The Destitute Queen || h.s. au

76. Milena

A/N: super important chapter guys. Like, super duper important.

     I waited all night for him.

     The freezing January air left me shivering under the tree all night long as I waited for Harry to meet me here. Every time the town clock struck for the top of every hour, my hope for him showing up grew smaller and smaller. The last thing I remembered before I fell asleep was the clock striking two in the morning.

     I woke up a few hours later, disappointed and heartbroken that he didn't show up. He made it seem like it was such a big deal for us to meet up, so why wouldn't he show up? I hope nothing bad has happened to him. I suppose I'll find out soon, every damn servant in this castle loves gossip.

     I can barely move when I wake up, and I look around to see that it had snowed while I was asleep. Not the beautiful, white, fluffy snow I've always wanted to see. This snow was dirty and hard, and it crunched under my shoe slips.

     Shivering my way through the garden, I hope that all the maids are still asleep. We don't usually get up until around seven, and it's only five.

     I'm frozen to the bone and, if I saw myself in a mirror, I'd probably look blue. This can't be good.

     With great trouble, I manage to make it over the wall and to the balcony, where I open the door leading into the room. I sigh gratefully when I see that everyone is still asleep. I get settled into my makeshift bed and feel a sudden warmth when I tightly wrap my blanket around me. It's still so cold, it's going to take a while for me to warm up.

     I close my eyes and hope that, when I wake up, I won't be a shivering mess anymore.

     Two hours later, I'm abruptly woken by Edith and the other girls, only to find that I'm still cold. I'm feeling slightly better, though.

     "Time to start the preparations for the wedding!" Edith excitedly exclaims. The other maids groan, most of them still exhausted. Edith begins grouping the maids and giving each group a different job to do. She groups me, Prue, and Abigail together. "You three will aid Lady Belladonna today. Milena, you are her lady-in-waiting, so you should have already been there by now."

     "Sorry, Edith," I shyly say. I'm glad she's using my full name now. I can't stand to hear what people used to call me, so I've told everyone to use my full name.

     "Just get going," she responds, and the three of us nod. I don't like being paired with Abigail, but I'll just have to deal with it. At least I have Prue.

     We make our way down the halls silently, none of us knowing what to say. Suddenly, Abigail speaks up.

     "So, Lena," she says, and I cringe. She knows not to call me that. "Where were you last night?"

     My heart stops for a moment as my brain scrambles to find an answer. "W-What?"

     "You weren't in the room at all last night. So, where were you?" She says in a mocking voice.

     Prue speaks up for me. "I'm sure that isn't any of your business, Abigail. Milena should be able to do what she wants without being interrogated."

     I turn to her and smile, silently thanking her for standing up to Abigail for me. I have no strength to do so myself.

     I can hear Abigail huff, and the rest of the journey to Belladonna's room is quiet. My mind is once again distracted by the fact that Harry never showed up to meet me last night. What could have possibly happened that made him change his mind about seeing me? Did I do something wrong?