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11. Four Rooms

11

Four Rooms

Life in the palace wasn’t bad at all. It was infinitely larger than the four rooms that dictated her life in the mansion of her grandparents. From another perspective, one could say the palace was the same. Her four rooms just got a whole lot roomier and…hotter.

These past few days though have improved. She doesn’t have to wear a slip to survive, but an actual muslin dress without a corset. She could breathe and the air that enters the palace is finally cool. The leather-uniformed servants all looked less irate as they did their day-to-day. Something she didn’t think was possible by merely asking for the palace to have a cooler temperature.

There are a lot of differences between the mansion to the palace. She doesn’t have a nanny who spies on her or a grandmother who holds a whip as easily as if taming a horse. The phantom feels of leather against the back of her skin tingles less. Compared to the days she was in her grandparent’s territory.

She can’t help but wonder as the cool wind dances on her skin and the hem of her dress, if Lotir actually did it, her friend might be the reason why the palace is cool now. The Diamond Palace was quite literally that. A diamond palace that glittered and absorbed heat during the day, and retained its heat during the night.

But now, the ventilations are open, and everything is lighter and breezy. She found herself going past her usual rooms. Her life was more than the four rooms now. Now it has a garden, a library she doesn’t have to sneak into, a kitchen,… thirty bathrooms, and many countless rooms for many other things.

“You have no work today.”

She almost stumbles on her own feet. “What?”

Feina out of nowhere said beside her. Her hands folded meekly in front of her, which is her default, and how she always finds her. She smiled brightly. “You have no work today. The Prince has finished everything and ordered you to rest.”

Teetering from one foot to another, she suddenly felt light. The work grounded her as she always worked under her grandparent's supervision, whether it was to learn from a tutor or to maintain her image. Everything was a duty and work for her. Now… she didn’t have any, she felt light and untethered.

It scares her.

“I see” she sighed. Her chest didn’t stop fluttering in her chest as she thanked the gods for the fresh air that filtered into the room. She would have fainted from the shock of everything without the open ventilation. “I… suddenly don’t know what to do with myself”

Her room is filled with things she didn’t own or hasn’t owned in her past residence. All she had in her old mansion was a bed, a desk, a simple wardrobe, and herself. Some of the servants were vocal in comparing her room with theirs, but theirs had more life in it, more stuff.

Feina beamed like a second sun. “I think it's time for you to have that long walk in the garden. I recall that you wanted to have a long walk in the garden after Baron Deiter was pushing for his divorce to marry a twelve-year-old.”

The memory brought back the migraine she felt when Baron Deiter with his pompous flair and sagging neck placed the petition unceremoniously on her desk. The disrespect didn’t escape her, but she let him tattle his request for divorce and petitioned that a commoner’s young daughter replace his wife.

“As she is also human, I thought you would have the same sentiment. Human girls do have the best life in Draconian houses”

A draconic noble wants to marry a 10-year-old human girl.

The disgust made her stomach swirl again.

“I remember wanting to throw the papers back at his wrinkled face.” She sighed. “But it is returning to me that I wanted to see the newly bloomed flowers this season after the meeting that day”

“I think it’s the time to do so, but would you please give me time to prepare for such a walk.”

“No problem” she smiled as Feina bowed and she scampered out of the room like an excited rabbit. She laughed.

Countless rooms and a garden.

A walk-in closet.

Couches and a comfortable ornate desk.

She has a lot more now than she did a year ago.

Freedom is funny.

She held her parasol aloft in one hand. The muslin dress is swept by the cool breeze but doesn’t go past her knees. She tips back her parasol to let the sun touch her face and tries with all of her will to imagine her home.

The villa with the streaming sunlight in her mother’s solarium. The sound of her mother’s music and her father’s baritone laughter. She swears she could transport herself back in time if she tried hard enough.

“I see you’re enjoying your time, wife”

She opened her eyes, she didn’t even remember closing them. Her eyes immediately met the Prince’s piercing gaze. It brought a chill down her spine at the danger in it, even in his relaxed state he exuded nothing but danger and blood, especially now.

The prince is sitting comfortably in the same gazebo where she had tea with him and Lotir. His documents occupied where the tea was and in his hand was a pen and a cigar on the other. His hybrid aide Castler standing just a few steps behind him with papers in his arms.

She bowed deeply and saw Feina do the same in her periphery. “I’m sorry Your Highness if I bothered you. I didn’t know you were doing work here.”

“No, it’s fine” he flippantly gestures towards her in dismissal. “Enjoy your walk” Then he turned his attention back to breathe in his lit cigar and writing on his document.

Castler’s violet and blue eyes land on her and don’t leave her. He smiled at her fondly as she noticed more about him. He was close to the Prince’s height, but he was definitely leaner than him and paler. He looked eager to converse with her as he stepped towards her.

“I saw your work while the Emperor and the prince were absent.” He started. “your work is immaculate. I truly thought I would have to correct a great many things when we got back, but I hardly did anything other than ask the prince to pick up what he should be doing.”

There is a loud sigh behind Castler. “There seems to be a great many who don’t fear for their lives in front of me”

Sileas smiled. “I’m glad that you thought that way” she replied Castler and offered her hand. “I don’t think we have been formally introduced. I am Sileas”

Castler’s pale face turned scarlet. “Right! Ah forgive my rudeness, I was too excited to talk to you. I am Castler, Your Highness. His Majesty’s aide in everything concerning him. I don’t think we were able to meet during your wedding of the days proceeding that because of… a rising crisis I had to solve.”

Sileas shook her head. “No need. It’s alright, and truly I am relieved that you find my work adequate. I don’t mind doing the work, and I actually would like to offer you and his highness something.”

Castler tilted his head in interest. His odd eyes were pretty as everything about him is, if he is pretty then the prince is ruggedly handsome. The way he tilted his head now looks practiced to appeal to the person in front of him. “Do tell.”

“Enough” The gruff Eitr rumbled. Slamming his fist on the marble table, which earned everyone’s attention. “She isn’t supposed to work Castler. Let her be”

“another time then” She tried to ignore the blatant dismissal as she sidestepped away from Castler. “Thank you and it was nice meeting you.”

She left. It stung but it was miniscule compared to everything she has gone through. Her plans would just have to wait. Hopefully, not for long.

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