“Strip!” commanded Clementine, the woman hailed as the most beautiful jewel in the entire Empire.
“What?!” Elena gasped, her heart dropping.
Elena was not the only one shocked; a collective gasp rippled through the onlookers.
Yet, instead of offering any sympathy, her fellow servants merely sneered in twisted delight.
“Milady, please, I beg of you.
No, Milady!” Elena pleaded, throwing herself to the floor and bowing until her forehead touched the cold ground.
“I beg of you, please!”
Clementine hoisted Elena’s chin up using the tip of her high-heeled shoe.
Tears slowly welled in Elena’s eyes, a silent testament to the suffocating agony she held within her chest.
“Elena…
Elena, you ungrateful little witch,” Clementine’s voice was soft, yet it pierced like a dagger.
“I said strip.
There will be no defiance!” she suddenly shrieked.
Elena flinched.
Utterly powerless, she could only comply with her master’s cruel whim.
Slowly, under the watchful gaze of dozens of maids and manservants, Elena removed her clothing piece by piece.
Her garments were far more tattered and soiled than those of the other servants.
She was burning with shame, but she had no choice.
Ever since she stepped into this mansion–the most lavish estate in the Empire next to the imperial palace–her life no longer belonged to her.
She was no longer a human being with a voice; she was merely a soulless object.
Elena was the daughter of a nearly ruined Marquess, desperately hoping to rebuild her family’s legacy through her earnings.
She worked tirelessly, day and night.
She started from the absolute bottom as a laundry maid, transitioned into a kitchen hand, and eventually climbed her way up to become the personal maid of the future Empress.
Initially, she took pride in that achievement, completely unaware that this position would become the most dangerous snare of her life.
Clementine had begun to realize that Elena’s face was far too beautiful for a mere servant.
To secure her title as the most beautiful woman in the Empire, Clementine forced Elena to gorged herself.
Elena was forced to consume massive amounts of leftovers.
Every single day, whenever there was scraps left on the table, Elena was forced to stuff herself like a pig.
She had tried to beg, to plead for mercy, but it was all in vain.
The more she begged, the more horrific the torment became—whips, blunt objects, burning embers, kicks, and slaps.
Sometimes, the torture required no reason at all; it simply depended on Clementine’s fickle mood.
Elena’s tears flowed unbidden as her clothes fell one by one.
Every eye in the room locked onto her, reveling in the spectacle–especially the men.
Elena’s voluptuous figure was laid bare, leaving her only in her sheer undergarments, which barely concealed her chest and modesty.
“Wuuuuuuuu!” Jeers and cheers began to erupt from all corners.
Despite the numerous scars marring Elena’s pale skin, they could not diminish the innate beauty of her porcelain flesh.
Elena felt the suffocating weight of anxiety, desperately wishing to flee from those predatory gazes.
The roaring cheers, the mocking laughter, and above all, Clementine’s sharp cackle filled the air.
She took absolute pleasure in the utter degradation of her personal maid.
In the midst of the rowdy entertainment, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the hall.
Clementine and the laughing servants froze instantly.
Standing there was a entourage of the most prominent nobles in the Empire—led by the Crown Prince.
Elena looked up at him, her eyes brimming with a desperate hope.
He possessed a breathtakingly handsome face that perfectly matched his fiancée, yet he harbored a nature just as ruthless.
Even so, Elena prayed that he would show a shred of humanity.
Her gaze was an explicit plea for help, and everyone noticed it.
“Blessings upon Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Little Sun of the Empire,” Clementine greeted, bowing gracefully as everyone else followed suit, including Elena.
Clementine smiled, approaching the Crown Prince with her usual coquettish steps.
“Your Highness, please forgive me for making you witness such a trivial matter,” she said, a trace of anxiety bleeding into her voice.
For a woman as cruel as Clementine to show fear meant the Crown Prince’s authority was absolute.
His position was no joke; not only was he the Emperor’s favorite son, but he also held immense political backing, military might, public adoration, and a formidable power he had built with his own two hands.
The Crown Prince merely smirked, his intense gaze locking onto Elena.
His eyes swept over every inch of her exposed skin.
Strange yet undeniable, his body—which rarely reacted to anything—suddenly turned on at the sight of this pathetic woman.
“Heh,” he smirked.
“Think nothing of it, Princess Clementine.
I actually…”
His voice trailed off, leaving everyone hanging on his next words.
On the other hand, Elena still clung to the hope that the Crown Prince would grant her mercy.
She even shook her head subtly, silently imploring him.
“…quite enjoy it.”
Thump!
Elena’s heart shattered.
“It is rather amusing to see a ‘pig’ without its clothes,” he murmured casually.
Elena lowered her head.
What a fool she was to expect mercy from the king of demons.
“Carry on, I am merely observing,” the Crown Prince added.
Clementine burst into laughter once more, and a few servants began to throw crude insults at Elena.
“So sexy!”
The laughter and mockery erupted anew.
She was truly alone; no one was going to save her.
“You stupid pig!” Clementine barked through her laughter.
“Go on, run laps around the mansion so everyone can get a good look at that plump body of yours!
Hahaha!”
Elena suppressed the torrent of emotions raging inside her.
Sobbing uncontrollably, she forced herself to take a step forward.
Everyone was staring at her body—the last shred of dignity she possessed, now completely stripped away.
Running around the mansion was not a difficult physical feat for Elena.
But doing so while practically naked was a living hell.
Her cries grew louder with each step.
“Mother…
Father…
Brother,” she whispered along the path.
“I want to give up.”
Yet, as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t.
A death sentence awaited her family if she stopped earning money now.
Her entire family was fighting tooth and nail just to survive.
There was no leniency for those who had lost the game of power.
“Forgive me, Mother…
Father…
Brother.
I am so disgusting.”
Elena had lost her honor.
She had lost absolutely everything.
To add to her misery, as her feet throbbed from the sharp gravel, the sky broke into a torrential downpour.
Yet, she kept running around the mansion.
She couldn’t stop, for an even harsher punishment awaited her if she failed to complete the task.
However, no one knew that the Crown Prince’s perception of Elena had irrevocably shifted after that incident.
It was no longer a gaze of mockery, but a burning, ravenous look of pure hunger.