Chapter Three
I wake to the covers being yanked off of me, exposing my near-naked body to the cool temperature of the room. Startled by the sudden unveiling, I instinctively pull my knife from its hiding place beneath my pillows, holding it in front of me to use if necessary. “Who is it?” I demand a moment before my eyes focus on the perpetrator.
The servant stands with her hands on her hips in all of her three-foot-tall glory, thoroughly unimpressed by my reaction. Her pale green complexion shines in the sunlight that pours in through the now-abandoned windows, her frog-like face sporting a bemused expression. “Who else would it be? Now put that thing away if you do not plan to utilize it and get up. It is nearly noon and you are still in bed, what a disgrace.” She shakes her bare head and turns away from me, walking towards the bathroom to warm a towel for my shower as usual.
I sigh with relief that it’s only Aita that disturbed me and not someone more menacing. As I tuck the weapon back beneath the pillows, I notice that Ascian is nowhere to be seen. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, since he tends to disappear for a few hours around this time of the morning anyway, and is rarely still present when I wake.
I yawn and make to stand, sticking my cold feet in the plush slippers that await me by the side of the bed. Though there are a dozen rooms in the estate home that could be used, Ascian typically stays the night in this room with me, so there are two separate closets with clothes for each of us. Aita makes her way towards the one that houses my garments and begins routing through them, selecting whatever outfit she was instructed to provide me with.
It’s hard for me to remember now, but when I was first brought to live here, I think this room was originally Acian’s, to begin with. The furniture is constructed of dark stained wood, and the chair seats and duvet set are made of navy blue velvet with gold thread trim. There is hardly any feminine touch to the decor to speak of, though the gold accents to the furniture and wallpaper make it more bearable. If I were to bring up the thought of redecorating, I do not doubt that Ascian would say something sullen about me not appreciating his taste again.
Aita scoffs at me from the doorway, making her swift exit after completing her chores with me. “You are always so slow to rise. If you need anything, you know where to find me,” She closes the door, leaving me with a serving tray of hot tea and some freshly made scones that she deposited on a table on the far side of the room by the windows.
I sit at the small table, enjoying the warmth of the now present sunlight, soaking it into my skin and wishing that it would provide me with enough energy to get through the day. After basking quietly for a moment, I pour myself a cup of tea from the black and gold decorated pot into the matching teacup, dutifully ignoring the sugar cubes that are laid out for me to use. Everything here is so sweet already that I’ve gotten accustomed to scorning the taste of sugar, but that’s just how the Fae are. They love all things sweet and have a strange obsession with cream, too. You can imagine Ascian’s dismay when he found out about my lactose intolerance, but he’s adapted to it.
I sip on my tea and nibble on a blueberry scone, wondering where Ascian goes when he does leave me alone. It isn’t that I’m lonely, I enjoy my moments of peace by myself, but I’m curious by nature. I know better than to ask him about his business outright, though. He doesn’t keep very much from me, so I try to respect his privacy when he does conduct certain activities by himself. I would probably find whatever he does in these times grotesque or even traumatizing the majority of the time, anyway.
Not as if he respects my privacy, but whatever.
I finish my breakfast and head to see what clothes Aita was instructed to lay out for me today. She has brought the dress that I am to wear later and dressed a mannequin with a similar figure to mine in it. I scan it up and down, pleasantly surprised that it isn’t completely distasteful. Content with the ballgown, I turn my attention to the clothes that are folded neatly on the velvet-covered cushion of a bench seat in the center of the walk-in closet.
As for the garment for the time remaining until then, there is a pair of dark blue jeggings, a black and gold belt, and a black knit sweater for me to adorn. It looks like I’m free to do what I want until later this evening when we’re going to the castle for the birthday party of Ascian’s brother, judging from the relaxed attire.
I only have to see him once each year for the same event, but I shiver at the thought of having to be around the Prince. He is insanely jealous of the fact that I belong to his brother, who, in Vespertine’s eyes, is far inferior to him. Many of the Fae who sneak into our home at night in attempts to assassinate Ascian and rob him of me are sent by Vespertine, and since they are all sent back to him as corpses, I can imagine how furious he must be that Ascian can keep me from him. If it weren't for the chance that Ascian found me before his half-brother, I would have undoubtedly become the Pet of the Unseelie Prince, instead.
The thought makes me shudder and hold my arms against my chest as if they can protect me from the idea. That would be a truly miserable existence.
I head to the bathroom to take my morning shower, grateful for the steaming streams of water against my cold skin. Fae don’t need to shower since their natural scent is pleasant and their skin is always clean, though Ascian insisted on installing a proper shower for me to use when he brought me to live here. He takes care of me thoroughly, and even sends servants in disguising Glamour back and forth between this realm and the human one to purchase necessities for me. Being a human woman, I require different care than Fae females and humans know how to care for me the best. Fae women don’t have menstrual cycles, for example, or have acne breakouts or even curly hair to take care of.
I get to wear human-made clothing and use human hair care products tailored for my textured locks, use makeup that is designed for humans with my skin tone, and Ascian requests that I use a specifically scented body wash and lotion, which I’ve long since grown tired of. Since different currencies are used between this realm and the human one, I don’t know how he purchases these things and I don’t bother asking. There are a lot of things that he does that I’m content not knowing the details of.
After I shower and get dressed, I pull my long hair back into a french braid. I didn’t have to wash it today, so I’m free to go about my business without going through my haircare routine. I leave my face bare of makeup until later, and decide to pull on a pair of boots to keep my feet warm over my socks, since Ascian has yet to install some sort of heat source.
Tossing my braid over my shoulder, I tramp over to the bed and retrieve my dagger from beneath the pillows, slipping it into the boot of my dominant foot. The ornately decorated knife was a present that Ascian gave me several years ago to protect myself with, in the rare event that he isn’t around to do so himself. I’ve never had to use it on a Fae, but I’ve practiced on many wooden beams since receiving it, which seems to make Ascian happy.
From experience, I know that we will have to leave in a few hours to make it to Vespertine's castle in time for the party, as we live in a remote location that’s surrounded by forest. That means that I can do essentially whatever I please until Ascian returns and gives me instructions to get ready. A smile creeps onto my face at the realization and I immediately head towards the door with vigor.
I make my way through the hallway and down the massive staircase towards the doors that lead outside. I don't run into any other servants, since they are all busily going about their jobs to avoid Ascian's wrath if they are done improperly. I slink out the door of the Great Room and edge my way around the side of the estate home, careful not to accidentally run into the Gardener. He's never friendly and I have reason to believe that the only reason he hasn't butchered me yet is that Ascian would do the same to him tenfold, should he touch even a hair on my head.
When I near the garden on the East side of the mansion, I can hear the low, guttural voice of the Gardener on the other side of the hedges as he mutters irritably to himself.
I make haste and dive behind some rose bushes to avoid him, careful not to rustle the leaves of the plants. I breathe lightly through my nose and peek through the bush to watch his cloven feet as he tramps by, pushing a wheelbarrow ahead of him. Judging by the scent that follows him, I am grateful to say that the manure in the barrow is strong enough to mask my presence from his keen nose. I'm safe, this time.