Days passed.
He didn't return.
Lia stayed locked in the room. The world outside felt distant, like faraway noise. Her tears had dried. Not because she no longer felt pain but because her body had grown too tired to keep releasing it
She stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror. The mark on her collarbone was still there, dark, black, and angry. It no longer burned, but the memory of it still hurt. The pain might fade… but the mark would never disappear.
Not now.
Not ever.
Every day felt the same.
Bati came every morning. Gentle. Steady. She helped Lia wash. Changed her bandages. Folded the silk sheets with care. Her quiet routine was the only thing that stayed constant in Lia's confusing life.
Sometimes, Bati talked, soft and calm. She spoke about the palace. The rules. The routines. The people who had power, and the ones who didn't. But she never mentioned him.
Never talked about Dawson Madhav.
The Master. The Lord.
That's what everyone called him. Some even called him The Phantom.
A powerful ghost.
A ruler hiding in the shadows.
No one ever saw him unless he wanted to be seen. No one touched anything he claimed. And no one dared to question his decisions, not even in whispers.
Lia held on to hope like glass, fragile and thin. Maybe all of this was a nightmare. A dark, cruel, endless dream.
She tried to believe that one morning, she'd wake up on that island with Anna laughing beside her, Tomie swearing about sand in his shoes, and Roy asking for beer before breakfast.
But each day, her hope got smaller.
And reality took its place.
Nobody here even knew where Australia was.
Not one person.
Every person she asked, every voice she pleaded with, blinked in confusion. As if she'd named a place that never existed.
If they didn't know her world…
Then where was she?
Not on Earth.
Not in any country she knew.
"Is this the afterlife? The underworld? Did I die in that shipwreck and end up in hell? Is this hell?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
Then the door opened again with a soft click.
Lia turned quickly, expecting Bati as usual.
But this time, the young maid wasn't alone.
A second woman followed. She was older, with sharp eyes. She wore the same maid uniform as Bati, but she moved with confidence. She looked like someone who had worked here for many years.
Lia stared at them, confused. She stood up from the vanity slowly. Her limp was still there, but her ankle had gotten better.
The older woman looked at her for a moment, then spoke.
"You have been acknowledged." she said.
Lia frowned. "Acknowledged?"
Her voice cracked slightly, rusty from too much silence.
"What does that even mean?" she asked.
The elder maid gave her a soft, polite smile.
"The Master wishes to lift your restrictions."
Lia's eyebrows lifted. Her heart skipped. She looked at Bati for explanation. The younger girl nodded gently, her expression light with cautious happiness.
"Now you may walk around the palace" the older maid continued "but only during guided hours and under supervision."
Lia's throat tightened.
She didn't know if that was a good thing or a trap. But it was something. It meant she could move. She could breathe. And maybe, just maybe, with that freedom… she could find something. Answers. Clues. She could find Tomie.
No one had admitted to knowing who he was. But she had to try.
"It's your first day out," Bati said brightly, already walking to the wardrobe. "You need to look your best."
Lia hesitated. "Why? I'm not meeting him, am I?"
"No," Bati smiled. "But everyone else will be watching."
That wasn't comforting.
Still, she let Bati dress her. The dress was silk, a deep purple color. It flowed over her body and felt soft on her skin. But it didn't feel right. Like she was wearing someone else's clothes.
But she didn't say anything.
Slippers were placed on her feet, soft-soled, gentle on her healing ankle. Bati brushed her hair, pinned some strands up, and applied faint color to her lips and cheeks.
By the time they were done, Lia barely recognized herself.
The jewelry sparkled at her ears and neck. The gown shimmered with every breath.
She looked like a princess.
But inside, she felt like a prisoner wearing a crown.
When the door opened, the air outside struck her face. It felt both shocking and comforting.
Fresh.
Clean.
Real.
She was still alive.
But she didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Her friends were gone. She had survived.
And now, she had to keep surviving.
"That way leads to the garden, the yard, the punishment ground… and the exit gate" Bati said, pointing down some stone steps carved with beautiful vines.
Lia's heart pounded at the words punishment ground. She said nothing.
"And that way" Bati said, pointing left "is the big hall."
"Big hall?" Lia echoed.
Bati smiled. "You'll understand someday."
"And there" Bati pointed ahead "leads to the middle wing. The Master's chambers."
Lia's throat dried.
One day, she might have to walk there. When he summoned her. When he wanted her.
She clenched her jaw and pushed the thought away.
Not now.
Now she had a goal.
She had to find Tomie.
"We'll start with the garden" Bati said.
They descended.
As they stepped into the lower courtyard, Lia felt the eyes on her.
Workers stopped what they were doing. Conversations died. Baskets paused mid-air. Everyone paused
Dozens of eyes watched her like she was something strange.
A ghost.
A curse.
Or maybe something worse.
Lia leaned toward Bati. "Why are they staring?"
"They're surprised" Bati replied. "The Master hasn't kept anyone in that wing. Ever."
Lia looked back at the workers.
Bati continued,"He's never shown care. Never branded a human."
"He brands…?"
"His livestock. His properties. Horses. Cattle. But never people."
"Why?"
"Because ordinary servants don't matter enough."
Lia's stomach turned.
She looked again at the blackened mark near her collarbone.
She wasn't a servant.
She was property.
She walked toward a few workers by the flowerbeds. There were three of them, all hunched over, carrying tools. She wanted to ask about Tomie. About anything.
But as soon as she neared, they stood, gathered their things, and walked away in silence.
Avoiding her eyes.
Avoiding her presence.
She sighed and walked back to Bati.
"They won't talk" she said softly.
"It will take time" Bati replied. "They're afraid."
"Afraid of him?"
"Afraid of dying."
Bati turned, walking toward a path behind the courtyard.
"Come. I'll show you the punishment ground."
The words dropped like iron in Lia's stomach.
She followed.
They walked through a tunnel-like hallway. At the end was a large iron gate. It was dark around it. Two guards stood at either side, arms crossed, faces unreadable.
Lia stopped.
The gate looked more like the entrance to a graveyard.
"That's the exit" Bati said quietly.
Lia flinched, startled. She hadn't even realized she was staring.
"Slaves, servants, maids—none can pass that gate unless the Master gives permission."
Lia's lips parted slightly.
"Your answers" Bati said softly, "may lie at the end of that tunnel."
"You mean... Australia?"
A brief smile flickered on Bati's face.
"I mean your friend Tomie. He could be in another household. Maybe he was moved. Maybe he's still alive."
Lia swallowed hard.
They continued walking.
Stepped into a wide open square, that smelled just like that dungeon they had woken up at. The floor was stone, stained dark red. Chains hung from tall poles. There were dried blood stains on the floor and walls. An axe rested beside a block. A thick rope hung from a bent tree.
Lia stopped walking. Stopped breathing.
She didn't need to ask what this place was.
"This" Bati said, her voice low "is the punishment ground."
Her words were heavy.
"Each punishment depends on the crime" she added. "But betrayal and disobedience... are never taken lightly."
Lia looked around, barely blinking.
Then suddenly, two men were dragged into the yard. Stripped to the waist. Their arms were chained and lifted above their heads. Their backs already bruised.
Then the flogging started.
Lia's knees felt weak.
Each strike of the whip, sounded loud and sharp like thunder.
The chains cut into their skin. Blood splashed. They screamed in pain.
Lia clenched her hands. Her stomach turned. Her whole body trembled, like the pain was happening to her.
"What did they do?" she whispered.
"If it's just flogging, then it wasn't serious" Bati answered like that wasn't a big deal "They probably disobeyed a superior"
Lia furrowed "Not him?"
Bati turned to her.
"To disobey the Master... is to die."
Lia gasped. Her heart stopped. Her hands grabbed her dress tightly.
Then she looked up.
Her breath caught.
There he was. Standing on the high terrace above the square.
Dawson.
Watching the flogging. No— Watching her.