AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I will summon your ladies-in-waiting.” He sounded annoyed, as if my late-night request was the last thing he wanted to deal with.
“Ladies-in-wai—”
The door was pulled out of my grasp and slammed shut. Jingling keys sounded seconds after. The jerklockedme in.
If there was another guard outside the door, I doubt he would have locked it, which meant he was the only one on duty tonight. I wondered if that was the case every night, something I would make sure to pay attention to.
I pressed my ear to the door, listening to the sound of his fading footsteps and screeching, stiff armor. No wonder he sounded like he had a twig lodged up his ass—I’d be grouchy, too, if I had to wear that ridiculous armor.
I chuckled to myself and plopped into the wingback chair, waiting for the guard to return.
But my smile was swept away as my thoughts turned to Von—a visceral ache forming in my heart. I tucked my legs against my chest and dropped my chin on my knees, wishing he were here. Wishing his arms were wrapped around me.
Keys chattered briefly from the other side of the door before it swung open, birthing two young women adorned in fancy, expensive-looking dresses. Their hair fell in long, loose curls, silk ribbons tied at the ends. Delicately, as if they were made of glass, they stepped into the room, their hands clasped, and their heads bowed in subservience.
The guard, who I had decided to nickname Grouchy, emerged behind them. He tossed his head, his face hidden beneath his helmet, towards them. “These are your ladies-in-waiting.”
“Greetings, milady,” they chimed in perfect, rehearsed unison. Neither of them lifted their heads to look at me.
The collar around my neck suddenly felt a lot tighter.
“Hello,” I greeted them, pleasantly enough.
Grouchy cut in. “Due to this ungodly hour, most of the staff are asleep, so we cannot have the bath brought to your room. You will have to attend the shared bathing chambers for tonight.”
“That’s fine.” I motioned to the door, a false smile painting my lips. “Lead the way.”
His gauntlet shifted, settling over the pommel of his sword. “You first.”
I raised a questioning brow. “I don’t know the way.”
“You first,” he reiterated, grating out the two words between clenched teeth, like I was seconds away from stepping on his last nerve—that was, if I hadn’t already.
“Yeesh, alright, alright,” I said, throwing my hands up defensively before I walked past the girls and out the door. I didn’t miss how they shied away from me, taking a step back as I passed in front of them—like I was a disease that they wanted no part of.
I refused to let it bother me. I couldn’t erase whatever lies they had been told. All I could do was show them my truth—that apart from my Curse, I was no different from them. Well, sort of.
I glanced over my shoulder, my bare feet enjoying the soft feel of the rug, a welcome change from the stone floors of the room I was kept in, and asked, “Where to?”
“To your left,” Grouchy responded, the ladies-in-waiting stepping behind him.
“Alright.” I followed his direction.
After a few sets of winding staircases, three incredibly long hallways, and six short ones, I found myself standing before a giant pool of steaming water. Its perimeter, shaped like the sun, was bedecked with glinting gemstones—brilliant yellows, glittering oranges, and vibrant reds. Elegant marble benches stretched along the sides of the pool. Above it, a twin sun was carved out of the roof—replaced with seamless colored glass. In the dark, the glass read a deep orange, but during the day, when it was under the gaze of the sun, I imagined it would be lighter—gold, perhaps.
The bathing room boasted of unbelievable wealth—enough to feed all the people of Edenvale for the rest of their lives.
And then some.
Apart from myself, the ladies-in-waiting, and Grouchy, no one else was here. And despite it being nighttime, the cavernous room glowed with candlelight, likely due to the wealth of candle sconces positioned throughout.
“Well, are you just going to stare at the roof, or are you going to take your bath?” Grouchy barked at me, his voice echoing amongst the towering stone walls, skittering off the surface of the slumbering waters.
I pulled my gaze from the ceiling, leveling it on him. “I’d like some privacy.”
“No can do,” Grouchy said, the ire in his voice lifting, replaced with . . . intrigue.
I stifled a gag—the pig was looking forward to seeing me bathe. Goddesses above, I wanted to throttle him right between his tin legs.
