Chapter 09: The study room
1181 Words
/-Sabrina-/
“For the King's visit, My Lady.”
With that said, she turned on her heels to walk into the bathhouse, leaving me burning with unease and apprehension.
King's visit?
Could it be what I fear it is?
Having never been attended to before, the maid's presence made my skin crawl with discomfort, but she had insisted firmly. It wasn't until I sank into the warm, scented water that my nerves began to settle.
The heat wrapped around my body like a cocoon, and I exhaled lightly, closing my eyes and allowing myself to relish in that rare moment of tranquility.
Something I wouldn't dare dream of in the past.
Back in the Valeria Palace, I had never had the chance to enjoy such privilege. Bathing had been a necessity, not a luxury.
A rushed affair that just included pouring the water over my head and sometimes just washing my face. No scented oils, no bath tube, and definitely no steam that rose in rings.
Only whispered gossips of disdain and occasional scolding.
When I sat up, the maid proceeded to wash my back, her hands pausing slightly, and my eyeballs trembled, but I did not open my eyes.
She must have seen the scars.
How could she not?
The obvious jagged spots that lined my back, a testament of what I was and had experienced.
Ugly.
I hated the word, but it clung to me.
Every inch, every part of me reeked of that word.
Who would want someone like me?
The maid did not say anything or point it out.
Does she pity me? I do not need her pity.
After the bath, she helped me put on a white transparent lace material and said softly, “He should be here in a while. I will take my leave now.”
Before she could step out of the room, I finally blurted out the question that had been on the tip of my tongue, “Can you tell me his name?”
She did not turn around and simply said, “Alpha King Raizan.”
Raizan.
Hours passed.
I waited, eyes opened and staring at the ceiling. I had no idea when sleep caught me and my vision faded into darkness.
*****
I stirred, sitting up groggily with a small yawn. The sheer lace I wore had shifted slightly in my sleep, and the chill of morning air kissed my skin.
The silence of the chamber brought me to my senses, and I became dazed for a while.
He didn't come.
Should I feel relieved or… disappointed?
Before I could wrestle with the thought, the soft creak of the door made me blink, and the same maid from yesterday stepped in.
"You are awake, My Lady.” Then, she glanced around the room briefly before adding, “I will prepare the bath to get dressed for breakfast.”
I couldn't help but ask, “Will he be there?”
She paused, then gave a head shake. “That is uncertain. The Alpha King does things as he pleases, and maids like us cannot predict his next move.”
I nodded faintly. I was beginning to understand that nothing in this place obeyed logic or reason.
"What's your name?”
“Nerida, My Lady.” The maid answered.
In no time, I had already been helped into a blue satin dress, one that clung to my bony frame like a skin. My hair had also been neatly packed into a rough bun atop my head, leaving not a single strand loose.
"This way.”
I followed in silence as we walked across the hallway, feeling as several gazes followed my every move. Guards stationed at every corner and hallway, maids sweeping or dusting shelves.
Following Nerida past the stone pillars and winding hallways, the doors to the dining hall were finally pushed open.
Golden chandeliers bathed the long table in light; platters of food, steaming and rich, lined the table, and the scent flooded the space.
However, my gaze was not on those.
The chair at the far end of the table, carved with red wood and trimmed in gold, was empty.
He wasn't here.
I hadn't realized how much I wanted to see him until that moment. Even if he was cold, even if he barely looked at me, there was something about his presence that brought me relief.
Sitting down numbly, I poked at the warm bread, unable to swallow a single bite.
Halfway through the meal, I stood up abruptly.
"Don't follow me.” I said.
Nerida's brows twitched, and she frowned, “My Lady…”
“I won't wander far. I just need air.”
This time, she did not argue and simply stepped aside. I turned and walked past her with no destination in mind. I just needed time to myself.
That was when I saw it, a thick wooden door at the end of the hallway, left slightly ajar. Curiosity got the best of me, and I found myself stepping in.
The room inside was vast, the walls were lined with towering shelves where every crevice was filled with scrolls and books.
It was a study room.
Stepping further inside, I moved among the shelves and trailed my hands along the edges of the book covers. I had always yearned for knowledge, but in Valeria, desire was not a thing I was meant to have.
That was when something caught my eye - A small box no wider than my palm, tucked between two thick books.
Curious, I pulled it out to study it. The edges of the box had worn out and the surface had faded. I didn't open it and simply slid it back to its initial position.
But, at that moment, my sleeves snagged and the box slipped.
"No, no…"
Before I could do anything, the box clashed against the marbled floor with a harsh sound that broke through the stillness.
The lid burst open, and something fell out.
I dropped to my knees, my face gradually turning pale.
"What have I done?”
The wood had broken into smithereens, and as I reached for the delicate pendant that rolled out of the box, the sharp edge of the splintered wood cut into my palm.
Before I could even react to the pain, I heard a gasp at the doorway, followed by a shrill voice that made blood drain from my face.
"By the goddess! What are you doing here? Aren't you told that you are forbidden to enter this place without permission? Even his beta treads carefully within these walls!”
I looked up, standing at the doorway was a maid I had never seen before, with a horrid visage.
Her voice rose in pitch, “That box, it belonged to the Alpha King's late mother. A servant once dusted the wrong shelf, and he had her whipped until she died. You…you broke it?”
Before I could rise or speak, from the far corner of the room, a door opened softly.
And my blood froze.
Alpha King Raizan.
- Writer
