Corrupt

Chapter 2

I wake the following morning to the dawn light peeking through our curtains, and while Andrea sleeps, I breathe in the moment and reflect.

Thank goodness for Carcaseau.

Memories engulf my blurry senses. I still remember arriving at the castle for the first time: the awe that rippled through my senses at the towering stone walls, the serene beauty and perfection of the place, the ornate furnishing within.

We always wished we would be here, all of us orphans. We'd lay awake at night, wishing desperately that we could live in the castle, serve the King, serve Vaskuoyae.

Me and Andrea spent every waking second making ourselves beautiful, working as hard as we could, counting the days to their arrival.

And then they did.

The Lazifi.

"They visit every school and every town. They need to find the best children, to be the castle's future workers," Miss Holliday had told us.

We dreamed of that day. And it was just as we'd hoped.

Our lives became perfect, as we had always dreamed.

Turning over, I smile as I watch Drea's gentle breathing, visualising the girls we were. We haven't been apart for as long as I can remember. Both of our families were lost in the Great War, so we became family for each other.

Of course we would enter Carcaseau with hands intertwined, gasping in unison as the doors opened. The hallway itself was enough to meet our expectations: a stunningly decorated room with tall stone pillars and soft rugs and warm lamps. We could barely move, let alone speak, simply gazing around, rapt with amazement.

And then there was King Nikolas.

At first I didn't notice, still admiring every detail of his home. But then my eyes landed on him, standing straight at the top of the wooden staircase, smiling elegantly down at his new arrivals.

"Greetings," he'd called, and though he was only 16, he seemed more wise than anyone I had ever met before, stronger than anything I had ever seen. He was better than I could ever have expected.

And nothing's changed.

"Rise and shine, Drea," I say, as I do every morning, stretching my arms up high as I cross the room, perching on her bed. She pulls the pillow over her head, groaning.

"Already? I haven't finished walking down the aisle yet."

I giggle before the true realisation hits me.

Nikolas needs a wife.

Destiny has never felt so clear as in this moment. I could be perfect for him.

"Okay, now you can wake me up," Andrea murmurs blearily. I promptly hit her with a nearby cushion. "Hey, not like that!"

We are ready (as we are every morning) perfectly on time, and head down to the main dining hall, greeting our fellow maids as they arrive. I carefully cut a piece of crusty bread, the fresh aroma making my mouth water, as Drea piles hers high with berry jam. Every morning, I find myself completely entranced by the wonderful smells of the breakfast feast: ripe fruit and cooking meat, mixed with the soft scents of the flowers that sit upon the tables.

Once breakfast is finished, it's time to begin another day.

Me and the rest of our team begin on cleaning duty, rushing from room to room, knocking on doors and changing bedding and dusting mantelpieces. Time flies by. It always does. Then we help the chefs carry through the lunch for the King's guests, have our own lunch, take measurements for new clothing pieces. By the time my work is nearly finished, the sun is already starting to slump beneath the mountain peaks in the far distance.

"So, what did you all think about yesterday?" Drea says with a comedic wink, as our team sit around the dinner table that evening. In my lap, I'm checking through the jobs of the day, unable to focus on her voice until I tick off everything on my to-do list. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Her words are met with an answering chorus of excited shrieks, quickly hushed by the confused stares of those around us. We giggle at the awkwardness, immune to any negativity. There are six of us in our little squad: me, Andrea, Katie, Hetty, Eloise and Ashia. We may have started from separate places, but our group is one of the most respected around the castle. We're inseparable.

Engrossed in my work, it takes me a little time to notice the blanket of silence that suddenly falls over the room. Eventually, I look up from my scribbles, and my breath catches in my chest.

Standing right in front of me, shiny and perfect as ever, is King Nikolas Umber.