Chapter 2
The warm rays entering her room forced Cassandra to wake up. She yawned lazily. She flinched when she heard the door bang. Emile walked into her line of view, carrying a tray. She placed it on a small table with two chairs, a few meters from Cassandra. She walked towards the door without saying a word.
"Emile, wait!" Cassandra shouted.
Emile turned like she was remote controlled. At times, Cassandra felt like she was. If Cassandra was cold, Emile seemed colder.
"I wanted to thank you, for last night..."
Emile looked bewildered. She frowned.
"The note..." Cassandra jogged her memory.
"Bygones" she said, but there was no smile or warmth in her voice.
It was like the previous night did not exist at all. She was her chilly self. Cassandra had not noticed with her own chilliness, but that day, it worried her. What if Emile went back on her word and told? She did not want to see her privileges taken away, but most importantly, she did not want to see another corpse.
"Thank you Emile, it means a lot to me".
Emile went to the door and suddenly turned.
"Do you know him?" she asked.
"I know no one other than my master", Cassandra said in a rehearsed tone.
That was such a lie it tormented her. She did not know anyone, even her master. He had many different colors, many faces.
Emile left without saying another word. Cassandra got off from the bed and looked at the tray. She picked up a croissant and savored it. It was tasty, but she felt like she was eating cardboard. She was tired of croissants, she was tired of being served food every day, she wanted to taste different kinds of food, she wanted to cook her own food. Feeling lazy, she went back to bed, willing the day to end as fast as it came.
*
He opened the large glass doors and walked to the balcony. The air was chilly, but he felt none of it. He looked down at the road below. Since the castle was levitating at at least 10 meters above the road, he didn't see much of it. That did not bother him. His own thoughts were the ones bothering him. Something was wrong and he felt it. Something was really wrong. He heard the door to his bedroom open, but he did not turn.
Emile walked casually while holding her breath. She placed the tray she'd been carrying on a table just a few meters away from the doors that lead to the balcony. When she saw the empty bed, she let out her breath. She made to leave when he suddenly appeared next to her, making her jump.
"A better breakfast than yesterday, I hope", he said.
"Yes, my Lord", she mumbled.
"Did I startle you Emile?" he asked, smirking.
Emile rubbed her hands together. "Yes, my Lord".
"Oh. I shall walk instead of teleporting next time then", he said, over-smiling.
Emile knew he didn't mean that. He liked scaring people, rustling their feathers; he wouldn't stop doing that because of her. What was she to him?
She turned on her heels and started for the door.
"How is Casey?" his chilly voice entered her ears.
"She is fine, my Lord", she mumbled, straightening her dress.
He raised a brow," anything unusual?"
Emile held her hands together. She was sweating and uncomfortable. She could tell the truth and get Cassandra and her gentleman-friend into trouble or she could lie and endanger herself. She had given Cassandra her word. She could not go back on it. She did not like Cassandra one bit, what with what Cassandra did every night, but she suspected that it was not Cassandra's desires. She thought then of her children. Georgina was barely a teenager and she needed guidance, Loretta was only a few years old, what would they do without their mother? If she lied to her Lord and he found out, he'd erase her from existence, no doubt. She made up her mind.
She turned and looked at her Lord, who was staring right at her. From the way he was looking at her, he knew something was up.
"My Lord, nothing unusual", she said.
He closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were a bright violet. Emile had never seen this shade before. She had seen his blue eyes, which represented happiness, his red eyes signaled anger, his green eyes showed resentment, amber meant passion but what did violet mean?
"You may go Emile", he said, waving her away.
When she moved, it felt like her feet were made of lead. Once the door was closed, she stood rooted to the hallway. She knew she would regret the decision for the rest of her life. Right then she felt like going back into the room and telling him the truth, but the fact that she'd lied to him made it impossible. You could tell him a million truths and one lie and he'd annihilate you. One lie erased everything. She walked on, feeling sick to the core.
