Adina stepped into the room, her body aching terribly from the many clothes she had to wash. She wondered if the entire kingdom brought their clothes over. She paused in her step, brows furrowed when she saw some of the girls huddled in a corner, whispering to each other. Their eyes flickered toward her for a split second before quickly darting away.
Adina's heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong.
"What's going on?" she asked, moving closer to another girl.
One of the girls, a younger one, hesitated. She looked nervously from Adina to the others before speaking in a hushed tone. "The head maid took two of the girls out for punishment."
Adina blinked, confused. "Punishment? For what?"
The girl glanced at the floor. "They… abandoned their duties. Some say that the—" she was cut off by the creak of the door.
Adina turned to see the two girls they were speaking about step into the room. Their faces were tear-streaked, eyes red and swollen. Their bodies were filled with open cuts and injuries. Adina couldn't help but feel sorry for them seeing how bad they were, even limping.
Suddenly she went still when she noticed the girls' gaze on her. They glared at her with pure hatred.
Adina swallowed hard as she tried to rack her brain. True, the girls were the same ones who had followed her to the library and left their work for her, but… she didn't report them to the head maid. Heck! The woman didn't even like her. She shook her head, pushing the thought away. The girls must've offended someone else who reported them.
She made her way to her cot and laid down. It was already late at night, and they still had to be up by 4 a.m. It was better if she got her sleep in.
Sleep didn't last long.
Icy cold water suddenly splashed over Adina's face, yanking her from sleep. She gasped, sputtering as the water soaked her hair and down her neck. Her hands flew to her face, wiping the water away, but when she opened her eyes, the blurry figures of the two girls stood above her. Their eyes burned with anger.
"W-what is going on—"
"Shut the fuck up!" One of them snarled. "You really thought you could get away with it, huh?" the taller girl spat out. "Reporting us to the head maid… you're nothing but a snitch."
Adina's eyes widened. "What? I didn't do anything of the sort!" She rushed out, panicked. The other girls were also awake and watching the scene unfold.
The second girl, the one with brown hair, leaned down closer. "Shut up, you liar. You didn't tell her, but somehow she found out and we were brutally punished? All for what? We only asked you to clean on our behalf. If you couldn't do it, then you should've told us. You should've said something back then instead of ratting us out to the head maid!"
Adina's heart pounded in her chest. She shook her head. "No, I didn't—"
The tall girl scoffed, shaking her head. "You see! This is what happens when a woman like her is mixed with people like her. Us slaves should have our backs. We protect each other! We are what we've got here and what did she do? She sold us out at the first opportunity."
Adina's hands trembled, her mind racing for an explanation, for anything to defend herself. How could she explain the truth when they were so convinced of her guilt? They had decided she was their scapegoat, and there was no reasoning with them now.
"I didn't—" she was cut off sharply.
"Shut up!" The brown-haired one said. "You think you're better than us? Well, we'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget. Let me see you run to the head maid after this." She gritted out.
Adina gasped as the girl yanked her up by her hair, her scalp burning. The other girls just watched, none of them intervening.
"Stop! Please!" Adina begged, her voice breaking as she struggled to free herself. "I didn't tell her."
"Shut up! You filthy liar! You really think you can just walk away from this? After what you did?" the girl hissed, throwing Adina to the ground. She landed hard on her knees, but before she could even react, a kick slammed into her side.
Adina gasped for air, but before she could recover, the girl kicked her in the ribs again.
"Aww… the poor princess cannot fight anymore?" The tall one cooed.
"You don't get to beg now, not after what you've done." The brown-haired girl sneered, stepping closer, her fists raised. She began to hit her, sitting on top of her so she wouldn't be able to move. The blows came so quickly, Adina barely had time to react before another one crashed into her jaw.
Blood dripped down her face, mixing with the sweat. She tried to fight back, trying to stow the pinches and kicks, but it was no use. They outnumbered her and were clearly stronger.
"Shut up, you pathetic bitch!" The brown-haired girl screamed, suddenly clamping her hands down on Adina's throat, squeezing as hard as she could.
Adina thrashed in their hold, desperate for air. It felt like she was slipping away. Her eyes pricked with tears. With all the strength she could gather, she dug her nails into the girl's hand, tearing into the flesh. The girl screamed, letting go of her neck just long enough for Adina to gasp for air.
She tried to get back up, but the brown-haired girl was already on top of her.
"You shouldn't have done that!" the girl snarled, grabbing Adina by her hair again and slamming her head into the floor. The blow was enough to make her dizzy, the world spinning.
"Stop! Please!" Adina screamed. But it was no use. They were relentless.
Her body went limp, the struggle slowly draining out of her. Just when she thought she couldn't take another hit, a cold voice rang out.
The head maid's voice cut through, and the girls froze. They let go of Adina, the taller girl glaring at her with hatred in her eyes. Adina lay on the ground, blood dripping down her face, her clothes torn.
The head maid stepped forward, her eyes scanning Adina's battered form, but she said nothing. Instead, she looked at the girls. "What happened here?"
The girls cleared their throats. "She came for us, My lady. It is all her fault."
Adina had now managed to get up. She wasn't surprised to hear what the girls had said. It was more than clear that they despised her. "They're lying. I never—"
"Shut up! When I need your opinion, I'll ask for it!" The head maid snapped at Adina.
She then looked around. "Can someone tell me what the hell happened here, or do you all wish to be whipped?" She snarled, and instantly the girls started speaking.
"Instantly, the girls began to speak up.
"It's true! She started it!"
"She's the one who attacked them!"
"She's always causing trouble!"
Adina's eyes widened with shock. The two girls she knew would lie, but everyone in the room? She looked around slowly, all of them avoiding her eyes. A lump rose in her throat when even the girl she'd spoken to earlier looked away.
They all planned this.
The head maid's lip curled in disgust. "Adina, is it? You've been nothing but a nuisance since the moment you stepped into Obsidian. First provoking the King, now fighting with your fellow slaves? You're pathetic."
She stepped back, her eyes sweeping across the three girls.
"All of you will be punished for this. You're to report to the farming fields at 3 a.m. You'll work until 1 a.m. the next day. No food, no water, not until your portion is complete."