Chapter 1
I, Selene Marlowe, was the High Priestess of the realm.
On the day King Alaric Valemont took his new bride, while the palace rejoiced in silk and song, I stood silent, for I knew her arrival would bring ruin to the kingdom.
When I pleaded with His Majesty to exile her, they accused me of harboring selfish desires, claiming I had long yearned for the Emperor’s favor.
Enraged, King Alaric declared, “Since the High Priestess is so desperate for a man, send her to the Crimson Pavilion! Let her serve like the lowest courtesan, and rid her of her delusions!”
He threw me into the Crimson Pavilion, condemning me to the filthiest depths of humiliation, forcing me to become a common whore.
Two years passed. The kingdom’s borders fell into chaos. The very woman I had warned him about–Lady Evelyne–turned out to be a traitor, orchestrating betrayal from within while conspiring with enemies beyond our walls. One by one, our defenses crumbled.
In panic, King Alaric came crawling back, begging me to perform Divination to save the kingdom.
I held up my mangled hands, the tendons long severed.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty. This wretched slave can no longer grasp the bone dice. I am unfit to divine the will of the heavens.”
When King Alaric came to see me, I was beneath a man, moaning beneath the weight of pleasure.
From behind the silk veil, the sounds of passion echoed.
Furious, King Alaric ordered his guards to drag the drunken man away.
I had no time to cover my shame. I dropped to my knees and bowed low.
“Your Majesty, your humble servant humbly awaits your will.”
Disgust clouded his gaze. He crushed my hand beneath his boot, sneering, “High Priestess–did you ever foresee this fate for yourself?”
In the Crimson Pavilion, I’d been fed countless doses of the Bone Softener Elixir. My fingers were broken over and over again. I couldn’t hold a spoon, let alone perform a divination ritual.
I pressed my forehead tightly to the floor.
“I am nothing now but a fallen woman, ignorant of the heavens‘ designs…”
He scoffed. “You claimed Lady Evelyne would bring calamity, yet two years have passed without incident. We’ve seen good harvests and prosperous trade!”
Only then did I realize he hadn’t come to seek guidance. He came to accuse.
Two years.
Only one month left before the kingdom falls.
“Your Majesty, I beg your forgiveness!”
I knocked my head hard against the floor, knowing nothing I said would change his mind.
He seized my chin and forced me to meet his eyes.
“You used your position for personal gain! You slandered Evelyne out of jealousy. Even if I killed you, it would not ease my fury!”
I trembled all over. Fear gripped my soul. And yet, this broken body had been trained to react to any man’s touch–with practiced seduction.
His eyes flickered, pausing for a brief second–then he slapped me across the face,
“Shameless harlot! Do you dare use your courtesan’s tricks on me?”
Blood filled my mouth, but I didn’t have time to feel the pain. I pressed my forehead to the ground again and again, each time harder than the last. “Spare me, Your Majesty!”
Still he raged.
Just two years, and the once–noble High Priestess has become this pathetic, filthy thing. You shame everything you once were!”
I said nothing. I only kowtowed, over and over, until the metallic tang of blood and rust turned bitter on my tongue.
Chapter 1
3
The ending is spectacular
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High Priestess?
No. I was nothing but a discarded flower in The Crimson Pavilion, a body sold for silver coins.
Only when the floor was stained red with my blood did he finally calm.
He raised his hand and commanded,
“Take her back to the palace.”
I froze, unable to comprehend. The next thing I knew, I was dragged outside and thrown into a litter.
Only later did I learn–Lady Evelyne was about to give birth.
The current High Priestess had predicted a grave omen tied to the birth. To appease the heavens, they needed blood.
My blood.
On the day Lady Evelyne went into labor, they would bleed me dry on The Altar.
The maid who attended me whispered cautiously, “The High Priestess has foreseen that Lady Evelyne will deliver in three days.”
I looked up at the sky.
So, I had three days left to live.
They placed me in The Moonlight Tower, the most desolate corner of the palace.
There weren’t even birds here, let alone people.
And yet one day, an uninvited guest arrived at my doorstep.
She was clad in the sacred vestments of the High Priestess, clutching my divination compass in her hand.
Seeing my frailty, barely able to stand without support, she smiled. “Dear sister–in–faith… it seems the years have not been kind to you. Why haven’t you
sent for me sooner?”
