When Nana woke up late in the morning, a sweet ache crept into her bones, and as she tried to sit up, a jolt of pain from her lower body shook her nerves. It was then that she recollected the memories of the last night, and seeing the unfamiliar and lavish room, her heart started aching.
Tears pooled up in her eyes when she saw the mark of her innocence blooming on the bed-sheet, and her frail body started shaking in guilt, anger, helplessness, and pain.
It took her all her effort to get up from the bed and enter the washroom, staggering and stumbling as she could not walk properly. And after she took a warm bath, rinsing the dried blood and fluids from her body, she stayed looking at herself in the mirror in shame.
She had seen the true face of the Prince of Sameran yesterday. All the fantasies she once held in her heart, and the admiration, she once held in her eyes for him, was gone now, replaced by loathing and pain because of conflicting feelings towards him.
Nana just wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. She wanted to run away from the Devil that had taken advantage of her misery. But she could not do so. There was not a check but a note placed on the side table by the bed, asking her to freshen up and wait in the room. And wait she did.
Her heart thumped hard when the door of the room opened, and for a moment, she failed to comprehend what was happening when she saw the devilishly handsome boy sweetly smile at her and enter with a trolley of breakfast.
He was tall, just over six feet, had a lithe figure, and she had seen last night that he was quite fit. His deep brown eyes complemented his black hair, and his flawless fair skin even made her envy him a little at times. God had taken extra care to sculpt his handsome face, and it was just perfection.
“Good morning!” He cheerfully called out, and that was all it took to wash away all the complaints and hatred she held in her heart for him as a result of last night.
Her adolescent heart started beating again in an expectation, and her naive mind pushed away all her fears in a corner.
“Had a good rest?” He inquired as he took his seat on the couch, by her side, and started placing the breakfast on the table for her.
“Mhmm..” She lowered her head and timidly nodded, with a rosy blush burning on her cheeks.
Keith smirked in his heart when he saw her behave like a naive girl. He had to admit that she was a flawless beauty, possessing the charm of over 90 points, and even if her charm mostly came from her personality rather than her physical features, it was not to say that she did not possess a breathtaking face that haunted the minds of all the boys in her High-school and the University. Her pin-straight long black hair was beautiful too, and her fair skin, which was white as snow, made even some boys envy her. She was average in height, still developing, but she already possessed the right curves on her slim body. And her hazel eyes were beautiful enough to get drunk on.
“Have the soup first…” He said and then proceeded to fill the spoon with it and draw it near her lips.
“Ah!” She was taken aback by his action, and her heart palpitated in sweetness when she looked at his gentle smile.
“Drink.” He said again, and she obediently opened her cherry mouth, allowing him to feed her.
The warmth of the soup calmed down her nerves a lot as it flowed down her throat into her stomach, and she was surprised at how delicious it was.
“It’s delicious!” She honestly called out, trying her best to control the intensity of her blush.
“Well, I made it myself.” He proudly smiled at her.
“Really?!” She failed to contain her surprise. “No… I don’t mean to doubt..”
“It’s okay.” He shook his head. “I don’t expect people to believe that Keith Demiliore is good at cooking.” He chuckled and offered her the bowl.
Nana embarrassedly lowered her head and took the bowl from his hands, proceeding to drink the soup in peace.
“Don’t be reserved and eat whatever you want.” He said when he found her nervously looking at all the food on the table. It was not an exaggeration to say that she had never before seen such a sumptuous breakfast in her life.
She was nervous and had her reservations, but she did not dare to refuse and ate to the fill of her belly. Her appetite surprised her but recalling how intense the last night was, a beautiful blush bloomed on her cheeks and she nibbled her lower lip, not allowing her giggles to escape her belly.
She had forgotten all the bruises on her body that were the evidence of how rough he had been with her, and she had even forgotten the pain that was lingering in her swollen lower body. He had not shown a speck of care for her last night, and the silly girl did not even question his current behavior.
Keith, of course, was aware of her thoughts. He knew from his memories that this silly girl was madly in love with him even to the end. And even if she betrayed him, it was because she wanted to protect her child, which was his illegitimate legacy that she had tried to hide from him.
He realized that she would have never taken those steps had he shown her affection and made her feel secure. And he was not going to commit the same mistakes again. Yes, he knew that he would never really love her, but he liked her, and that was enough for him to keep her in his possession for all her life.
Nana was quite troubled with the silence that followed after she finished her breakfast. She glanced several times at her side and found Keith busy with his cellphone. And she dared not disturb him.
As time passed, slowly, insecurities came flooding in her mind. She had given him her pure body, and she was scared that he would not take any responsibility for it. She knew that she had had not really given herself to him on her will, but had actually sold herself to him for money. It made her feel cheap, and as the negative thoughts kept running in her mind, her eyes soon turned misty.
“I have transferred a Million Neris in your bank account.” Keith knew what was bothering her, and his words ruthlessly slammed on her heart.
“W-what?” The pang of pain suffocated her, but the sum he had just mentioned surprised her. “Wasn’t it a hundred thousand…”
“I changed my mind.” He smiled at her. “It won’t be a one-time thing.”
His words brushed away some fears from her naive mind, but she still had her conscience and couldn’t help but argue for her pride.
“I won’t sell myself again…”
“I can’t have you as my official girlfriend, but I want you in my life.” He looked at her in the eyes and cut her off, shattering all her fantasies and at the same time, making her heart beat in expectation. “A Million Neris is your monthly allowance as my little mistress, as well as your salary for your job as my personal assistant and secretary.” He picked up a file from the bottom of the trolley and handed it to her. “Here’s your job contract. I expect you to sign it now.”
“J-job contract?” Her hands trembled as she read the contact. “But I am still in High-school..”
“You are an adult now. Every 16-year-old can start working in our society, and you can study too at the same time. The hours of the first year are flexible, so you can think of it as a part-time job. Once your first Semester of the University is over, you will no longer attend the classes and apply for Autonomous Study, working full-time for me.” He revealed to her things that he had planned for her. “Don’t worry about the procedure, it will be taken care of. Here…” He handed her a contact card. “This is Aunt May’s contact, she will be serving me as a Personal Secretary as well and will be your mentor. She will call you in the evening and pick you up for your lessons.”
“This…”
Nana nervously lowered her head. It was not really the job or the money that bothered her. Her naive heart was worried about something entirely different.
“I like you, Nana.” He sank back on the couch and resolutely spoke.
Her frail body trembled when she heard his confession, and she bit her lower lip to contain the silly smile that threatened to break out on her face.
“Even if I would never officially marry you, and even if I can not recognize you as my official girlfriend. I don’t plan to throw you out of my life. You will be my secret little lover and girlfriend, and I will be responsible for you.”
His words were arrogant, presumptuous, but she still felt cherished after hearing them. She remembered the first time she had confessed to him, and he had simply smiled at her and not replied. But today, he had admitted that he liked her too.
Nana was not a dumb girl. She knew that she belonged to the bottom of the hierarchical pyramid of their society, whereas he was at the top. A poor girl like her could never be accepted as the lady of the noble Family of Demiliore, and at best she could only be his Mistress. And that was the position he had offered her.
She did not debate for long and picked up the pen, signing the contract of the job as his personal assistant.
And with the money in her account now, she could finally get the treatment for her mother and pay off their debts.
The thought of her mother made her anxious, and she immediately stood up to go to the hospital and see her.
“I have to go see my mother…”
“Your mother is not at the Hospital.” Keith lightly smiled at her, making her feel more anxious.
“Where is she?” She nervously asked.
♛ Author’s Note:
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