The Beauty in Pain | Book One of In Pain Trilogy *EDITING*

19. Match

"I see you know our lord's taste," the handmaid wiping the dirt from her hand continued. "But, if I may give a tip, m'lady, he hates it when the candles are out. He would much prefer the candles be lit."

Mynera opened one eye, peeking at her. "And why should I care?"

The handmaid hesitated for a moment, her cheeks pinkening. "Well, i-if you intend on pleasing him then ..."

Then it dawned on her what the handmaid was implying.

Rage rushed through Mynera with such force that she could almost feel her body trembling. She closed her eye again, resting her neck against the back of the tub, and tried her best not to quell the feeling. 

"Are you really insinuating that I am here to be Lord Ingstad's bedmate?" she asked, calmly. There was no need to scare her with her anger, especially since it was not directed at her.

"Y-you aren't?" the handmaid stammered.

Mynera huffed a mirthless laugh. She smiled to herself, though she wouldn't be surprised if it appeared as more of a sneer. Every inch of her longed to rush out this bedchamber and seek Lord Ingstad herself, just so she could speak her mind. But she knew very well that it would only put them in another precarious position if she dared to upset her host, and that fact only made her more upset. "You thought I was here to be his whore," she mumbled, her heartbeat racing with fury.

"P-please, forgive me, m'lady!" Mynera didn't need to open her eyes to know the handmaid's face was flushed with shame. The swiping motion she made with the cloth lost its rhythm as she continued to stutter. "I wasn't thinking! I just ... well, given Lord Ingstad's attitude of late and him telling us to pay special attention to you, we just thought ..."

"You just thought I was here to sell my body."

"I'm so sorry, m'lady!"

"Do not let it happen again. I will not have the help running around making a mockery of my name."

"Yes, m'lady!"

Mynera fell silent after that way too busy trying to keep her anger down to strike up another conversation. She knew she shouldn't blame them for thinking she was here to be Lord Ingstad's concubine, but that didn't tamper her rage. If anything, the fact that the help believed such a debasing thing about her made her want to punch something. Hell, if they believed a lady would do such a thing, then it would come as no surprise to them if Mynera were to put her fist into someone's face. Preferably their dear Lord Ingstad who made a habit of bedding guests in his manor. 

The handmaids made short work of washing and drying her hair. Mynera told them to leave as soon as they were done and they ran out like the devil himself was on their heels. That was just fine with Mynera. She could take care of the rest herself without hearing them apologize every two minutes.

Mynera quickly slipped on the dress. The bodice clung well enough to her bosom, keeping them upright, but then became wispy silk that swam around her legs. It wasn't the usual style she was used to in Typena, where she would wear far more layers to create a far more dramatic shape to her figure, but she liked it nonetheless. The airy nature of the dress reminded her of her time in Arcadia. She twisted her drying hair around into a tight chignon at the nape of her neck, using a dry cloth she'd found near the bath to pat away any rivulets of water that still ran down the back of her neck. Once that was done with, she left the bedchamber.

The halls were no easier to traverse as she'd thought they'd be. The manor wasn't as big as the King's castle, not even as big as Castle Antarian. But with bland stone walls and winding paths, she wondered if she'd ever find the dining hall. The fact that she came upon no servants to help lead the way made it more difficult and she started to regret being so curt with the handmaids earlier. At long last, she came upon large double doors that she hoped would be it.