Arc 1 Side Story 2 : Aliya El-Arami

[Aliya PoV]

Five days had passed since I started working at this establishment.

Before this, Umaya and I had been bought by the son of a wealthy noble family who owned this place. At first, I assumed my fate would be no different from before—just another woman satisfying men's desires like at my previous workplace.

But this place turned out to be somewhat different. The female entertainers here wore fake animal ears and tails, which was a fairly unique touch for an establishment like this.

Here, they mostly just served the guests, chatted with them, and listened to whatever stories they wanted to share.

Of course, adult services were available too. But that depended entirely on each woman's own willingness. If they agreed, guests could hire them, and the venue provided space for that as well.

Even though plenty of drunk men came through here, the place remained fairly safe, with few incidents or fights breaking out. That was thanks to the burly men who guarded it.

Umaya was one of them—though he was still in training before officially starting work here. Honestly, I was genuinely happy working at this place.

For the first time, I felt like I could work without excessive pressure or coercion.

"Your name's Aliya, right?"

A man approached to chat with me.

"Of course, sir. How can I help you?" I answered with a smile.

"Uwoohhh! Told you, didn't I? That smile of hers is like an angel's!"

"You're right, I bet Rihanna's finally got some competition for prettiest entertainer in the capital!"

Hearing their over-the-top compliments made me laugh a little. They were kind men. Well—maybe not entirely that kind.

That was because I often caught them staring hungrily at my curves and cleavage. Not that it bothered me—I'd long since gotten used to men looking at me that way.

They admired my figure, always growing excited whenever my body swayed and teased them.

Madam Khalissa always said I had the perfect body for a dancer. My chest was just the right size, my curves were beautiful, and my tan skin only added to the appeal for the men here.

I thought so too.

My mother had been a Sultan's wife. Women in that position were required to know how to dance, to entertain the Sultan during his leisure time or when he wished for intimacy. That's why my mother taught me several dances—so I could seduce a high-ranking noble like him and secure a comfortable life for myself.

But I saw things differently from my mother on that matter.

I wanted a partner who would love me sincerely, for who I truly was. Not for money, not looking down on me for my profession as an entertainer, and treating me with the respect I deserved.

But I suppose that's nothing more than a foolish dream, isn't it? What man would ever want a women who have been used by many people like me to spend the rest of his life with?

"Aliya, come here."

Hearing my name called, I turned to the side. Madam Khalissa was gesturing for me to come over.

"What is it, Madam?" I asked, walking toward her.

"Master Raul has come to visit and check on how this place is doing," she answered with a smile. "Go and give him your very best service."

Hearing Madam's words left me a little disheartened. Would my body be used by this noble tonight?

"Don't worry, he's still young," Madam Khalissa said, trying to reassure me. "Boys his age usually finish quickly and aren't rough or overly dominant. You'll have him moaning with pleasure in no time with that body of yours."

What Madam said was true—young men were usually hasty and couldn't pace themselves well during intimacy. Most of them could only manage two, maybe three rounds at most.

For the first round, I'd just use my hands. If he lasted past the first release, I'd move on to my mouth, and if he still held on after that, I'd have no choice but to finish him off properly to bring things to a close quickly.

"Understood, Madam. I'll go serve the young master right away."

I made my way toward the private room prepared for him. Men watched me as I walked past them.

Before long, I arrived at the door to the room where the young master was waiting.

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—Knock! Knock! Knock!

I knocked on the door, but there was no answer at all.

"Young Master?"

I tried calling out to him, but there was still no response.

I worked up the courage to open the door myself. Inside, a black-haired man in an academy uniform sat asleep on a sofa.

I closed the door and walked over to him.

His sleeping face looked completely different from when he was awake. I decided to try removing his uniform jacket so he could sleep more comfortably.

Once I'd taken it off, he was left wearing only his white undershirt and academy trousers.

I found myself studying his body.

From the outside, the young master seemed to have a relatively small frame. But looking more closely, his muscles were remarkably firm and well-defined, with very little body fat.

His body was covered in sweat.

I picked up a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead so he could rest more comfortably. But just as I reached to dab it away, he suddenly woke up, startling me and throwing me off balance.

The young master caught my hand to keep me from falling, and our faces ended up close together. I could see his eyes clearly—black, like the night sky. His breath tickled my neck, making me let out a small, ticklish gasp.

I heard him swallow before he turned his face away from me.

"Sorry, I fell asleep," he said quietly. "I'm pretty exhausted—I just got back from a long journey after finishing a month-long exam."

I see. So that explained why he'd been asleep and sweating so much.

His grip on my hand loosened. I regained my balance and stepped back to give him more room.

"How's your work here, Aliya?" the young master asked.

"I enjoy it far more than my previous place," I answered honestly.

My coworkers here were kinder and more caring, and Madam Khalissa looked after all the women working here with real attentiveness.

"Glad to hear that, if that's really how it is," he said, smiling. "Aliya, could you bring me a glass of water, please?"

"Of course, Young Master."

I walked over to a table, picked up a glass, and filled it with water from a pitcher.

Why did he speak to me like that? Was he really a noble?

Nobles usually spoke roughly to entertainers—we were seen as beneath them. But the young master spoke to me as though we were equals, even sounding more respectful than most.

I also didn't sense any lust in the way he looked at me.

"Young Master, why do you speak to me so formally?" I asked, bringing the glass of water over to him. "I'm just a lowly entertainer—I don't deserve to be treated that way."

I simply wanted to understand his reasons.

"How could I possibly speak rudely to a princess from another country?"

—Clang!

The sound of glass shattering against the floor rang out through the room the instant I heard him call me "princess."

"W-what do you mean, princess? That's far too generous a compliment, Young Master," I lied, trying to mask my nervousness.

"You can't fool anyone with a reaction like that, Princess Aliya," the young master said, gesturing toward the broken glass I'd dropped.

"What do you want? How could you possibly know my true identity?" I asked, my voice turning cold, completely different from before.

The black-haired man stood and walked toward me.

"It doesn't matter how I came to know about you and your brother's identities."

He kept that same blank, unreadable expression, giving me nothing to work with when it came to figuring out his intentions.

"It's truly pitiful, seeing a princess of a great kingdom forced to sell herself just to survive in some small establishment full of repulsive men."

His words sent my emotions surging. I clenched my fists tightly, trying to hold back the rage building inside me.

"Aren't you ashamed? Constantly busy selling yourself as a night entertainer while your family's honor still lies in the mud, filthy and disgraced."

"SHUT UP! CLOSE YOUR MOUTH, YOU BASTARD! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY LIFE?"

I glared at him, overflowing with hatred. This was, I think, the first time I'd ever truly wanted to kill someone.

"Am I wrong, though? While you sit here comfortably living out your useless existence, your enemies—the very people who caused your suffering—are living in luxury out there."

Deep in the pit of my heart, I wanted to destroy them, to kill them without mercy, to wipe out their entire bloodline until nothing remained—just as they had done to me.

"Weak, cowardly, and foolish."

The moment those sharp words hit me, my hand moved on reflex, swinging toward his face to slap him. But he caught my wrist before it landed.

He then took a step closer, our faces nearly touching, our eyes locked on each other.

"Even if I wanted revenge, I don't have any power at all," I said weakly, my head hanging low. Tears began soaking my cheeks, dripping onto the floor.

"How could I possibly defeat people who control an entire nation... I'm all alone, just me and my brother... there's no way we could ever fight them..."

What he'd said wasn't wrong. I really was pathetic.

"I don't have a single weapon to kill them with..."

I was nothing but a useless woman, waiting for death while selling away her dignity without ever achieving anything at all.

Mother... Father... Brother... everyone... forgive me... forgive this foolish princess, this foolish sister of yours...

I truly am worthless...

But just as I was silently apologizing to my family in my heart, my face was suddenly lifted upward.

He touched my chin and looked directly into my eyes. Then he leaned his mouth close to my ear, our bodies drawing near each other.

"You have a weapon to kill them, Princess Aliya," he whispered in my ear.

"..."

He began touching my thigh, his hand starting to caress it.

"This irresistible body of yours is your weapon..."

His whispered words sent a shiver through my ear. My legs pressed together as an overwhelming sensation washed over me from his hand moving along my thigh.

He looked into my eyes again, then began stroking my cheek.

"This captivating face of yours is also one of your weapons to kill them."

My body felt like it was burning—this was the first time I'd ever felt anything like this from a man's touch.

His handsome, masculine face, his firm, muscular body, his hypnotic voice—somehow, all of it left me utterly captivated.

"Become an assassin within my organization," he said, taking a step back away from me.

Ahhh... I'd lost that sensation.

"You'll use that body of yours to lure your enemies in and kill them swiftly."

My body is my weapon...?

"Let your beauty catch your enemies off guard, then slip poison into their drink."

Ahhh... now I understood...

"Will you follow me? In return, I'll help you exact the revenge you and your family deserve," he said, extending his hand toward me.

Was this really happening? Did I actually have a chance to get my revenge?

I took his hand and said, "I'll follow you, even if hell itself is your destination, Young Master."

Hearing my words, he smiled with pride.

At last... I'd found a purpose to live for...

Father...

Mother...

Brother...

Everyone...

Just wait. I will avenge our family, and I will annihilate every last one of the families of the enemies who made us suffer.