"Is that the last one?" Raquel asked, taking the basket away from the maid that had brought them up to her.
It was just in the early hours of the cold afternoon and already she was back and the baskets were empty.
"Yes, ma." Her voice was a little deeper than her frame and anyone who was merely listening wouldn't picture such a tiny person with such vibrating voice. "Should we wait behind to take more?"
Raquel shook her head, that was the last basket Colin had brought from her from the King and he had said that was the last one that was left.
Even if her Mistress was already awake, which she probably wouldn't if she was sleeping heavily, then there was no need to wait.
Raquel had a different belief about sleep. She believed that every night one refused it, a debt was counted. A debt one couldn't get away with. One would finally pay it by sleeping 'all the sleep' that they had been refusing to sleep back, filling all the gaps.
Nature just couldn't be cheated.
Although the debt wouldn't be collected all at once,that would be death, the sleep would be paid one night after another.
With a slight wave, she dismissed the lower maid, who carried the empty baskets along with the rest who followed her down to Raquel's room doorstep.
She would take them in when she was certain her mistress would be awake, she didn't want to disturb.
Unpaid sleep would cause really serious headache if they were interrupted.
The moving around of the cooks filled her ears, and the aroma of the food on fire swept past her nostrils making her stomach rumble.
Ah, her Mistress must be hungry.
Maybe she should check in on her Lady and see if she was in need of lunch.
She wouldn't spend long, she would only peep into the room to see if she was awake and if she was, she would proceed, but if her she wasn't, she would lock the door and leave.
As Raquel walked up the stairs, from the hallway, she noticed the King coming down the stairs that led to the floor above.
"Your Majesty." She bowed, her gaze planted to the floor, not lingering for a second on that golden mask.
The King didn't say a word and continued to move down the stairs.
Raquel felt the way her legs planted firmly against the ground. Like she couldn't move even if she willed herself to.
The King had always made her petrified.
She had imagined many horrors that to be waht laid behind that mask but the imagination of what he would look like wasn't what petrified her that most, it was just every other thing about him.
"How is she?"
"Lady... Belladonna... i-ss sti-ll asleep," she took in a shaky breath, trying to steady her breathing. "Your Majesty."
"Still?"
Her fingers pinched against one another behind her, her neck hurting from how low she hung her head, her heart was racing in her chest, she could hear the loud pounding filling her ears as all the wrong thoughts crossed her mind.
She would do something wrong.
She would say something wrong and lose her head.
She would-- by Ignas-- she would do something wrong.
Raquel had people tell her about what had happened in the market that night, unfortunately, the person who had spoken told her everything was quote had been quite descriptive and it almost felt like she had witnessed the horror herself.
Right now, all she could think about was horror the teller had painted in her mind, knowing that the King standing in front of her was responsible for it.
Where was Colin? Why wasn't he here? The King hardly ever addressed her alone, it was mostly Colin or her and Colin.
He passed by her side, waking towards her Mistress's door.
Relief rushed into her lungs and although she didn't like the fact that the King seemed like he would disturb her sleep, she couldn't dare to stop him.
Eli stopped at the door, hoping that having his back turned to the mind would ease her mind and let her breath, so she could stop looking so panic stroke.
It was ridiculous that they were always unnecessary petrified of him.
The rumours had created such persona of him that didn't even exist. Once the Red Moon was over though, they would know who he truly was and they wouldn't be so scared of him as they were now. He didn't enjoy the fear, it was far too excessive.
He pressed down the doorknob but found the door locked.
The clanking sound of something nearby snapped his attention.
The maid was holding out to him, a bunch of keys. They were clanking against one another from how shaky her hand was.
Their fear was agonizing to watch but it wasn't misplaced.
He slipped his hand into his pant pocket, bringing out his own bunch of keys, then he slid one into the lock, turning it open.
"Your Majesty!" His hand on the doorknob stilled at the voice that called him. There was a guard from the left end of the hallway, running towards him.
He fell quickly on one knee, and Eli tensed up slightly, recognizing who it was and why the guard would come to him. His heart beats quickened but he maintained a calm demeanour.
"I have news, Your Majesty."
His hands clenched around the doorknob as he deliberated on going in to see her first before this news or after.
If he went in now, he was scared that he might not come out quickly and this news was too important to be delayed. He had been trying to find out the people who had attacked his Bride that night, and if there were more of them.
He planned to have them erased immediately they found them out, that was if they were more. He wasn't going to take any chances and let that happen again.
Never.
"When she wakes up, inform her that her presence is required at the dinning hall at dinner time."
"Y---" she continued but words refused to come out of her mouth while her lips moved.
Eli frowned underneath his mask, he didn't remember her being this scared of him like this before.
He didn't say anything about it though, instead he headed upstairs and the warrior who had come along followed him.
Raquel hands flew to the doorknob and she flung the door open, yanking the keys from the lock before closing it shut.
Her back was pressed to the door when she came in, the different ends of the keys digging into the inside of her palms, her forehead sweaty while she stared ahead, blinking tears away. Then a laugh bobbled out of her throat, sounding as shaky as she was.
Then her hand clapped abruptly over her mouth, as she remembered that her Mistress was on the room.
She just hoped she hadn't woken her up.
A low groan came from the direction of her Mistress bed and Raquel bit her lower lip.
Ah.
She had disturbed her mistress's sleep.
"I'm so sorry, my Lady I--" her words died on her tongue.
Something had caught her attention.
She moved closer to her Mistress who was still thankfully sleeping.
Something seemed to have come over her and without actually thinking or seeming to be in control of her actions, she pulled the blanket off her, freezing when she saw what was beneath.
It was some strange black wiggly lines on her body--
--and blood.