Charlotte rushed along the corridors of the alpha king's chamber with two other maids speeding off before her. She tried to steady her breathing before entering the king's room. She had already been told that all she'd be doing was to pick the king's clothing. Since she was slow, they'll get there before her. They can't wait for her to arrive, and she can't join them when they bathe Alpha Aurelius, so it makes sense that she should be in charge of what she wears alone. She agreed quickly as that would also make her not see Alpha Aurelius all the time.
The other maids saw how quickly she agreed to their suggestion and thought she would be easy to boss around.
"I've never met a maid that'll decline bathing the alpha king. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You get to see the king's glorious body and even feel it," Magh, the younger of the maids, wondered aloud after the meeting with Charlotte the previous day. She is a few decades older than Charlotte.
"She is not well versed in how the palace runs; she's only spent about a month. The older maids replied. She was the one who was at the king's door with the guards, and she had been serving the king ever since he got on the throne.
"She spent a month and she's already the king's maid?" Magh exclaimed.
"I'm not surprised. She's quite peculiar; werewolves like to keep and adore unusual things, like treasure."
"I don't mind being the king's treasure," Magh sighed dreamily as they approached their quarters.
Charlotte walked into the king's walk-in closet, and her jaw dropped in awe. It was almost thrice as big as her room back at Lyra. The height of the room was also immense. There were various types of luxurious clothes and high-quality footwear arranged neatly along the tall shelves. It was almost like a clothing shop for royalties. No one in the land can have one-tenth of these clothes. She blessed her eyes with diverse types of precious jewelry and gemstones carved in elaborate designs.
"No wonder they needed a whole werewolf to pick his clothes," she said.
She suddenly remembered that she wasn't told about what the king would wear exactly. She didn't know if he had any occasion or if it was just a normal day.
"This is so mean of them," she groaned.
She tried to picture what he was wearing the first day she saw him: the outfit, accessories, and shoes.
She tried not to get lost in the intricate details of his stunning features as she visualized his appearance from her memory. It was easy for her to do this as she has a very sharp eidetic memory.
She decided to pick something simple and was just like the one she saw him in the other day.
She took some accessories, all gold, to match before dashing out of the closet, hoping she would leave before they were done bathing him.
Just as she was about to leave, the bathhouse door opened, and she lowered her gaze quickly.
She knew she couldn't walk out of the room without permission, now that the alpha king was present in the room.
Alpha Aurelius glanced at her and saw her fiddling with her skirt. He wondered if she was anxious. Was she always anxious around him?
He glanced at the clothes she picked and raised an eyebrow.
"Did you do this on purpose?" Alpha Aurelius asked amused.
"I dare not, my king. I had no idea of your movement today if there's a special occasion or not," she said with her head bowed.
"My king." Her choice of words seemed to please Alpha Aurelius as his lip twitched for a second.
"So you picked what you deemed nice for me?"
Charlotte was tongue-tied, and she just looked down at her fingers. Trying to argue with someone of a superior position never ends well.
"My guard will tell you of my routine as you enter to overcome your duties each day."
"Yes, your Highness," she said, bowing even lower.
After the other two maids dressed Alpha Aurelius, he stepped out of the room, leaving Charlotte and the other maids in the room.
"You should clean the toilet and arrange the top of the dressing mirror when you're done," Magh said arrogantly before leaving the room with Fara, the older maid.
She went to the king's chamber later at night for his shower. Her task was pretty easy as his night garments were alike. She picked a pair of loose breeches and a poet shirt and laid them smoothly on the bed before leaving the room.
"Welcome, how was your day?" Ella asked as Charlotte entered the room.
"It was pretty good," Charlotte said with a smile.
"Mine was boring. Tell me about yours, how does working in the alpha king room feel?"
"It was nothing much; all I did was choose his clothes, empty the bathtub, and wash the bathhouse. It's pretty easy."
"Every omega maid envies you right now. If they get the chance, they can pounce on you and bite off your head. Try to stay clear of their lane, okay?"
"Sure."
"Did you bathe him?"
"Eww, no," Charlotte replied, scrunching her nose and sticking out her tongue.
Ella chuckled at Charlotte's animated expression.
"Why did you wash the bathhouse then?"
"The other maids told me to do it," she replied with a shrug.
"You shouldn't do that. Your role is strictly in the wardrobe, not the bathhouse or anywhere else. You shouldn't even touch anything in the room. I can't believe they're trying to bully you."
"I don't mind doing it," Charlotte said, trying to calm the agitated Ella, but that seemed to infuriate her even more.
"It won't stop at this; they'll keep bullying you even more."
"I can't fight them."
"They can't fight you either. Make sure you confront them tomorrow, okay? Tell them you can't be bossed around."
"Sure, I'll do that. I want to go get my food," Charlotte said.
"Wait."
Charlotte turned back and gasped at what she saw on Ella's lap. It was a neat package of what she assumed to be food.
"Where did you get that from?" Charlotte asked.
"I made a friend in the kitchen, you see. He seems to be fond of me. He gave me a very good portion of the guards' meals. Their food is even richer than ours, and there's meat," she whispered loudly.
"Are you sure this is right?"
"Sure it is. It's not like he stole the king's dinner and served it to me," she said with an eye roll.
"Then why are you giving it to me?"
"You need better food, you need more strength, and food will go a long way in getting that. I wonder how much more beautiful you can get. Even though you look malnourished, you're still pleasing to the eye. Besides, I took your portion and mine already. It will look suspicious if both of us don't go for our meals for days."
"So you mean he'll keep giving you food like this?"
"Sure, don't you know how charming I am?"
"Okay then, I don't think I'm in a position to decline good food."
"Come, dig in."
Just as Ella said, the food was far better than those that were served to maids. Her mood brightened even more as she ate, closing her eyes to relish the meal. It wasn't as nice as the steak she had with the king, but she was glad she would be getting a decent meal from now on.
"Thank you very much, Ella."
"You're welcome, sis. We'll train a bit more after your meal."
"Okay then."
"When you can handle the dagger, we will start training outside the room in a real-life setting."
"Okay, my lady," Charlotte replied, and they both giggled.
"I sleep every night while you don't have to sleep every day. Everyone is still active at night while I'm already knocked out."
"It's nothing to feel bad about. You don't have anything to do if you stay awake. You need to read adequately to stay fit and strong."
"Okay then."
They trained together before they both retired to bed.
The next day, she decided to wake up earlier and stay close to the king's chamber so she wouldn't have to run when the king called for them. The King had a rigid early morning routine, so she could gauge the time the two other maids would bolt in.
Just as she saw two figures in brown attire speed past her, she followed them hurriedly.
The guard at the door told her that all that was on his routine was the meeting with the ministers and some merchants who wanted to discuss business with him.
The Alpha king was dressed, and he left. Magh and Fara attempted to leave after he had gone, but Charlotte interrupted them.
"You should clean up the bathhouse before you leave," she said defiantly.
"Why should we do that?"
"Because it's not my duty," she replied, crossing her arms.
"This powerless wench, how dare you," Magh snarled, pouncing as her nails lengthened. She scratched Charlotte on the face, and she yelped.
Just as Magh was about to scratch her face once more, the double door swung open, and everyone in the room became paralyzed with the bone-chilling aura that permeated across the room.