"Leave us alone"
The servant hurries out of my room and i shoot my mother a particularly dirty look.
La Contessa has been acting more and more jittery lately and to be honest i am not too happy about that fact.
My mother is rarely jittery, but from what i have been able to glean in the past few days that i had been out in disguise as one of the staff, it's something to do with marriage. My head simply aches at the thought of having to endure another round of afternoon tea with the son of some duke or some other wimp who sees their son as a good match for me.
There was the particularly nasty one that i had last week as part of mother's welcome party to some of the higher royals that came visiting. The House Bartell is the one that's currently on the throne and i'm guessing that leaves a lot of free time on he hands of the other families that consist the Royal's of Ardan.
There is also the fact that most of them have been on the run ever since the failed revolt of last week and i simply let out a deep sigh.
"Whose son do i need to entertain this time?"
My mother stops pacing and she turns slowly to set her eyes on me.
"When did i ever give you the idea that you had to entertain anyone?"
My smile is unmistakeable at this point and it blooms on my lips in an evil sort of grin.
Mother is taken aback at first but she recovers quickly, the same way she does from everything. Her cheeks sort of flush as she comes to the full realisation of what i had been implying and sometimes i feel i should do this more often.
With a slight cough she regains her composure and she turns to stare at me.
"He asked for her"
"Then he should have also asked to marry her". My mother rolls her eyes at this and oddly enough that hurts me. Freya had practically come to my room in tears last night and i had to wake up from one of the most beautiful dreams i was having. Something about the library and the way it would be so much bigger at the capital. It's almost spring so most of the royal kids would be returning back to continue their education under the watchful eyes of his majesty, but that isn't what we are talking about is it?
Freya had come running in here an abused and broken puddle of emotions. She told me that she wanted to peel her skin and then she simply broke off from what she was saying at some point all so she could cry harder. I felt like crying with her too at some point but then i remembered to be angry.
I remembered to be angry at the sadist and horrible person that was letting this all happen.
As much as i blame my mother for allowing the majority of this to happen all the while under her roof, i am also disgusted at my father who is never at home but is at home long enough to make a monster of himself with one of the maids before going off again.
My head aches a bit from the sunflower tea i had taken before i was able to sleep again last night. What Freya had described to me sounded monstrous and i don't really care how anyone interprets that. I was there for a friend and she had needed me at that moment. My mother is looking at me like i have run mad and i guess i have. Well i may have with the sort of plan that i have settled on.
My questions will sound even crazier.
"Did you have to get married to him?"
My mother shoots me the sort of glare that would have any of the maids cowering back in fear but i think she knows i am not a maid. The glare is sort of normal to me at this point. She only pulls it out when i'm expressly going against her orders and to be very honest with you i think that is the entirety of what i have been doing for the past two weeks.
Or three.
Her face is still set in that shape that lets me know she is not going to give me an answer to that. The feeling of defiance in me rises up again and i feel like telling her i know of it all already. I know of how my father had come to her father's little shack and had sought for her hand in marriage. Everyone knew of his ways with women and my grandfather had expressly refused him.
He killed my grandfather and made my mum watch before he raped her.
The other details are sort of vague but i'm sure there was a touch of magic involved. She looks like magic itself.
"Would it please you if i told him to leave your friend alone?"
I snap out of my momentary daze to see my mother staring at me intently. I can see concern in her eyes. A good deal of concern and something else that makes me feel there is something else she's here for. My head still aches from the effects of the sunflower tea i had taken and i simply lie down on the bed.
The question still hangs in the air between us and i feel like screaming at the position she has put me in. I could tell her i wanted him to go as far away from here as possible but there is also the possibility that mother would not be able to protect us efficiently enough without the image of the man i call my father to hide behind.
Well she's not hiding behind his image. Everyone knows the deadlier of the two when it comes to the both of them but i still, i don't think she'll be able to handle it.
There's always Ilya but he's built like a rose and he's currently at the capital.
"Have you heard from Ilya lately?"
My mother sort of smiles at that and i know there is definitely something else behind that smile. The mischievous sort that makes me feel she has something under her sleeves. I actually mean under.
"I can already see the string and unless that is part of your corset, which it definitely is not..."
She smirks at me and soon she's bringing out a box that is the size of my palm. She throws it me with an elegant flick of the wrist and all the apprehension i had been feeling earlier is gone. Everything is normal and i can't even feel any of the undercurrents that usually waft around her whenever she has been freshly pissed.
She sees me watching her and she rolls her eyes.
"Are you going to keep staring at me or are you going to open the box and see what's in it"
Okay.... i know it's a gift but yet the fact that my mother wants to be around for me to open this particular gift sort of makes me nervous.
"How about i open it when you're not here?"
The smile that i'm shooting her isn't working at all and there's that glare again. My hands get to unraveling the string that has so delicately been tied across the box.
I look at my mother all the while i carry out this operation and she keeps a calm and neutral face. Not betraying any hint if apprehension whatsoever.
Something of an audible pop sounds in my ear and soon the heady scent of perfume is wafting out. One made of rose and milk, and my eyes go wide at what i see.
Another brooch.
The deflated feeling i get at first makes me feel i shouldn't. I have a collections of different feelings running through me right now but still there's one part that i don't want to show.
Disappointment.
I think she picks up on it anyways and she rolls her eyes.
"Look at it closely Genya"
I squint and do what she says.
My mouth drops open as i finally recognise it.