Rags to Riches. Really? (1st book of Really? Series)

Chapter 27

I breathed a sigh of relief and slowly relaxed just a little while I shifted my bag from one shoulder and onto another. "God, I think I hate her," I muttered under my breath, earning a small snort from one of the two ladies-in-waiting in the room.

I looked at them, amused, and Suzie stared at me with a horrified look on her face, her mouth covered by her hands, and Beverly stared at her in awe.

"My apologies, Your Highness," she said through her hands before she cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "I did not mean to snort like that. Please forgive me."

"Please," I said and shook my head. "Stop calling me "Your Highness." I know that it is supposed to be my title, but I am in as much of a position of power as you are in no matter how my title "says" that I am."

River looked at me before she looked at my "ladies-in-waiting," amused.

She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet, and they looked at her, tearing their gaze away from me. "Why don't you call us by our names or nicknames in private?" she asked with a small smile on her face. "It is something that we are used to, and it's not like we have been adjourned in royalty or money like other people." She gestured to her clothes that still had a few holes in them and were a little short.

The ladies-in-waiting looked at each other before they looked at me, staying silent and looking very nervous. They didn't want to get into trouble with my grandmother; I could tell and understood.

"You won't get into trouble with us," I said and shook my head before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "We won't tell anyone that you call us that and not "Your Highness" as you "should.""

"Are you sure, Your Highness?" Suzie asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want something to..." She trailed off and cleared her throat while she shifted on her feet, and I nodded because I understood.

She didn't want something to go wrong or for her to get into trouble...

"Nothing will go wrong," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "You won't be in trouble with us, and we won't tell Her Majesty that you two have called us by our titles or haven't bowed."

Both Beverly and Suzie looked at each other before they looked at me. They stayed silent, but I could tell that Beverly wanted to not have to call me "Your Highness" and treat me as if she were talking with someone else of her "rank."

"Mind you, we haven't lived like this," Georgie said, and they looked at him. "We were living in the cold and filth and whatever because our mom..." He trailed off and looked at me with wide eyes, silently wondering what he was able to say.

I sighed and shook my head before I cleared my throat. "Our mother was abusive to us," I said while I looked at them. "We weren't properly fed or clothed or bathed. If someone was called, then she would "change," but once they were gone, it was the same thing over and over again."

Suzie hesitated before she nodded. "I'm sorry, Your Highness," she said, and I pressed my lips into a thin line and shrugged but didn't respond.

River cleared her throat and shifted on her feet, and we turned our attention to her. "Can we show her the bathroom?" River asked, changing the subject while she raised an eyebrow in question. "I think that she would be impressed with what she sees and can do now."

Suzie smiled and nodded. "Of course," she said. "We can show you the bathroom and then the closet. I am sure that you will be excited to see everything."

I didn't respond and gestured for them to show me the way.

Beverly and Suzie looked at each other but didn't say a word while Suzie walked forward and started to make her way to the bathroom, and I followed her with my siblings and Beverly followed us.

"If I may ask, what did you all do for showers?" Suzie asked hesitantly. She looked behind her to look at us before she quickly ducked her head and turned to look at the front.

I shrugged and pursed my lips in annoyance. "Most of the time, we would go to the community center to take showers," I replied coldly. "If not, then we would either use cold water and take a bath that way, or we would heat up some water over a fire and then take a bath."

"It wasn't fun," River said, "so this will be different for us."

"Especially since we don't have to walk somewhere to get it," Jenny said, "and we all can have clean water to use because it can get nasty, especially if we have to take a shower after someone." She looked at Micah when she said that and widened her eyes.

Micah looked at Jenny and then looked at me. "What?" he asked while he scrunched up his face in confusion. "What did I do?" He looked at Jenny.

"You are nasty in the water," she said. "It's not fun to take a bath after you."

"Well, it's not fun to take a bath after you either, Jenny," Eliza said, "especially when you are playing in the dirt with Micah." She shuddered and grimaced. "It's terrible."

"Well, Mira doesn't complain if she takes a bath after us," Jenny said defensively and gestured to me. "I don't know why you two are."

"It's because there is a high chance that I decided not to take a full bath," I replied, "or decided to take a very cold bath with whatever we have left that I am able to use without using something else."

Jenny narrowed her eyes and scowled while she looked at me. "What?" she asked, and I raised an eyebrow in question. "You don't take a shower every night?"

I gave her a side look while I narrowed my eyes and scowled. "Not necessarily because I am trying to take care of everyone else. Right?" I gave her a pointed look and raised both eyebrows.

My sister wrinkled her nose and shrugged while she pursed her lips. "True," Jenny said and cleared her throat. "Are you still going to help us with everything?" she asked, changing the subject, and I nodded in confirmation.

"I normally do anyway," I replied while I shrugged and cleared my throat.

Suzie pressed her lips into a thin line before she cleared her throat as well. She bowed her head and bit back a small sigh, and we looked at her. "We can help as well, Your Highness," she said. "It's our job, and we don't mind."

I pressed my lips into a thin line before I nodded. "Ok," I said, even though I did not know if I could trust them with my siblings on their own just yet. "I appreciate it."

River looked at me and grinned, amused. "Are you getting defensive and protective of us?" she asked while she raised an eyebrow in question, and I scowled and narrowed my eyes at her.

"Hush," I softly scolded while my cheeks turned slightly red, and she snickered.

"You are," she said while she nodded. "Why? They haven't done anything to us."

Yet...

I set my jaw but didn't say a word, and my sister rolled her eyes and scowled.

"Mira," she said.

"River," I replied and slowly blinked.

River sighed and shook her head before she looked at Beverly and Suzie to see that they were looking at us. "Don't mind her," she said with an apologetic smile, and I held back an eye roll while I scowled. "She'll open up and not be as guarded, eventually." She grimaced and shrugged.

Eventually...

I again held another eye roll while they looked at her and then at me.

They didn't say a word and dipped their heads closer to their chest as if they were one person, and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in question and amusement.

"We will be ok with that, Y- Mira," Suzie said and offered me a small, hesitant smile. She cleared her throat and opened the bathroom door. "Now, come, let's show you how to use the shower so that you can get settled in afterward, ya?"

I bit back a small sigh before I slowly nodded. "Yes," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "Thank you." I looked at Beverly before I looked at Suzie. "The both of you. I do appreciate it."

They both smiled and curtsied slightly. "Of course," Suzie said while Beverly bowed her head closer to her chest. "It is our pleasure, Your Highness. It'll always be our pleasure."