Chapter 5: Wine and party announcement

The west wing was colder than the rest of the mansion—less used, less alive. I walked down the hallway with quiet steps, my wet hair sticking to the back of my neck.

Darius was waiting inside a lavish sitting room. He lounged across a velvet chaise, one leg hooked over the other, dressed in a wine-colored shirt that matched the crushed carpet beneath him.

He didn’t look up when I entered. Just sipped from a crystal glass, then set it down with a sigh.

“You’re late,” he said lazily.

“I came straight here,” I replied.

“Still late.”

I stood awkwardly near the door, unsure of what to do next.

He glanced up now, eyes glinting. “Relax. I’m not going to touch you, you certainly are not my type. Why will I want to be touching something as flat as wood."

I blinked, unsure if that was meant to comfort me.

Darius stretched, fingers lacing behind his head. “I’m not interested in you that way. You can stop flinching every time one of us looks at you.”

I didn’t respond.

He studied me for a beat longer, then waved a hand. “I need you to get me a bottle of Viellé Noire. 1867.”

I hesitated. “Those bottles are in the locked chamber. Only the old keys open it.”

“Then break it open.”

My eyes widened. “Break it?”

“Yes,” he said simply. “You can use something sharp. You’re clever, aren’t you? Or do I need to force it out of one of the other maids?”

My stomach dropped. “No. I’ll get it.”

“Good,” he said, turning away. “Don’t take too long. If you do, I might start getting... impatient. And when I’m impatient, I don’t stay nice.”

I didn’t wait for him to say more. I ran to the back of the house, where the storage rooms and hidden cellars were. My heart pounded. That chamber was forbidden. Even the older maids avoided it. But if I didn’t bring that wine, I knew Darius might do something worse—maybe not to me, but to someone else. I couldn’t risk that.

I grabbed a long metal fork from the kitchen. It was old but sturdy.

Once I reached the door to the chamber, I glanced around to make sure no one was watching. I knelt down and shoved the fork into the thin crack near the lock. I twisted and pulled, using all my strength. It didn’t move. I pushed harder, sweat dripping from my forehead. My hands were shaking, but I didn’t stop.

Finally, the lock gave a loud snap. The door creaked open.

Inside, the air was cold and dusty. Rows of wine bottles lined the shelves. I looked for the red bottle with the gold cap. I found it near the back, wrapped in cloth. I took it gently and hid it under my apron.

Then I closed the door and walked quickly back toward the garden where Darius had been waiting.

He was sitting on the stone bench, picking at the edge of his nail with a knife. When he saw me, he stood.

I handed him the wine.

He took it, turned it in his hand, then pulled the cork out with his teeth. He sniffed the bottle, then took a sip.

His face twisted.

“Ugh. Sour,” he said, wiping his mouth. “That old man really knew how to ruin good things.”

He tossed the bottle to the ground. It shattered at my feet, red wine splashing across the grass.

Then he walked away without another word.

I knelt down and cleaned up the mess, picking up each sharp piece with shaking fingers.

The moment felt heavy, even though the air was filled with the scent of polished wood and cold stone. All the maids, chefs, guards, and workers stood in lines, waiting for whatever announcement the masters of the house had prepared.

All the maids gathered in the great hall, standing in lines. I was among them, my apron still stained with dirt and dried wine. My hands ached, but I stood still.

The boys walked in one by one—Darius, Ronan, Elias, and Kael—each dressed in black, their shirts half open, their hair styled like they were going to a royal event.

Ronan stood at the front, holding a wine glass.

“Listen up,” he said, smirking. “Since we’ve been away for so long, and now that we’re back—” he raised the glass “—it’s time to celebrate.”

Elias whistled loudly. “That’s right. Party time!”

Ronan continued. “Tomorrow night, we’re throwing the biggest party this house has seen in years. Everyone who’s anyone is coming. Old friends, girls, pack leaders, rich brats, and spoiled heiresses.”

“Some of them haven’t seen us since we left for the North,” Elias added. “They’re dying to know what we’ve been up to.”

Kael didn’t speak, but his eyes scanned the room coldly.

Darius yawned. “Make the place shine,” he said. “Every floor, every curtain, every dish. If I see a single speck of dust, someone’s getting whipped.”

My chest tightened.

“You’ll all serve at the party,” Ronan said, walking slowly down the line of maids. “Smiles on your faces. Clean clothes. No mistakes.”

He stopped in front of me.

“Especially you,” he said, tapping my chin with his glass.

I didn’t answer.

“Dress her properly,” Elias said to the head maid. “We don’t want her scaring off our guests.”

Some of the other maids giggled behind their hands. I stared at the floor.

“Dismissed,” Kael finally said.

The maids scattered.

I left the empty tray on the kitchen counter and walked quietly down the servant hallway. My feet were light, trying not to make noise. I wanted to rest, maybe just sit down for five minutes before another task was given to me.

But as I turned the corner near the laundry room, I froze.

The door was slightly open.

Inside, I could hear voices. The maids.

I should have kept walking. I knew better than to listen to people who never had kind things to say about me. But something made me stop. Maybe curiosity. Maybe pain. I leaned closer, making sure my shadow didn’t fall through the doorway.

“What do they actually see in her?” one maid said with a scoff. I recognized her voice. Lina—she always looked me up and down like I smelled bad.

“I know, right?” another said quickly. “Just because she grew up in the same house doesn’t mean she’s anything special.”

“She’s not even that pretty,” Lina said again. “Always quiet, always walking around like she’s afraid of her own shadow.”

“Well, the boys talk to her,” another maid whispered. “Especially Darius.”

A laugh followed. “Oh please, Darius talks to everyone. If he looked at me like that, I’d pass out.”

“I swear, if any of them just looked at me for real—just once—I’d give anything,” one of them sighed. “Like... take me, Darius.”

That made the others laugh hard.

“No, not Darius,” another voice said, softer, dreamier. “Kael is the hottest.”

“What?” someone said. “Kael? He barely talks!”

“Exactly,” the dreamy one whispered. “That silent, brooding type? Ugh. I’d let him ruin me.”

More giggles echoed through the room.

“Are you girls serious?” another said. “Elias is the fun one. Have you seen his smirk? The way he walks around like he owns the world?”

“I bet he does,” one of them added.

They all laughed again, like it was the funniest thing they’d ever heard.

“But Ronan...” someone sighed. “He’s dangerous. That’s kind of hot too.”

“Still,” Lina said again, voice sharp. “None of them would ever look twice at a boring little thing like Aria.”

My stomach twisted. I stayed quiet. I couldn’t let them know I was there.

“She’s probably just a charity case,” another maid said. “I bet they only keep her around out of pity.”

“Maybe they feel sorry for her,” someone agreed. “Or maybe she knows secrets. Old ones.”

Then Lina said, “Doesn’t matter. No one wants a girl like that.”

“I bet she still sleeps with a blanket like a baby,” another laughed.

That made the rest of them break out in giggles again.

I backed away slowly, trying to ignore the sting in my chest. Their voices faded as I walked back down the hall, fists clenched tight by my sides.

They didn’t know anything about me.

They didn’t know what I’d seen.

What I’d survived.