The door opened and a loud strict voice that made me jolt welcomed me.
“What took you so long?!” shouted by someone after I entered the room. It was a thin loud voice that also rung through my eardrums. I immediately closed my eyes in instincts and bowed my head.
“Lady Maxineirah. Seems like you forgot what I have taught you about time.” She said strictly.
I lifted my eyes on her. She was a noble lady, a Countess. Her natural grey hair was in an elegant bun and some strands of her hair were purposely left behind beside her face. She was wearing a blue dress and the hem behind her reaches the floor, showing her skinny legs, standing proud and arrogant infront of me. Jewels were scattered all over her body, from her head, dress unto her heels.
Her posture screams sophistication and confidence.
My eyes ended up to her hands and the thing lies in those made me tremble and nervous.
What in her hands was a dog whip. In the past up until now, she was using it to ‘discipline’ me.
Should I run now? No. I should face it.
I would let her whip me once. One whip was enough. I just need to prove that I no longer need assistance so she would not get mad anymore and whip me again.
“S-sorry Teacher Clawsful…” I replied neevously. She signaled me to lift my skirt. I heave a deep sigh before turning my back from her and lifted the hem of my dress. I bit my lip so hard that I tasted a sour and iron like taste while shutting me eyes tightly.
I was clenching my hands on the dress when a pain struck behind my thighs and a whip crack sound echoed in the four corners of the room. I almost fell if I had not strenghtened my legs. The pain was not new but it still hurts.
“I would not permit another late Young Lady. Let’s start.”
She taught me the basic alphabet and I pretended that I still did not know it at first and listened to her but whenever she was asking me, I answered all of her questions correctly until we reached the syllables, words, sentences, pharagraphs and the whole letter and book in a short period of time.
She looked at me with awe but I could not seem to fathom why she also looked so irritated. Did she found out that I pretended to be a fool?
She asked me several questions in randoms and mixed way, hoping that I would be confused. That had not happened. Have she already thought that I was pretending not to know, wasting her time and making her a fool?
I did pretended because I already knew everything she taught me and I want to avoid being whipped by her again. She should be happy right? She should think I am a fast learner and be pleased because she could go home early.
She taught a Belmonth’s language again.
“I-na-duh-kwut (inadequate).” I pronounced but she suddenly smirked that made me shiver.
“What? Again.” She wanted me to repeat. I could feel beads of thick sweat were forming on my forehead, moreover when she picked up her whip lying beside her. Was she purposely looking for a mistake to have the chance to whip me?
I crooked my head a little with my eyes widened due to fear and my vision slowly darkened.
Would the past repeat itselfagain? Can not I change my past? If I could not even stop this simple abuse from he right now, what would it be like in the future? Would I need to suffer the same fate again?
I repeated the pronounciation again just like what he demanded but, “Stand up and lift your skirt.” She said smirking. I gulped in the intensity welling up inside me and obeyed what she told me to do.
She whipped me once again and let me stayed like that.
She made me repeat the pronounciation for countless times and she kept lashing my thighs until she even reached my legs. I already tried all the pronounciations even I know it was already wrong but to no avail, she kept whipping me.
My whole body was already trembling and I almost reach my limitat before I slumped on the floor when she suddenly stopped.
I looked behind me a little with my left eye shut and my other almost also wanted to. I found her looking to her hourglass on the top of the table. The hourglass did not have any sand left on the surface and all of it were already resting in the bottom.
She returned her attention to me and commanded me to put the hem of my dress down. I winced on the pain it caused. The fabric touched my open wounds.
I clenched my hands to stop myself from groaning.
“You should be thankful that our class has ended.” She said with a brow raised. I watched her approached her seat to arrange and get her things. She even glanced back at me with a smirk on her face before she completely exited the room.
My trembling legs collapsed, I lost my balance and ended up kneeling. The back of my legs were in pain and I did not know if I could even sit properly.
I held down to the ground and supported my weight to stand up. I approached the table and hold onto it to gather my balance.
I still have two classes and I should expect more. More severe abuses.
I proceeded in my next classes and like Countess Clawsful, they were not happy that I learned fast, they searched for a mistake and purposely made a mistake for me in order to beat me.
Baron Striford liked to beat my palm and Countess Stefna liked to pinch me on my side and arm.
I blinked my eyes when my classes were over and I was all alone in the quiet room. At last…
I threw myself to sit but I abruptly sprung up and almost screamed because of the tremendous pain I felt behind my thighs and legs. I bent and leaned my head on my arms on the top of the table.
My hands formed a fist and one of them was punching the table to suffice the feeling.
When the pain sufficed for a moment, I decided to go out of my lesson room and walked as if I was feeling nothing when in fact, every step I take, everytime my limbs moved, the pain was present. I felt like dying because of it but I pushed myself to go further.
I still managed to smile at the maids and Knights that I encountered while I was walking in the hallway. I emitted cold sweat, trying not to groan in pain until I finally reached my room.
I wonder where Kath was? I hope she would not come here and catch me in this state.
I lied on the bed front side back and vented my pain on the pillow.
“Milady, it is lunch time.” Kathelina knocked from the closed door after minutes of resting. I almost fell asleep if it were not for Kath.
What a wrong timing. I did not want to stand up anymore nor take a lunch. All I want to do now was to rest but I could not do that. Everyone would be confused why.
In the past, no one knows what my educators did to me and I just pretended nothing was happening. I once thought that there was none who would look for me. No one would care for me except Kathelina but I do not want her to worry. Maybe, I should also do it this time.
Dad and brothers must not know about it. I also did not want to worry them. I will just have to let my teachers beat me even I was not really wrong. For me, I know to myself that I was entirely right. I managed to endure it in the past, I overcame it. I can do it again this time.
It would not be just Kath who would for me now but also Dad, brothers and other people. And I would not let that happen.
We always eat our lunch outside, in the training ground in order to join with Dad, Brother Millian, Amo and Lein that made Brother Maxillary and Maxwell jealous. We ended up eating altogether with the Knights and some of the servants joined us.
These moments made me happy.