Marked by the Crowned Beast

Amarien’s POV

I clasped my hands over my bare breast, my heart thumping through their softness. It was dark here, I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn't see him. I knew he was on the bed, naked, with me. 

I swallowed and blinked, and tears rolled down my face. I felt his cold nose sniffing through my bare, shaky legs, his beard brushing against my tender skin, making me whimper. He whispered something, but I didn't hear it. I was too stiff, too scared. 

Suddenly, a shadow loomed before me, and I shook so hard I couldn't scream. He grabbed my neck, pressing me against the bed. I couldn't breathe or move. My tears flowed. He snatched my hands off my breast and grabbed them, squeezing them so tightly.

Suddenly, I saw him from the shadow - the emperor. His grey beard, that lusty-sickly look in his eyes as he looked down on my frail form, the smirk that curved his lips; reminding me I'm nothing but a little bug he can crush at any moment.

I'm nothing.

Terror gripped me so fast I tried to scream, but I felt my mouth was sealed shut by his palm. And then his whispers brushed my ears like a chilly breeze on a winter night.

"You're going to enjoy this my girl…"

Fighting tears, terror, and shivering, I screamed so loud I jolted out of my sleep.

The sun streamed through the delicate curtains that lined my room. 

Oh, the gods!

It was a dream!

I sighed with relief as I clutched my hands on my chest. But it was just a second of relief. 

"The emperor!" I screeched as I descended my bed. He will be coming to my station tonight. This isn't just a dream, it's a warning of what will come. After all, I've been here in the palace for two weeks. Traditionally, the emperor visits his new concubine in the second week. 

The palace eunuchs hinted he'd be visiting tonight, and I better be and do my best. I stopped and shivered at the thought. But quickly, I heaved a deep breath.

"Don't be silly, Amarien. You're only fulfilling your duty to your emperor." I said to myself. Grandma said the first night is the hardest. After that, it's a smooth slide. 

I wiped my tears. But the terror in my heart didn't go away. 

I need a walk to clear my head. Quickly, I grabbed the silk dress bestowed upon me upon arriving at the palace and threw it on. It was a white dress with numerous floral patterns. Eunuch Corvin, the eunuch assigned to me, claimed the emperor only gifts white robes to his beloved concubines. Unluckily (sorry, luckily) for me, I'm one of them. After all, I'm just 15, and the 65-year-old emperor only lusts after girls like me.

"The emperor only has eyes for delicate roses like you, Amarien," Eunuch Corvin had said. "Over 50 of your kind are here in the palace already assigned for his pleasure." He spat. "You should feel privileged to be counted to serve his majesty."

As I walked through the palace walls, my hands still trembling, I couldn't shake the thought of terror of what would come tonight off my mind. The sun was really hot at this time of the day. My eyes lowered to the floor, avoiding eye contact as I walked. I could tell so many eyes were on me. I could even hear their whispers. 

"She's the new concubine." They say. 

But being new in this palace with more than 50 concubines competing for the emperor's attention means someone is bound to dig out everything about your history, spreading rumours about you. So it didn't take long for people to know I was the one who killed my mother. I was branded "cursed concubine" in the first week of my stay in the palace.

I tucked my shivering hands in the sleeves of my dress, my head so low it could almost knock against my breast as I walked. My flowing dress swept through the clean outer palace grounds. I didn't want trouble. But in the Royal concubine's court, trouble seeks you out even if you hide in your room.

I felt a shadow loom before me. I looked up and saw a group of older concubines standing before me. 

Velmira, the prettiest one, was at the centre, towering over me like I was a cockroach she couldn't wait to swat. I heard Velmira was the emperor's favourite concubine when she arrived. But now that she's a little older, he has lost interest in her, making her really bitter. They say it's best to stay away from Velmira as she's one to bully newcomers, making them realise how worthless they are compared to her.

"It's a bad omen when the cursed concubine walks right into you." Velmira said, her eyes piercing through mine. 

"S s s_sorry." I winced back and made to leave, but they blocked my path.

"Where do you think you're going, Cursed Concubine?" One of the concubines whined mockingly.

Something about being called a cursed concubine out loud shook me up. The fact that this name is connected to my mother's death made me want to cry. Tears simmered in my eyes, but I lowered my head so they wouldn't see my tears.

"She wants to escape the palace after she cursed the Emperor," another concubine growled angrily. I looked up and realised how angry these concubines are. What do they mean I cursed the Emperor?

Suddenly, one grabbed my hair and threw me to the sun-baked concrete floor. I winced in pain as the floor burned my skin, and my scalp screeched with pain. They still held me by my hair.

"Please let me go!" I begged, but it only fuelled their mocking laughter. Everyone around had stopped going about their activities, waiting for what would unfold.

"You cursed the Emperor!" the concubines cried, clapping over my head.

"I didn't!" I pleaded.

In a flash, a thunderous slap hit my cheeks so hard that I stumbled to the floor. 

"You didn't do anything?!" Velmira towered over my wincing form on the hot ground. "You liar!" She kicked me so hard I rolled and groaned in pain.

Why is everyone watching without doing anything? I looked around and saw people nodding, chuckling, whispering to themselves with satisfied smiles. Were they enjoying this? I tried to push myself up, but my pain crushed me. My fair white dress was now stained with blood and dirt.

What did I do to make everyone hate me?!

"Your presence here has only brought suffering and pain." Velmira announced. I saw so many people in the crowd nodding vigorously. "Your presence here has made the emperor sick! He is so sick he can't even visit his concubines anymore!"

A brief murmur of agreement ripped through the crowd. 

The emperor is sick? Does that mean…he won't be coming to my room tonight? I got a brief lift of joy despite the burning and aching of my skin. 

"The only way to make the emperor whole is to get rid of the plague that has entered the palace." Velmira's voice pierced through my ears. She lowers herself to me, running her hands through my white dress. "A lowlife like you doesn't deserve any form of dignity!" In a single sweep, she ripped the ruffles of my dress out.

"No!!!" I screeched. But it was too late. The rest of the women got around me, ripping my dress by the sleeve, the skirt, the hem, everywhere.

They were going to strip me naked!!!

And…and they were enjoying it, laughing at my plight. How could I have known the emperor was sick?! He hasn't even visited me yet!

I tried to fight them off but received punches and slaps in return. I'm not as strong as this bunch of 20-year-old women surrounding me.

Velmira, enjoying my plight, took the torn ruffled part of my dress, tying it around my neck like a leash on a dog.

"There you go," Velmira said with cruel satisfaction. "A befitting role for you. Scum of the Earth!" She pulled the leash, making me stumble before her. The hot concrete floor burned through my finger, but I refused to move. Tears soaked my eyes. 

"Now woof! woof! Like a sick dog you are!" One of the concubines whined in delight. 

"You look so good as a dog." One of them cooed mockingly.

Velmira pulled the leash again, this time, I felt my neck would snap if I didn't move, so I quickly moved, crawling on all fours. Everyone around burst out laughing like this was a cruel shadow puppetry. 

"Please stop…" I said through the choke hold of the leash. I was barely breathing. But the laughter around drowned my voice and plea.

Velmira kept pulling while I crawled in pain on the hot floor with my white dress now a torn rag. 

"What's going on here!" A masculine voice cuts through the laughter. And suddenly, everyone froze!

Who was that? I looked around and saw nobody had their eyes on me anymore. And the concubines looked terrified to their core. 

"Your Royal Highness, the Prince Daevir Jarek Volmir of the Black Sun!" An announcer proclaimed.

Gasp filled the air.

The Prince?!

He is back from the war?