"So what is the marking ceremony?" Serena asked, her curiosity was taking the best of her.
"Well the marking ceremony is just like the mating ceremony, the difference is the marking ceremony is done between a master and his servant while a mating ceremony is done between couples." Maria explained.
"Were you marked?" Serena asked looking at her.
"Of course, we were all marked. All servants working under the king must be marked," Serena said. She pushed up the sleeve of her dress, revealing a mark on her hand.
"Wow," Serena said in awe, her fingers grazing the top of the mark, which looked like a scar.
"How is it done?" She asked, prying for more information.
"It's not the same as yours, though," Serena paused when she saw the confused look on the girl's face. "You see, our marking is different. A hot rod is used to put the marks on our skin," Madeline explained.
"That's cruel," Serena said, her brows knitting together. She knew how these marks were done. They usually did it to slaves in her shelter. She didn't get one because she was lucky enough to
"But yours will be different. Since the king is a Vampire, he'll have to bite you in order to claim you..." Maria paused, looking at the poor girl sitting in front of her whose face had turned pale.
"B-bite?" Serana asked in confusion, "W-what do you mean, bite?" her eyes widen replacing with fear.
"Lady Serena, there's no need to scared. That's the only way the king's mark can appear on you. It's a spiritual marking recognized by everyone in the kingdom. The mark shows his possession," Maria explained, while Serena tried to digest the information.
"We are wasting time, My Lady. We need to get you ready now," Serena said, pulling the young girl from the bed and directing her to the bathroom. The two other girls followed in silence.
"We'll have to take off your dress," Maria said, to which Serena jerked away.
"I can bathe myself. There's no need for you to help me. I appreciate your help, but I can do it myself," Serena quickly said, she panicked as if they were going to do something to her.
"These are orders from the king, my lady. We cannot disobey the king," Maria said with a straight face. She understood why the girl would be worried. Maria wondered what exactly the king wanted the girl for or where she came from. He had never brought in a slave before or a girl. All the servant who served the king said they've never seen him with a woman so what exactly was his motive?
Serena released a tired sigh, "okay," she replied in a small voice, she was about to refused but she saw how much the ladies respected or feared the king not to go against his words even though he wasn't present in the room.
She felt one of the girls move behind her, starting to undo her dress, while the other girl prepared the bath. Serena had been too distracted to even notice how large the bathroom was. What would she expect from the Vampire King?
Her dress came down, and her face blushed with embarrassment. She guessed this was her new life now, but how long would it last?
---
Serena stared at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a long white robe, and underneath was a short white dress. Sarah had applied makeup on her, her bright red lips contrasting with her pale white skin. Her hair was styled perfectly. She took a deep breath and released it slowly.
When she was in the slave shelter, she continuously prayed and hoped for a better life. Maybe God had finally accepted her prayers. She had stayed in the shelter naked for two weeks, though Lord Marcus had paid for her, he didn't take her to his place.
She recalled vividly the day of the auction, a day when men of different status come to buy women, a day where she and different girls stood before them loke object, naked, their shameless eyes roaming their body as if they weren't humans, it was a memory she hoped to forget even if she know she can't.
No matter what, she still preferred being treated like a princess to an object. She would make sure this didn't end.
"You've been standing there for a while," she heard a deep masculine voice behind her, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Y-your Majesty," Serena greeted with a deep bow. He had scared her. She clutched her hands together, stopping them from shaking. "I apologize, I didn't notice when you walked in," she said.
"Hmm," Alexander hummed, taking a step towards her. "You seemed deep in your thoughts. What worries you?" he asked, now standing in front of her.
There was something about this king Serena could not pinpoint. He'd been good to her though he didn't look like of but his actions are. She'd heard a lot about him to think he was good, but at the same time, he had this threatening aura around him. She was supposed to be scared of him, but surprisingly, she wasn't.
"It's nothing, Your Majesty, I..." Serena paused, shock displayed on her face. He took some strands of her red hair in his fingers, caressing them gently.
"You should discard whatever you're thinking for this ceremony to hold successfully." He said walking to sit on the plush couch beside the bed, His tone sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't fail to notice the change in his voice when he mentioned ceremony, does he not want the ceremony to hold?
"Sorry your majesty." She quickly apologized, he didn't seam to be in a good mood. He relaxed his back closing his eyes.
"Come." He commanded, Serena swallowed whatever lump was in her throat, Maria had already explained the ceremony and what she should do.