Finally, Amaya allowed the horse to slow down. Ever since she recognized the Roman in the market, she just wanted to get back to her mistress' house and away from him as quickly as possible. A part of her was afraid of him. He was tall, muscular, and probably very popular among Roman women. And of course he had a lot of influence. One word from him would be enough to end her life.
Amaya slowly dismounted, her mind still on the market with the young Roman. The stable boy looked after the horse and she brought the groceries into the house. ,,Finally. Why did this take so long? I thought something had happened to you!" Her mistress rushed towards her and pulled her into the kitchen. "I'm sorry. There was a lot going on at the market today, mistress." Amaya put down the groceries and took the piece of cake her mistress held out to her. "Try it. Is it good enough for the party?" She obeyed and smiled at Nila. She was so excited that she infected Amaya with it. "He's very good!". Satisfied, Nila nodded and gave the cook further instructions. "I want my guests to feel comfortable." - "Yes, I know. I'm sure they will."
The next few days were just as stressful as the first morning, and Amaya felt like there weren't enough hours in the day to do all the preparations. Slaves ran from one room to another, the house was filled with loud shouts and instructions and somewhere in between there was always Amaya - trying to relieve her mistress of as many burdens as she could.
The day before the big celebration, Nila called her over. Amaya quietly entered her mistress's room. She sat in front of her vanity table and instructed Amaya to close the door when she saw it in the mirror. "I have a little something for you." Nila pointed to a dress lying across her table. Amaya eyed it from afar and held her breath. "I want you to wear it tomorrow. It's nothing special, but I want to set you apart from the other slaves because I care about you, Amaya." Nila handed her the dress and Amaya gently stroked the fabric. It was made of a cream-colored fabric embroidered with patterns that must not have been cheap. "I can't accept that!" - "Ohh but that's an order! Now try it on." Hesitantly she put on the dress and then looked at herself in the mirror of her mistress. Nila clapped her hands enthusiastically. "It fits perfectly!" Amaya felt a pang in her heart. Before her, her old self was back. The daughter of the rich, loving Festizius. A desirable young woman who had tried desperately to forget her past. She was no more influential. She was a slave. Nevertheless, she also felt a deep gratitude and a tear ran down her cheeks. "Thank you!" She couldn't produce more. God bless you. She has such a good heart. Help her to recognize you. Nila hugged her. ,,You are welcome. You know you're more to me than just a slave, Amaya. You don't deserve this life." She stroked her dark hair like a mother. "And besides, my brother is coming tomorrow with his children. And I would love to wish my nephew Luca a wife like you after all those superficial missteps he's had..."

****
In fact, Amaya could have guessed that the Roman family that had given her here would also come tomorrow. But she had tried to suppress it a bit. The girl had hurt her deeply with her words and she had never felt so worthless as in this house. She tossed and turned all night because she couldn't sleep. She prayed that she could show love to all the guests tomorrow, no matter how Amaya was treated by them. On the other hand, every little rudeness or mistake could cost her her life. With open eyes she stared at the bare ceiling above her bed. Tomorrow she will again be at a party with many guests. Music will be played and there will be a big buffet. The women will make themselves extra pretty and put on their most beautiful clothes to impress the young men. Amaya will also be part of the festival. Only not as a guest of honor as she was used to from before, but as a slave who has to fulfill every wish of her mistress' guests. At some point she must have finally fallen asleep, because early in the morning she was woken up by the sun's rays falling into her room. She didn't have a chance to get up when another slave Nilas stormed into her room. Startled, Amaya pulled the thin blanket up to her chin. She wore only a thin nightgown because the nights were so warm, but that allowed her figure to be seen clearly. "I'm supposed to help you get dressed and do your hair. The mistress wants you to stand out among us slaves. "A bad conscience spread in Amaya. She was no more worth than the other slaves in the eyes of the Romans. The only thing that gave Amaya courage was that she was unique in the eyes of her god. That she was no coincidence and he she knew before she was born and that he had a plan for her that was full of future and hope. How she would like to share this joy in her heart with the slave girl who was silently combing her long dark hair. But Amaya heard still clearly the warning words of her mistress, who had forbidden her to speak about her god and was afraid. "Done. Look in the mirror. Shall I use some more make-up? I don't think you need much. You are already very beautiful." Amaya thanked the girl and looked at herself. She just accentuated her eyes a bit and put on lipstick. In Amaya's eyes, however, that was already too much for an insignificant slave. "You did that beautifully. Thanks. Is it really okay if I get dressed up like that? After all, I'm only a slave." - "I only do what the mistress has ordered me to do. If you ask me, you're not that dressed up. Wait until the young Roman women come tonight. You'd still attract attention It doesn't matter what you look like. It's kind of your style... your attitude... your polite demeanor... your body language. It's easy to tell that you come from a different background and you've only recently been a slave." - "For a year and a half now." The slave grinned and put the make-up away. "Honey, that's nothing,
Terra and her friends got together to get ready for tonight. Excited and full of anticipation, they exchanged their make-up and spent half an eternity in the room. "Most of all I'm looking forward to the slave.
I still haven't seen her. Unfortunately, it was already sold when I got to the marketplace. Your aunt was really lucky, Terra!", Lana, Terra's best friend, was applying her perfume for the fifth time. She knew that Terra's brother would come too and had had her eye on him for a long time. "Yes, that's right . She was there first." Of course, Terra hadn't told her friends about her embarrassing mistake. She just told them that her aunt got the slave girl.
"I heard a stranger was at the market the other day. It is assumed that it was the daughter of Festizius. She is said to have been beautiful and immediately attracted attention in the crowd." Terra smiled at her friend's comment. If they only knew how ugly Festizius's daughter really was... "We'll definitely find out tonight But definitely come too, or Terra? I heard he's back from his trip to Greece?", Lana reached for the perfume bottle again. "Yes, for a week, my love." Terra took the bottle from her and also used the same perfume. If the slave was really that pretty, she would have changed enormously. Anger spread through her. How annoying it would be , then having turned them in. If that were true, Terra would do anything.