Chapter 1
“The sunset is beautiful, isn’t it?”
The sky stood tall and high, almost in pride, but its tears fell on the church graveyard. Its sadness, perhaps, had stolen the light for a few minutes at least with its dark black clouds.
The sound of the digging felt heavy, perhaps the mud was not falling on the ground but on the heart of a ten-year-old child.
A lump heavier than the sand of the sea and rigid than a rock settled behind her vocal cords making it impossible for her to utter a single word.
Her hands clenched in tight fists, trying to control her trembling body.
“He was a very good man”
A man’s whisper came from afar, jerking her whole body.
Minute after minute, step after step, her father’s coffin was buried deep inside that hole, six feet underground.
Politely with care and yet with abandonment.
As they started pouring the mud.
Many began to leave, some waited till it was completed but soon after.
The ten-year-old child was the only one standing.
In the dark, cold evening of winter, as the sun slowly fades away and the night falls over.
The girl sat down beside her father’s grave with eyes dead of tears.
She wanted to cry but her eyes felt dry, she wanted to scream but her throat felt locked,
She wanted to die and lie beside him, but she wasn’t given the choice to.
“What is she even doing here?
Who is she?
Where is her mother?
Doesn’t she have a guardian?”
If any stranger had seen he,r they would have thought the following thing,s but on that night, not even a single soul passed by.
The night in itself felt lonely.
Only the ten-year-old knew what she was doing, alone at night in a graveyard.
“My child, If I die do not leave my side after the burial, Just for that night stay with me .”
She remembered her father’s words and his feelings as he had requested this from her.
He looked very lonely and sad that day, the day he had asked her...
And as she was a delicate child she remembered herself crying after listening to his request.
He smiled at her response and patted her head gently and affectionately.
With a smile as heavy as the air and eyes filled with tears he had wiped her tears away while saying ;
“I have heard that the first night, is especially hard for a person ”
Another lump started to grow in her throat as she placed her hand on the mud of her father.
Sitting there for many hours without moving an inch, she dearly missed the touch of her father’s big and warm hand on her head.
Grabbing handfuls of his grave’s mud she placed it on her head the same way her father used to put his hand on her head and slept in the same feeling she had been savoring since the day she started recognizing her surroundings...
---
My name is Jannat, the eldest daughter of Baron Zakir.
I come from a once-prominent noble family that enjoyed a high status in society.
Our ancestors were renowned for their heroic deeds and bravery, which earned them the respect and admiration of many.
As a result, at one point,
our family was granted the prestigious title of Marquess, which was a great source of pride for this family.
However, our family’s fortunes took a turn for the worse due to my step-father’s destructive behavior.
He was obsessed with drinking and would often fly into fits of rage, resorting to violence against his family members.
This ultimately led to our family’s downfall, causing us to lose everything we once held dear.
This stupid and greedy man,
unfortunately squandered our entire fortune on an unsuccessful business venture, and what little remained was lost to vices such as excessive drinking and gambling.
I am Jannet Zakir, people refer to me as ” A woman of stunning beauty and elegance.” My dark, luscious hair frames my rosy lips and dark brown eyes in a way that accentuates my fair skin, which is reminiscent of milk with a hint of pink.
I lived my eighteen years of life trembling in a small corner of my home as my step-father harassed my mother to death and I was her only child.
I avoided meeting my dad until I turned eighteen. At that age, he discovered he had a step-daughter, and my biggest fear came true.
He treated me like a commodity that he was keen to trade-off.
Of Course, he found himself so happy that he had hit a jackpot.
Soon after he started advertising me, several wealthy men from the upper echelons of society sent their proposals, showering him with copious amounts of gold and cash.
He savored every moment of it.
He enjoyed the attention.
He enjoyed all the luxurious gifts, money, gold, and attention that he was receiving but he did not accept any proposal.
...
Why? For...
It was all just like a business for him.
As he brought me to many noble gatherings where all men looked at me with lustful gazes and bet on how much a night with me would cost them.
I lived a whole year in that terror.
In that Disgust.
I trembled in my bed every night due to the terror of being sold to some crazy psycho for money.
As a result of tolerating such behavior for more than ten years... I came to the conclusion that I absolutely abhor the species called ” man”.
I opened my eyes every day to feel the same terror as yesterday and closed them to get rid of it for at least a moment.
My father or in fact any person, none harassed or abused me...as my father abused my mother but instead, he made me wear clothes sparkly and showing... Such Levish clothes that I bet he couldn’t afford without the auction he put every month.
An auction so unique that it only had one product...Me.
which led me to the title of noble treasure.
women looked at me with disgusted looks and even some men looked at me with disgust and their eyes told me how much of a bother I was to everyone till one day.
when I went to the birthday celebration banquet held for the Emperor.
The Royal Banquet...
It was his thirty-fifth birthday and my father made me go with him wearing almost nothing but lingerie covered with a long silk cloth...
that made my body curves more visible as I walked... Though I had covered the whole dress and had turned it into a long lace gown covered with silk...It didn’t hide that much.
He wanted me to seduce the duke.
I had heard many things about him, how all women avoided him as he liked to torture young women of my age and take advantage of them.
As soon as he laid his eyes on them, all seven of his mistresses disappeared from the society without a trace.
There were rumors about him keeping them locked up in his mansion, so they wouldn’t dare to run away.
No one was allowed to enter their rooms without his permission.
As the carriage came to a halt in front of the hall, my heart sank, and my eyes were filled with tears that I was struggling hard to hold back.
I bit my lips hard, trying to stop them from flowing, as I stepped out of the carriage.
For years, I have put up with everything and showed everyone my worthless Pride.... refusing to let go of my dignity...
The ominous aura of the mansion made me shiver, and I couldn’t help but wonder what fate awaited me inside those walls.
As I stepped into the hall, my whole body trembled with every step I took.
The air was thick with anticipation, and I could feel all eyes on me, making me feel like I was walking on hot coals.
A knot formed in my stomach, and I felt like I was going to vomit.
I should have gotten used to all this but... It was my first time attending such a high class ball... Obviously we were not eligible to receive the invitation before...
I stood behind the closed door, beside the trash... Yes, it have been years since I have started calling my step-father trash...at least in my head.
The guard announced our entry and we entered the royal Hall with all eyes on us.
I decided to step out and get some fresh air...just like that, without greeting anyone, but in my rush, I crashed into someone in the hallway.
Without looking at their face, I quickly apologized (as I rubbed my forehead) and tried to run away.
However, a tight grip on my arm stopped me in my tracks, and I looked up to see none other than the Duke standing before me.
Shivers ran down my spine...
His grip was so strong that it left bruises on my arm, and the pain was excruciating.
But more than anything, it felt disgusting...
Ever since the day, they buried my father... I had not once, eaten a full meal or two meals in a day.
At this point I had become all bones and starved.
I hissed in pain as I tried to loosen his hold on me.
He was a fifty-four-year-old man, with the body of an abnormal dwarf.
No, why would I even disrespect dwarfs by calling him as one of them?
He looked just like a ***** pig in a human form.
And just now I disrespected the pigs.
He sipped wine from the glass he was holding and then licked his lips while gazing at my body from head to toe.
At this moment I am sure that he has already undressed me in his head and he is looking at my nude body.
There was not much to remove for that to happen anyway.
I gulped in the saliva as I clutched my teeth.
My whole body shivered at the sight of him.
I wanted to run away, run as far away from this man and every other man as possible.
But nothing was working against him.
I who never had a proper meal in her life, felt how powerless I was in front of this disgusting man.
I tried to calm myself as my breathing became drastic.
Inhale deeply and then exhale.
I covered my face with a very calm expression and stopped this futile effort to release my arm from his tight grip.
I put on a smile and greeted him.
“Oh my Duke, Pardon me for my late greeting.
May the sun always shine on you.”
Shamelessly, like nothing happened.
He smiled lustfully in return and released my arm just to grab my hand.
He placed a saliva-dripping kiss on the back of it and my whole body shivered with disgust.
I swear I would have vomited.
But I smiled and pulled away my hand gently.
“I apologize for running into you like that.
please forgive my insolence.
But just as you see as a woman..I was In a hurry to use the parlor and didn’t pay attention to where I was heading.”
I explained as politely as I could and apologized.
He massaged his chin with his fingers, his eyes were still glued to my body.
I wanted his eyes away from me so that I could wipe off his infectious saliva.
Such a disgusting man.
“Now- Now that’s not something a lady should apologize for.
Instead, I place my apology for not catching you properly as a gentleman ”
(As if you could )
That’s what I wanted to say after listening to his words but I controlled myself.
“No-No.
That was my mistake, to begin with.
Now please if you will excuse me as I have explained earlier, I really need to go to the parlor ”
As soon as I said that, I ran away before he could say or do something else...
At this point I was on the verge of crying.
I walked as fast as I could in these damn uncomfortable heels that I just want to throw away.
I locked the door of the first room that I saw as soon as I went in and slid beside the door.
As I sat on the floor , I clutched my knees to my chest and buried my face in it.
" My dear daughter... If you ever feel like you have no one to listen... Perhaps just trying calling out?”
With how much love had he said those words to me... His eyes were holding so much in them...
As my vision turned blurry, I looked up at the ceiling.
“I don’t know... if someone, anyone ?
ANYONE?
who can listen, please!
Please...
I want to live peacefully and normally.
I want to eat proper meal at least once a day .
I want to wear proper and full clothes and
I don’t want to be sold .
I just want to live like a normal person ,
like a human.
I want to be with people who respects me.
Is that too much ??
This is all I am asking for,
This is all I want!
Anyone!”
I pleaded again and again and wished for someone to come to my help.
It was like that for about three hours.
I stayed in that position, pleading the same things again and again for three hours... and then stood up.
No tears were left in these eyes..
I held the door to support my legs , they had become numb at this point and I no longer could feel them.
But after standing still, the feeling of blood flow warmed up my legs and feet...soon my senses returned back in them .
I wiped my tears away and fixed my appearance.
With more make up then any could apply.
And that’s when, I realized that I was not in a parlor but in some abandoned room.
I became more terrified than I was... when I came here.
That trash would beat me now, because I hid myself and didn’t greet anyone today except for Duke .
Which he does not know about...
And even him , I met him by chance.
My legs trembled at the thought of what will happen to me and walked out after opening the lock.
I , with small trembling steps reached the banquet hall and everyone was still there...to my surprise.
And it seemed as if no one noticed that I was absent this whole time.
It shocked me but I was more relieved than being shocked.
I let out a breath that I was holding and after calming myself down.
I started to analyze the situation.
Normally half of the guests would have left the banquet by now.
But after observing a bit I found out that no one had touched the food yet, that meant the event itself hadn’t started.
But How ?
My question was answered not long after...when the guards announced the arrival of The Emperor.
Every guest bowed down at the announcement of his arrival and waited for him to say his speech and to grant the permission to start the banquet.
But before that... everyone waited for him to grant them permission to look up.
Never has this happened in History before.
But no one dares say a word or object to what he says or does.
He didn’t even say a word of greetings to all the noble guests and just went to his throne to sit.
He called a side guard and he announced to everyone to start the banquet.
Nobles stiff Expression became more relaxed as they shared a glass of wine.
Everything went smoothly and I danced with three to four people, who had their intentions written on their faces but still if I had rejected them, then my father would have starved me even more.
No one loves life more than someone who stands at the death door...
I felt someone gaze on me the whole time and I shivered after replaying what happened with the duke.
I looked around in order to see who, but couldn’t find the person .
To breathe in some fresh air, I decided to walk to the terrace.
As soon as I reached the terrace,
I sat on the floor in the same manner as I did in the parlor and this time instead of pleading to an unknown body I just let myself feel the floor... The floor felt good as I know, I will not fall.
Just as I was letting myself enter some delusions of content...
The terrace door was slammed open as three guards and a man walked in my direction.
At first I couldn’t tell who it was due to the darkness and my blurry vision due to extreme stress but later I wiped my eyes and looked at the person’s face.
At that point I realized the guards were from the duchy...
I tried to crawl away as I trembled.
The duke who was standing in front of me grabbed my hand and jerked me up.
Two of his men grabbed hold of my arms and pulled them back with force...
He was very drunk now and it seemed as if he had lost all his senses .
I tried to get away from them but just like before, my attempts were futile.
My eyes widened as more tears fell from them.
“Stop being hasty , your father sold you to me for a very big price ”
As he ended his sentence, All voices died down.
The surroundings became silent.
The thing I was the most afraid of .
No!!!
Please...
As I tried to scream nothing came out of my mouth.
He started dragging me, all the energy had left my body and my insides screamed...
A pain raised from my heart and traveled to both of my arms.
" Perhaps, try calling?“...
Because of the pain my hand moved and it looked as if I was trying to harm him...
He looked at me with a disgusting and angry look and threw me full force on the floor.
My whole body screamed at the impact and he moved forward raising his hand to slap me.
As I closed my eyes , I felt something wet on me.
I looked up just to see his headless body standing there as blood was oozing out of it like a shower.
The same thing happened with his guards...
And behind his headless body was standing none other than the ruthless emperor.....
