Rise Of The Deaf and Helpless Luna

**Odessa's POV** "Give it back," I whispered in my head as I ran after them, unable to say a word. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I struggled to retrieve my wax tablet from the other maids. They ran around with it, passing it to one another and laughing, enjoying my suffering. "Come and get it, gaper," one of them, Remi, said with a smile. She was my main bully, while the other three girls were just followers. There was nothing she enjoyed more than making my life a living hell. I ran towards her, ready to snatch my wax tablet when she threw it to another girl who immediately caught it, and they both laughed. I grumbled in frustration, tears streaming down my face, as I sprinted toward the girl who had my wax tablet. Just as I reached her, she threw it to someone else, laughing and enjoying my suffering. Unable to tolerate it any longer, I ran towards Remi, their leader, tackled her to the floor, and started hitting her out of sheer frustration. The other girls tried to pull me off Remi, but I was too enraged. All I wanted was to hurt her. Suddenly, a voice that made me freeze in my tracks asked, "What do you think you are doing?" I immediately stopped hitting Remi, recognizing the voice. I sprang to my feet, yanked my wax tablet from the other girl, and lowered my head upon seeing the head maid. Remi stood to her feet, wincing in pain, as we all bowed slightly in respect to the head maid—an elderly woman in her sixties who was exceptionally strict and feared by all of us. "What is going on here? Why were you hitting Remi?" she demanded, her usual strict expression fixed on her face. I swallowed hard and began writing on my wax tablet, trying to explain the situation since I couldn't speak. Meanwhile, Remi began lying. "I was minding my own business, Head Maiden," Remi lied. "This gaper appeared out of nowhere and started hitting me continuously because I told her to clean the horse's stable." My mouth widened in shock at her lies. I looked at the head maid, who seemed convinced by Remi's words. The other girls quickly chimed in, agreeing with Remi. "That is exactly what happened, Head Maiden," they said in unison. The head maiden looked at me, and I shook my head, signifying no. Bowing my head, I began writing quickly to explain the situation, but the head maiden seemed uninterested. "Stop writing immediately, Odessa. All you do is cause trouble here. I am getting tired of you," she said. Desperate to explain myself, I continued writing, ignoring her growing impatience. "I said, raise your head, Odessa," she commanded one last time. I ignored her, determined to finish my explanation. Just as I wrote the last word, I handed the tablet to her. In a fit of anger, she threw it on the floor, causing it to shatter. My eyes glistened with tears as I looked at her, surprised and hurt. "When I tell you to look at me, I expect you to do that immediately, you mute filth," the head maiden yelled, causing me to flinch. Was she really going to believe Remi again without hearing my side of the story? "Seven days. For seven days, you will be in charge of cleaning the entire castle until you learn some basic manners," she declared. I shook my head in protest, staring at Remi, who wore a stupid smile, then at the head maid, whose expression remained stern. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I held them back. Why does this have to happen to me? On the very day that Prince Kael was supposed to visit, this just had to happen. How was I supposed to communicate with him now? "The princess has requested you in her room, go to her and when you are done with her get to work" the head maid said. I nodded, blinking back tears and wiping my eyes with the back of my hand before heading to the princess's room. This wasn't the first time this had happened to me, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. When I reached the princess's room, I delivered a gentle knock on the door and waited patiently for her to answer. The princess opened the door, smiling at me as she grabbed my hand and dragged me inside. She showed me a beautiful necklace and asked, "What do you think about this?" I began to sign my response, but she interrupted, arching her brow and looking around. "Where is it, your wax tablet?" she asked. I looked down, feeling sad. She sighed, went to her table, and grabbed another wax tablet, handing it to me. "You should be more careful. Wax tablets are quite pricey, you know." I smiled and gratefully took the tablet from her, immediately starting to write. I showed her what I had written: "Thank you" and "Prince Kael is coming today. I can't wait." She smiled at me and said, "Yes, the love of your life." She paused, placing the necklace around her neck and admiring herself in the mirror. "You are so lucky. You don't even need to try to look pretty, and yet you have such a handsome king as your secret lover. Very soon, he will marry you, and you can be free from slavery." I blushed at the thought and wrote, "That's a beautiful necklace," on the wax tablet. I tapped Princess Vesper's shoulder to show her my message, and she smiled. "Thank you," she said. Princess Vesper and I had been friends ever since my mother abandoned me as a little girl to work in the castle. Prince Kael's father and her father were friends, so Kael often visited the palace. That was how we met and fell in love. Suddenly, the queen, Princess Vesper's mother, walked in, causing my heart to jump in fear. I immediately bowed in respect. I could feel her eyes on me, full of disgust. "How many times do I have to tell you to make friends with someone who fits your social status and not just the servants?" she said to her daughter. "We have discussed this, Mother. Odessa is my friend." "The slave is not your friend. Get out of here, you mute filth," the queen said. I quickly left the room. Years ago, her words would have hurt me, but now I was used to the queen's and everyone else's insults. Besides, I was too happy about Prince Kael's visit to care about her insults. I went about my normal day, not caring about anything except for the excitement of seeing my prince again after a year of only exchanging letters. As I wiped the sweat from my forehead while washing a mountain of clothes late into the night, I couldn't help but wonder if Prince Kael had already arrived. Despite my eagerness to see him, I knew I would be in deep trouble if I neglected my chores to visit him prematurely. A maid approached me and handed over a letter, saying, "Prince Kael told me to give this to you." My eyes widened in surprise as I hastily wiped my hands on my apron and eagerly took the letter from her. With a smile on my face, I read its contents: "Before midnight, meet me at the flower garden, my love." His handwriting seemed a bit different, but I didn't dwell on it too much. Excitement filled me as I tucked the note away and hurriedly finished my chores, looking forward to our long-awaited reunion. At that moment, nothing else mattered to me but meeting the prince. I smiled to myself as I hurriedly finished my chores, then went to my room to take a quick shower before slipping into my best outfit—something the princess, my dear friend, had gifted me years ago. It was a little tight and outdated, but it still felt perfect for the occasion. With a heart full of happiness, I ventured into the flower garden, eagerly scanning for Prince Kael, clutching my wax tablet close to my chest. Prince Kael had even learned a bit of sign language for me, but I found it easier to communicate with him through writing on the wax tablet, ensuring he understood me perfectly. "He's around here somewhere," my wolf whispered to me, something she only does when I am experiencing intense emotions. Although I didn't have a strong connection with her, I appreciated these brief communications. Following prince Kael scent that filled my nose, my excitement grew as I approached. However, my smile quickly faded as I witnessed a scene that shocked me to the core. It felt unreal, as it seems I might be dreaming. There stood Kael, passionately kissing my best friend Princess Vesper as if his entire existence relied on that kiss. My mouth opened to speak, but no words came out; I quickly shut it. My wax tablet slipped from my grasp, shattering loudly when it hit the ground, causing them both to abruptly break their kiss and turn towards me. Prince Kael appeared shocked to see me, while my best friend, knowing of my feelings for him, smiled sheepishly and said, "Oh, Odessa, I have been waiting for you." She glanced at Kael and continued, "Guess what? Kael and I are engaged to be married!" Her smile held no trace of guilt, as if the fact that I had just caught them kissing meant nothing. "Aren't you happy for us?" she asked cheerfully. What was happening?