Vendida a las Bestias AlfaES

Hey! Clean up the pigpens after you're done in there. Hurry up! You eat so slowly!

My head was slightly bowed as I silently ate a ball of burnt rice, sitting on the flat stone edge of the old well outside the mansion. I heard the order clearly, spoken by one of the maids, but I didn't bother to reply. When I glanced at her briefly, she sneered and turned away quickly. I just focused on finishing the little food I had; there were still many animals I had to bathe before the day was over.

—I'm so excited for tonight...! I'm so glad they're letting us go out to see the festival!

—Yes! I have so many beauty products I want to buy!

—They said we can stay outside until midnight... the young master gave us permission!

Their voices echoed as they chatted excitedly. I gazed into the distance, listening to the conversation among the other maids. I had always admired their uniforms. The white fabric was immaculate, perfectly ironed. Their skirts were short, almost like miniskirts, and they looked so neat and pretty. Each wore an apron tied at the waist and her hair was tied back with decorative ribbons.

Although she had seen her outfits for years, she never ceased to find them charming.

I looked down to see myself.

I stopped mid-bite when I saw the frayed, torn hem of my skirt. It was covered in old stains, their colors blended into a dirty, rusty brown. I looked at my shoes: mismatched and worn. The right one was bigger than the left; I'd picked them both up from who knows where, discarded by someone else.

Then I looked again at the other maids. Their hair was neatly styled, their faces radiant.

But I kept mine short. Messy, unbrushed, and long enough to reach my small back. Most of my face was hidden behind my hair. I did it on purpose. I didn't like looking people in the eye. I didn't want anyone looking at me too closely either.

—Who is that girl by the well? Is she a beggar?

I froze.

The maids had suddenly stopped walking. They had all turned their attention to me.

“You’re new here, so let me introduce you,” said one of the maids, stepping between the group and the girl who seemed to have just arrived at the mansion. “She’s the nameless slave. She cleans the pigsties, the horse stables, and the sheepfolds. That’s been her job for years. Apparently, her parents sold her when she was just a baby… and she’s been a slave ever since.”

The prettiest one in the group nodded slowly.  

"How sad..." she murmured, and then let out a soft laugh.

"Yes, super sad. But don't go near her, she stinks," added another, followed by giggles from the rest.

I didn't react. I just kept eating my rice ball, without emotion, as if I hadn't heard anything.

They continued walking and avoided passing near me.

Once I was sure they weren't looking at me anymore, I watched them walk away.

They were all so beautiful.

These were the maids who worked inside the mansion. I was the only one assigned to work outside, doing the jobs they considered too dirty or degrading to touch.

The maid from before was right.

I was sold by my parents when I was just a baby because of poverty. They had no other choice. As soon as I learned to move and follow instructions, they made me a slave. I became the errand girl, the disposable tool for everyone who lived in the mansion.

Twenty years have passed.

For twenty years, I've been trapped here. I haven't even set foot outside the mansion gates. If I ever tried, the whip awaited me, punishment for daring to cross the line.

I've been whipped more times than I can count.

My back has no free space; every inch is covered in scars. I was still a child then, curious about the world beyond the doors.

I tried to escape several times... but it never worked. I'm a prisoner here.

And here... here is where I will die.

I'm sure of that.

Honestly, I'm just waiting to die now.

But I'm not suicidal, not in the usual sense. Despite everything I've been through, I don't want to end my life. Even so, there are days when I wake up and feel so exhausted just from existing. I'm tired of trying to survive in a world that only brings me pain.

Who would find the will to smile in a life like this? A life that is nothing but hardship and suffering.

But even so... I do what I can.

I try to appreciate the little things. The smallest comforts that bring me even a little peace. Those are the only things that remind me I'm still human.

When I finally finished the burnt rice ball, I stood up and slowly walked away from the well. My bare feet touched the grass as I made my way to the sheepfold. Once there, I pushed open the door and knocked softly:  

—Wolfie, where are you? I brought you a snack...

My eyes scanned the stable. I only saw sheep lying down, resting.

-Wow!

I turned my head as soon as I heard the bark. In an instant, my dog ​​leaped toward me, wagging his tail excitedly as he circled my legs. I crouched down, opened my left palm, and offered him the ball of rice I had saved. He immediately grabbed it with his mouth and devoured it.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I watched him eat, my hand gently stroking the fur on his back. He devoured his food as if he hadn't eaten in days.  

"I'm sorry, Wolfie... I know this is your first meal of the day. We're both so thin now... we're starting to look alike," I whispered, followed by a soft laugh.

Wolfie was my only companion.

He was the only one who stayed by my side through it all. He was my comfort when the darkness tried to drag me down. One of the few reasons I kept going.

If I surrendered now, he would die here too.

"Then I have to clean the pigsties..." I murmured softly. "And after that we'll bathe in the stream." My voice softened even more as I spoke, trying to sound comforting.

The sheepfold had become our home. It was where we lived, where we slept. For years, this place had been my only refuge.

—There you are, you stinking bitch.

The smile on my face vanished instantly.

My expression hardened. I stood up slowly and turned toward the source of the voice.

Standing in the entrance was Lord Donis, the young master of the estate. The only son of Lord Don and Madame Gisele.

Wolfie growled beside me, showing his teeth, his eyes fixed on Lord Donis.

Even though my bangs covered most of my face, I could still see her smiling smugly at me.

—Your days here are numbered, and yet you still won't give me what I want.

He'd been telling me that for almost a month. I never asked what he meant, and I wasn't interested in knowing.

This guy was about my age, around twenty, but I couldn't stand him. I despised him because he'd tried to harass me several times. He'd even tried to assault me.

Fortunately, I knew how to defend myself.

That's why I always carried a dagger hidden in my skirt pocket. I had learned to protect myself from monsters like him.

I put my hand in my pocket and took it out.

He saw the dagger. His smile only widened.

"Do you want to know why... even if you stab me a hundred times, my parents won't kill you? Why all they do is whip you?" he said, leaning against the stable door, his eyes fixed on me. "Or why, no matter how grave your sins have been all these years, you're still alive?"

I said nothing. I kept my lips closed, but my gaze could have cut through steel.

"Of course you won't answer me. You only talk to that skinny mutt of yours. But... since you're listening..." Her eyes narrowed. "You'd better be ready for that day. It will be the end of you. But... I'll tell you one more time. My offer still stands. If you agree to sleep with me... I'll help you escape from this place."

He must be blind or desperate. I'm nothing but skin and bones, and yet he wants to use me like that.

He's probably already tried all the maids in the mansion... except me. I'm the only one left.

And I have no intention of surrendering to him.

Escape? He's always talking about helping me escape.

But I'm not stupid. She's a cunning snake, and I'd be a complete idiot if I believed a single word she said.

If I didn't know how to fight, if I couldn't struggle and resist, he would have raped me a long time ago. I may seem weak and fragile, but the moment I'm cornered, something inside me rebels. I've already stabbed him six times.

Six.

And yes, I have wondered why they haven't killed me yet.

Probably because they still need me. Because I'm useful. At least, I hope that's all it is. But the way she always talks... makes me think there's something I don't know.

"You have... two weeks to decide," he said in a somber tone.

Then, slowly, he raised his left hand, pressed it against his throat, and dragged it sideways in a slashing motion.

—If you don't give me what I want... they'll kill you.