The royal moon witch

Chapter 16 - New work days

Elvira POV

Days went by after the funeral of my coven members and I didn’t know what was exactly going on but suddenly I was getting jobs that took less time than before. Normally I was busy all day but the past few days it often took me only half a day. If the job was taking longer, I was suddenly paired with other maids that came to help me. When I was done and went to ask for another job, ma’am Oberman often said that there were no jobs anymore.

I spent the other time I had left now often in my room, tending to the plant I had saved from the havoc that was made of my old room when the king and queen had left. If I was done with its daily care, I went on walks around the palace. Sometimes I went to help other maids with their jobs if I saw I could help and they were happy with the help. I was happy with the fact I could help others, that way I could better deal with the weird feeling I got every time I returned to my room.

Ever since the funeral of my grandmother and other coven members, it was hard to be alone in my room. Especially in the dark. It wasn’t fear that I felt but I was feeling more lonely than before. Now that I had no way of talking with my family, I often wished I had never went here in the first place. But it was better for my people and they were now under a better protection by the king and queen.

Today I had been working on the laundry, the large bed sheets had to be hung outside and it was the only way I really got to get outside. Valentino had ordered every guard to keep a eye on me that I would not enter the garden. What he had against me walking through the garden was a big question mark for me. Maybe it had to do something with the girl’s name he had said in his sleep that night I was in the library. Eveline. I had heard before something about a former girl in his life and I was honest that I could care less about the prince his history with other women. Though something about her name and the way he had mumbled it in his sleep, made me more than curious about who she was.

While I walked towards the door, with the sheets in the laundry basket resting on my hip, I was pondering about this when I suddenly bumped into a wall of hard muscles. Because of the suddenly stop in my track and the heavy basket, I fell on the ground and the basket landed a little away from me with a hard sound.

‘’Ouch...’’ I said and rubbed my back a bit.

‘’Look out where you are walking’’ a unfamiliar voice said. I looked up and saw a guard that I had seen walking around a few times but never talked with.

‘’Not that I did it on purpose but I am sorry’’ I said and couldn’t help but roll with my eyes.

‘’Maybe you should look out better maid.. Or should I say Witch?’’ the guard said in a tone that clearly gave of he knew what I was but also that he didn’t like me.

‘’What is wrong with the people here? Why does it seem that everybody hates witches?’’ I asked surprised.

‘’Well maybe because, like everybody knows, you are filthy and evil.’’ he said and I sighed. I am not sure what it was about this opinion about my people but I have a feeling they all have watched too many bad witch movies. I walked towards the laundry basket and picket up the sheet that had fall out partly and put it back in. After that I picked up the basket and looked at the guard.

‘’I would like to continue my work, if you want to complain.. File one at the office of ma’am Oberman’’ I said and then walked towards the large glass door that lead to the part of the garden where I could hang the bed sheets. I couldn't care less if he would file a complaint or not.

I did wonder why they let us hang the bed sheets because there were dryers but they were only used for . At least for what I have seen and I assumed that the more fancy outfits would be dry cleaned. I placed the basket in the shadow and picked the first sheet.

The sheets were larger than I was so I had to get on my toes and throw them over the line in order to not make them dirty again. I looked at the sky and smiled, it was nice to be outside even if it was for the laundry. There was a blue sky with here and there a cloud. I was guessing the temperature was around 25 Celsius which was quite normal for September. I was throwing the third sheet over the line when I heard footsteps behind me.

‘’Here you are’’ Riella said and picked up a sheet from the basket.

‘’Hey, since when are you done before me?’’ I asked surprised and with a smile. Riella threw the sheet over the line and pulled from the other side slowly until it hung straight.

‘’Well, I was actually send to help you’’ she said.

I was surprised to hear that but I was happy with the help. Together we hung the laundry and after the last sheet hung, we walked back towards the laundry room.

‘’How are you doing?’’ Riella asked when we entered the washing room and I smiled.

‘’I am okay, why do you ask?’’ I asked in return.

‘’Well, you buried a part of your family a few days ago’’ she said and raised her eyebrow.

‘’Oh that is what you mean.. I’m doing okay, I don’t know why but suddenly I only work half days or people come to help me out’’ I said and smiled slightly.

‘’Well, maybe someone punched some sense into the prince then’’ Riella said and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘’I’m just glad that Sam didn’t get all the blame over him for our stunt..’’ I said.

Both carrying a new basket with sheets we walked back towards the garden where we would hang the sheets.

‘’Do you know why the sheets need to air dry?’’ I asked before Riella could ask more about my family. I was happy to talk but not about that subject for now. At least not about the funeral, it gave me a lump in my throat and often got me into tears.

‘’It’s something the queen wants to be done actually.. She wasn’t born royal so she enjoys the simple things a bit more than the king or the prince do’’ Riella explained. I nodded in understanding. I had heard before that the queen had not always been royalty but it was fun to hear that things like this were thought about by her.

‘’Yeah, I am here now for a few years but I even heard older maids say that she used to help in the chores’’ Riella said as she put her basket down. It were the last two baskets and she grabbed the first sheet.

‘’Come, let’s hang them together, that works even better’’ she said. I helped her and she was right. ‘’This is going to be a peace of cake’’ I said and Riella smiled.

‘’I am hungry already Vira.. Come on, now you gotta start about cake?’’ she asked with a slight grin.

‘’Yes, how could I know you are hungry?’’ I asked and she laughed.

‘’True that, you can’t feel my stomach’’ she said as we hung the next sheet. We worked together and in a matter of twenty minutes we had hung all the sheets.

‘’Normally it takes me like an hour to hang them’’ I said as we walked back with the empty baskets.

‘’Well, I am glad we are done, just in time for lunch’’ Riella said and I laughed.

We turned the corner and another wall of muscles stopped me in my track, this time I wasn’t the only one but both Riella and I were caught before we could hit the ground. The baskets did fall though but that was not so bad.

‘’Are you alright?’’ Sam asked, I looked to my side and saw a blushing Riella nod her head. I then looked at the wall of muscles that had caught me and saw the chocolate brown eyes of Valentino. I didn’t really know what to say and looked away for a moment and then back at him.

‘’Thank you for catching me’’ I mumbled and he nodded. He let go of me and I walked towards the basket to pick it up.

‘’Did you just hang the bed sheets?’’ he asked and I looked at him.

‘’Yes, I believe it is your mothers idea to hang them to dry in the garden’’ I said and he nodded.

‘’She likes the earthy smell, I grew up with it even though my father kept trying to get them dried in the dryer because he likes his sheets soft’’ Valentino said. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘’It does sound a little like King Roberto’’ I said.

This comment from me gave a surprising reaction because Valentino actually started to chuckle himself. I looked at him with the surprise on my face but smiled.

‘’Well, that is something you discovered quickly’’ he said and I shrugged.

‘’Eh Vira?’’ Riella asked. I looked up and saw she was still a little red and Sam had a amused look in his eyes. He knew she liked him, I could tell right away. He would probably wait for her to confess though because he liked to see her struggle a bit around him.

‘’Yes?’’ I asked.

‘’Shall we go? Today it’s special sandwich day and I really want to go’’ she said and I nodded.

‘’Alright’’ I said and walked back to her.

‘’Have a great day Prince Valentino’’ I said and bowed, Riella followed my example like I had followed hers so many times before.

‘’Thank you’’ he said and we walked away.

Riella and I walked a few meters and after she had looked back to see both males were gone she suddenly bumped her elbow in my side.

‘’What was that? Are you two suddenly on speaking terms?’’ she asked. I shook my head.

‘’I actually am just as surprised as you are.. I have not seen him that much since I came back from the funeral’’ I said honestly and we dropped the baskets off at the laundry room. While we walked towards the canteen, Riella was still smiling.

‘’What are you smiling for?’’ I asked, a little troubled.

‘’Well maybe mister ice prince is warming up to your charms’’ she said and I laughed.

‘’Yeah right, like he would do that.. I am still what he believes to be from a monstrous kind’’ I said and she nodded.

‘’Well maybe but maybe he looks past that’’ she said, some hope in her voice.

‘’Riella please, don’t do this.. I am not in the mood to talk about this now..’’ I said and she sighed.

‘’I can understand it’’ Riella said.

We walked into the canteen and had a great lunch today. I understood what she meant with special sandwiches, they had the most amazing combinations. You even could say if you wanted a different combination. We both choose a baguette, and Riella chose hers to be a deluxe with cheese, ham, egg, lettuce, cucumber, tomato and some kind of sauce on top of that. I decided to go a little simpler than that and went with lettuce, cheese and egg. We enjoyed our lunch together and before she could start about Valentino again, I decided to return the favor towards her.

‘’So, I saw some bright red cheeks when you bumped into Sam’’ I said between bites.

Riella’s cheeks directly turned pink again and she had trouble with swallowing her bite.

‘’Are you really doing this now?’’ she asked and I nodded.

‘’Yes, I believe I am.. Now come on.. It’s been a while since we had lunch together.. Tell me, did there come any progress in the love story?’’ I asked.

‘’No, there is not.. I actually think that we are now even farther away from a love story than before’’ she said. Oh she was so wrong.

‘’Why do you think that?’’ I asked. I was surprised by this idea that was in her head.

‘’I heard other maids say that Sam has a girlfriend’’ Riella said, I had trouble with not bursting out in laughing.

My best friend looked at me as if she saw water burn.

‘’Sorry.. Give me.. A moment’’ I said and took a few large gulps of my glass with water. Riella looked away, I could see a hint of sadness in her eyes.

‘’Believe me, Sam has no girlfriend’’ I said.

‘’How are you so sure?’’ she asked.

‘’Because I know.. That he likes you.. And I do not have much experience with men, I know that but honestly he doesn’t seem to be the kind to cheat’’ I said. I knew he wasn’t a cheater because most supernatural creatures are very loyal, but I couldn’t tell her that. Especially because I didn’t know what he exactly was.

‘’Then why did he not say anything?’’ Riella asked.

‘’Maybe he wants you to take the first step’’ I said.

‘’I am not gonna do that!’’ Riella said, a little loud and she quickly took a bite from her sandwich.

‘’Why not?’’ I asked. Riella kept quiet because she was eating but before she could quickly take another bite, I grabbed her wrist and looked at her.

She tried to free herself but I had a firm grip.

‘’Vira...’’ she said and I kept looking her straight in her eyes.

‘’Would I ever lie to you?’’ I asked.

‘’Let go..’’ Riella then said.

‘’Answer my question’’ I said. She sighed and shook her head.

‘’Good.. Then take a leap.. and if it turns out bad, I am here with chocolate and ice cream and really bad movies..’’ I said and let go of her wrist.

‘’I will hold you up to that’’ Riella said.

‘’That’s alright as long as I also get to be your bridesmaid when you and Sam marry’’ I said and she laughed.

‘’I’ll make you my maid of honor’’ Riella said and we both laughed.

The rest of the day we spent together, Riella kept trying to write a note for Sam and I helped her as good as I could. Though I had not much experience with crushes or guys, she seemed to be happy with me being around to help her find words. Next to writing a note, we planned on how to get it to Sam. Eventually we ended with the idea to write two the exact same notes and both would carry one around. The one who would see Sam first, would try to get the note in his pocket and then notify the other about their success.