My eyes shifted to the wall before I used my powers to extinguish the flames of the candles. 'I can worry about that tomorrow.'
By the time morning rolled around, Cassandra had managed to pull my body on top of her own — her face happily buried in my neck as she slept. 'Lovebug,' I internally cooed at the scene, trying to pull away as carefully as I can without waking her. 'But, she's a light sleeper.' Cassandra's grip tightened when I moved, a warning growl leaving her. 'And very possessive.'
"Lovebug," I whispered while placing light kisses across her face. "I have to get up."
"No," Cassandra growled before moving us onto our sides, making it easier for her to keep me close. "Five more minutes."
"...You better be glad Isa and Hunter will cover for me."
"I will always win this and you know it."
"Shut up and go back to sleep," I laughed as she nuzzled into my neck. "Wait, Cass..."
"Hm?"
"Do you want to spend today with me? You'll get to spend the day with your mother too."
"...Five more minutes, babe."
I giggled and rolled my eyes, letting her drift off to sleep once more. Once five minutes flew by, I carefully pried her arms off of my body and sat up, a quiet hiss leaving me at how sore I felt. 'Let's fix that real quick,' I internally grumbled, watching as the air around my body appeared to ripple before the soreness disappeared. 'Much better!'
After getting out of bed, I made my way over to the window and shifted the curtain enough to look out the glass, taking note of the damage done. 'I see Isa's already awake and fixing the damage,' I internally sighed as I watched the figure in the garden easily lift half a tree branch onto their shoulder to make moving it easier. 'Can't you just wait for me or Hunter to help you? You're gonna make yourself sick. And turn me into an overly worried older sister.'
I moved away from the window and placed a gentle kiss on Cassandra's head, slipping over to the closet to grab a new uniform. After getting dressed — choosing to wear a suit today — I left our room and began the path to the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, I sent a smile to Hunter before waltzing passed her and taking the bottle of wine from Bela.
"Thank you, lady Bela," I hummed and turned on my heel. "Oh, and by the way..."
"Hm?"
I leaned close to her and kept my voice low, pointing at Hunter a moment later. "Your mother is giving Hunter Tuesday off."
"Why are you telling me that?"
"...Bela Dimitrescu..."
"Okay, okay!" She whispered with a pout. "...I'll... I'll think of something — thanks."
"It's what friends are for. Now after giving this to your mother, I'm gonna let Dani know where she can watch Isa from."
"...They do realize that it's freezing outside, it stormed last night, and the sun still hasn't come up yet, right?"
"Still not convinced they're half human," I sighed and walked off.
As I walked through the halls and to the lady's room, I would glance out the windows in hopes of seeing Isa again and making sure they weren't overworking themself. I stopped outside the lady's room and slowly opened her door, noticing she was already awake and dressed. With a frown on my face, I made my way over to her and opened the wine bottle.
"Does Isa sleep?"
"To my knowledge," I responded as I poured her a glass of wine. "Did they wake you and help you get dressed today?"
"I was already awake and heard them up and cleaning," The lady hummed before taking a sip of wine. "So I asked them to help me before asking them to clean up what they could around the grounds until the others woke up and took over."
"And I watched them drag a tree branch out of the garden..."
"Your uncle must've been pretty upset about last night."
I smirked at her reflection — that showed her smirking before she took another sip of wine. "That was your plan all along, wasn't it?"
"No one threatens my daughter's happiness. Ancient god or not."
"...I see why my mother trusts you so much with her children," I laughed. "What shall I do today?"
"I was going to give you the day off, but seeing as the storm caused more damage than Isa initially expected, we will need all the help we can get."
"I understand — I'll help Hunter finish breakfast then switch shifts with Isa, let them eat and warm up inside before we finish cleaning up outside."
"That's why you're the head maid," Lady Dimitrescu chuckled before facing me. "About last night... I will let it slide — and I'll let you know something. As long as you can plan those... activities around when I'll be out of the castle, you can do them."
"Thank you, my-," I chuckled when she cleared her throat, lifting my gaze to lock eyes with her. "Thank you, mother, you won't regret this."
'I gotta admit,' A voice sighed in my head as I left lady Dimitrescu's office, startling me slightly. 'Hearing you call someone else 'mother' has wounded me — but since it was Alci, I'll let it slide.' I internally laughed with my mother, slowing my pace and glancing around before slipping into a spare room.
"Hi, mom," I smiled at the woman tending to the flowers in the window. "When'd you get here?"
"Not too long ago," She hummed before turning to face me. "I wanted to make sure the seal gets fixed properly."
"So Hekate's here too?"
"She's working with Miranda currently, but yes. She asked me to check on you kids — mostly Hunter..."
"Hunter's doing just fine — the ladies have been very sweet and accepting, as I knew they would. She doesn't need to worry about the ladies-."
"And what about the maids?"
"They're always dealt with right away, don't worry."
Persephone hummed before making her way over to me and planting a kiss on my forehead, allowing me to relax for a moment. I leaned into her as she hugged me, letting my eyes flutter shut. 'Always so calming to be around,' A yawn slipped out of me while her fingers traced circles on my back. '...Wait a minute — if that was the only reason she was here, then why hasn't she left yet?'
'You noticed,' My mother giggled in the back of my mind. 'It's the only way to keep everyone in the castle safe until the seal is restored. This gives me the chance to speak with Cassandra and prepare her for your aunt while you clean up!' I smiled at her words before pulling away from the hug and nodding, guiding her out of the room and to the kitchen.
"Cass won't be up for a few more minutes, so while you wait, I guess you can chat with me and Hunter while we cook!"
"Add me to that," Isa breathed as they shrugged off their coat. "The wind chill is even bothering me — there's no way humans can go out in that."
"Let lady Dimitrescu know then — it'll give you time to warm up before joining us."
Isa walked off with a nod, letting me focus on making breakfast with Hunter. Neither of us batted an eye when my mother decided to join and make the process faster. When Isa returned to join, we finished setting the last plate on the cart, shocking them into stillness.
"Hey, mind helping them take this to the dining hall while I gather up the ladies?"
"Sure," They muttered as I kissed their forehead and slipped out of the kitchen. "No problem — how did you all finish so fast?!"
"You're not the only one capable of manipulating fire!" I called before taking off to the library.
'Dani first — she can grab Bela for me,' I thought before checking the library, frowning when I didn't see her in there. 'Odd.' I made my way to lady Daniela's room after that — glad it wasn't terribly far from the library. I knocked on the door, opening it a moment later when I didn't get a response.
"Dani?" I called before making my way over to her bed. "You okay?"
"No," She sniffled, pulling her blanket further over her head. "...I miss holding them. This is torture! I hate this! I hate them!"
"Dani-."
"I was finally moving on and they had to show their stupid, attractive face again!" She sobbed, breaking my heart. "I wish they'd just leave..."
'...This isn't Dani — she'd never react that way,' I frowned and turned her to face me, noticing the conflict in her eyes. "Dani, when was the last time you had blood?"
"Dinner."
"How long have you been awake?"
"...All night..."
"With no blood?"
Daniela nodded weakly before a gasp left her and she sat up, her eyes wide with fear. "Isa..."
My head snapped to Isa — who was holding a glass of wine and a plate of food in their hands. "What are you-?"
"I... Didn't know I was hurting you that much," Isa breathed and carried the plate and glass over. "I'll uhm... I'll try to stay away from you from now on. I-if I have to, I'll leave the castle. I'm sorry."
Isa left in a hurry, causing Daniela to glare at her lap. 'Those were her internal feelings,' I frowned and brushed a strand of hair behind Daniela's ear. 'How long has she felt like this? I thought she was happy they were back... Was I wrong? Does she really want to move on from them?'
Daniela grabbed my suit jacket and pulled me close, burying her face in my jacket as she sobbed out apologies to the long-gone Isa. I sighed and wrapped my arms around her, rubbing her back slowly. 'Maybe she just needed to get those thoughts out? I remember that being an issue last time — both finding it difficult to communicate their negative feelings.'
"I'll talk to them," I whispered after she calmed down. "Stay here and eat and rest, okay? Don't worry, I'm not going to let you both stay upset."
"I didn't... I don't..."
"I know, I know, and they will too. Those were your initial thoughts, right?"
"Mhm... I never wanted them! I-I've always loved Isa," She muttered with a frown. "I was just... So confused and conflicted when they came back-!"
"I know, Dani," I hummed and pulled away from the hug. "No need to explain to me. Now, I'm gonna wake Cassandra, okay? If you need me, just yell."
Daniela nodded and let me move away from her bed, making me send her a smile before I left her room. After shutting Daniela's door, I began the path to mine and Cassandra's room, smiling to myself as I remembered last night. I lifted a hand to my neck, brushing my fingers over the marks Cassandra left. 'Thank the gods neither of our mothers mentioned these.'
I opened my door and slipped inside, nearly skipping over to Cassandra's sleeping form. With a smile, I sat on the edge of our bed and leaned down, placing light kisses across her cheek. Cassandra purred at the action as her eyes fluttered open, a smile spreading across her face when she saw me.
"It's been longer than five minutes, hasn't it?"
"Oh, way longer."
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next chapter will be in persephone's pov 🤫 which means you all don't get to see y/n helping Isa understand why dani said all of that (unless you all want that then i'll add it in)