And before Belle knew it, the other girl had raised her hand and slapped her on the other cheek.
"You should know where you belong even if you are covered in fine clothes, bitch. In here, you follow our orders. Emma, go get the knife and cup, we need to teach this bitch a lesson today for thinking she is better than us for being a lowlife slave."
Belle made no move to turn her face, which had been forcefully jerked to the side by the second slap. She pressed her hand to her burning cheek, where her ears were ringing. The sting of the slaps brought back painful memories she didn't want to revisit, but the pain seemed to make her see them.
She recalled the days she had endured insults from other noblewomen in Aragonia, who called her a servant of the Dawson household and the ugly, unfavored daughter of her own family. They would pour drinks on her on purpose at events and pretend it had been a mistake—some would hit or push her and act like it was an accident.
