The Dragon Princess

Spilled Wine

I find myself a chair to sit in, my feet aching from wearing heels that I'm not accustomed to. At the table alone, I find some peace, able to gather my thoughts and emotions. Tonight has been so much already. I knew that it wouldn't necessarily be fun for me, but I didn't imagine that it would be this exhausting, in every sense of the word. A bell rings from the front of the room and I stand to see that Duke Atticus and Duchess Cecilia are up there, waiting for everyone to quieten down.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we hope you are all enjoying your night. A message has just come in from the Palace." Atticus opens a scroll of parchment and begins reading. "Tomorrow at noon, all citizens of Graka are expected to be present in the Palace square. An important announcement will be made at this time, and some even more important decisions will be made. King Durvion and Queen Zena." 

A murmuring consumes the Hall after the message has been read. I couldn't care less what it is about. These things never involve or affect me anyway. I get lost in my thoughts, my eyes aimlessly wandering around the room. All of the fancy dresses and suits, the music and the decorations; it's so much. The nobles are right in their alley at these kind of events. It gives them a chance to socialise, compare their families' successes and boast about their own achievements. 

It's all so fake, and it's at times like these, that I am glad that I am not a noble. Nearly every person in this room has more than one face, a different set of eyes and a changing smile that adapt to their current situation. There could never be real trust among these people. How sad that must be. I may be alone in the world, surrounded by plenty of people that don't care for me, but at least I don't have to pay into this charade often. 

I am so zoned out that I don't notice the chair next to me being occupied. I turn and smile, quickly abandoning the expression when I see Aurelia. Has she come to retaliate after my snide comment? Or just come to harass me some more, see if she can get more of a reaction out of me? 

"You know, Ella. I have never liked you. Somehow, you have gone through your whole life as a maid, yet you aren't treated as such..." I roll my eyes. "...Alexander explained what happened earlier. You tried to seduce him?" Aurelia laughs wickedly at her own unbelievable accusation. 

"If you believe a word from his mouth, then you are the bigger fool, Aurelia."

"How dare you! Who do you think you are?"

"I'm just the maid, Aurelia. Remember?" I reply sarcastically. 

"You little witch! You may get away with this behaviour with the Jermaine's, but if you think I will stand for it, you can think again." She stands abruptly from the table, leaning in too close to my face. "And if you ever go near Alexander again, I will kill you myself, you little w***e!"

I am so stunned by her words that I don't notice her hand moving towards me, her chalice still full. With an evil smirk on her face, she dumps all of her wine over my chest. The dark red liquid runs down my front, staining both my skin and the blue dress. Finally, I can't take it any longer. The tears burst from my eyes with a force, leaving salty trails down my cheeks. How am I going to explain this? Cecilia will never believe that Aurelia did this, nobody will. 

I panic, not knowing how I can fix this. All I do know, is that I can't let Cecilia see me like this, she will surely have my head for ruining her dress. I run through the crowds and out of the hall, praying that nobody noticed. The knights at the door are shocked by my outburst, but they say nothing. Kristoff is the only person I made eye contact with, and I could see the glint of sadness in his eyes when he looked at me. Maybe because he is a servant, the same rank as me, he can actually have compassion. 

I run all the way to my bedroom, kicking off my heels as soon as I get inside. I struggle to take the dress off, but I need help to undo the lacing at the back. As if things could get any harder. Can't I just get a break? I peek out of my bedroom door. 

"Cara!" I whisper shout, hoping she is somewhere close by.

I get no response. Without any other options, I leave my room and go towards Kaira's. Cara is one of her personal maids, so she should be in there, hopefully. I knock on the door. No answer. I turn the handle and look inside. Nobody. 

"Great!" I mutter to myself. 

I turn around to go back to my bedroom but am immediately met with a large barrier. 

"What are you doing?"

I sigh loudly, exasperated. 

"Konan... I was just looking for Cara, I need to get out of this dress." 

Konan's eyebrows raise a little, then he looks down at my dress, a frown appearing on his features. 

"What the hell happened? Can't you look after anything nice?" 

"It wasn't my fault!" I yell. "It was Aurelia, okay, and I don't really need you lecturing me right now. I'm sure your mother will punish me, so please, just leave me alone." 

I move to walk around him but he sidesteps, blocking my way. His eyes are dark, the vein in the side of his head is throbbing. 

"Ella..."

"Konan, please. I've had enough for tonight. It's supposed to be my birthday, yet all I have experienced tonight is hate and abuse. Why does everyone hate me so much?" I begin crying again.

"You, it's..."

"Save it. You probably hate me the most out of everyone." 

This time, I get away from him, running around him and towards my bedroom. I can hear his heavy footsteps following me, it makes my heart beat faster. Is he actually going to punish me? I get inside my room and slam the door. There are too many emotions wreaking havoc inside me, I can't contain it. I bury my head into my pillow and scream. I scream as loud as I can, releasing the pain and frustration that I have been feeling most of my life. I can usually handle a lot, I've had to, but today is just different. Maybe I had hopes that I would be treated differently on my 18th birthday. How wrong I was about that. 

My door bangs open and I know that it's Konan. I don't move from where I am, still bent over on my bed. If I ignore him, maybe he will leave me alone. I breathe deeply, listening as his footsteps get closer and closer. I hold my breath. 

"Ella." 

I don't reply.

"Ella. Look at me. Now." 

"What?" I yell, standing up to look at him. "What do you want, Konan? Seriously, you reminded me earlier that I am only a maid and to remember my place. I tried my best, okay? I didn't ask Alexander to put his hands all over my body. I didn't ask Aurelia to throw her wine all over this dress. I didn't ask for any of this! All I wanted was to have a nice birthday. You were right before. I don't know why your mother threw this party either. Everyone in this Kingdom hates me. You probably hate me the most, so why the hell are you in here? You should be happy that I have left the party, you won't have to worry about me embarrassing you anymore. So just go, Konan, go enjoy the party without me!"

I am so out of breath when I finish my rant that I am panting for air. Konan's face is completely shocked, his mouth hanging open as he stares at me in astonishment. Right now, I don't even care if I am making things worse for myself, I just don't care. 

"I don't hate you, Ella." He finally utters.

"What? Of course, you do."

"I don't hate you Ella. I hate that I can't have you! I'm sorry your birthday was ruined." 

My eyes widen in disbelief. Now it's my turn to be shocked. Without waiting for my reply, Konan leaves my room and closes the door. What did he just say?