Chapter 75: Princess Sofia
It was finally the day of the Princess' visit and she should be arriving in a few hours time. But right now, Albert was currently sweating buckets as he waited in a spacious room filled with furniture that are probably worth more than his house.
He also looked at the carpet, that was now filled with dirt. Dirty footprints, to be exact.
Maybe I should have washed the special prisoner first before escorting him inside the castle? Albert thought.
But it was too late now. He could only sigh as he looked at the special prisoner, who was just standing a few meters beside him.
He also wondered how he was able to even move the special prisoner. He remembered the events that transpired the other day, and he now knew fairly well the strength of the special prisoner. If the special prisoner did not comply, who in the castle would be able to stop him?
Albert could only sigh as he waited for the two maids that the butler said would help clean up the special prisoner.
If they do not arrive, then would Albert have to clean the special prisoner himself? Albert shivered at the thought.
Seriously, what they did to this boy was cruel. To not even allow him to bathe properly for the last 5 years… Albert wondered what kind of skin diseases and fleas have attached itself to the boy. He could not imagine his daughter being imprisoned like that for 5 years, let alone not being able to bathe in the duration.
Heck, even Albert himself could not-
"Greetings, we were called here to take care of the beast"
Albert's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Two maids then entered, bringing a huge wooden tub and a set of towels with them.
One of the maids immediately covered her nose as soon as she entered the room, however, there were no traces of disgust on her face. No, in fact, there were no emotions at all.
"My my, what a creative smell", the other maid, however, slightly tilted her head as she furrowed her eyebrows. She did not cover her nose, though. "Well. Let's get this over with. Strip, kind sir", she then looked at Albert.
"Y-yes?", Albert was perplexed. Why were they asking him to strip?
"Ella, it's not him", the emotionless maid tapped the maid called Ella, she then pointed at the special prisoner, who was just quietly standing there.
"Eeeh!? Are you sure? I thought we were cleaning a beast?", Maid Ella looked back and forth, glancing at Albert and the special prisoner.
D-do I look like I need cleaning? Albert thought as his eyes twitched.
"Hello there, little one. Let's get these cuffs off you, okay?", said Ella with a smile on her face.
The maids then signaled Albert to remove the special prisoner's shackles. Albert was cautious at first as he took side glances towards the special prisoner as he was removing the cuffs, but as always, the special prisoner did not even move.
After removing the cuffs, they swiftly removed the special prisoner's clothes. Albert did not even see how they did it.
"Eeeh!? You were a boy!? Did you know about this Mia!?", Maid Ella had a shocked expression on her face.
And the maid called Mia, who had been expressionless from the start, also had her eyes wide open. She was, of course, still emotionless.
After the fiasco, Maid Ella then summoned a sizeable amount of water from her hands, filling the huge tub. While Maid Mia heated up the water as she placed her hands in it.
Maids that are capable of magic? Their Lord truly was quite the luxurious man, Albert thought.
The two maids then lifted the special prisoner and placed him in the tub, which instantly made the water turn dark.
The maids, of course, asked Albert to throw the water away. Be useful, they said.
And Albert did this 8 times. A testament on how dirty the special prisoner was.
Finally, the maids started to scrub the special prisoner's body. As soon as they did so, the special prisoner's porcelain like skin could no longer be hidden. And perhaps due to not being exposed in the sun for 5 years, his skin truly looked pale.
They then started to soap his exaggeratingly long hair. Which immediately revealed the luscious golden hair that was hiding beneath the accumulated dirt.
Albert was right in his first assessment. The special prisoner really did look like a doll.
And it would seem that the maids agree. They could not help but be in awe. Where were the diseases and the fleas they expected?
They then got a pair of scissors and started to cut the special prisoner's hair, but to their surprise, they were not able to cut anything at all.
As they were unable to cut it even after a few minutes, they just proceeded to brush his hair.
After a few more repeated rinses, another maid knocked on the door and left a dress for the special prisoner.
Wait, why a dress? Albert could not help but be confused.
And finally, it took hours, but the special prisoner was finally prepared.
The three of them could not help but be amazed. With Maid Ella clapping her hands in joy as she looked at the result of their efforts.
Albert, however, had mixed emotions. Will my daughter be this beautiful when she grows up? Albert thought as he looked at the special prisoner.
A doll. The special prisoner truly was a living doll. He looked even more like nobility than their Lord.
After a few more minutes of admiring their work…
…The maids then attached a steel collar around the special prisoner's neck.
Once again dawning on Albert that the special prisoner was now a slave to be sold off to the Princess.
The two maids could not help but sigh as well. Why is fate so cruel to a child this young, they thought.
A knock then can be heard on the door, saying that the Princess has already arrived. Albert was nervous. He has never seen royalty before. He heard a lot of things about the Princess, but never truly did take the rumors to heart.
Albert then proceeded to escort the special prisoner to the castle's main hall, where the Princess and Lord Fynn was currently waiting.
As he entered the room. Albert could not help but gasp as he saw a woman sitting a meter away from Lord Flynn.
The woman was so beautiful that it almost pierces your soul, even the spectacles she was wearing was not enough to hide her shining eyes. Even the ladies at Liana's place could not compare, Albert thought.
But he quickly averted his eyes, as he knew that this could only be Princess Sofia. That was when Albert noticed the three female elves that was behind the Princess.
They were hard not to notice, after all.
The elves were chained and wearing almost nothing. One of them even have their bosoms exposed. There were also noticeable burnt marks and bruises all over their body.
Albert was wrong.
He thought that the special prisoner's life could only get better from here, but seeing the slaves that were behind the Princess, he now knew how wrong he was. But Albert prevented any voice to come from him, he was in front of royalty, after all.
"T-this!?"
When the Princess saw the special prisoner, she immediately stood up from her seat and rushed towards him.
Princess Sofia touched the special prisoner's hair. Checking his teeth and lifting up his hair and smelling it. She then checked the special prisoner's ear, and her excitement quickly died down.
"This slave is probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, Lord Fynn", said Princess Sofia as she slightly lifted up her spectacles, "But she is not an elf"
"He.", Lord Fynn breathed.
"Hm?"
"The slave is a He"
"W-what!?", Princess Sofia's body trembled.
Why did the Lord say that!? Albert gulped nervously. He thought that the Lord dressed the special prisoner up like a girl so that the Princess would buy him, why did he just casually reveal that he was a boy!?
It was then that the Princess shouted, her face blushing.
"B-but, this slave is human", Princess Sofia stared at the special prisoner and began talking to herself, "No. Sofia, stop yourself. Remember, elves only"
"B-but… Hmmm", Princess Sofia placed her hand on her chin, clearly deep in thought.
It was then that one of the Princess' slaves suddenly rushed towards her, brandishing a knife. Where she hid that, nobody knew.
"Princess Sofia, look out!", Lord Fynn could not help but shout as he tried to chase the elven slave.
"Hm?", Princess Sofia casually turned her head.
The female elven slave was only a few meters away from her now. Lord Fynn was still desperate, if the Princess were to be assassinated right in his doorstep, then who knows what the Royal family will do to him and to his estate.
But it was then that an extreme heat filled the room. They all looked towards the Princess, who had her arms raised.
And there, Albert saw. A fireball that was five times bigger than what the elf intruder casted yesterday. The Princess then threw the fire ball towards the female slave that was rushing towards her.
"Gaaah!"
The huge ball of fire easily wrapped the female slave's body, not even leaving an inch of moisture.
It was then that Albert remembered the rumors about the Princess that he thought were just that- rumors and exaggerations.
But he now knows they were real.
Princess Sofia, oldest daughter to the King, dubbed as the Royal Spectacled Beautiful Mage was one of the strongest mages in their country. With a title like that, of course Albert would think that the rumors were made up.
But there was also something else that the Princess was well known for. She was known as a pervert who mutilates elves, dissecting them and putting them in little jars. They said she was studying them, but most people think she just liked playing with elves.
She was the reason why they are currently winning the war against the elves.