Chapter 93:
Makenna’s POV:
“Do you think we’ve been followed?” I asked Alice, my voice tinged with anxiety.
Alice seemed to share my concern. Gripping my hand, she urged me through the bustling crowd. Eventually, we lost our pursuer and found ourselves in a secluded courtyard house in a quiet area.
“Are we lost?” I wondered aloud, unfamiliar with the surroundings.
“I’m not sure… Let’s take a break,” Alice suggested. “We need to stay hidden. If something goes wrong, there won’t be anyone around to help us.”
I nodded, though unease lingered. As soon as I settled into a spot, a mournful cry echoed from the backyard.
The sound startled both Alice and me. Alice’s grip tightened as she pointed toward the back and whispered, “Someone is crying.”
We exchanged a look of mutual understanding and carefully made our way to the bushes, trying to see what was happening.
In the backyard, a young woman, barely of age, was being dragged by two burly men toward the back of the property.
She appeared distraught, her hair a tangled mess and her clothing in disarray. Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded, “Please, let go! I don’t want to become a prostitute.”
The men showed no sympathy. One of them sneered, “You might as well accept your fate. Don’t blame me for being harsh.”
“No! Stop it!” the girl cried out desperately. She struggled to escape but was overpowered and dragged across the ground.
One of the men lost patience and slapped her hard across the face. He threatened her menacingly, “Behave yourself, or I’ll give you a real lesson.”
The slap left the girl dazed, her face reddening and swelling with a visible handprint on her cheek. She was pulled along like a ragdoll.
My heart clenched at the sight. Alice’s eyes widened in shock.
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Holding my hand tightly, she said with fierce determination, “Is this how all the women here end up being prostitutes?”
I felt a deep frustration. I responded quietly, “Probably…”
Seeing the girl’s plight reminded me of my own past—how I had been forced into a similar situation.
A wave of sadness washed over me. Hayley might be right; in some ways, there was little difference between us and the women forced into prostitution.
The main difference was that we were meant to serve princes, while they served others. Neither of us had any real dignity.
Alice’s anger was palpable as she clenched her fists. “I can’t just stand by and do nothing. I want to help her.”
She was ready to rush out and rescue the girl, but I quickly intervened.
“Hold on!” I said urgently. “Don’t be impulsive. If we charge in blindly, we might end up in the brothel with her instead of rescuing her.”
Alice and I would not match for the two men. Plus, we were outside the palace. If anything happened to us, no one would know. This was their territory.
My words seemed to unsettle Alice, though she still looked conflicted.
“What should we do, then? Are we just supposed to watch and do nothing?” she asked, her frustration evident.
