Paulina heaved a deep breath as she collapsed on the floor outside the door of the latrine, which she had just finished cleaning. She still couldn't believe that the second she got off the carriage, she had been dragged away to the servants' quarters, and without even a second of rest, one of the maids there had stuffed her hand with a bucket containing the soap and other items she needed to clean the public latrines and bathrooms around the palace.
Paulina groaned softly when she tried to sit up, and her stomach rumbled noisily, reminding her that she was yet to eat anything. Although she was a servant, she wasn't used to such manual labour, as her sole task since she was young had been to serve the princess.
Once she stood up, Paulina briefly considered going back to the servant's quarters to let them know that she was done with her assignment, but on second thought, she decided to first find the Princess. Who knew what other chores those mean people had in store for her? Besides, she knew that once she found the Princess, she was going to get something good to eat and not the measly food that she suspected that those mean people would offer her.
She looked around her as she tried to find her way back to the palace, where she knew that the princess would be. After walking around the quiet building and getting lost, she finally found the exit and stepped outside.
She looked around in surprise when she realized that the sun had gone into hiding and the sky was dark now. She hadn't realized how much time she had spent in there scrubbing those toilets. She took in a deep breath to inhale the fresh night air into her lungs, which were still filled with the pungent smell that had followed her from the latrine.
She looked down at her clothes, which were of low quality compared to what even the other servants here wore, and straightened them out. Somehow, she doubted that they were going to let her walk down the halls of the palace dressed like this and smelling of soap. If only she knew where the princess was, this would have been much easier.
Who could she ask about where to find the princess? The people here seemed unapproachable and cold. Even the servants seemed to think they were better than her. She shuddered when she remembered how one of the men had drawn a sword at the princess during the marriage ceremony. If they could do that to the Princess, then worse could be done to her, who was just a mere servant, she thought as she tentatively headed for the palace, which stood quite a distance from where she was.
She assured herself that if anyone stopped her, she was just going to say that the Princess had sent her on an errand and she was going to report back. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the roar of what she assumed was the town bell. She had been warned about the sound. The first bell was a warning for everyone to go inside. The second bell was to remind them of the first. After the third bell, anyone caught outside was going to be in trouble. This was the first bell. She had to hurry.
The closer she got to the palace building, the more jittery she became, and so her gaze kept darting all around her nervously, as though she was expecting the mean maid to step out of the shadows and pounce on her.
"Where do you think you are going to?" A harsh voice spoke from behind her just as she was about to go inside the palace, where she could see other servants going in and exiting in a hurry.
A startled Paulina spun around immediately to look into the face of the mean maid she had somehow known was going to show up.
"I have cleaned the latrines," Paulina said in a shaky voice as she took an involuntary step back.
"And?" Beth asked with a look of disapproval on her face, taking a step towards her whenever she took one backwards.
Why was she feeling so nervous around a maid like herself when she had done nothing wrong? Paulina asked herself, as she cleared her throat, "And I need to see milady," Paulina informed her politely.
"You can't see her. Here in this palace, I'm responsible for all the servants, and I assign maids to the royals. I have no idea why you were allowed to tag along with them, but you won't be serving her. So return to the servant's quarters at once!" Beth commanded harshly.
Paulina stood her ground, "The Prince said I could come along. I'm here only to serve my Princess," Paulina insisted stubbornly, even though her heart was thudding very fast in her chest.
"You are a stubborn one, are you not? Well, I know just the right way to break you in," Beth said with relish in her voice as she reached out a hand and grabbed Paulina by the scruff of her neck with her sharp nails, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Let her go," Alvin ordered in a cool voice as he stepped out of the darkness.
"You have no business interfering in this," Beth hissed at him irritably.
"I do. Prince Harold asked me to get her for the Princess, so let her go. I also have a message for you," Alvin added, and Beth eyed him curiously as she roughly pushed Paulina to the side.
Without sparing a glance at either her oppressor or her saviour, Paulina ran away from there and hurried straight inside the palace, even though she didn't exactly know where she was going. All she wanted was to put some distance between herself and the mean witch before looking for someone sane to ask for direc... "Ouch!" She cried when she walked into something solid, and something fell on the ground, making a clattering sound.
Her heart sank when she looked down at the goblet, which was now lying on the floor with its cover in a pool of wine. She looked from the wine to the feet of the person she had bumped into, and she had no doubt that he was a member of the royal family. She didn't know what to expect as she slowly and fearfully looked up.
Had she just succeeded in running from one problem into another? What if this was the same person who had drawn the sword at the princess? She wondered as she looked into his face.
THE STRANGE GROOM'S CURSED BRIDE (Add to Library)
Paulina looked at the face of the man she had bumped into with fear. She had a feeling the people here could kill her without batting an eye.
She was a bit surprised to see how good-looking he was. Was everyone in this kingdom this good-looking? She quickly shook the thought out of her head. Whether they were good-looking or not, the most important thing was that they were dangerous. Even the maids were all very pretty, but they acted like evil witches. Not to mention this young man, who was obviously a royal. He looked to be a teenager just like her, or maybe he was older? But he did look a lot bigger.
Blinking back to her senses, she moved back, withdrawing from him. He kept looking at her with an expression she couldn't read, and his nose was scrunched up as if he didn't like the way she smelled. She wouldn't blame him.
"I'm... sorry for..."
"What are you doing here?" He asked in a deep voice that made her scared and withdraw even further from him. Her legs suddenly felt very weak, and she feared that she might fall on her face soon.
"I... am here to see... my mistress." She replied.
He looked at the open window beside them before looking down at her, nothing the red marks and blood on her neck. "Are you a good runner?"
She gave him a confused look, wondering where the question was coming from.
"N--o..." She answered nervously.
"Soon, the bell is going to ring. And when that happens, you are going to be in trouble." He informed her.
"W-hat? Isn't... that the s-second bell?" She asked, panicking.
He looked at the window again and turned to look at her.
"If you hope to see your mistress again, run as fast as you can back to your quarters before the bell rings again."
Paulina began to fidget. She looked at him, the window, and the mess she had made on the floor.
"B-But.." She pointed at the floor.
"RUN!" He said in a commanding voice that made her flinch.
She helped herself up, falling a few times before she raced back the same way she had come.
He smirked as he watched her run. Did she say she wasn't good at running? He bet she would outrun some werewolves if her life depended on it.
"William? What are you still doing—" His twin sister paused and sniffed the air.
"There was a human girl here?"
He nodded, still looking at the direction she had taken.
His twin sister's eyes widened. "What was she doing here by this time? And why was she not wearing a scent patch? Won't she get into trouble?"
She asked, sounding worried. Then she took her brother's hand. "Hurry, we should leave now before the bell sounds. The night maids will take care of this." She said, pulling him along with her.
William looked at the mess on the floor before nodding at his sister. As they turned, the bell rang. His head went back to the path she had taken quickly. He hoped she would be able to survive the night.
~~~
Paulina, who was still running outside, didn't know when she began to cry. She ran with all her might to the servant's quarters, but it seemed like the more she ran, the farther the building was.
Her heart went to her throat when she heard something that sounded like howls far away from her. She tripped and fell from the shock, but got up immediately and continued the race. Her life depended on this. If she died and left the princess, how was she going to survive this awful place alone? The howls drew closer and closer as she ran.
She let out a scream when a hand pulled her to a corner, but her scream was muffled when the other hand of the person covered her mouth.
"Quiet," The person whispered in her ear. She realized it was the same voice of the person she had bumped into in the hall a while ago.
She relaxed but could not stop panting or the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. He draped a cloak around her, also covering her head with it, and turned her around to face him.
"No matter what happens, do not let go of this." He instructed. She felt obliged to nod, even though she had no idea why he was giving her this. How was this supposed to save her?
Suddenly, he pushed her behind him when it seemed like something was approaching them. Since he was very huge, he was able to fully cover her, but she had seen the large paws with sharp claws of a huge animal, and she could swear it wasn't a dog.
It took everything in her to not scream. She held tightly onto the back of her saviour's shirt and tried to stop panting. The animal seemed to stand there for a long time before it turned around and left, howling.
When he eventually asked her to run, she held tightly onto the cloak and ran for her dear life. Just what kind of kingdom was this? What was that animal? Why hadn't it hurt her saviour? Paulina wondered as she ran. She made up her mind that she was never going to step out when it was dark again. Her only prayer was that the princess wasn't out.
Williams watched as she ran, and he couldn't help wondering what someone like her was doing in the palace. All the maids and servants were usually werewolves, so what was a human maid doing there? He wondered, and then remembered that his cousin had just brought home a human bride. Perhaps she was the maid of the new bride?
"Did she escape safely?" His twin sister whispered as she appeared beside him, cutting into his thoughts.
When he nodded, she held his hand and began to pull him along with her. "Let's go. If the last bell rings, it wouldn't matter that we are royals!" She reminded him impatiently.
THE STRANGE GROOM'S CURSED BRIDE (Add to Library)
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