Staring into the bathroom mirror, Lucia agrees with Sabina when she called her a mess; the mirror reflected a filthy young girl. Sylvia would be devastated! The former princess's usual bouncy black waves that Sylvia loved to comb whenever she had the chance, had turned knotted and formed clumps of what looked like nests around her head. Her skin which was already quite pale fortunately gained some color back in her cheeks, but the sunkeness of her eyes remained noticeable even after her fill of blood. And then there was her mouth; she had always been told she had excellent etiquette and manners when it came to eating, yet blood she had clearly missed and sloppily consumed, dried from her chin and down her neck. She would have to become better.
Lucia leaned against the small sink and listened to the creaks and groans of the witches house; even Sabina's quiet hums from in another room managed to reach Lucia's ears. To say this all didn't scare her would be a lie. The idea of drinking people's blood should have disgusted her, yet it didn't, which felt worse to the newly contracted slave. She was adjusting, while not as quickly as Sabina wanted, seeing how annoyed she looked, it almost felt natural.
Releasing a soft sigh, Lucia began stripping of her gown, the last remnants of the palace on her small body. The last memory of Sylvia.
Parting her lips, Lucia began singing a quiet hum that her beloved nanny used to sing when Lucia was having trouble with sleeping or feeling particularly sad when coming back to her room from interacting with a member of her family.
"Little cub, little cub, the thunder has settled now. Little cub, little cub, all is right."
Lucia repeated the tune quietly as she climbed into the bath, even as she begun wiping at the grime and blood that had accumulated in the last five days. Using a small rag left on the side for her to use, Lucia scrubbed vigorously around her mouth and down her neck at the blood, the scrubbing only seemed to stop when she caught sight of herself in the mirror; her pale neck raw-red and tears streaming down her cheeks through the broken tune.
Lucia blamed her tears on how hard she had been scrubbing at her skin, but truly she hadn't felt a thing. Her voice soon failed her and she sobbed harder in the warm water.
Lucia desperately missed Sylvia. She was the kindest woman she had ever known, and at this very moment she would have been soothing her thoughts with soft hums and silly jokes, gently massaging soap into her hair; the bath would even be filled with bubbles and a stupid rubber duck, and everything would be just fine. Her motherly nanny would then pinch her cheeks, saying she couldn't resist, and help Lucia change into a dress. Oh how Sylvia loved to dress Lucia up! Whenever the occasion arose, Sylvia would find herself with brand new dresses or shoes for Lucia to wear, handpicked by herself. Unfortunately, most of the outfits Sylvia picked were bought out of her own coin-purse, otherwise majority of Lucia's clothing would have been passed upwards from her eight-year-old half-sister, Eris.
Lucia lifted herself out of the bath, clearing the tears she had with a splash of water after washing her hair thoroughly.
Generously, Sabina had left undergarments, a black blouse, black trousers, and some gray boots for Lucia to wear, as well as a toothbrush and a comb for Lucia to use. After drying herself, she changed into the fresh pair of clothing, brushed her teeth, ans combed her hair feeling refreshed.
~ ~ ~
"Took your time didn't you?" Sabina raised one of her eyebrows disaprovingly when Lucia appeared before her in a cozy living room. "Nevermind that, you're just in time for the show?"
Sabina sat infront of a large block of glass on a cushioned sofa and gestured for Lucia to take a seat next to her. Curious as to what Sabina wanted to show her, Lucia took her seat and glanced but at the displayed image, only for her to instead want to curl up into a ball.
On the large piece of glass that was hung up on Sabina's wall was moving scenery of the Kingdom of Varis's throne room, where King Killian sat bored on his throne in a room full of servants, knights, nobles, and the royal family.
"W-What is this? Is-is this happening right now?" Lucia stuttered out.
Sabina's lips were turned upwards into wicked smile when Lucia looked at her for answers. "Yes child, it seems your servants made a show of your sudden disappearance. Your father called forth an announcement."
Lucia paled at the witch's words. This would be the moment her existence was declared dead by the King.
The rather young-looking for a fourty-six year old King, with his golden crown tucked into his black locks, sat on his velvet throne. His sharp and piercing golden eyes looked around the room before he raised his wrist, a gesture for silence, and looked out towards his audience.
With his orotund voice, he spoke, "To settle this matter clearly, I will cut straight to the point. Regretfully, this kingdom has lost it's eldest princess to illness late last night."
The audience is response to the King's statement mumbled with shock and pity on their faces, but for the most part it was fairly silent in the room. Only seconds passed and a muffled cry was heard throughout the room. Instantly all eyes, including Lucia and Sabina's, sought to find the source of the outburst. Some of the audience cleared the way and maid who dropped to her knees was located. Sylvia's hand covered her mouth and she tears rushed down her cheeks heavily. It seemed like the crowd was starting to recognize her as the "dead princess's" nanny and their eyes filled with pity. Two knights seemed to appear on either side of her, their expressions seemed gloomy as they went to her aid. Sir Frederick with his honey-blonde hair and large muscular stature tried to gently pull her up, but Sylvia refused. Instead she stayed glued to the marble floor of the Throne Room and shook her head again and again, crying harder. The slightly shorted knight with his dark hair, almost tints of blue to it, Sir Lance, benr downwards and whispered something to the grieving woman.
Lucia's new hearing abilities managed to hear what Sir Lance was said, "Sylv you have to stand up, we'll get you back to your room."
Sylvia complied but when Sir Lance turned to bring her out of the room, she shook her head and whispered back, "She was under punishment at the time! W-why wasn't I allowed to see her, as her nanny, if she was sick?"
Lucia was fighting her own tears from her place on Sabina's couch. She wished she could jump through the looking-glass and throw herself into Sylvia's embrace shouting "I'm alive! I'm here!" but unfortunately Lucia remained actionless.
Sir Lance's eyes seemed to widen hearing Sylvia's whispers and he turned to the King, "Your Highness, if I may speak, how can that be? Princess Lucia was in punishment these last couple days due to the Queen's orders. She was locked in the stablehouse during these dreadful winter nights, no one bothered to take care of her?"
Lucia was quite surprised at how direct Sir Lance was being, some of the hesitant glances between the audience suggested they felt the same way.
The Queen appeared ready to speak her input on the matter but the King cut her to it. "Even I agree the punishment in such conditions was quite rough for my daughter, but she being cared for. Checked in on, fed, it was merely a quiet room for the eldest princess. As her personal guard, you would of course know better than anyone of her treatment—Ah! Didn't you only just return from week-long training last night?"
What lies decorating small truths! Yes she was fed, awful food but still food, but such dishes were delived by a frail maid for merely a second. No one checked in on her or spoke to her. She was in isolation for four days. . . How dare the King lie to everyone like that! How dare he even call Sir Lance out as the bad guardian! Lucia's small body was brewing with anger and the buzzing had returned to her head.
Even Sir Lance himself was speechless. His handsome features fell to disarray and such a look provided the audience with certainty that he hasn't been there while the princess was undergoing punishment.
"I couldn't have seen her once?" Sylvia voice while brittle with emotion, got louder. "She was just a little girl . . .Too mature for her age, so mature that even as she knew none of her family cared about her, she tried to hide it. . ."
"How dare you say we did not care for her!" the Queen shot back at Sylvia, her face filled with rage.
"Please forgive this maid Your Highness the Queen, Sylvia is simply grieving, she was like a mother to our eldest princess," Sir Frederick quickly came to Sylvia's rescue, trying to calm the Queen's wrath.
Sylvia carried on, "You handed me Lucia when she was only a week old. I was only twenty and was told I'd never be able to have children, so Lucia became like my own daughter. You all despised a child who had done nothing wrong but be born, and the part of all of this that truly breaks my heart is the fact that she knew-she knew and she continued to love all of you!"
"It saddens me you believe such a notion Miss Sylvia. If I did not care for her, I would not have hire you. I think it's about time we put an end to this announcement, and let my family grieve the loss of our eldest daughter," King Killian tried to play the "grieving Father act", and to the eyes of the public it was working. "You're all dismissed, except for you Miss Sylvia, I'd like to thank the woman who cares so much for my daughter."
Lucia's chest tightened. King Killian was a charmer, a fantastic speaker but he was known to be a tyrant.
Sir Frederick and Sir Lance gave each other looks, silent communication.
As people piled out of the room Sir Frederick spoke up, "Your Highness if I-"
"I said everyone was dismissed except Miss Sylvia," the King repeated.
Both knight's looks worsened, turning dark. They could only take their leave.
The Throne Room was now empty except for the small maid standing farther back towards the door, tears still streaming down her face, two knights behind the King, and the royal family. They all watched her like prey with their golden eyes.
Laurent expressionless was against the wall to his father's right while the twins, Elijah and Eris stood by their mother's left side behaved for once in the presence of their father.
"I was ready to forgive your insolence out of respect for you raising my eldest daughter who is no longer with us, the first time you spoke Miss Sylvia. Yet you had to push your words, even claiming we never cared for the eldest princess," the King's words had grown colder, but he still wanted to play the hurt father.
Sylvia's eyes narrowed at the King, she was trembling yet she still stared at him in disgust. "Your Highness, Lucy was such a lonely girl. She was tossed to the side like nothing, it broke my heart how hard she tried to please you."
The King scoffed, "Ha! She tried to please me! An eleven-year-old who spoke back constantly to her stepmother, who never seemed to have any manners or wanted to even spend time with her older brother of younger siblings."
Lucia stared at the screen. How could he say that? The King never knew her. . . Laurent despised her, any confrontation with the fourteen-year-old ended in wounds on Lucia's end. As for the twins, selfish little brats who saw Lucia as a toy.
"You never knew her. . . not like I did. She was a beautiful and intelligent little girl who excelled on education. She loved chocolate pudding, and riding with Sir Frederick. I could name every stuffed animal she loves, her very first words, the time she learned to walk, when I doubt any of you even remember her favorite color." Sylvia pushed onwards, not caring for her own life anymore it seemed. She was steady now.
"This is all so pointless," the King let out a long and bored sigh. "I've had enough of your antics, though it does impress me how little respect you dare have for me."
Sylvia didn't say a word, she stared at she King with her soft eyes.
"Darius, take care of this," the King spoke to one of his guards with shaggy brown hair that covered his eyes.
"Yes sir."
And then it all happened so fast. Lucis's eyes managed to keep up, but Sabina raised her eyebrows in shock at how fast Darius moved. At how quickly Darius's blade impaled her abdomen.
"You'll meet a terrible end one day," Sylvia croaked out as she dropped to the floor. She pressed her hair against the wound but it was useless. Blood poured own and pooled around her body. Sylvia breathed her last breath.
Lucia watched it all. Tears fell down her cheeks in silence but soon her jaw trembled and she screamed out Sylvia's name. She couldn't even find jer breath anymore. This couldn't be happening! Sylvia can't be dead!
Yet Lucia had seen her nanny's death so vividly on the glass. Her hearing even picked up the sound of the blade impaling Sylvia's body and exiting her flesh.
The former princess, only an eleven-year-old girl shook with so much rage and grief. Those royal monsters managed to take everything away from her. Even the title of her life!
Sylvia and her knights were the only ones in that goddamned castle who had the right to breathe in that damned castle. The rest of them were all just as the Valtori family symbol described, poisonous snakes.
~ ~ ~
The Red Witch had watched for Lucia's reactions while the looking-glass presented itself. When Sabina saw the hope drain from Lucia's features when her nanny met a cruel fate, and instead the rage filling up her head she knew Lucia would be the makings of a powerful monster. Sabina was even sure she caught sight of The King's Shadows flickering inbetween Lucia's rage. The Red Witch would enjoy this new piece of entertainment that was Lucia's life.