Beautifully Invisible #Wattys2019

Chapter 1

"MAID!!" 

I hear as I'm rudely awoken. Unfortunately, I'm used to the Queen's blood curdling screaming in the morning. I groggily get up from my red mat on the familiar dirty tiled floor, making sure I don't fall on my face in my rush. I quickly put on my worn out burgundy dress made from the lowest of quality linens as I attempt to tie the back. The door suddenly swings open as I see the woman who's taken care of me since I was a baby. 

"Lily! Queen Madia is getting extremely frustrated, you better get out there!" She urges, tying my dress tightly for me. 

"I know, I know. I accidentally overslept," I say, ashamed of myself. 

"Don't get like that. That woman is crazy to expect you to work until 2:00 in the morning and magically wake up at 5:30." Vicky reasons with me. 

She always sticks up for me and talks sense into my closed mind when I need it. Even though she isn't my real mother, she might as well be. I never knew my parents and I've worked in the castle all my life. The second I could walk, I was immediately put to work. As I got older, the work became heavier and life became filled with dread as the years dragged on.

Vicky wraps a girdle around my waste whilst I put my shawl over my long, wavy, dirty blonde hair. As soon as we're done, I give Vicky a tight hug before rushing out the rusty door. 

"Good luck!" I hear vaguely as I scurry up the steep dark stairs that creak with every step. 

They've helped me to stay in shape, but I hate running. It's not my cup of tea. I'd much rather walk up the stairs, but that's a rare occasion. I'm always running around the castle, doing chores every five seconds. I push open the door at the top of the stairs, then run through the large hallway full of paintings of past kings and queens. 

"MAID!!" I hear for the second time, her voice becoming more agitated.

I finally make it to the throne room where the queen is located, obnoxiously sitting on her golden throne in her red and gold dress. King William sits on his own to the left of her with great posture. He wears a white suit with golden embroidery, showing his authority. She rolls her staggering green eyes as I stumble in, covering my eyes with the shawl. The queen forbade me to show my face to anyone, saying that no one should need to see my disgusting self. I've also heard that it's so gross that it can put a curse of death on anyone who looks upon it.

"Maid, what time is it?" She says in a calm tone of voice, talking to me as if I'm a child. 

"6:30, my queen." I reluctantly answer. 

She gets up from her velvet seat and stoops down to my level. 

"And, when are you supposed to wake up?" 

Here it comes... 

"5:30," I say, my voice shaking tremendously. 

"Do you think I have time to wake you up?" 

I don't answer. 

She grabs a belt, which is somehow always next to her throne, and raises it in the air. I close my eyes tightly as she gives me my first whipping of the day. I fall to the floor as the pain shoots through my back, making me arch my spine in agony. Even though I don't cry or scream any more, it still hurts.

And can you guess what the King is doing throughout all of this? Absolutely nothing! He just sits there and watches me suffer. He's an extreme doormat, especially when it comes to his wife. Right when she was going to whip the same spot on my back again, I hear the large door to the room creak open. This results with the queen hiding the belt behind the large skirt of her dress, as I stare at the red carpet that lays across the white marbled floor. She discretely kicks me, telling me to get up.