Chapter 6: Scarlett
"Excuse me?" I understood the part where I didn't have to go to him except, he requested for me but why did I have to keep my door unlocked?
Her strange eyes seemed to glow just before she bowed and said, "I am afraid that is just one of the rules, my queen."
Her reply only gave even more questions. "There are other rules?"
"Yes, my Queen..."
My teeth tightened as rage build from deep within, threatening to push out of me but I swallowed it back as I suddenly remembered Luciano’s warnings. I had to keep acting like I was still in the dark.
I forced a smile and joined my hands together in front of me. “That’s fine. I’ll do as he wishes…”
Stella bowed once more and remained where she was like there was more, but I wasn’t in the mood to listen to more instructions or rules made by my supposed mate and husband.
“Stella, you may leave now. I will call for you if I need you,” I said, turning to the balcony. I felt her hesitation, but the echoing sounds of her legs soon filled the room as she walked out.
Finally, alone, my hands moved through my hair as the weight of my pitiful situation washed over me. As much as I wanted to hate Asher for becoming this way, a part of me still wished that all of these was a nightmare, and I could have the perfect picture I once had.
But this nightmare was not going to end until I ended it. Staying in this room and acting like a slave following his rules blindly wasn’t going to cut it. I had to beat him at his game and one of the strongest lessons I learnt from my mother, was that:
“One needed the hearts of men to win a war,” I whispered as my brains paused.
A slow smile curled itself over my face as I finally got a plan. I needed to win the heart of his people. If they loved me, cancelling out my people was going to be hard. At least some of them would be able to stand for me at least.
I moved back into my room and began to pace. How could I win his people over? I had been away from my family for a very long time. I didn’t know what a queen or a princess could do to win people over. As my thoughts moved around, my eyes also fell on my phone, and it suddenly clicked. Aunt Emily. She could help me.
With long strides, I got to my phone and moved to the bathroom. I locked the door and turned on the shower, before going to the toilet sit where the noise from the shower wasn’t as much, then I dialled her number.
She picked almost instantly. “Scarlett, are you okay?”
“Yes, I am. I just—” She didn’t let me finish speaking before she interrupted me.
“Your brother mentioned that you were having cold f*****g feet. Now listen to me clearly, we do not f*****g backdown. You are married now, and you gave your f*****g word on the alter. So be a good girl and enjoy Asher’s c**k—”
“Aunt Emily!” I yelled, squeezing my eyes shut and hoping the disgusting picture she just painted would disappear.
“Sorry, love, I got carried away. Did you want to talk about something else?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed as my eyes opened. “Yes, please… I need help with my people… I mean, Liam’s people. How can I make them like me?”
“Scarlett, love, don’t tell me those fuckers are giving you a hard time. What is Asher f*****g doing about it?” She cried out and I slapped a hand to my head.
“Aunt Emily, its nothing like that. I just…” I paused, reconstructing my words. “I just got here, and they barely know me. They are not cold, they just— well they are being too careful. I want them to be free around me. I want to be like mother was to our people…”
“Ah, now I see what you mean.” She breathed, finally getting serious. “Ava was an amazing person. A human but the light in all our f****d-up lives…” Her voice cracked and I could imagine her fighting her tears. My mother was her best friend, and we all knew that deep down she was probably more broken than the rest of us. The revolution took away her brother and her best friend.
“How can I be like her?” I added, hoping to end the conversation as soon as possible for both our sakes.
It took a moment for her to respond but after a few seconds, her voice came through the call. “Scarlett you are a wonderful person too. Just like your mother… I am sure you can figure it out,” she paused, and I heard sniffles before she added. “But you can speak to Violet. She is pretty creative when it comes things like that.”
“Oh, sure, I will call her. Thanks.” I ended the call before she could say more, and I placed the phone on my chest as I took a moment to calm the ache in my heart.
My parents were gone. My younger brother was gone too. But we all believed that they would return, one day. So, when that day came, I had to make sure that there was something that they were returning to. The kingdom.
I took another deep breath and dialled, Violet’s number.
“Hey, Violet,” I started the second she answered.
“Scarlett, Emily just sent me a message about you wanting to impress the people, what is that about?”
I rolled my eyes at her question. Of course, Aunt Emily would be dramatic about passing on such simple information. Forcing a smile, I clutched the phone hard, “Oh, it’s not like she put it but its close. What do I do to put a smile on people’s faces?”
“Food,” she simply said. “Everybody loves food. Prepare a meal for everyone. Maids, guards, members, anyone who is hungry. Make this a thing, once a week or twice, the people will love you.”
The forced smile I had, suddenly turned natural as her idea made sense.
That night, I didn’t sleep. I planned how I was going to make the cooking a success. I would make sure it became the sort of feast everyone looked forward to.
When morning eventually came, I was more than pumped to begin my plan. I took a quick shower and picked a light dress for the day. With my hair packed at the top of my head, I moved to the kitchen.
The maids and cooks all stopped what they were doing and stared at me as I approached them. I couldn’t possibly blame them; I would have had the same reaction if someone barged into my work space like I just did. But I had already planned this out.
With a smile on my face, I came to stand before them and held my head high. “Good morning, I am Scarlett and today, I want to join you in the kitchen. I want to make a meal for everyone today.”
If they looked shocked before, then I was wrong. For the minute the words left my mouth, blood drained out of their faces. A strong tension suddenly filled them as they stared at themselves not knowing how to respond, until one of them, I was guessing the cook or head staff, took a step forward and bowed before me.
“My queen, we are all…” he turned to his colleagues, and they urged him to go on, “We are pleased that you will want to help us but please, let us do it. If you want a certain type of food, then please, let us cook it. It is our job.”
I also knew that they were going to be stubborn, but I was more than prepared. With the smile on my face not fading, I walked pass him and grabbed one of the old aprons laying on the counter, then turned to him. “I introduced myself as Scarlett. Not your queen. I want to do this. Now, you either help me or you don’t. Its fine.”
I moved to the counter and cleared the space I would be using. Cooking a pot of chicken wasn’t so hard. I pulled out a pot in the drawer and placed it on the stove.
There were a lot of doors around me, but with the positioning and the scent coming from it, I knew that the one directly behind me was the storeroom, so I walked towards it.
“We should have chicken in the store, yes?” I asked while already heading there.
But before I could get any closer, a young boy with striking green eyes, stood there holding two packs of frozen chicken. “What else do you need, my queen?”
My wolf moved within me, and I knew it wasn’t just for his bravery, there was something else about him that felt strangely familiar. Like I knew him.
My hand stretched to the wrapped chicken in his hand, but my eyes couldn’t tear away from his eyes. “What’s your name and who are you?”
He smiled, his eyes glinting almost like… Axel’s.
“I am just a lost human boy. But you can call me Bee and I am at your service…”