"I want you to strip for me, kitten" "What if I don't?" "Then I will make you... kitten" ~~~~~~~ Eloise arrived at the palace in search of something else, a job and a place she could stay but instead she met him, her doom. He was a devil while she was as pure as a snow. He was a king while she was just and ordinary maid that doesn't want anything to do with the king. He couldn't take his eyes off her, he wanted her, her soul, her heart and her body. But she, she wanted to go far away from him. But the more she runs, the more obsessed he becomes.
Chapter 1 Eloise
"Get out of my house!"
"I should have thrown you out a long time ago, you have blessed me with nothing but your bad luck, so leave!" Her aunt shrilled, throwing out her belongings.
The sound of the rain sounded so pleasant in her ears yet felt so melancholic. Her body was soaking wet and she was shivering in the cold yet her aunt didn't stop to care about her, she never did. For a moment, she wanted to ask her why she hated her so much but she knew to well she'll never give her an answer to her question. She hated her and that's what she needed to know.
"My younger sister must have sinned in her past lives and that's why she had to be cursed with a child like you! You bring nothing but bad luck, why don't you just die then?Just die and rot in hell?" She cursed, glaring at her Eloise with nothing but hatred in her eyes.
Eloise closed her eyes for a moment, her head was aching badly or maybe it was because of how fragile she was but her head was feeling....hot. She was trying so hard to fight the tears from her eyes from falling but she was so bad at doing that.
"What are you doing, Anna? She's your niece?!" Anna's husband, Samuel tried to reason with his wife.
"You want me to keep her in my house? Now, I get it...you both have been seeing each other behind my back, haven't you!" Anna sneered.
"Anna!" Samuel yelled, fisting his knuckles. He was trying his best not to lose his temper and hit this crazy wife of his and he was doing a good job at that.
"What..."
"Aunt, please!" Eloise whimpered, going down on her knees. Her eyes were red from tears and she could feel her heart aching badly, she was really so tired, extremely tired. She could feel the villagers' spiteful gaze on her, they have always hated her, just like her mother. She could have pleaded, begged her aunt to let her stay. She had always done that but this time around, she actually felt suffocated. She was tired of her aunt constantly reminding her of who she was, a cursed child.
"Hmph!" Anna hissed, entering into her small cottage. She wouldn't waste her breath on someone useless like Eloise. She had wasted her food and her savings on her already, it was high time for her to take care of herself. She can even decide to sell her body to survive, she doesn't care. As long as she would go far away from her and give her the peace she had always yearned for.
Samuel let out a sigh, getting tired of his wife's behavior. He had been married to her for ten years now and still now, he was suffering from that mistake. If only he had not laid his eyes on her then he would have been spared from this hell of a marriage.
Eloise bit her lips, crawling to her belongings. Her clothes were wet and covered in mud. She doesn't know why but then she couldn't help but feel pity for herself, she was really so pitiful after all.
Samuel stared at Eloise with pity in his eyes, she was just eighteen but still she had to go through a lot. It would have been better if she had never been born, at least she would have been spared from having the kind of family she had. She would have been spared from her fate and she wouldn't have to suffer this much.
"What should I do now, Uncle?" Those were the only words she could think of. She had nowhere to go, she was all alone since her aunt decided to leave her too.
Samuel squatted down, helping her with the clothes. He couldn't ask her to stay back, he was certain that Anna would try to hurt her. The only thing he could do for her he's to get her faraway from Anna, that's the only way she can truly find happiness and that's the only way he could help her fight her destiny.
He went into the cottage and came out with a small piece of paper in his left hand and a coat in his other hand. He helped Eloise up, wrapping her body with the coat. The rain was getting heavier and that was enough for him to know that the rain won't stop anytime soon.
"This..." He placed the small paper in her hand together with a bag of coins. "The castle is not far away from here, once you get there ask for Ophelia and give her this paper. She is the head maid in the palace and I'm certain she'll give you a job there once she sees the content of this letter and you will also be safe there." Her assured her but Eloise couldn't help but be scared. Instead, she nodded her head, forcing a smile.
"Thank you, Uncle!"
"Now, go before it's midnight."
Eloise held tightly to her belongings, she gave a faux smile to her uncle and walked away into the night not bothering to take a look back. She was saying goodbye to this little village and hopefully she won't have a reason to return there or see those faces again.
"Good luck, Eloise," Samuel mumbled silently, looking at Eloise as she walked away. His heart ached badly for the young girl but then he was an incompetent man who had to rely on his wife for survival. He had no choice but to send her away, he really had no choice. It was the best decision he could make for her, at least for the meantime.
Eloise kept walking and walking, her body felt so weak and the rain wasn't helping at all. Her head was hurting badly and she was starting to feel dizzy.
She could hear the sound of horses from afar buy she didn't feel the need to wait for a carriage and decided to continue her journey. She got to a point and stopped for a while, there were two roads and both the roads led to the castle. One was much longer and the other was shorter, if she decided to take the shorter path then she would have to pass through the forest. And with the time, she was certain that the night creatures would be out in the forest hunting down their prey for the night.
She stood there for a while contemplating and after much thought she decided to take the forest because of how weak her body was getting, praying silently that she won't have an encounter with any of the night creatures.
Her steps were light yet fast, she was trying her best to drag her tired body through the forest. If she could get past the forest that evening then she would never pass through the forest as long as she lived.
From afar she could hear the howling of the wolves and the silent chirping of the birds, adding to her fear. The more she got closer to the castle, the more her heartbeat increased rapidly.
Reaching the heart of the forest, she let out a huge sigh and sat down underneath a tree. She was all wet and her headache was getting hurt but she had no time to think of that. She closed her eyes to catch her breath and then continue her journey when she heard a loud scream.
"Ahhh!"