Capítulo 8: Cold ( III )
The cold water slipped down her spine. She felt frozen. The entirety of her body trembling. Lips chattering as Viria gave her a slight smile, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Lumielle said, her words were slightly annoyed. Her clipped tongue seemed to make Viria click hers in annoyance.
Vexation curved against her figure as Viria grabbed her tresses, snapping her neck back, "Is that any way to treat the Head Maid of the Ruby Palace?"
Was she for real? It almost made Lumielle want to ask her if she was right in the head. Lumielle was the Princess of Endora and all Viria was and could be was a maid. Yet, she believed to have superiority? What type of moronic ideas had she been telling herself?
Viria wanted Lumielle to grovel. But she would do nothing of the sort. Lumielle would not beg for her to stop. Yet, the anger that remained was not hers but the mistreatment that Aris had undergone. How could her younger brother have not told her? Such a cruel and vicious woman stood by his side and he had decided to stay quiet?
What type of sister was she?
"Don't give me that look," Viria claimed before slamming her beneath the water. Lumielle's eyes widened. The water clogging up her nose and mouth. She relaxed her body. There was no use in thrashing. She did her best to keep her eyes closed. The sound of her heart booming in her ears.
Her lungs ached as Viria pulled her above the surface. She gasped. Aching for oxygen, Viria scowled, "What are you?" She demanded. Her fingers dug into her scalp. This girl didn't react whenever Viria did something.
It was odd. Viria had to admit the Princess was acting peculiarly. She had always been a young girl. Easy to manipulate due to her petulant emotions and childish demeanor. Wanting to be loved, Viria could always get Lumielle to do what she wanted with a simple smile and hug. Now, she didn't even grow vexed as she was being drowned. Lumielle didn't react. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She didn't beg.
It was almost unnerving.
"Stop looking at me like that," Viria seethed. Lumielle's eyes were almost as if she was looking down at her. Then, in a way Lumielle was. Revenge was going to taste all the sweeter. Shoved underneath the water once more, her eyes grew bleary.
The trembling was not only because of the cold but also, the lack of oxygen.
. . .
"Do you need help, Princess?" Leo asked.
Glancing to her side, Lumielle looked to see Leo behind her. She had been trying to wrap up her fingers. Viria had been undeniably harsh and now, the bandaging process was quite tedious.
"Would you?" Lumielle asked. She didn't ask him. He had simply offered. It was quite surprising. She had never expected the stoic male to reach out first. His only job was to protect her. He didn't need to do anything else.
Sitting down on the couch next to her, Leo took the bandages. "It's hard to bandage your own fingers," Leo said.
"Do you have experience doing so?" Lumielle asked, "Bandaging others?"
"I used to bandage Rowan," he said.
That was right. The two of them had been abused and neglected by the knights. Sold off to pay their father's debt. The two of them had become the runts of the liter. A shame for they would become the most powerful commoners in Endora as time continued.
"I see," Lumielle mumbled as his hands gently worked to wrap around her fingers. His calloused touch felt somewhat peculiar against her skin. She had never witnessed someone acting so kind and tender towards her. She focused on his appearance. He looked to be well. His cheeks fuller and the bruising across the apex of his cheek had vanished.
Leo didn't say anything more as he continued to quietly bandage her fingers. Gently wrapping around her svelte digits. Once he had bandaged all of her fingers, he quietly got back up to his feet.
"Thank you," Lumielle said as she put her hands out in front of her to view them. His handiwork was done well.
"It's nothing," Leo said with a shake of his head.
To him, it might have been nothing. Yet, to Lumielle was a lot more. He was a good person, wasn't he? She chuckled slightly as Leo raised a brow. Yet, she turned to her books. The books on herbs and alchemy.
It had been a good pastime for her to study on.
"Do you know how to read?" Lumielle asked.
"I never learned," Leo said.
Was he ashamed? She had sensed hesitance in his words.
"Do you and your brother wish to learn?" Lumielle queried. She didn't look up from the pages. Her eyes easily soaking in the information that she was learning for a second time.
"It would be an honor."
Lumielle turned the page, "I'll see to it that we find tutors that are willing to help you and not looking down upon you due to your social status."
It surprised him. Leo hadn't even thought about a tutor that would end up mocking him for his inability to read and how it would be the root basis due to his common roots. She was not making fun of him. She did not mock him at all. In fact, she didn't even seem to be giving it much thought.
"Does it not bother you?" Leo asked.
"Bother me?"
She set down her book to peer at the young man. "I don't care whether you're a King of a country or a common rat. As long as you're my person and loyal to me. That's all that matters."
To her, it didn't matter. Everyone had a use. Even commoners could be useful in her plots. She didn't discriminate.
. . .
Sylvia entered her room, the night was cold and Lumielle's hair was not dry. Fingers ached from the abuse. Viria simply having left, "The night is cold." The usual bright young girl looked rather serious as Lumielle stood up with a smile on her face.
"It is a bitter cold."
Dressed warmly, Leo had once more given up his jacket to Lumielle despite her protests. Sylvia was waiting outside the palace walls in the gardens. In front of them was a barrel; a rather large one filled with water. Indeed, it was quite cold for the tendrils of summer had frosted over with the coming of fall. Fall in Endora was quite frigid, despite the warm days, the nights became algid. She was far too familiar with the way her body chattered without any heat or blankets.
Evangeline was accompanied by Viria; the drowsy woman complaining angrily at the fact that she had been ripped out of bed, "Greetings, Princess." Purple eyes were cast towards the ground as Evangeline bowed towards the Imperial Highness.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Viria demanded her words becoming a hiss. "You fucking bitch, who do you think you are? Demanding that I come out of bed with this cold weather?!"
It almost made Lumielle want to laugh, "Who do you think I am?" She inquired, the words almost breathy, "I am the Princess of Endora and you are just a maid. Did you think that just because you were the Head Maid of the Ruby Palace you could treat my brother like that? Threaten him into silence?" She took a step forward her eyes practically glowing in the night as the wind howled.
"Princess? The Emperor doesn't care about you! You're nothing but fake royalty!" A sneer as Lumielle's face hardened. Indeed, her words were true. The Emperor didn't care about her nor her brother. Even in the end, he didn't legitimize Aris as the Crown Prince, and thus, she needed to fabricate more lies.
Yet, she knew better than to respond, "You didn't take a bath today did you, Viria?" Lumielle asked as she gestured for Sylvia and Leo to move forward, "I don't think it's befitting of the Head Maid to be so dirty, so why don't we clean you up?" Those words were the ones that Viria had uttered to her before plunging her inside of ice-cold water. Struggling to fit oxygen in her lungs as her fingers dug into Lumielle's scalp.
"What are you doing?! Get your hands off of me?!" Viria snarled out.
Despite Viria's struggles both Leo and Sylvia forced the woman inside of the barrel. The sound of sloshing water being heard, "Put on the cover."
With ease, Sylvia slid on the cover and she could hear Viria banging on the wood, "I am now excusing Viria Langely from her job of Head Maid. I thank you for your service and for all those years that you have taken care of us." Her words were haughty, smug, slipping from her lips with a sense of sweet superiority.
Tonight was a bitter night, "In the morning, you can let her out. If she hasn't frozen to death. Evangeline, would you make some tea for the three of us? I'm sure that Sylvia and Sir Leo are quite cold."
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