Ch 1

Anastasia POV

I'm a cooking maid in Lancaster duke's mansion, I'm never in a spotlight because I'm not the head chef or anything, just a helper in the kitchen, but today I'm standing in front of the Duchess, known for her cruel behavior with servants, I wonder how I caught her attention but all I know right now is that nothing is going to be good right now because of that annoyed expression she has.

" I heard you cook very well, so much good that the food you made was liked by the Duke enough for him to taste it every day without getting bored?"

The Duchess said in a sarcastic way, and I know she meant no well, my hands were shivering, and my legs were too numb to even move, I heard Duchess is very obsessed over the Duke, so much that she can't tolerate him favoring anyone no matter which gender it is, I also heard that the ones who were favored by the Duke were vanished into thin air, even the Duke couldn't find where they were. I suppose it's my turn right now, what do I do!??.

I never intended to catch his attention, I was just cooking because I love to cook and there was nothing for me to eat, I missed my hometown food a lot which was never eaten in duchy, so I was just making my favorite dish after asking permission from the head chef and the head maid, but suddenly the Duke ordered food to eat, at a very unusual time. The head chef was sick and was sleeping, the head maid was rushing for it, but then she saw the dish I made, tasted it then without even asking me, she sent it to him. I had only a little left for me, so I just took some bread to fill my stomach. Then from that day onwards he specially ordered only that dish even though it was nothing special. I never thought it would also catch the Duchess attention.

" I'm sorry Duchess if I did something wrong, I really never intended to catch his majesty's attention."

I said in a shivering tone

"SHUT UP!"

I jumped in fear, she was way more angry about it than I thought.

" Take her to the secret room and don't ever let her out."

She ordered other maids, , was terrified as the "secret room" was the room where servants were tortured brutally and were not let out until they passed out or lost their senses.

" Duchess, duchess, please I beg of you, don't do this to me, I swear I'll never ever be seen around the duchy, I'll disappear forever from this city, please let me live, please leave me duchess, please don't do this to me."

I cried, I begged her, but she just turned around sparing me no look, as I was not even worthy to be seen or heard by her, it was nothing surprising as that's how the Duchess Liliana of Lancaster dukedom was.

Two maids were constantly hitting me with sticks, my mouth was tightly closed with cloth but still my screams were heard from their ears, they showed no mercy as they were venting up all their anger and frustration they got from working here on me. Even if they wanted to pity me they were not allowed to as the two female knights were constantly witnessing them, the door of this secret room was tightly closed and as it was made of special metal, these noises would not be audible out there.

My clothes were soaked in sweat and blood, I was all dehydrated from crying too. There was no water no rest, the beating continued the whole day, until I was no longer able to make a voice, cry or do anything, I was all helpless, and finally I fainted. The beating only stopped after checking I was alive but not conscious. I guess it will continue tomorrow, or maybe I'll not be alive till tomorrow.

In that unconsciousness I had a very long dream, a dream in which I was born in a wealthy family in the year 1978, my mother and father always had high expectations from me because I was the eldest one, I had a little brother, but he never wanted my presence as if he didn't want me to exist, I was very talented in everything, no matter sports, studies, foreign languages or cooking. I first had to cook because I was all alone, but then it became my hobby. Being excelled in academics I was able to handle my family business from a young age, but still I was never able to get the love and favoritism of my parents or my brother. My parents always gave all the love they had to my younger brother as he was a boy and the youngest, and my younger brother always saw me as a rival who could take the things he has. I was never interested in wealth, property or in love. As the money I had was not meant to be spent on the things I wanted, properties were never meant to be built in the way I like, and love was something I never knew what it felt like. The people I had around me were never the ones who genuinely liked me, but those interested in my money, fame and excellence, even though I had a male friend who genuinely liked to be around me, but he and I also parted early because of him being in the military.

Soon as I turned 24 I was married to a suitable husband my parents chose for me, the one who was beneficial for their business, that marriage of mine was never filled with love or even respect. My husband always had something to argue with me about. We never shared a bed, we both knew we were just forced to be with each other because of our families, then one day I found out he has a lover he deeply loved. I felt nothing even knowing that, but then one day on my birthday in the year 2025 I came to know that my husband with his lover and my brother plotted to poison me so that I'll never be a thing on their way, I knew about it but still I didn't care, it was better for me to die than be living that kind of life. So I just drank the drink they spiked. They thought I was just drinking it by being clueless about their plot but still I was glad at least the death of mine was peaceful, even if I got a severe pain in my whole body still my all senses were numb, I couldn't hear or see anything. At that moment all I wished was that ...........' If I ever will be able to live another life, please may it be the peaceful and warm life, with no expectations from anyone, no fights, no arguments, a cold but warm environment, a house with no one else other than me and cat living in, a business with a suitable earning and just peace, all I want is peace in another life' That's all I wanted........

To be continued..................

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