Chapter 3

Chapter 3

To give Vesper a stronger constitution, Silas severed eight of my tails. Vesper, a common white fox, was transformed into a precious five-tailed fox. You must understand, even rulers as powerful as my parents were only six-tailed foxes.

They ignored my dying breaths and flirted right in front of me.

Silas said, "This is all Elara is good for. Vesper, don't feel guilty. This is what she owes you."

Vesper covered her face and wept, but I saw the triumph in her eyes.

I tried to tell Silas, to expose Vesper's true face.

Instead, Silas had me thrown into the Wastelands to "reflect" on my sins.

I lay on the cracked earth of the Wastelands, my mind still reeling, only to be surrounded by those male shifters and violated at their will.

I remembered my father saying, "Wolf shifters are cold-blooded; he is not your match."

What had I said back then?

I had sworn, "That is not true. I believe in Silas. He is the best man in the world!"

Seeing the coldness and disgust in Silas's eyes, I was terrified. I begged for mercy, knocking my head against the floor until it was covered in blood, but I did not dare stop.

Silas kicked me a few times and said, as if granting a favor, "Fine. I won't argue with you today. But your dirty blood has soiled my floor."

I scrambled to wipe the blood with my sleeve, but the more I wiped, the dirtier it became. I was terrified, my body trembling violently.

Silas said cruelly, "Who told you to use your clothes? Lick it clean, and I might consider forgiving you."

Hearing his command, I did not think twice. I stuck out my tongue and painstakingly licked the vile blood clean.

Seeing my lack of hesitation, Silas grew even more enraged. He yanked me up and roared, "Elara, I tell you to lick, and you actually do it? Are you that cheap!"

I looked at him, confused. Did he not say that if I licked it clean, I would have his forgiveness?

What else was I supposed to do? But seeing Silas's fury, I lowered my head and offered a flattering smile. "Your Highness is right. I am just a lowly slave."

Hearing that, Silas grew angrier. He shoved me aside and strode away without a backward glance.

Servants took me to a shed. Their faces were full of malice. "Princess, you are a sinner. You should have been in the stables, but the Concubine took pity on you and secured this room. Don't be ungrateful."

I quickly scanned the environment of the shed. I figured that compared to the pit I lived in at the Wastelands, this was luxury.

I huddled my body and whispered my thanks.

After the servants left, I sat on a pile of clean straw. I slowly took off my clothes. Having not worn such soft fabric in so long, my skin snagged the silk.

My body was covered in scars; in some places, I could see bone. I was starving. They had forgotten to feed me when they brought me back.

The shed was clean, but to my delight, I found a starving rat in the corner. In the Wastelands, a rat was a feast.

Just as I held the rat and prepared to take a bite, someone snuck into the shed.

She was thin and small, her hair gray, her face cautious as she carried a food box. She froze when she saw me holding the rat.

When she saw me, her eyes turned red. She carefully placed the food box aside and knelt before me, choking out my name.

I was startled, but I clutched the rat tightly. Seeing this, her expression filled with even more sorrow.

"Your Highness, it is me, Pippa."

Pippa? Hearing her words, I looked at her in disbelief.

Pippa was my personal maid. But she was so thin and small now. Her face was wrinkled, her once-full cheeks sunken, and her bright eyes were dull.

But looking at the reflection in her cloudy eyes, I fell silent.

I was no different from her now.

Pippa hugged me and sobbed uncontrollably. She could not believe that her proud Princess had become so timid and weak, no different from the lowly shifters, treating a rat like a precious treasure.