MARRY ME, ADELAIDE

Chapter 7: ROYAL HEARING

"Take off your clothes," the man instructs. Adelaide looks into his eyes immediately, in shock. He wants her to do what?

"I said TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES!"

The young shakes her head in fear trying to remove his hand from her chin.

"Please, I am sorry for offending you," she begs, her heart pounding against her chest.
"You refuse to do as I say?" He lets go of her cheek, grabbing her dress. "And you stole some more clothes"

Adelaide's cheeks are soaked as she begs her master's son to let her go. "Please, I will do anything but this."

Her words only anger him the more, his face red, as he rips her dress. Adelaide begs him, holding his hands, preventing him from doing any more damage to her clothes. He smacks her face immediately but she's been hit so many times to allow that stop her resistance.

"GRAYSON!" a feminine voice yells, both of them looking up at the source.

"Get away from that girl immediately!" the old woman exclaims, coughing a bit.

"You're lucky she is here," he whispers before standing up, leaving the young woman sweating, and in tears.

"To the barn immediately," she tells Adelaide who wastes no time in obliging. Grabbing part of her torn dress, she bows her head, thanking the woman before running out through the back door.

"This is the first and last time I will see you try such a horrific act!" she admonishes, taking a seat by the table.

"I was upset," he says, adjusting his clothes, sitting on the chair as well. "Raping our only slave will not help with that! Once you start you cannot stop! She is frail and weak. Who will do all the work on the farm and in the house? Whipping her till she works herself to death will do us no good, we cannot afford another slave," she explains, trying to knock some sense into her useless son.

"Mother we can go to the castle and beg for a small loan from the king and queen. We'll just promise them a fraction of the product when they're ripe," Grayson suggests.

"Do you think they will allow that? I doubt that they will-"

"Have that slave prepare the fresh grains we have left and a pig as an offering to show them that we will come through with our end of the bargain. We can even offer them her head if we don't succeed."

The old woman thinks long and hard. "There's no harm in trying right? Go inform her to prepare the pig and grains, that is all. Do not touch her."

"Yes, mother."
Adelaide is still in tears when she hears loud banging on the barn door.

"Prepare a basket of fresh grains and a pig for tomorrow. We are heading out to make a bargain. Make sure you are dressed properly and ready so we are not late."

"Yes, My Lord!" her voice coming out more like a croak.

***

"I swear if I have to attend any more of those hearings I will hang myself," Nicholas groans.

"You will say no such thing, your highness," Maria replies to him with a straight face.

The prince laughs out loud as he fixes his tunic. "What would I do without you, Maria?"

"You'd probably be in trouble more often. At this point, the queen would've instructed guards to surround you day and night."

"Right. I guess she has demanded I take part in these just so I don't leave the castle like before."

"She wants you to learn about the duties you will be inheriting as king." The man sighs on hearing her words, he takes a look at himself in the mirror before turning to look at her.