Chapter 3
Julia removed her hairpin. Her hair fell on her shoulders. She turned around in front of the mirror. She looked better like this.
She looked down at the lower part of the yellow dress she was wearing. It was great and magnificent.
Michael would definitely swoon once he beheld her sight. This was all because of him. He was not her particular target but she needed him to get into the palace.
She examined herself once more. She must not miss this chance. It was the annual royal auction. Once she missed this. She would have to wait for next year's auction.
She was going to be presented in the maid auction with some others and the noblemen would bid for their choice.
She wanted only one nobleman and that was the gentle Michael. She needed him to get into the palace. The first step in her plan.
She stared at her image in the mirror once again. She was not very pleased. She needed to decide about her hair, to bound it together at the back of her head or to leave it dangling down.
"Ecce pulchritudo in conspectu me, ecce pulchritudo in conspectu me" she murmured repeatedly spraying some cologne on herself.
That was the final touch on her body. The witchy touch. She had to be irresistible.
At twenty three, she was a perfect example of beauty. Her slim body with moderate head, shapely facial features with long dark hair. But she felt she needed more to be eye catching.
"This dress is beautiful, you did a great work" Rachel had come into her room.
The dress was great. She knew that too. She spent a lot of hours to make sure it was joined at the right spot to accommodate and flaunt her little waist.
Rachel was her mother, not biological though. She had been taking care of her before she knew the difference between 'ba' and 'da'.
She was in her early fifties but with a slim body which made her look younger than her age.
Their common slim stature had made many believed and argued Rachel was her biological mother.
"Thanks" she shrugged reluctantly. She knew what was going to come next. Rachel didn't really want her in the auction.
"You are very beautiful, my baby" she walked to her front and rubbed her cheeks with both palms.
"I take after you" she smiled subtly. She didn't want her presence right now. She would soon start her lecture for her to change her mind.
"Too beautiful for a royal auction" she started like Julia had envisaged.
"You told me that already" she tried to shun her.
"I am always in and out of the palace. The palace is not always as rosy as it seems" she advised with a serious look on her face.
Rachel worked in the palace. She was the head of the alpha king's butler.
She didn't like the palace very much. Maybe that was because she worked there and no one would love doing a servant job.
Julia stared at her,waiting for her to conclude and leave her alone. She had a reason why she was going into the palace but she would never understand.
It would be better if she didn't let her know about it.
"It seems you have made up your mind. I will leave you to it. But I must let you know. Your father wouldn't want this" Rachel claimed.
Julia felt weak as she mentioned her father. If she would be talking about what her father wanted and what he didn't want. She should remember he didn't want to die when he was killed.
"Do you have a nobleman that you are planning to get with this your dress?" Rachel asked. It seemed she couldn't take her eyes off Julia.
Julia gasped. She had not dressed for her but the spell seemed to be doing a great job on Rachel already.
"I am targeting no one" she lied. She believed she didn't need to know anything more about that.
"Good luck" she wished her well like a farewell but she was still standing right in her front.
Julia waited until she would decide to leave. She should have seen enough of her by now. The next thing for her was to let her conclude her preparation for the auction.
"I will be on my way out" Rachel finally walked towards the door but she kept looking back to catch a glimpse of her.
She got out and shut the door.
Julia gasped and turned to the mirror again. She was now very sure she was eye-catching.
But something was still giving her concerns. She had to decide what to do with her hair. The way it fell on her shoulders would sell her out to be the witch she was.
Julia was the tenth maid. She was the last to walk out into the open. She looked up at the royal seats immediately. She was looking for Michael among those that we're seated.
"Oh gosh" she was surprised to see him already standing. She wasn't sure if he was looking at her.
He was obviously going for a maid today. He wished he wouldn't fell one of the nine before her.
How nice if the bidding could be started from the last.
"Beautiful maidens, come to this side" the herald arranged them to a side. He directed the first of the maid to walk to the center of the stage to display herself.
"This is the first maiden for auction. Biddings for her?" he turned around on all sides of the arena.
"Yes" he pointed to a man raising up his from a corner.
"Two hundred gold coins" the man said with coarse voice.
"Two hundred" the herald shouted turning around once again.
"Two hundred and fifty" another nobleman screamed from another angle.
"Two hundred and fifty, any other bidding?" he cried out again. "Sold at two hundred and fifty gold coins" he announced finally.
The first maid walked off the stage while the next one took position walking stylishly around.
The auction continued like that, the herald calling the cost out and selling off the maids until the ninth maid.
"Four hundred?" the herald shouted in disbelief. Someone had just bid to buy her at four hundred gold coins. That was huge amount to be spent on a maid.
"Five hundred" someone else roared.
"Five hundred, five hundred, five hundred" there was silence all over the venue.
"Sold at five hundred gold coins" the herald announced and it was time for Julia to come on to the center.
Michael had been quiet all this while. He didn't bid for any of the previous maids. He must have been waiting for Julia to come up.
Julia walked around the center but she felt unhappy when she realized Michael was not giving her attention anymore.
"The bidding start" the herald clapped his hands.
"One thousand gold coins" Michael was the first to bid. And he pronounced that very easily.
Julia looked straight up and their eyes met. The crowd was still trying to digest the five hundred gold coins bid just now and Michael had increased the lump for them.
"One thousands gold coin. Gold coins that are in one thousand pieces" the herald expressed his shock.
"Who is going to beat this?" he asked turning around like he had been doing. The venue was silent for some mmintes.
No one was going to beat that. He had already set the bars too high.
"One thousand two hundred" said a hefty man who broke the silence.
"One thousand and five hundred" another man yelled immediately.
"One thousand five hundred, one thousand five hundred" the herald repeated. Julia was going to be sold.
She stared at Michael, her eyes filled with sadness. Michael also seemed not happy with that.
"One thousand and five hundred gold....." the herald was obviously going to declare her sold.
"Two thousand" Michael quickly interrupted him.
"No" the herald screamed in amazement. "We have two thousand again from our first bidder" he exclaimed.
"Two thousand five hundred" the same hefty man tackled.
"Three thousand" Michael fired back immediately.
"Three thousand five hundred" the hefty man had obviously turned it to a financial battle between them.
The herald kept turning at each of them. He was not allowed to intervene anymore.
"Four thousand" Michael had not given up.
Julia wondered who this hefty man was. She just wished Michael did not surrender to him.
There was no more bidding for some minutes.
"Four thousand, that was the last. Four thousand....."
"....Five hundred" the hefty man interrupted again after a lot of minutes of not saying anything.
"Four thousand five hundred. Thank you" the herald must have believed Michael was going to give up.
Everyone focused their attention on Michael. They would be extremely amazed if he could still take that higher.
"Five thousand gold coins" he said slowly and everyone was thrown into awe.
A maid auctioned at five thousand gold coins. That had never happened and if it would happen again, it wouldn't be anytime soon.
The hefty man stood up from his seat followed by two men. They walked to the exit. He had accepted defeat.
The crowd exploded in a shout of hurray for Michael, the winner of the bid before the herald could announce.
"First maid in history to be auctioned at five thousand gold coins. Is there any brave man that want to beat this?" he asked.
"Five thousand, five thousand and five thousand. The maid is sold to the highest bidder" he finally announced.
Julia walked back in. They would be arranged to be delivered to their buyer. She had instantly become the talk of the town.
Julia walked after the guard into the palace. They were heading to Michael's chamber. He knocked lightly as they got to his door.
"Your maid, sir" the guard said politely as he opened the door.
"I see her" he smiled happily as the guard walked away. "Come in before you grow roots out there" he said as he noticed Julia had been stuck on a spot.
Julia followed him in, she looked around the chamber. The palace was definitely different from every other abode. She quickly bowed down her head as Michael turned to her.
"Do you have a name or five thousand is okay by you?" he was obviously joking with her.
"The name is Julia. I am....am happy to be here" she shut her eyes and stuttered.
"Yeah,I see you are" he pulled out a chair for her to sit. She saw it but remained standing.
Michael sat down. He stared at her weirdly. That was because she had refused to sit.
"What can I do for you, sir?" she looked around if she could find any chores to lay her hands on.
"Should I cook something for you?" she was visibly shaking.
"You can sit down for me" he said but she was still hesitating.
"You can't sit?" Michael asked in amazement as she had decided to remain standing.
"I am not supposed to sit with you" she bowed her head lower. "I am supposed to be running errands for you" she said slowly.
"I bought you as a maid, is that what you are thinking? Will I pay five thousand for a maid to stand over me?" he asked her.
Julia raised up her head, she quickly lowered it as their eyes met.
"Sit down!" he yelled at her.
She sat down quickly.
"I saw your eyes out there. You were talking to me" he said looking straight in her eyes.
She was confused. This was the first time they met. And he was talking about their previous discussion.
"This is the first time I will share words with you" she responded slowly.
"Yes. We talked without sharing words. You wanted me to buy you. I saw that in your eyes" he asserted.
Julia remembered during the auction. She was afraid she was going to be sold to that hefty man.
"I don't want to get sold to that man" she mumbled.
"You should put it this way. You want to get sold to me. Once you were put up for auction. You have already made up your mind to get sold to anyone" he explained.
"It will be a privilege to serve you" she moaned.
"That makes me think maybe you are feeling the same way I feel for you" he raised up her chin. He wanted to kiss her.
She stood up quickly, taking his hands off her body. She moved backward and bowed again.
"I'm sorry sir. You should not be doing anything like this. You are a heir to the Alpha King" she apologized without looking up.
"The heir to the Alpha King? How is that related to what we are talking about here?" he stood up towards her.
She moved back as he kept moving closer to her. She stopped moving when he stopped coming to her.
"Give me an answer to the question" he requested.
"A bastard child with a maid might decrease your chances of becoming the Alpha King" she clarified.
"Chances to become the Alpha King?" he chuckled loudly and went back to his seat.
"Come and sit down" he ordered her.
She walked back slowly to her seat, looking at him keenly.
"Your father?" it seemed Michael was trying to know about her background.
"He was dead before I was born" she groaned sadly. The thought of her father's death was always a source of sadness to her.
"And your mother?" he inquired again.
"Rachel. She is the Alpha King's butler" she said briefly.
"That makes you think you think you know much about the royal family. The Alpha king's butler only know what she was allowed to know" Michael retorted.
He stood up and walked away from her.
"And do not tell me what I need to do to secure the throne. Ever again" he said strictly.