LILY-
"You can never find love Lily… You're too unlucky for that mesmerizing spell." Her voice crawled into my ears.
"Love is forever mine to find. No matter what you say to me Hannah, you can't stop me from attending the Mating ceremony tonight." I responded.
Something hard hit my face , my hand taking the lead to ease the pain. Her hand was raised, a frown on her face. "Even if it takes forever, I will make sure you don't get a mate."
…The sounds of rumbling drums grew louder and louder as the moon slowly showed itself in the midst of the clouds. Compared to other silent nights, it was filled with cheers, maidens dancing everywhere, and the most important of them all, Men.
They were all hooked up with money, thousands of silver coins in those briefcases, and that was exactly what made my foster parents happy. Born into a world where my parents were mercilessly murdered and I was saved by some merchants who were trying their best to survive as a new couple. Hannah and George literally did everything in their power to raise me along with their child. Thought it was love, but that wasn't it either.
They trained me like their kid… that is a lie. Their kids had a better life than I did. They went to school and were more educated to know the dos and don'ts of society while I stayed with George and Hannah, training under them to become a lead courtesan in the Blossom house.
I trained myself in every board game there is, having to beat older courtesans if I wanted to have a piece of meat for the night, but now I was going to be on my own once again with a freedom given to me by the heavens.
It was the annual mating ceremony, and I could smell it, the scent of sandalwood that kept lingering in the air. It kept calling, keeping me on edge as it led me towards the main hall where the mating ceremony happened.
I wasn't meant to be out just like the last year, but I escaped Hannah's lockdown and escaped when she was giving out Sister May to the man who paid ten thousand silver coins just to be with her for the whole month.
"Lily!" Her angry voice resonated in the air, the frequency almost enough to be converted to ultrasounds.
This was it, my freedom, my way out of being just an entertainment for men who lusted after my beauty and curves. It was my ticket to having the life I had always dreamed of, the life that kept revealing itself when I wasn't reading dirty magazines as a mode of teaching in the house.
"Come back here, Lily; a man is ready to buy you off." She rasped.
Stopping wasn't an option. Becoming the fourth wife of a Gamma who had a lust for sleeping with multiple courtesans just wasn't appealing to me. I was a courtesan by force; I had to save myself from this life of disasters.
… The sounds of the sacred drums beating made my heart race. The scent lingering in my nose became stronger with each step I took. Hannah had left me since she couldn't keep up, but I knew she would definitely track me if the need came to be.
Gasps filled the air as I walked in through the door. They were all staring, mouths wide open, as some of them realized who I truly was. I could also recognize them, warriors of the pack who came to the courtesan house to relieve their stress and get themselves relieved and stabilized.
"The elite beauty of the Blossom's house." One of the men let out.
His mate, a fair beauty with a remarkable body though lacking in curves, hit him shut. A flick of jealousy building up in her. I was used to things like this; they were part of my daily life, but that wasn't why I was here.
I raised my head towards the scent, my eyes searching for my mate. I didn't care who he was; I just wanted to be free from being a courtesan who had not an inch of value aside from that of her body and intellect. I wanted an education, a life where I had only one man listing over me and I loved him over and over.
"Is that who I think it is?" Murmurs brewed; the silence washed away.
He walked slowly down the stage hall, his red robe trailing over the red carpet. I felt it, the way my hair stood on edge as his scent became stronger, the signals of danger my body had begun to rumble, and the low slices of pity that had begun to overshadow the amazement.
"My Lord." I lowered my head to greet him.
My heart thumped, a horrid beat that didn't mean love but danger. It was strange, mixed signals enveloping me as his smile curved into a smirk. I felt my stomach churn as he closed the gap between us, sending chills down my spine.
His index finger found my chin, raising my head up so our eyes could make contact. It was then I saw it, the greed that filled his eyes, the unending crave that led multiple to the grave. I could change that; I had done it thousands of times without having to climb a bed. This really has to be faith.
"Why would the Moon Goddess pair me up with a piece of trash?" His voice was deep and demanding.
The murmurs abruptly came to an end. They became focused, their eerie gazes watching our every move, the next big thing to fill the packs' entertainment sector.
"I'm more than just a courtesan…"
"Yes, you're a piece of garbage that should have been tossed out years back. A trifling mistake that has made the entertainment industry more popular than the court.
I clenched my hands tight, holding back the tears that had begun to gather in my eyes. It should have been better. I had played several scenarios, but I had never played such a devastating one like this.
Slap!
The tears rolled down my eyes, my hand holding onto my cheeks, which burned with pain and a sudden hatred that had begun to surge within me. I heard the gasps, but they were useless next to his dominance.
"You shouldn't have come to the mating ceremony just like every other year." He let out, "You can go kill yourself for all I care."