𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐃| ✎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

The sound of knocking on my door woke me up from my deep sleep. I groggily opened my eyes, disoriented for a moment before realizing where I was. I sat up in bed, feeling a bit groggy from the sleep.

The knocking came again, louder and more insistent this time. I got up from the bed and walked over to the door, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

As I opened the door, I saw a guard standing there. He was a tall, muscular man with a stern expression on his face.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said, his voice polite but firm. "My apologies for waking you. But your presence is requested in the dining room downstairs."

My heart skipped a beat as I heard the words 'dining room.' I had completely forgotten about the fact that our families were meeting for dinner tonight.

"What time is it?" I asked, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.

"It's 6:30 pm," the guard replied. "Dinner will start soon. I've been asked to take you downstairs."

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. I knew I couldn't avoid this dinner, but the thought of sitting across the table from Nikolai and his family made me uneasy.

"Alright," I said, trying to sound composed. "Give me a minute to get ready."

A minute.

I quickly headed to the bathroom to freshen up. I splashed some water on my face, brushed my hair, and applied some moisturizer. The cold water helped a bit to wake me up, but I still felt a bit groggy.

After a few minutes, I stepped out of the bathroom, feeling a bit more awake and ready to face whatever the evening had in store for me.

Oh lord.

The guard was still waiting for me, now impatiently tapping his foot. "Hurry up," he said brusquely. "They're waiting for you."

Despite my exhaustion, hearing the guard's rude tone and impatience made me snap. I turned to him, my irritation getting the better of me.
"Don't speak to me like that," I snapped, my tone sharp. "I'm not a child to be ordered around like that."

The guard seemed surprised by my outburst, his eyes widening slightly. He took a step back, clearly not expecting me to talk back.
"I-uh-I'm sorry, ma'am," he stuttered. "I didn't mean to come off as rude. I'm just following orders. I was told to bring you downstairs immediately."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "I know, I know," I said, my voice a bit more controlled. "But there's no need to be so brusque. I'll come down when I'm ready. Tell them I'll be there in a few minutes."

The guard gave me an apologetic look and nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "I'll let them know. Take your time."

I nodded and watched him as he left, feeling a bit guilty for snapping at him. But his demeanor really ticked me off, and I couldn't help but react.