Make Your Move Katherine

The one with the Marmalade

Back with Katherine

“Send me the captain of the guards please,” Katherine said as soon as she had finished her breakfast and Miss Moon had excused herself. Oni nodded her head before she bowed slightly and walked out.

An hour earlier

She had awoken that morning just after sunrise and found the nurse checking her IV. Kat had taken one look at her and shot up in a sitting position and said through clenched teeth, “Remove it- at once.” She added the last bit when she saw the woman jump back, startled.

The nurse stared but did not do as told and instead ran out.

Kat pulled the IV out immediately, convinced now, more than ever that it was the nurses that had been plotting against her…but why? And for whom? And why didn’t they just use a saline flush?

She rushed out of her chambers but halted her steps as she slowly pulled the catheter out. Blood spurted, but she continued on walking, barely making it into the sitting area when she felt her body connected with the floor.

When she woke up, she was once again on her bed and Oni was wiping the inner part of her left hand, with a warm moist cloth. A plaster was covering the area the IV had been. Pulling her hand away she muttered, “Anthony please,” and the maid had left to tell the other maid that was in the outer area her message, Kat assumed as a sharp pain, coming from her neck, made her eyes widen.

The young queen was agitated, knowing how and why she was here. Oscar had bitten her again. That vile, demon-monster, vampire-devil had his fangs in her again! Why?

Her insides were trembling as her mind went to work. Just why did he do that again? Was this her punishment again, or did he just go around biting- sucking people? How many people so far? Did he leave a trail of dead bodies like the legends told? Why wasn’t the kingdom protesting against this? Would she become a bloodsucker too?

She relaxed a bit knowing the captain of the royal guards would be here soon.

Instead of Anthony, two nurses who entered her chamber, the same young one from minutes before and another much older one; who had given her a shot on her engagement day, both dressed in their bleached white uniforms and black flat shoes. Every time Kat saw them, they were always neat and in white- never any other color.

Kat looked at Oni in an accusing way- almost feeling betrayed by the girl.

They both bent their backs forward, rising back up quickly. “My Queen, good morning, how are you? It’s been a long night I presume?” the older nurse asked as she checked Kat’s breathing and pulse. But Kat kept looking at Oni not answering. She was paying attention to every detail the woman made however, she knew they both could not be trusted with her health.

“My Queen, you scared nurse Park here, please don’t do so again and instead ask for us to remove the needle or the doctor, please. I'm sure you are in great pain. Let me look at it.”

“The Queen expresses her regret,” she heard Oni say and she turned away looking to the wall on the opposite side, "But she is okay and wishes to be left alone, as you can see, I've already covered the wound." Kat was ever so grateful for the young girl’s words on her behalf. And even more so for the plaster, Oni had placed on her hand while she was unconscious.

"Oh, okay, then I shall send for the doctor," the older nurse, whose name escaped Kat said quietly.

Just then another maid came in with a pail and mop and lowered her head to Kat’s back before she started cleaning the blood splatter off the floor.

“Did you send for food?” the nurse turned and asked Oni, who was looking on quietly from by the doorway and she nodded.

“Yes, I just did, as soon as she was awake,” Kat heard the young girl say but she did not turn back around.

“Great, I’ll send the doctor in as soon as possible, Your Majesty,” the nurse said as she lowered her head and the other nurse who had run out also did too and they both left taking the intravenous stand with them.

“Your Majesty, my goodness. Why did you do that? The nurse almost had a heart attack, she ran out in tears,” Oni said as she walked up to the bed and wrung the cloth that was in the white basin and continued with wiping the back of her neck.

She did? Kat had no idea she had scared the girl- but what if she was scared because she almost got caught? Scared of a reaction is still a lesser evil, of her having the thought that the nurse was trying to perhaps murder her… She had to see Ju. Kat raised her hand up and dismissed Oni. “I’m okay. I’ll shower in a bit, pass me my phone.”

It was the first time in a long time since Oni had spoken to her in a friendly way and Kat’s eyes misted. Gosh, she was so lonely.  “Anthony?” she questioned while she texted the mage.

“My queen, it’s not right for you to call for a guard this early…especially before breakfast. I’ll send word after the king has checked on you. Please, to prevent gossip you must,” Oni smiled slowly as if uncertain and Kat held her hand as she sat up on the bed and Oni straightened the pillows behind her, adding another.

"Stay here," she said and walked away, returning with a glass of and holding it out to her mouth. Kat gaggled and spat out the water in the basin the girl held out for her. She walked away and disappeared behind the other wall to dispose of the water basin, returning less than a minute after.

The girl had just called for her breakfast not gone against her, that’s all. Katherine turned to face her then. She could trust the young girl so why wasn’t she? It had been Oni who had organized with Miss Seed, the castle Castellan, to get her packets of ramyeon. It had been Oni who had seen to it that she was not given food with ginger- unknown to everyone else until Julie. See, the mage Ju, had confirmed that she was being fed a poison and it was not an allergy to ginger, thus making Oni and Julie innocent of attempting to most likely kill her.

“But I don’t want to see the king.”

“But you must and please don’t ask anyone else to send you the guard in this situation…I promise, I will as soon as I can, okay,” she cautioned and Kat nodded. “Look breakfast has arrived,” the maid said and turned around but it was Miss Moon.

She lowered her head and walked in, a friendly but concerned smile on her face, “Good morning, My Queen. I heard you had a bit of a scare last night and I just thought I should drop in and see how you really were.”

Kat hadn’t seen the busty, wide woman in several weeks and smiled warmly back at her. “Oh, Miss Moon, you know how it is with me, always clumsy,” she sighed and knew the woman was looking at her neck without a doubt, though she was not overly obvious about it.

“I’m sure,” the woman returned and a knock was heard and Oni left and returned a few seconds later with her breakfast tray.

“I’ll just take my leave then-”

“No, please stay both of you,” Katherine cried out afraid once more of being alone for some reason. She kept remembering those long, curved back fangs and shook her head. “Oscar- the king, will be here any minute and I’ll- please stay.” She finished lamely and Oni gave her a knowing understanding stare.

It was as if the girl could see within her, for she walked out and brought back two chairs and sat down on one next to her bed, smiling as Kat ate. Miss Moon soon followed, although looking a bit uncomfortable and even more so when Kat invited them to share her food.

“Please do, Miss Moon, it will waste anyway,” she said in her most inviting voice but the woman refused.

“My Queen I must refuse, it is-”

“Please stop with the disrespect chatter to me,” Katherine cut her off with a smile and encouraged the teen girl instead, “Oni, please?” And the girl started buttering toast and eating along with her. “It is not disrespectful to refuse the queen?” she said casually and followed Oni. “Tell you what, when the king is announced, you can drop everything on my plate.”

“Your Majesty, no, you must be dressed when the king arrives,” Oni looked up a bit alarmed, saying but Kat waved her comment away, ravishing her food.

"Please don't leave my company when the King arrives, ladies," Kat intoned as she thickly spread the marmalade onto her toast for while her mood was grumpy because of the memory of last night and the pain it left, marmalade was always her favorite kind of breakfast. "Marmalade makes everything better."

Katherine knew the older woman must be fuming inside for all her etiquettes and mannerisms talk and was caught quite by surprise when she picked up the teapot and poured a cup of the hot brew. Kat never had her tea now- not since Ju’s warning. She always poured it out into her face sink however, sending it back empty on most days and leaving some of the liquid in sometimes to not cause suspicion. Her thinking had also become clear in the past weeks and not blurred as it had been for the weeks prior to being here- since her engagement.

But still, those nights and days were blurred to her.

That also left Miss Moon out of her suspects' lists- for nobody would drink their own poison, would they? And not even Oni knew she had thrown her tea away.

When Oscar arrived, Kat’s marmalade happy high on her tastebuds vanished and both got up to leave but Kat knew Oni would be in the outer room, if not Miss Moon, so she was somewhat not afraid.

“How are you?” he asked clumsily, looking directly at her neck where the medium-sized plaster was. He was dressed in his everyday, immaculate suit and polished till shining shoes. Today he matched in a moss-looking green suit with brown footwear and black socks. His hair was styled to perfection, parting in its usual side part but closer to the low point at the center of his hairline.

She also remembered the sensations that came with his bite too.

“Just peachy, considering I was bitten,” she hissed out, for the man looked like the handsome devil he was whilst she looked like a melted caramel she thought. While she was dying from pain, he himself inflicted, he was … well perfecting himself it seemed.

“About that, erm we’ll talk soon,” he muttered and left.