LIORA
"Here, wash these too," Clara sneered as she threw more bedsheets at me, the weight almost pushing me off the stool I sat on. "And they should be dried by evening."
She turned and walked away. I sighed as I repositioned myself on the stool. I'd been washing since the crack of dawn. My hands were sore and my swollen eye constantly leaked tears which made me very uncomfortable. A long while later, I stood in front of the lines spreading the sheets when I saw Clara walking over with her lackeys. She wore a smug look and I knew she was up to nothing good.
"Isn't that a stain I see?" She struts over to the buckets and kicks it to the ground, the sheets spilling onto the mud.
"Oops"
Jane and Tessa burst out laughing and Clara flicks her hair back while throwing a smirk my way.
"Looks like you'll have to wash it again. You never seem to do anything right," she snickered.
I ignored her taunt and bent down to pick up the bucket.
"When I'm talking to you, you look at me, you mutt"
She pressed my hand to the ground with her foot. I bit my tongue, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. It was one thing to cry in front of my aunt and it was another to cry in front of her.
Not liking my non-reaction, she presses down on my hand harder, and I bite my tongue harder. I'm just about to break when someone's voice cuts her off.
"Clara, don't you have better things to do?"
It's the head-maid, Mildred. Her expressionless eyes and perpetually pursed lips came into view.
Clara removes her foot from my hand and steps back.
"I do," she says, slightly bowing.
"Then be on your way"
Clara does as she's told but not before throwing a final glare at me. When she's gone, I get up, dust my hand off and start packing the sheets. By now, the mud would have already set into the sheets which meant extra work for me.
Mildred just looks at me for a moment before walking away without saying anything. She wasn't mean to me but she also wasn't extremely kind. But she always seemed to be there whenever Clara and her loyal followers were bullying me.
When I was done with the sheets, I went to the kitchen to help with the preparations for prince Roderic's birthday party.
"Lili," a familiar voice calls and I turn to see Annalise rushing towards me with a tray.
"What's wrong Anna? Did something happen?" I ask.
"No, no. Nothing happened. I just need your help with something," she says.
"What is it?"
"I just remembered that Mildred had asked me to get flowers two hours ago. If she sees me now, I'm done for and I also have to serve princess Kaela's lunch. Could you please help me out?"
"Sure. What do you want me to do?"
"Help me to serve princess Kaela's lunch"
"Ok. No big deal"
"Oh my god, thank you sooo much," she hugs me tightly and I wince and she squeezes my injuries.
"You don't need to thank me. What are friends for?" I said with a shrug.
She gives me a smile, her gaze lingering on my bruised eye, before rushing back out of the kitchen.
If it wasn't for the promise that she made to me that she won't ask anything about any of my injuries unless I was willing to tell her, she would have already questioned me till my ears bled.
I picked up the tray and made my way to the eastern wing when princess Kaela and her son stayed.
The king married four wives. The first was referred to as the queen while the rest were given the titles of princesses. He had also divided the palace into five wings. Four for each of his wives while he occupied the central wing. Each of the wives stayed in their respective wings alongwith the sons she bore for the king.
The first wife was Queen Elswyth, who was given the northern wing. She had given birth to three sons; Roderic—the first prince who was also rumored to be the next king, Theron and Malric.
The second was princess Serilda, who was assigned the southern wing. She had given birth to Evander and Corwin.
The third was princess Morwenna, who resided in the western wing. Her sons were Dorian and Garrick.
Then the last and final princess was princess Kaela. She had only one son. Prince Lucien, the youngest of all the princes. Word in the palace was that princess Kaela and prince Lucien were the nicest of all the royals to work under.
When I got to her room, one of the guards at the door knocked on the door. After princess Kaela gave her permission to enter, I went in.
"I've brought your lunch, princess Kaela," I said as I placed the tray on the table
"Where's Anna?" princess Kaela asked and I was taken back by surprise.
Normally, the royals didn't bother to know the names of the people that served them. As long as they did their jobs properly.
"She went to get flowers for prince Roderic's party"
I turned to leave and princess Kaela gasped.
"Dear, what happened to your eye?" she asked and for the second time in the space of ten minutes, surprise rendered me speechless.
She patiently waited for my response and when I got myself together, I mumbled, "I fell"
Princess Kaela's lips thinned and I could tell she had caught onto my lie.
"Come closer," she ordered and I involuntarily made myself smaller.
Her eyes softened at my physical response and she repeated herself but with a softer tone.
I walked towards where she sat at her vanity table and stood in front of her. She stood up and raised a hand to touch my face. She had only touched the skin around my eye and not the eye directly but I still flinched from the pain that shot into my head.
"It's much worse than it looks. It might already be infected," she hummed under her breath.
Infected?
"And if it's not treated immediately, this eye could go blind"
Blind??!!!
I was already panicking on the inside when princess Kaela called one of the guards outside.
"Fredrick?"
The one who had knocked earlier came in and knelt at the door.
"Yes, princess?"
"Get the royal doctor immediately," she said and he was gone in an instant.
"Princess, you don't have to. I'm just a lowly servant..." I started to protest.
"Did you not hear what I said? You could go blind!"
I shrank back a little and princess Kaela sighed.
"What's your name?"
"L-Liora"
"Liora. What a pretty name. Come Liora"
She held my hand and led me to the bed, pulling me down to sit beside her. She didn't let go of my hand, rather, she started patting it soothingly.
"If you don't want to tell me what happened, I won't force you. But you have to at least get treated"
I considered it, though there wasn't much to consider. I really didn't want to go blind so I nodded and princess Kaela smiled warmly at me.