The words left my lips without me thinking twice. "I will not wear this!"

The servant’s face did not change. She had an unusual...stoicness to her face.

"Miss Samuels," she said, "you cannot refuse me. You do not have the right."

With a sad expression, she handed me the lingerie and I collected it to feel the fabric.

"Your duty is to serve the princes," she continued. "Please do not make this difficult for me too. I am only doing my job. If you refuse, I will be punished. The king will blame me. Not you."

I did not want to resist. The princes did not like resistance. I did not want to end up like Leslie—cast out, branded rogue, forgotten.

Yet, despite the hopelessness of this situation, a fire burned inside me that made me desire revenge and power.

I refused to let this be the end.

I did not want to be a rogue. I did not want to give up. If I gave up, I would give my enemies room to laugh at me. John. Amanda. Molly. Leslie. They would all celebrate my downfall.

I had to be smart. I had to plot. I needed an ultimate plan.

But first, I had to survive tonight.

I closed my eyes to make this final decision.

"Okay," I said I’m a defeated voice. "I will wear it."

"Good," the servant mused. "Now let me help you put it on."