3. Emilia
Chapter 3
Emilia
“ O uch,” I mutter. The needle pricks my finger, causing a little bit of blood to spill out. Quickly, I grab a cloth to stem the flow. The last thing I needed was to get blood on Lady Dahlia’s lovely blue dress. We have a couple more days to finish mending her gowns before leaving for the Day Court. The door to the bedroom opens, and Sigrid walks in, holding a pair of white satin shoes.
“I finally got the scuff off the top of these shoes. It’s a miracle it came out at all. Lady Dahlia has been especially meticulous since planning this trip.” She walks into the room, puts the shoes into a box, and prepares them for our trip. Thankfully, the bleeding has stopped, and I can finish sewing the small hole in her dress.
“She has been exceedingly whiny lately. Did you see her talking to Duke Hemmet last night? She quite literally stomped her foot at him when he said the jewels she wanted wouldn’t make it in time because, apparently, the large chest of jewels she currently has is not enough.“ I still couldn’t believe what I saw last night. How can a grown woman act like a child? She may only be twenty-one, but with the amount of education and classes on etiquette the woman has taken, you would think she would act with some grace. I’m twenty-five, raised in a small village, and even I know that what she was doing was disgraceful.
“I wish I could say that was a one-time event, but she has been like that since she was small.” Sigrid shakes her head and grabs a dress out of the closet, preparing it for the trip.
“You know, I’ve never asked you how long you’ve worked for the Hemmets. Sometimes it sounds like you have been with them for decades, but that can’t be right, can it?” Her smile is sweet and genuine, as it usually is. I know she is over fifty, but I can’t imagine her serving this family for that long. I myself have only been here a year and regularly want to pull my hair out.
“I’ve been here since I was twenty-one. At first, I worked in the kitchen as a runner, fetching water, logs, and such. I eventually worked my way up to the position of lady’s maid. I prefer this to the jobs I started with, even though Lady Dahlia can be challenging.”
“Wow, that’s a long time. What made you decide to work here?”
“I didn’t have a choice, really. My husband died that year, and I needed to find a job to survive. I had no family to help support me because I had run away to marry him. Options were limited, and the Hemmet house provided room and board. It seemed like the best option.” I was struck speechless. She was a widow at such a young age .
“Oh, Sigrid, I am so sorry.” She continues to fold the dress so that it won’t wrinkle too much on our trip.
“Oh, enough about that. That was over thirty years ago. My life is here now. The staff is my family.” My heart breaks for her, she has lost so much. I may be forced to be away from my father, but I still have my family and still see my brother.
Standing, I walk over to her and embrace her. She returns it with as much feeling as I provide.
“Thank you for sharing your story with me. I’m sorry I haven’t taken more interest in you. You have been so kind to me since I arrived, showing me what to do and correcting my mistakes. You are a kind and wonderful woman. You have no idea how much I appreciate you.” She smiles at me and pats my face.
“That’s what I’m here for, dear. Now, we need to get Lady Dahlia’s evening dress ready. Lady Monson is supposed to be leaving shortly and we will need to get her ready for dinner.” Nodding, I return to mending the dress, which doesn’t take too long.
A short time later, Lady Dahlia barges into the room.
“Lady Monson is so irritating. All she does is talk about herself. She is so self-obsessed. Very undignified.” She flops down onto the bed unceremoniously and exhales loudly. I look over at Sigrid, who is subtly shaking her head. It’s astonishing how this woman can live in such a delusional state. Lady Dahlia sits up and walks over to the vanity, pushing and pulling her hair .
“Now, I need to look immaculate for tonight’s dinner. Daddy has invited Duke Gerard’s son for supper. I need him to become obsessed with me to prove to Lady Phylis I can sweep her man off his feet. Of course, I don’t want him to be interested in me—that position is strictly reserved for the King of the Day Court. Oh, Daddy will be so proud of me when he hears I will be the next Queen of the Day Court.“ Admittedly, Lady Dahlia is a gorgeous woman. She has lovely dirty blonde hair with doe eyes and the body type all men seem to like, but the inside of her is ugly. Hopefully, the King is smart enough to truly talk with her and not be distracted by her beauty. Although that’s a bit laughable, as the Fae people are not known to take humans as spouses—or their ‘bonded’, as they call them. The Fae people are very pretentious. They have always preferred their people over any other race. They live on the islands, isolated from the continent that holds the humans, Orcs and exiled Night Court Fae.
“What are you doing, Sigrid?! I said to grab the green dress! Are you deaf? Unbelievable. If Daddy didn’t feel he owed you for staying with us for so long, I would have you thrown out. You’re getting too old for this job anyway. Emilia! I want you to use the silver pin for my hair tonight.”
If I didn’t need this job to keep my Father alive, I would say or do something that might get me killed—and at this moment, it is a tempting thought. In the village where I grew up, you didn’t disrespect those older than you, whether they worked for you or not. Deep breath, Emilia—you need this job .
After we got Lady Dahlia dressed, we were excused to have our meal. Sigrid didn’t say much, but she never does. She is too kind. I’ve never seen her get mad, as she has more patience than anyone I have ever met. I suppose that’s not saying much. People where I come from are quick to anger—a lot quicker than most places.
The kitchen is busy with dinner service in progress, but the food for the staff is sitting on the small table on the far wall. Collecting a plate and some food, I find a seat in the storage room beside the kitchen. Some days, I just need some breathing room, and today is one of those days. This life is very different from how my life used to be. My days were spent in the store portion of my father’s blacksmith shop. He was known for his craftsmanship. I was content to work and live with him, though maybe it was a bit unusual that I hadn’t found a spouse yet. There have been a few offers of marriage and even one from a young man who was quite sweet, but I could never do it. Something never felt right. It always felt like I was waiting for something. Then everything changed the day my father’s kidnappers burst into the house. I may have been dreaming of starting my own family at some point, but at that moment, my family was being threatened, and that became my focus.
The door to the storage room opened, and Ethan walked in, dinner plate in hand.
“I thought I would find you here. Rough day?”
“You could say that, but I’m not entirely sure any day has ever been good working for Lady Dahlia.”
Ethan nods and finds a barrel to sit on.
“How was your day?” Do I want to know the answer? No, not really. I feel like it just makes him think he has a chance, but I don’t want to be rude. Besides, the best way to get information in a noble house is from the staff. Ensuring I don’t lose a relationship is important. I need all the avenues I can get.
“The horses have been thoroughly cleaned, and the carriages have been looked over in preparation for the trip. So, busy.” I give a small smile and return to eating.
“Are you excited to go to Sonas?” I shrugged because I really could not care less, and I wanted to go home. I want to see the mountains that surround my village, but those are dreams that I fear will never be realized.
“I suppose. I heard Sonas is beautiful, which will be exciting to see.”
“I still can’t believe we are going. For hundreds of years, the Fae have told everyone on the continent that we are good for nothing, beneath them and their special powers. Something is going on with this invitation, I just don’t know what. Besides, I’ve heard they still haven’t solved the murders in their city. They’ve been trying for a year to get control of it with no success. For a race of people who have powers, you would think they could figure out who is murdering their citizens and stop them.” I nod along because I don’t have an opinion one way or another. What happens in their city is their issue. My priorities don’t lie there .
“Don’t worry, though. I’ll be there for the time Lady Dahlia is, so I’ll look out for you.” His smile is sweet. He is a good-looking man, but he has never made anything resembling butterflies fly in my stomach. He’s just… nice . Ugh, what’s wrong with me? You live under constant stress. That’s what’s wrong with you . I finish my meal and take my dishes into the kitchen. Lady Dahlia will return to her room to freshen up before heading to the lounge after their meal. It’s better if I’m there to deal with her behaviour than Sigrid—she’s already spent enough time dealing with that woman.