Morning came, and I had gotten up, mounted my horse and headed back towards the city. Once I arrived in front of the castle, I un-mounted my horse. One of the guards was shocked by my arrival and accepted me with a warm welcome stating that the King will be happy to know that I have returned.
I walked inside once more, but this time the room was filled with guards from another country...
"You won't be able to meet King Dameo right now. He is in an important meeting with Scurland. They are here to create an alliance." He paused, looking around, then leaning forward to whisper in my ear, "I heard from the guards who were inside earlier, that young Prince Eithan was offered their princess, which is their only daughter of their family." He leans away.
We both walked a few steps towards the staircase.
"Why are you telling me this?" I aksed. It seemed uminportant for someone who was coming to work for the King...
He shook his shoulders and gave a slight smile.
A huge movement of solders were heard from the outside with the sound of a trumpet. Before I could ask if they were being attacked again, the guard pushed me back a few steps behind him, furthering from the path we were walking to go up the staircase. I was about to ask what he was doing after he pushed me back, but was silenced by the several guards entering with a young lady with a long flowing gown...
The lady was obviously part of some royal family. She looked through the crowd and smiled, well at least until she saw me. As she walked up the staircase, the guard that had pushed her back bowed and then turned to face me again once she had reached the top of the staircase.
"Is that the girl?" I asked.
The guard nodded. "Jelouse?"
I laughed. "Why would I be―"
The sound of something breaking was heard. The guard ran up the staircase and so did others. After wondering what was going on, and the traffic of the guards/soldiers ceased, I walked up, making sure to just slid in, and not be noticed to much.
I reached the second floor, then leaned against the wall beside the room they were all in.
"What do you mean by 'there was another lady here in the castle?'" Prince Eithan's voice shattered the silence.
"Is she your wife?" The lady persisted, in an angry tone.
Eithan dismissed the question. "What did she look like?"
The lady had a fit and ran across the room to hit him, then left the room running...Until she saw me.
"Argh! You? Who are you? Are you his wife?" She yelled, pointing at Eithan.
Eithan, not being able to see me, walked out in a hurry. The moment he saw me, his face was clearly outraged.
"What are you doing here, 'Nina'?" He hissed, disapprouving the fact that I had returned.
The lady walked off in a drama tantrum way and left the caslte. Her father had went slowly after her.
The King, hearing my 'name' came out as quick as he could.
"Nina? Where were you? I have been looking for you. I'm sorry if the attack the other time you came scared you, but that is something you will have to deal with if you are to work for me."
I bowed and smiled. "Yes, I understand. I'm sorry for leaving. But, I am willing to work right this time." I stated.
The lady and her father had returned shortly after my reply. After getting their names, they wanted to clear everything out. To avoid all the guards hearing, they closed the door behind us.
In the tall white walls, were there was one table, where Dameo was sitting, and then there was chairs on the other side for the Lady, Saren, and her father, Markus. I had to stand, and so did the prince, beside the king.
"I'll take the liberty of explaining, father. Spare yourself from making your throat dry from such a silly subject." He started. "This is Nina, our newest worker here in the castle. She is still rather new―which is why she isn't used to wearing her customary uniform."
The lady seemed relived to hear this.
"Oh, well if that's all, then you will have no problem marring my daughter, my gift to your kingdom to have accepted our new alliance." Markus replied.
I turned my head to my right to find Prince Eithan smiling.
"Oh, but you see she isn't ONLY my worker..." He started, grabbing me suddenly and pressing his lips to mine.
My eyes wide open during his blissful kiss must have made me look dumb. The prince, son of the King I plan to kill with my rebellion clan, had just kissed me. Well, that didn't just complicate things.
His lips parted from mine.
Then the idea hit me. He probably didn't want to marry Saren, therefore he kissed me. Surely, that was the answer for his action.
"You have the audacity to insult us, Dameo? The audacity to think that I will give away my daughter to someone who already had a wife planned in his mind?" Markus half-yelled.
The king, looking incredibly shocked and mad, shook his head. "I had no idea." He paused. "If I had known..." He half mumbled to himself.
Markus took the paper they had both signed, symbolising their alliance and tore it in half.
"There is no alliance between us."
He took his daughter by her arm and they left, their guards following.
Dameo stood up, clearly pissed off towards his son for breaking the alliance he was trying so hard to make. He got up and walked towards the exit, to un-hilt a long sword that was hanged on the wall for display.
Eithan shook his head.
"Father, there is nothing going on between us." Eithan stated, taking a few steps back and reaching for his own weapon.
"Then why did you kiss her?" Dameo raged.
Eithan grimaced.
"Unlike you, I don't want to marry someone I have plans of divorcing awhile later."
Dameo and Eithan's swords clash.
They fought.
I stood near the exit, readying my leave and to make a run for it.
A wooden stick was thrown to the wall right beside me.
"You cannot leave me again, Nina." Dameo stated, putting away his sword, as the words of his Prince must have finally registered in his mind.
I cringed as he spoke those words.
He moves closer, intertwining his poisonous hand with mine.
"You are special to me." He whispers, in my ear.
It took me everything I had not to punch him and run.
My eyes were not drawn to Dameo but to Eithan. He seemed very unpleased about his father's action and the moment he caught me looking, he looked away.
"I am only a servant to you." I reminded him.
Dameo laughed. "For now."
I smiled a fake smile and Dameo walked out of the room.
I wanted to leave also, but the presence of Eithan made me stay in place. He didn't move, he was looking at something outside.
"Go. You can't stay here." He paused. "Stay, and you will wind up dead."
I sighed. That's all he's ever told me, hasn't he? He's warned me last time I was here, and he is warning me again.
"No."
Eithan turned around, his face full of anger. "Why not? What is keeping you here? Leave! Plan from outside this castle!"
"What is keeping me here? Nothing. But where else do I have to go? I leave, he looks for me, I leave and he will eventually find me and kill me suspecting me of some treason."
Eithan couldn't deny this.
He walked away.
***
The maid from before had come into my new sleeping chambers now that I was living inside the castle of darkness. She came with the bruises on her arms and a change of clothing.
"Put this on, it is time to start setting up for dinner." She had stated, leaving the clothes on the edge of my bed, then leaving.
I picked up the clothing with my hands to realize that the outfit was very revealing... Short maid skirt and low v-cut top.
I put it on then make my way downstairs towards the kitchen. I join up with the three others who were each doing a different task.
"Go and put this on the table. Bigger utensils on the outside, smaller towards the inside." The previous maid had told her.
I didn't really know which was suppose to go where, but I just did what I was told and hoped that the girl didn't have a distaste of me. When I was finished with the table settings, Eithan had walked inside, followed by his father. Eithan did not glance my way. He just sat down quietly. His father on the other hand, had smiled at me and greeted me. Trying not to roll my eyes at his dumb fake actions, I walk outside of the room as another employee comes to warn them that the dinner isn't quite ready until 5 minutes from now...
As I walked into the kitchen, the same girl meetted me and asked if I could bring the plates into the dinning room and put the plates in front of them. I nodded.
Once again, I walked into the room where Eithan and Dameo were in. Conscious of Dameo's perverted eyes on mine, I couldn't help but do something that will inflict him pain and a few moments of freedom from his dirty gaze. What did I do, you wonder? Well, after placing Eithan's plate in front of him, his eyes only glancing for a second at mine before returning to the ignore switch, I walked gracefully behind Eithan to get closer to King Dameo's seat, where, upon reaching the little corner of the table, I 'accidentaly' bump into it, and dropping the plate on half of the table, allowing it to smash into pieces on the table, but most importantly, some pieces managed to hit Dameo's face and arms, cutting him. Inflicting little pain to the amount he truly deserves.
Eithan's eyes automaticly turn on me, his gaze a true warning for me to leave immediately or to apologize.
Of course, I couldn't form the words of apology to him. Instead, I just stood there, trying really hard not to smile a triumphful grin.
The maid who had sent me back in this room, immediately came out, a gaze of complete rage was directed towards me, then towards Dameo.
Dameo's hand was raised for the maid to stop, as she was walking toward him to take out the pieces of glass. She stopped immideatly.
"Nina, I never thought of you as the clumsy type." He stated, taking a piece of glass out of his arm without even wincing. His eyes still meeting hers, he smiles and adds "Eithan's mother was that type of person as well."
Chills went through my spine. I did not want him to mix me up with Eithan's mother. I was nothing like her. I wasn't the clumsy type. My actions, which I hoped to bring a distance between the way he looks at me, became even stronger. I shudder once more and make my way to leave towards the kitchen.
His hand wrapped around mine and stopped me in my tracks.
"Please, eat with us, Nina." He stated.
My gaze lands upon Eithan's, who is clearly unhappy about this request from his father.
"I cannot eat with you, I'm sorry." I replied.
Dameo's glances at Eithan then back towards me. "And why is that, my dear?"
"Because I would prefer to eat with the maids and other employees you have here," I pause, thinking of why I would want to be with them, " to get familiar with them." I add almost two seconds later.
Dameo shakes his head. "You'll have time to do that during your work tomorrow."
I reel slightly, mentally, getting a very bad feeling about this. I had no choice in the matter. I was going to have to eat with my dear enemy and play nice. Something I wasn't sure if I could do. Something I needed to do absolutely.