"The sunset is beautiful, isn't it?"
The sky stood tall and high, almost in pride, but its tears fell on the church graveyard. Its sadness, perhaps, had stolen the light for a few minutes at least with its dark black clouds.
The sound of the digging felt heavy, perhaps the mud was not falling on the ground but on the heart of a ten-year-old child.
A lump heavier than the sand of the sea and rigid than a rock settled behind her vocal cords making it impossible for her to utter a single word.
Her hands clenched in tight fists, trying to control her trembling body.
"He was a very good man"
A man's whisper came from afar, jerking her whole body.
Minute after minute, step after step, her father's coffin was buried deep inside that hole, six feet underground.
Politely with care and yet with abandonment.
As they started pouring the mud.
Many began to leave, some waited till it was completed but soon after.
The ten-year-old child was the only one standing.
In the dark, cold evening of winter, as the sun slowly fades away and the night falls over.
The girl sat down beside her father's grave with eyes dead of tears.
She wanted to cry but her eyes felt dry, she wanted to scream but her throat felt locked,
She wanted to die and lie beside him, but she wasn't given the choice to.
"What is she even doing here?
Who is she?
Where is her mother?
Doesn't she have a guardian?"
If any stranger had seen he,r they would have thought the following thing,s but on that night, not even a single soul passed by.
The night in itself felt lonely.
Only the ten-year-old knew what she was doing, alone at night in a graveyard.
"My child, If I die do not leave my side after the burial, Just for that night stay with me ."
She remembered her father's words and his feelings as he had requested this from her.
He looked very lonely and sad that day, the day he had asked her...
And as she was a delicate child she remembered herself crying after listening to his request.
He smiled at her response and patted her head gently and affectionately.
With a smile as heavy as the air and eyes filled with tears he had wiped her tears away while saying ;
"I have heard that the first night, is especially hard for a person "
Another lump started to grow in her throat as she placed her hand on the mud of her father.
Sitting there for many hours without moving an inch, she dearly missed the touch of her father's big and warm hand on her head.
Grabbing handfuls of his grave's mud she placed it on her head the same way her father used to put his hand on her head and slept in the same feeling she had been savoring since the day she started recognizing her surroundings...
---
My name is Jannat, the eldest daughter of Baron Zakir.
I come from a once-prominent noble family that enjoyed a high status in society.
Our ancestors were renowned for their heroic deeds and bravery, which earned them the respect and admiration of many.
As a result, at one point,
our family was granted the prestigious title of Marquess, which was a great source of pride for this family.
However, our family's fortunes took a turn for the worse due to my step-father's destructive behavior.
He was obsessed with drinking and would often fly into fits of rage, resorting to violence against his family members.
This ultimately led to our family's downfall, causing us to lose everything we once held dear.
This stupid and greedy man,
unfortunately squandered our entire fortune on an unsuccessful business venture, and what little remained was lost to vices such as excessive drinking and gambling.
I am Jannet Zakir, people refer to me as " A woman of stunning beauty and elegance." My dark, luscious hair frames my rosy lips and dark brown eyes in a way that accentuates my fair skin, which is reminiscent of milk with a hint of pink.
I lived my eighteen years of life trembling in a small corner of my home as my step-father harassed my mother to death and I was her only child.
I avoided meeting my dad until I turned eighteen. At that age, he discovered he had a step-daughter, and my biggest fear came true.
He treated me like a commodity that he was keen to trade-off.
Of Course, he found himself so happy that he had hit a jackpot.
Soon after he started advertising me, several wealthy men from the upper echelons of society sent their proposals, showering him with copious amounts of gold and cash.
He savored every moment of it.
He enjoyed the attention.
He enjoyed all the luxurious gifts, money, gold, and attention that he was receiving but he did not accept any proposal.
...
Why? For...
It was all just like a business for him.
As he brought me to many noble gatherings where all men looked at me with lustful gazes and bet on how much a night with me would cost them.
I lived a whole year in that terror.
In that Disgust.
I trembled in my bed every night due to the terror of being sold to some crazy psycho for money.
As a result of tolerating such behavior for more than ten years... I came to the conclusion that I absolutely abhor the species called " man".
I opened my eyes every day to feel the same terror as yesterday and closed them to get rid of it for at least a moment.
My father or in fact any person, none harassed or abused me...as my father abused my mother but instead, he made me wear clothes sparkly and showing... Such Levish clothes that I bet he couldn't afford without the auction he put every month.
An auction so unique that it only had one product...Me.
which led me to the title of noble treasure.
women looked at me with disgusted looks and even some men looked at me with disgust and their eyes told me how much of a bother I was to everyone till one day.
when I went to the birthday celebration banquet held for the Emperor.
The Royal Banquet...
It was his thirty-fifth birthday and my father made me go with him wearing almost nothing but lingerie covered with a long silk cloth...
that made my body curves more visible as I walked... Though I had covered the whole dress and had turned it into a long lace gown covered with silk...It didn't hide that much.
He wanted me to seduce the duke.
I had heard many things about him, how all women avoided him as he liked to torture young women of my age and take advantage of them.
As soon as he laid his eyes on them, all seven of his mistresses disappeared from the society without a trace.
There were rumors about him keeping them locked up in his mansion, so they wouldn't dare to run away.
No one was allowed to enter their rooms without his permission.
As the carriage came to a halt in front of the hall, my heart sank, and my eyes were filled with tears that I was struggling hard to hold back.
I bit my lips hard, trying to stop them from flowing, as I stepped out of the carriage.
For years, I have put up with everything and showed everyone my worthless Pride.... refusing to let go of my dignity...
The ominous aura of the mansion made me shiver, and I couldn't help but wonder what fate awaited me inside those walls.
As I stepped into the hall, my whole body trembled with every step I took.
The air was thick with anticipation, and I could feel all eyes on me, making me feel like I was walking on hot coals.
A knot formed in my stomach, and I felt like I was going to vomit.
I should have gotten used to all this but... It was my first time attending such a high class ball... Obviously we were not eligible to receive the invitation before...
I stood behind the closed door, beside the trash... Yes, it have been years since I have started calling my step-father trash...at least in my head.
The guard announced our entry and we entered the royal Hall with all eyes on us.
I decided to step out and get some fresh air...just like that, without greeting anyone, but in my rush, I crashed into someone in the hallway.