Miyara's POV
By the next morning, my whole body ached like I'd wrestled a mountain and lost. The palace had apparently decided sleep was optional. We were all dragged out before sunrise for the next round of the competition.
The girls stood on one side of the courtyard. The boys on the other. They looked just as tired as us, but at least half of them still had the energy to wink across the field. I wanted to throw my bucket of water at them.
One of the instructors a tall woman with a permanent frown yelled over us. "Ladies will prepare the prince's breakfast table. Gentlemen will clean the training arena. The prince likes order. He hates chaos. He hates lateness even more. Anyone who fails to finish in one hour is out."
Someone groaned. Another whispered a prayer. I muttered, "He sounds like a delight," under my breath.
The girl next to me shot me a nervous look. "Shh. Don't talk about him like that. They say he has people who listen."
"Good," I said. "Maybe they'll hear I prefer sleeping to impressing a man who won't even eat the food himself."
The girl didn't laugh. Nobody ever laughed when I wanted them to. That was fine. I wasn't here to make friends. I was here to cheat my way into saving a dragon.
When the whistle blew, chaos began. Girls fought over spoons, spilled soup, burned their sleeves, argued about the order of plates. I stayed quiet, watching the mess unfold.
My hands knew where to move, which bowl needed filling, which plate looked off-center. I didn't even have to think. I worked fast and silent, letting the others fight while my table started to look perfect, at least this body wasn't entirely useless, I couldn't call on the shadow god again or I'd owe him my life I already owed him a lot and when I realised how swift this human could notice others I just watched the good ones act quick and I slipped their good work replacing it with mine and did what I do best.
One of the supervisors passed by and blinked at me. "Finished already?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Her lips tightened. "Hmm. Efficient."
That was code for I don't trust you but I can't prove anything.
The hour ended. Half the girls hadn't even served the juice yet. We were told to line up and wait for inspection.
While we stood there, one of the girls whispered behind me, "You heard the rumor, right?"
"What rumor?" another asked.
"That Prince Rikuya sleeps with his guards. Boys and girls both. That's why everyone wants this job. You either end up rich or dead, depending on how long you last."
I didn't turn around. My hand just froze midair.
Dead silence followed for a second. Then another girl whispered, "Yeah, my cousin said he picks whoever amuses him. Doesn't matter who. That's why half the boys signed up this year."
The air felt suddenly heavier. I swallowed hard.
Great. So not only was I supposed to serve this guy I was apparently on the list of people he might want to "entertain.", and it's my brother in law too,oh what could be worst than this.
"Maybe he'll pick you," someone teased softly. "You're pretty enough."
"Thanks," I said flatly. "I'll send you flowers from the afterlife."
They laughed quietly, but my stomach twisted. I kept thinking about the dragon queen inside me, the real me, the body trapped somewhere in the palace. What if I failed to free her soon? Would Miyara's body this fragile, trembling shell end up being Rikuya's next plaything?
I almost pitied her. Almost.
The supervisors announced the results. Only twenty girls and twenty boys made it to the next round. My name was still there. I didn't even smile. I was too busy imagining Rikuya's smirk if he ever found out who I really was.
The next task took place in the gardens. The boys were told to carry heavy water barrels from the well to the greenhouse. The girls were told to water plants without spilling a single drop.
Someone thought that was fair. It wasn't.
The barrels were enormous, the paths uneven. Every few minutes, one of the boys slipped or tripped, spilling water everywhere. The instructors yelled at them like angry geese.
Meanwhile, we girls were hunched over flowerbeds, pretending to care about plants that probably cost more than our lives.
When my bucket cracked, hers slid over by itself and stopped right next to me. Ouuuuu She blinked, confused, then I took it. She scrambled and rambled and protested but you know me, I may be in a weak body but that doesn't man I lost my powers.
But then the mysterious help didn't stop there. When I almost tripped, something fast like a werewolf pulled me back upright. When my apron strap came loose, it tied itself from behind before I could turn. It wasn't the shadow god. This presence felt… different. Softer. Watching me, but not unkind.
I didn't know whether to be grateful or scared.
By the time we were done, I was covered in dirt but my plants looked like they belonged in a painting.
The supervisor walked past and nodded. "Good work, Miyara."
That was the first compliment she'd given anyone all day. The other girls glared like I'd murdered their pets.
After lunch, the tasks got worse.
We were told to carry trays up the stairs while singing. The stairs had 150 steps. Halfway through, my lungs decided to stage a protest. I stopped singing, almost dropped the tray, and muttered, "Shadow, please." but shadow didn't help me this time, damn that motherfucker.
Next came etiquette testing. We had to bow, speak, and serve tea while a nobleman threw random insults at us. Apparently it was a "test of composure."
When he called me "a stray rat pretending to be human," I smiled and said, "I've been called worse. But thank you for noticing the effort."
He stared at me for a second, then chuckled. "Bold tongue."
"I prefer efficient," I said.
He didn't say anything after that.
By sunset, I was half-dead, my dress stained, and my back screaming. The remaining group was called together in the courtyard again. There were only five boys and five girls left.
They read the names for the final list. I waited, heart hammering.
When they reached number three, I wasn't on it.
Number four, still not me.
Number five, no, wait, they stopped at four.
My chest dropped like a rock. That was it. I'd cheated, fought, crawled through the day for nothing.
The instructors began to lead us out, and I was trying to decide whether to cry or burn the palace down when the royal announcer walked onto the stage.
He raised a scroll. "By direct order of His Highness Prince Rikuya, the number of selected maids will be increased to five. The fifth name is Miyara."
I blinked.
The crowd gasped.
Someone hissed behind me, "She bribed someone!"
I ignored it. My knees almost gave out from relief. I didn't care why he'd added a fifth. Maybe it was the shadow god twisting fate, maybe it was Rikuya's sick idea of fun. Either way, I was in.
The announcer continued, "The five chosen ladies and gentlemen will now meet His Highness for formal greetings. Afterward, you may return home for your belongings. Training begins tomorrow. Breaks will be rare. Prepare yourselves, and up to 100 of the others may be chosen as leat palace maids and guards."
The words barely sank in. I followed the others through the long golden hallway, each step echoing too loud in my head, it finally looked like home.
Ayame caught my arm before we entered the main doors. "You did it," she whispered. "I'm proud of you."
"Don't be," I said quietly. "I'm not sure this is something to be proud of."
She frowned but didn't ask. I hugged her anyway, quick and tight, and then walked into the throne hall.
We bowed low as the royal advisor stepped aside.
And then I saw him. Ahhh No it can't be.
Prince Rikuya?! sitting on the throne, the same guy I had sex with? wearing that same amused smirk I'd seen in the courtyard, only sharper now. His gaze swept across the group and stopped right on me.
For a second, my blood went cold.
So this was the plan all along. This is why he added me, I'm cooked.
I'd spent the whole day trying to escape his attention, and here he was, looking like someone who'd just caught his favorite game piece.
The others curtsied. I forced myself to follow. My hands were shaking, but I smiled.
"Rise," he said with a raw and calm voice.
We stood. His eyes didn't leave me.
Then he said slowly, "Welcome, my special five."
His lips curved, almost in a grin. "Your loyalty will be rewarded… generously."
The other maids giggled nervously. I didn't. I just kept staring, waiting for him to blink. He didn't.
He knew.
Or at least, he suspected.
Either way, I was screwed.
Because in that moment, one thought hit me harder than all the exhaustion and fear combined
I'm trapped again.
And this time, my jailer was smiling.