CHAPTER 9
Unable to move, I stood there for a couple more minutes before I shook my head and reminded myself that he did this with all the women here.
If sleep was going to be a thing tonight, I had to finish cleaning up this mess and do my nightly tasks.
As I opened the door to the servant’s hallway and took my first step in, Jane pushed me against the door, sending the bottles I had in my hands flying, sending them crashing into a million tiny pieces.
“What did he say to you?!” She demanded.
“He only asked for more wine.” A lie. If she had any brains, she would have looked at his wine glass and seen that it was still full.
Lucky for me, she was only graced by the gods in physical beauty and not intelligence.
“The Prince is never silent. He always has something to say; he must have said something more than just asking for more wine.” She continued pressing; maybe she was smarter than I thought.
“No, Jane, he didn’t say anything other than asking for more wine. He just wanted to drink his wine in silence. He was probably thinking about all the gorgeous ladies from the party the other night.”
I threw the last remark in as she was getting on my nerves, and I knew it would upset her. I shouldn’t anger her, especially when she has me backed into a literal corner, but this was getting to be unbearable, and I had only been here a week.
“Fine. Go clean the rest of the table, and this mess.” She motioned to the broken bottles on the floor, scattered between puddles of red wine. “Oh, and someone spilled a tray of desserts in the kitchen, make sure you see to that as well.”
She stepped back, releasing her tight grip on me. I didn’t say anything to her as she walked away, but I thought of a few choice words I would have loved to send in her direction.
After the table was cleaned and the broken bottles were dealt with, I made my way to the kitchen to clean up the pastries she clearly dropped.
I was grateful when the floors were sparkling clean, and someone else had cleaned up for me.
A quiet yawn snuck out of me on my way to the servants’ common room, hoping there was still some food left, especially one of the decadent desserts that no one had touched at dinner.
The room was silent, everyone else already long in bed, but something moved out of the corner of my eye.
Nothing was there; I was alone with my shadow.
The table was cleared of its leftovers already, and my stomach rumbled in protest. Tomorrow, I would wake up early, snag an extra muffin or two, and hide them in my room, knowing Jane would probably keep me working late into the evening again.
Fuck, I hated her. I hated this place, but this was my life now.
Exhaustion washed over me; it had become a normal feeling at the end of each day, along with a throbbing headache.
It seemed like I would have to live with this for the rest of my time here.
Just another joy of being stuck in this desolate wasteland.
Another yawn left my lips, and my eyes were starting to burn from tiredness.
I might bring up the headaches to Mrs. Prast, but she was so busy, and I didn’t want to interrupt her.
She might have something I could take that would help dull the pain, though.
I was on my way down the hallway towards my bedroom, but the sound of footsteps shuffling through the hall caught me off guard.
I ducked into an enclave in the hallway that housed a painting of the King and Queen.
The King was sitting on a golden throne; the arms of the chair were shaped into two wolves’ heads, while the Queen stood behind him, hands resting on the edge of the top of the throne.
They were both expressionless as servants lay at their feet; their faces blank, no eyes, noses, lips, nothing.
Small wisps of black radiated from their naked bodies towards the King and Queen.
The footsteps grew louder, and I tucked under the shelf beneath it.
Hiding in the shadows so whoever was coming could not see me.
I didn't want any more confrontations tonight, and if it was Jane, I didn’t want her to give me any more tasks to complete before reuniting my head with my pillow.
The footsteps quickened, and Jane ran by me with a cloak in hand, swinging it over her head and onto her shoulders as she passed by.
My eyes rolled, knowing she was probably about to do God knows what with the Prince.
Let them have their fun; they are both fools, and it seems the universe has matched them together.
Let him use her for whatever pleasure he needed.
Well, at least he will have some company for his midnight stroll. The thought ran through my head, and I chuckled to myself.
Once she was out of sight, I emerged from the shadows and finished the trek to my room, flopped onto my bed, not even changing out of my dress, and dozed off.
The next morning, Jane was in a horrible mood, well, more than the usual miserable cow I was growing accustomed to.
She hardly talked to me and only barked directions at me when something needed to be done.
She was stewing over what had happened last night, when the Prince turned down her offer of dessert.
Maybe it was more than just an offer of pastries?
She was running outside late last night after everyone fell asleep.
I had to stop thinking about them; who cares what they were doing in their own time, not me.
There was enough to worry about without adding that to the list. I pushed the thoughts out of my head and continued preparing for lunch service.
We finished setting the table for lunch when Mrs. Prast hurried up to us. “Ladies, lunch will be served in the garden today. Move everything to the outside dining table immediately.” She rushed off to the next group of servants to tell them about the location change before we could reply.
Jane didn’t say anything; she gathered up the plates and made her way to the door leading to the garden. I grabbed a handful of glasses and followed her outside.
The garden during the day was better than the tales they told.
Lush greenery sparkled with pink and white flowers that flowed in every direction.
Even the dining table and chairs had emerald vines crawling up their white metal legs and arms. I was lost in the beauty of everything when someone silently came up from behind me and whispered in my ear.
“You didn’t join me on my walk last night.” The rough edge of his voice sent a cold ripple down my spine.
Turning around, I found myself face-to-face with the Prince towering over me, holding a long, broadsword in his right hand.
If intimidation had a name, it was Zendryk.
The blade of the sword was embellished with mountain ranges, and at the top of the tallest mountain, a wolf stood howling at the moon.
The sword's hilt was wrapped in black leather, and the guard had two wolf heads protruding from each side, protecting the hand that held it.
“I went to bed, sir. Late-night walks are not permitted, as well as discussions with servants.” I said to him, a hint of sarcasm laced my tone, emphasizing the last bit, hoping he would get the hint to back off.
His brows furrowed. “I don’t hear ‘no’ that often.”
“Well, you just did. It seems that someone else accepted the invitation on my behalf anyway.” Was I … Jealous?
No, definitely not. I turned on my feet and made my way to the table to begin setting it for lunch service; my boldness gave me the boost of confidence I needed.
He stood there for a moment, and I could feel his gaze following me as I finished setting the table, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of looking his way.
Finally, he left, making his way over to the training ring, which was set up just outside the patio area.
His friend from the party was patiently waiting for him, no doubt used to his little detours.
The friend was tall and muscular, wearing a brown leather tunic without sleeves, with a suede rope tied at the front.
His wrists were adorned with a matching pair of bracers that accented his smoldering cocoa eyes.
He kept his beard and hair short, but he still had tiny waves throughout it.
He had a rugged, untamed edge, yet somehow was composed and polished.
The Prince charged at him with his sword in both hands, and their swords greeted each other with a loud clang of metal.
“A little pent-up frustration, Zen?” His friend asked, laughing and antagonizing him at the same time.
I think I’m going to like him. The training ring was close enough that I could hear their conversation, although they were not trying to be subtle about it.
Another clang chimed through the garden as their swords clashed together, and his friend threw his head back laughing.
Prince Zendryk only responded with another clang of metal against metal, letting out a loud grunt as they met.
“I guess you’re not getting the release you need.” His friend said while dodging a swing of the Prince’s sword.
I had to stop myself from laughing. Dirt and dust were kicking up as they moved around the ring and one another. The sun was blaring down on them, and I could have sworn the cloud at their feet looked almost black.
“The invite is always there if you want to join me at the brothel; they have wonderful women there.” CLANG! “All shapes…. And sizes….” CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
Annnnddd he just moved to the ‘dislike’ list. I rolled my eyes and continued working.