The palace
1183 Words
The royal palace was nothing like Elena had imagined.
She had seen drawings of it in old books, but no picture could have prepared her for the sight before her.
The palace rose above the capital like a mountain of black stone and silver towers. Massive walls surrounded it, guarded by armored wolves whose eyes followed every person who approached the gates.
At the center stood the royal castle.
Its towers disappeared into the evening mist, and enormous silver banners bearing the crest of the royal family hung from the highest walls.
Elena stared through the carriage window.
She felt small.
Smaller than she had ever felt before.
The carriage stopped.
The palace servant sitting opposite her opened the door.
“Get out.”
Elena hesitated.
Her hands were still trembling from everything that had happened.
“Now.”
She climbed down.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she heard laughter.
Several young servants were standing nearby.
One of them looked at Elena's plain dress and dusty shoes.
“Another new maid?”
The palace servant nodded.
“From the eastern villages.”
The girl looked Elena up and down.
“She doesn't even have a wolf.”
The others laughed.
Elena lowered her head.
She had learned that silence was safer than defending herself.
The palace servant handed her a small cloth bag.
“Your belongings.”
Elena looked inside.
There was barely anything.
Two dresses.
A comb.
A faded piece of cloth that had once belonged to her mother.
That was all she had left of her old life.
“Follow me.”
Elena obeyed.
They crossed the enormous courtyard and entered the servants' wing.
The palace was even more impressive inside.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
Marble floors reflected the golden light of hundreds of candles.
Paintings of previous kings and queens covered the walls.
Elena tried not to stare.
She had never seen anything so beautiful.
“You're a maid, not a guest.”
The servant's voice brought her back to reality.
“Yes.”
“Keep your eyes down around the royals.”
“Yes.”
“Do not speak unless you're spoken to.”
“Yes.”
“Do not enter restricted areas.”
“Yes.”
“And whatever you do…”
The woman stopped walking.
She turned toward Elena.
“Never approach the King.”
Elena blinked.
“Why?”
The woman's expression hardened.
“You don't ask questions.”
Elena immediately lowered her eyes.
“Yes, ma'am.”
The woman walked away.
A younger maid approached Elena.
“I'm Mara.”
Elena looked up.
“I'm Elena.”
“I know.”
Mara smiled faintly.
“Everyone knows. You're the wolfless Omega.”
Elena's shoulders stiffened.
Mara noticed.
“Don't worry. I wasn't insulting you.”
“It sounded like it.”
Mara sighed.
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way.”
She picked up Elena's bag.
“Come. I'll show you where you'll sleep.”
They walked through a narrow corridor.
Elena followed quietly.
“Who is the King?” she finally asked.
Mara's footsteps slowed.
“You really don't know?”
Elena shook her head.
“I've lived in a village my entire life.”
Mara lowered her voice.
“King Lucien.”
Even his name seemed to change the atmosphere.
“He's the strongest Alpha in the kingdom,” Mara continued. “Some say he's the strongest wolf alive.”
Elena listened.
“Is he cruel?”
Mara gave a nervous laugh.
“Cruel isn't the word I'd use.”
“What word would you use?”
“Terrifying.”
Elena swallowed.
“And the royal family?”
Mara's expression softened.
“Prince Adrian is different.”
Elena noticed the slight smile on her face.
“Different how?”
“He's kind. At least compared to the King.”
Something strange fluttered inside Elena's chest.
She didn't know why.
Maybe because kindness was something she had rarely experienced.
Mara continued walking.
“Prince Adrian is the King's younger brother. He's loved by almost everyone in the capital.”
“Is he the heir?”
“No.”
“Then who is?”
“The King's eldest son died years ago.”
Elena looked at her.
“Then Prince Adrian—”
“Is next in line.”
They reached a small room.
“This is yours.”
Elena stepped inside.
It was tiny.
A narrow bed.
A wooden chest.
A small window.
Nothing more.
But Elena smiled.
It was the first place in years that belonged entirely to her.
“Thank you.”
Mara smiled.
“Get some rest. You'll begin work at dawn.”
After Mara left, Elena closed the door.
Silence surrounded her.
She sat on the edge of the bed.
Only then did the tears come.
She pressed a hand over her mouth to stop herself from making noise.
She had been sold.
She was alone.
She had no family.
No wolf.
No future.
And yet…
She couldn't explain the strange feeling in her chest.
As if something had changed the moment she entered the palace.
As if she had crossed a line she could never cross back over.
Elena wiped her tears.
She refused to cry all night.
Tomorrow, she would work.
She would survive.
That was all she could do.
---
The next morning came far too quickly.
Elena was awakened by a bell ringing through the servants' quarters.
She dressed quickly and followed the other maids into the main palace.
Her first assignment was the eastern dining hall.
She spent hours carrying trays, cleaning tables, and polishing silver.
Her arms ached.
Her feet hurt.
But she didn't complain.
Around midday, the servants suddenly became restless.
Mara grabbed her arm.
“Stand aside.”
“Why?”
“The royal family is coming.”
Elena quickly moved against the wall.
One by one, guards entered the hall.
Then the royal family appeared.
Elena kept her head bowed.
She saw expensive black boots stop a few feet away.
A deep voice filled the hall.
“Leave.”
Every servant froze.
The voice wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
The authority behind it was enough.
The King.
Elena lowered her head further.
She didn't dare look.
But another voice followed.
“Father, the council is waiting.”
Younger.
Warmer.
Prince Adrian.
Elena's heart unexpectedly skipped.
She didn't understand why.
She only knew that when the footsteps passed her, a faint scent of cedar and winter filled the air.
For one brief second, Elena looked up.
Their eyes met.
Adrian stopped.
He stared at her.
Elena immediately lowered her gaze.
But it was too late.
Something had changed in his expression.
Confusion.
Surprise.
Almost recognition.
Adrian continued walking.
Elena pressed her hand against her chest.
Her heart was beating far too fast.
She didn't know it yet.
But the first thread of fate had just been tied.
And it was leading her toward the royal family.
Toward the man she would one day love.
And toward the rejection that would change her life forever.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD