I walk to the middle of the room and stop a few feet in front of Sen. "Your father's disappointment in you is an obvious weakness. If you were brave enough to open those doors, maybe I would've gotten some respect for you." Sen said with a smirk.
"Strip yourself or I personally cut your clothes off." Sen raised scissors when I froze. "I'll do it." I whisper and she nodded. I untie the dress and slip out of the outer robe. I take off my inner shirt, careful not to rip it any further.
I cover my chest with hands as the shirt dropped to the door. Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw my body. "I didn't think someone was able to lay their hands on the only heir of the royal family. This must be reported to the king."
"Don't." I shake my head. "This is why you're so weak. You're letting your people bully to this extent! No backbone whatsoever." I wipe my tears. "Aren't you here to teach me? Teach what you're supposed to."
Sen scoffed. "Don't pretend now. I'll still report this to the King." She motioned for Din to go. "STOP!!" I shouted. "Don't pretend to be good people now. You think a King calling whores into the Palace to teach his daughter, the only heir to the throne is normal?!" Sen smiled.
"That's more like it." Rei pushed my hair over my shoulder. "Get dressed and rest today. Tomorrow, the hard work starts." I nod and quickly get dressed before leaving the room.
"At least, she's not as weak as she seems." Sen said to the other two. "What if you broke her instead? This wouldn't have been fin." Din said as she sat down. "If she broke then it would be her fate."
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"You'll be learning multiple things over the next few months. This courtyard is where you'll live from now on. Dancing, music, drinking and most importantly how to serve a man." Din explained as we enter a larger but more remote courtyard in the Palace.
"The only things we'll have to teach you from scratch would be drinking and how to serve a man. Right?" Rei asked and I nodded. "Good." Sen walked in behind us. "Why don't you show us your dancing skills? Rei, play a song." Rei nodded to Sen.
"Then I'll play on my flute." Rei walked into a room and walked back out with a jade flute in hand. She placed it to her lips and looked at me. I moved to a more open area and nodded. The sound from the flute was sharp but smooth. As my body moved, my mind drifted.
I often watched my mother dancing when I was younger. I often had to practice in secret to copy her moves since she had forbidden it. After father sent her away, I never saw her again. Father said she's died. Died in the place that he sent her to.
I have no idea where that is, especially since it happened when the war between Lino and Regila Kingdoms were just beginning. This is how my end will be as well. Just like my mother, dying in a place he sent me to. Unlike my mother, I will not leave behind a child to endure any suffering.
My body has been weak since birth, the doctor said getting pregnant is impossible for me. So, when I get the chance, I'll kill myself and be rid of everything. Luckily, he doesn't know this truth otherwise my life would've been gone long before this day.
I just hope my mother really is dead. That way, she wouldn't be alive and not come for me or forgotten me. Her being dead hurts less than her being alive. I can only hope that when this time has passed, I can ask to go out of the Palace once.
That will be the time I'll be able to act and kill myself. Although martial artists are strong, none of them can bring the dead back to life. There are people we call healers, but they are extremely rare and costly. Our Yalki Kingdom isn't even in their eyesight.
The music slowed to a stop and knocked me out of my thoughts. My body stops just the music does. Sen and Din clapped. "Beautiful. Who did you learn from?" Din asked. "My mother. I copied her moves in secret." Sen nodded. "In secret and this is how you turned out? Not bad."
"That's the only dance you know?" I shook my head. "I started learning another dance on my own but I'm not sure how good it is." Sen raised an eyebrow. "What kind? Do you have a specific tune in mind?"
"I've tried it with standing drums." I point to the pile in the corner of the courtyard. "You know how to play drums?" I nod. "I know a bit but I'm better at the harp." Sen nodded.
"Then let's see the dance. Bring those drums over and set them up on your own." Sen and Din went over to the shade and sat down; Rei joined them as well. I did as she told me, but it took a long time. I took a break every time, I brought two drums over.
Once the ten drums were placed where I wanted them, I took a break. While on break, I took two small pouches of loose sand and tied them into a shawl. I sighed and stood up.
Walking in the middle of the drums, I glanced at the trio and nodded. Placing the shawl around my neck, I raised one palm to the sky and another to the ground. Taking in a deep breath, I released it steadily and twisted my body to the right.
The shawl slipped down, grabbing it, I flick my wrist towards a drum and twirled to the right. The shawl hit the drum and bounced back. I lean back until my other hand touched the ground and gently kicked the pouch to hit another drum on the side.
It hit this drum harder and I twisted my body to have both hands on the floor, but my foot remained in the air. The sand pouch wrapped around my ankle. As I lower my foot I push up from the ground.
I move my hips in a circle and pulled the other side of the shawl from around my neck. It hit one drum to the side, bounced off and hit another one on the other side. As it came off the second drum, I flicked it in midair and it hit another drum nearby.
Lifting my foot up. I pull of the shawl and hit the incoming pouch again. I twist my upper body and throw the other pouch in hand to another drum. They hit in succession and I grab the middle of the shawl, pulling both sides back to me.
I twirl towards one side and the shawl wrapped around my neck. I reached out and grabbed the other pouch before it touched the ground.
Releasing a deep breathe, I straighten up and look at the three. "I'm done." They stared at me without speaking. I moved out of the encirclement. "Is something wrong? Was it particularly bad?"
"This was better than your first dance, but it was incomplete, wasn't it?" Rei asked. "Yes. I didn't have these many drums before. Only two. So, I took time switching them in different positions and sometimes doing without." Din clapped. "I agree with Rei. With this natural talent, there isn't much to improve on when it comes to dance."
"Then it's settled. You'll learn more music and have less dancing time. The other two are just as important as music and dancing. After all, the more you know in this instance, the more the man will be interested." Sen stated. I nod.
"Din will teach you in the morning, Rei in the early afternoon, you'll have a break and I'll teach you at night. If there's anything you don't know or want to know, just ask and we'll give you the answer." Sen added as she stood up.
"Thank you." I bowed my head. "You're the Princess, we are to bow to you, not the other way around. You'll get nowhere if you aren't confident." I nod again. "I understand."