Save for the time that a few servants came to prepare a bath for her and bring her food, Czarina hadn't been visited by anyone else since her return. It was only her dog who kept her company, moving around the room, yipping softly and sniffing everywhere. Czarina kept on heaving small sighs, busying herself with picking at her nails.
She was laying in her bed, her head hanging off its edge when she heard a series of beeps. She raised her head and saw that it was her laptop, informing her of an incoming call. Her dog growled lowly and she shushed him, getting out of the bed. She moved to the table where her laptop was sitting on and dropped into the chair that was in front of the table. Czarina tapped on to the circular photos that were on the laptop's screen, accepting the call. The screen darkened before two faces appeared on the screen, divided into squares, her own face a tiny square at the bottom of the screen.
The first girl beamed at Czarina, the light behind her bright blue hair surrounding her like a halo. "Czar! You're back!" she cried out, dramatically throwing her arms up.
Czarina rolled her eyes, pulling her feet onto the chair, sitting Indian style. "Hey Mauvine. Didn't miss you," she droned, tucking her hand under her chin after she placed her elbows on the table, her expression bored.
The other girl snorted. "That makes the two of us." Her eyes shifted slightly to the left, meaning that she was viewing Mauvine who was trying to make an upset face. She failed, her weak frown fizzling into a smile.
"Why do the both of you hate me?" she complained in a funny voice.
Czarina exhaled sharply through her nostrils. "It's because you suck at everything. Even laughing."
Mauvine threw her head back and laughed lightly with a series of snorts, affirming Czarina's words. The other girl rolled her dark brown eyes.
"Anyway... we just decided to give you a call Czar, to check up on you." She folded her arms. "So... how are you?"
"Do I look okay to you? How do you expect me to feel at the end of each term? Happy?" she said through her teeth.
"Well..." The girl scratched the back of her head. "I just wanted to ask." She shrugged. "That's all."
"Well don't because I don't want to be a "sappy story,"" she said, using air quotes. "Don't say another word about it otherwise I'm cutting this call and going back to being bored."
Mauvine leaned closer to her laptop, her braces visible as she said, "no you're not."
Czarina quirked an eyebrow. "What?"
Mauvine motioned at her face. "Your face looks... red. Were you just masturbating and we'd cut you short?"
The other girl gasped and then she groaned, slapping her forehead. "Mauvine! Don't ask questions like that!"
"Ew. Why will you say such a thing?"
"Because... um... your cheeks look kind of... red. Like, really, really, really red."
At once, her hands flew to her cheeks. Her eyes went wide and then her shock vanished into thin air in a matter of seconds. She cocked her head, her hair falling to the side as she folded her hands on top of the table.
"And if I'm blushing, how does that concern you?"
Mauvine shrugged. "Well you're the type of girl that rarely gets flustered and—"
"And what Mauve? Do I look like one of those stupid girls from sappy romcoms?"
Farina blew air out of her mouth, gently scratching an inch that was in her silver-coloured cornrows with the tip of her finger. "Well that's a way to put it."
Czarina's eyes followed the motion of Farina's finger. Soon, she grimaced in irritation. "Eww. Can't you like... stop scratching that? It's disgusting."
Farina dropped her hand and tilted her head to the side. "It's not easy to keep cornrows without having an itch or two, especially when your natural hair is thick, coarse, stubborn and full." She folded her arms and leaned back. "Go ask a black person or someone who is of an African descent and they'd tell you the same thing if you'd say that to them. Besides, it's really hard to wash one's hair when its been braided with extensions, especially when it's been styled into cornrows."
Czarina scoffed. "So what. I should start moving from one freaking servant to another to ask them—" She stopped, her face heating up as she remembered Lulana.
Her friends caught on and they shot forward, practically pressing their faces into their computer screens.
"OMG!" Mauvine shrieked, loudly clapping her hands. "You have a crush on someone!"
Czarina's face reddened and Farina lifted a brow. "Is it just me or are you just falling hard?"
Mauvine slammed her hands on the table before her, her green eyes wide like two giant saucers. "Czarina spill. How long has it been? And who is it? Where did you meet them? Or—" She wiggled her eyebrows. "Or is it just a summer fling?"
Czarina gave them no reply. She fiddled with her fingers, averting her gaze. A small frown was on her face as she thought, what will they think if I tell them? Ugh, I don't have time for some useless, boring drama. She was caught in her own mind until one of them coughed loudly.
Farina wiggled her brows. "Well, we're still waiting."
Czarina stayed quiet for a few seconds before she huffed. She tried to say her mind but she found it difficult,the words seeming like they were bombs ready to explode, puffing her cheeks. Soon, she gave up and threw her hands up, making a sound that sounded like half a groan and half a sigh.
"It's one of the servants!" she confessed, her voice unintentionally rising.
Her friends stayed quiet for a bit before Farina chuckled lightly. "You're joking right?" Czarina frowned at her with red cheeks and Farina gasped, palming her forehead. "You're not joking. Shit."
Mauvine frowned sadly. "What will your mother say? In fact, have you even told her that you prefer pussy cats to cocks?"
"Well that's one way to put it."
Czarina slightly tilted her head and puckered her lips in an unamused manner. "And what do you think I should say when my mother keeps insulting my half uncle every second she gets, meanwhile he's married to one of the richest men on earth?" She scoffed and took her gaze away from the screen. She heard one of them let out a sigh.
"And how do you intend to go about this crush?" she heard Farina ask, her voice firm. "Do you even know anything about her because judging from what I've heard, Yumboes give up their past life after they—"
"Her name is Lulana," Czarina quickly said, glaring at Farina from the corner of her eyes. "And those don't matter. Past or no past, I have feelings for her. Either way... I'm going to make her mine."
Farina snorted. "And how do you intend to do that? Take up a contract with her? Apparently, you can't do that one because she's currently contracted to your father." Farina snapped her fingers and leaned back. "Oh, and by the way, how do you intend to even date her when—"
"Stop running your mouth. You're irking me," she hissed through her teeth.
Farina huffed and rolled her eyes. "Sorry. I was just trying to advise you."
"And that's why you're supposed to be back in Mairborough ASAP."
Mauvine exhaled gently, her shoulders drooping. "Well I can't just do that Czar. My school's purposefully annoying and likes delaying lots of things. Example, our results." She sighed and shook her head. "So my return to Mairborough will be in a week or two."
Czarina scoffed. "That long?" She rolled her eyes. "Boring," she said in a singsong voice, dragging out the word.
"Same here. My school is like that one stick that's always stuck in a butthole. They intentionally do things just to annoy students. My arrival will be like in three weeks or so. But definitely before the Auster Festivals begin."
Mauvine began to nod rapidly. "Yep! Wouldn't miss that for the world." She held her chin. "Say, Czar are you participating in this year's racing?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "Don't know. It depends on how everything turns out this year."
Farina hummed lightly. She was about to say something when her screen suddenly turned blank. Czarina scoffed loudly.
"She can't even charge her laptop?" she remarked, raising a brow.
Mauvine sighed. "I don't think it's because of that Czar. Maybe... something turned up?" Czarina rolled her eyes and she shook her head. She raised her fist to her mouth and used it to stifle a yawn. "Well, it's time for me to leave. Bye." She wiggled her fingers at Czarina and Czarina returned hers with a stiff wave of her hand. Soon Mauvine disconnected the call and the screen went blank.
Czarina blew out a breath and dropped her legs. She stood, stretching her arms above her head. Czarina turned around and noticed that her dog was sleeping peacefully in her bed. She exhaled lightly, tilting her head to the side as she moved to her bed. All was silent as she climbed into her bed and snuggled up with her dog. It's eyes peeled open the slightest before it nuzzled her face and continued sleeping.
For what felt like mere seconds, Czarina napped beside her dog, only to wake up when someone loudly banged the doors with their fists, seeming like they were beating a drum with their bare fists. Czarina threw her eyes open and grunted. Her chest became tight with irritation as she sat up and threw the blanket off her body. Her dog was barking at the doors as she jumped out of the bed.
"Who the freak is it?!" she roared in anger, marching to the does with pounding footsteps.
"Take a wild guess Your Highness," the person said in a cool voice, making Czarina freeze on the spot.
She passed her fingers through her hair and continued on to the door when the banging started again. She picked up the keycard that was on the table which was beside the double doors and used it to open the door. The doors clicked open and she held onto its handles and turned, pulling the doors open. Once the door was fully open, she came face-to-face with a tall, young man who shared her russet-coloured hair, eyes the colour of fire and skin as fair as the first light of day.
The young man smirked and gave a mock bow. "Well, well. Her Royal Highness is back." He straightened his back and jerked up a brow. "Will Your Highness please let me in?"
Czarina gave her brother a cold look before she stepped aside and let him in. When she shut the door, she turned to face him. Crossing her arms with a pissed off expression, she watched as her brother dropped onto her chaise lounge and threw his booted legs onto it, rubbing mud all over it. Within her, she boiled like a pot of bubbling hot oil, pressing her fingers into her arm as her brother rested his face against his palm, giving her a smug look.
"What are you doing here Vladimir?" she asked coldly, narrowing her eyes.
"I came to make sure that Your Majesty had a safe trip," he said in a laid-back manner, flipping her dog off when it growled at him.
"And how do you benefit from that?"
"Oh, I do actually. To make sure that you still have that your favour in tact."
Czarina stiffened, her breath thinning out. "A-and... why do you want it now?" she questioned in a weak voice, blinking rapidly.
Vladimir snorted loudly. "You can't read Czar, so at least know how to talk properly or your existence is going to be meaningless in this world." He huffed and flipped his shoulder length curly hair back. He threw his head back in thought. "Hmm... I want you to quit."
"What?"
"Quit." He looked into her eyes and scoffed. "Do you not know what that is or do I have to spell it to you?"
Czarina regained her furious look. "That isn't freaking necessary and I meant to quit what exactly? Surely there isn't anything that I have that you wan—"
"The game," he said in a dry voice, his face blank. "Give up on the game and don't compete in anything."
"Why?" She took a step forward. "Why will you think in your wildest dreams that I'd do that?"
"Do it." He stood and strode to his sister. He leaned into her face and pressed his lips to her ear. "Do it or I'm telling Mum and Dad about how you orgasm to the image of nude women," he said in a dark voice, his hot breath grazing her ear like flames.
Czarina shut her eyes, trying to contain the shudder that shook her body, her nostrils flared. She opened her eyes and looked into her brother's eyes. "No."
Vladimir raised a brow and leaned back, a lopsided smile on his face. "Well... sooth yourself. When you're stripped of your life, then you'll think twice about what you've—or rather who you've chosen to screw with—" He stopped and snorted, a mocking smirk on his face. "Can you even screw?"
Czarina huffed loudly and pointed at the doors. "Out."
Vladimir slowly shook his head and stepped to the doors, her eyes on him. He was about to push the doors open when someone knocked on it. He didn't regard the person and threw the double doors open mid-knock. Czarina's eyes widened as she saw Lulana, her heart skipping a beat.
Vladimir clicked his tongue. "Get out of my way you pig or I'm going to bury you in the pool of your own blood." Vladimir shouldered her out of his way and walked out.
Lulana stayed put, her face blank as she said, "you can't bury one in a pool Sir, you drown them."
Vladimir stopped walking and Czarina inched closer to the door as he turned and marched back to her room, his features one of pure rage. "Why you old—"
"Vladimir," Czarina heard someone say firmly and Vladimir stopped. Czarina looked over her brother's shoulder and spotted her father. He was in his work attire and must have just returned. He was frowning calmly when he said, "continue with what you were about to do and you'll surely regret it." He shifted his eyes to his daughter. "Lulana return to your duties, Czarina come with me."
Author's Note: yes, another chapter. Please leave your thoughts and remember to vote and share and love and stay safe and WEAR A FLIPPING MASK!!! ;]