Allerleirauh

Chapter 9

9

The next day, I decided I would keep to myself and spend my time in the library. After a long morning of reading passages from Aristotle, Plato, and Boethius, I decided I would go to the kitchens to see what I could have for my mid-morning meal.

My head felt full of all my morning reading. But as I walked along one of the darkened corridors, I thought I heard muffled crying. As the crying grew louder, I hesitated before taking several steps around the corner. I looked to see who might be in the adjacent hallway. As soon as I saw my father, I pressed myself against the wall, doing what I could to try and disappear into the stone. I was grateful to wrap one of the tapestry curtains around myself for hiding.

My father was clawing at one of the maid’s clothes angrily as she cried out again.

“If I cannot have her, I will have you,” he growled as he tugged her bonnet from her head, revealing a bundle of brass curls. They were tousled and dirty from her days’ worth of work; hardly a match for my mother’s.

He pressed his lips roughly against hers, growling as he pinned her arms. She sobbed as she clawed at him in defense, but nothing seemed to release her from his grasp.

I couldn’t bear to watch. I couldn’t bear to see the monster of a man my father truly was, but I couldn’t look away. My focus remained painfully fixated as he pushed her against the wall and lifted her skirt quickly. His glare only wandered the length of the hallway once to be sure no one was coming in their direction.

My stomach rolled while his hands undid the ties to the front of his trousers and pushed into her. I pressed my hands against my eyes, holding back my own tears. Her screams echoed all around me. She pleaded for him to cease, and yet he only continued.

The contact was short-lived, for I heard a voice call out for me and my father froze mid-thrust. The voice belonged to Myriah. Again, her voice called out for me. As I slid a hand away from my face, I saw my father push the maid onto the floor.

“Get up. Get out of my sight,” he snarled as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Aurelia?” Myriah’s voice was coming closer and I did what I could to step back without being detected or seen by him. As I eased away, I felt Myriah’s hands on the back of my elbows. I let out a small cry of surprise and turned around quickly, pulling her back the way she had come.

“Come, let’s go this way,” I said breathlessly.

“What’s the matter, princess?” Myriah asked as she tugged on my hand.

I didn’t loosen my grip as we continued with haste. I didn’t dare to look over my shoulder, in case he was there. I didn’t want him to know I bore witness to what he had done.

“Don’t be silly,” I replied, doing my best to smile at her. I nervously tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “There is nothing wrong. I thought perhaps we could go for a walk. I’ve been cooped up in the library all morning. Fresh air would be revitalizing.”

“Would you not like to have something to eat?” Myriah asked, confused.

“I don’t have much of an appetite,” I admitted. At least that part was true.

“But Aurelia . . .” I saw Myriah glance over her shoulder and gasp softly.

I already knew I’d find my father standing in the hallway. I already knew I’d see his sharp blue gaze.

As I stopped just at the courtyard’s doorway and turned, I saw my father at the end of the dismal corridor. He appeared disheveled even from afar. I could feel his glare burning into my skull. He knew I had seen him—witnessed all he’d done to that innocent maid. I turned away before he could call me toward him.

“Aurelia! You’ll catch a chill!” Myriah pleaded with me as she hurried after me.

“I’ll be fine! It would do me some good to take a walk,” I replied.

I ignored her as she beckoned me to come back. I sucked in a breath of the chilly weather. The sleeves to my gown were hardly appropriate, but I walked on, relieved to see Myriah had given up, scurrying back inside as I ventured out past the gardens.

As my gaze slid back toward the castle, I saw my father’s dark form lurking near a shadowed window. I wondered how I would ever come to trust him again.

I turned the corner of a cluster of trees and disappeared from his view. As I weaved through the tree trunks and began on a path back to the western entrance of the castle, there he stood again and I gasped, falling back a step. I didn’t understand how he was able to appear before me so quickly. My father stood near the door with a large fur-lined cape and a snowy glare. He started toward me and I froze.

“You shouldn’t be out here in such frigid weather,” he barked as he advanced.

As soon as he was close enough, he removed the cape and draped it over my shoulders.

“I wanted fresh air,” I replied softly, tugging on the edge of the cape to draw it closed around me.

“You will not come out here like this again, do you understand me?” His eyes were icy-fire. His lips were thin as his fingers dug into my arms.

“You’re hurting me,” I cried as I tried to pull myself from his grasp, but he did not release me. Instead, his grip grew tighter while his gaze intensified. I could see the underlying questions in his eyes: would I acknowledge what I had seen?

I challenged him to ask. I challenged him to admit his terrible crime out loud. After a long moment, my father finally released me with a snarl.

“You will not behave this way again.” I knew this was not a request—this was a command. “Inside.”

He jabbed his finger toward the large door as his pale gaze bore into me. I parted my lips to speak, but he roared, “Inside, Aurelia!”

I took the cape from around my shoulders and pushed it into his hands. The cape fell at his feet as his hand snapped around my wrist.

“You will release me,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, will I?” He challenged as his grip constricted. “I am König. I am law. You are nothing.”

As true as his words were, they stung. He and my mother had spent years of my life reminding me exactly how worthless I was to them and the crown. I was nothing.

“Do not be foolish, Aurelia. Do not make me punish you. Go inside,” he snarled and jerked his chin toward the door again. “You will go straight to your room and you shall not leave it for the rest of the day.”

“Are you going to terrorize other women, too?” The words slipped from my lips before I could stop them.

I saw his hand lift to hit me, and then pause when I flinched away. His lips curved in a small sneer. I took the opportunity to pull my wrist free from his grasp and ran inside.

I dared not look back as I ran down the corridors toward my room. The only sounds were the echoes of my shoes hitting the hard stone floors.