Break My Heart a Thousand Times (The Selection Series Story)

Chapter VII: "Kill Me, Heal Me"

Chapter Seven

It was just a regular day for the servants;

The morning rush of breakfast, daily cleaning of the bottom floors of the Palace, the rush of lunch, daily cleaning of the middle floors of the Palace, tea for the guests and Royal Family, laundry hour, the daily cleaning of the upper floors of the Palace, the large rush of dinner, and the final clean-up, and with that the day would end, peacefully.

But today was different.

The morning was gloomy, and breakfast was drowsy. The servants lingered around the Palace with grim expressions on their face. And the same expression was on mine.

Queen Kriss gave birth late at night in the hospital wing, but she was in critical condition, about to die. I had heard this from Renee, but even as a newer maid I knew she was a gossip, so I didn't know what to believe anymore.

True to her claims, King Maxon was looking rather miserable. His hair was messy, his face pale, figure skinny, and there were heavy bags under his eyes. Queen Kriss' condition worsened in the afternoon, and her family had arrived to visit her.

A tap on my shoulder kicked me out of my dreamland state. I turned around to see a dispirited Valleree.

"Hi America," She said. Even her tone brought my struggling levels of happiness down even further. "Why are you so downcast today Vall?" I asked her. Her normally perky mood was now a heavy net of gloom, cast around those who were near her.

"Queen Kriss." She replied quietly. I nodded.

"So what..." I hesitated. Was I allowed to ask about things like this? I did want reliable answers, and Valleree seemed a pretty reliable person to ask, "What exactly happened?"

Valleree sighed. "Well, you heard about her giving birth, right?" I nodded. "They were almost positive she was going to die in childbirth," she explained. "But Queen Kriss pulled through." A ghost of a smile appeared on her tired face. "The strain was too much, though," Valleree bit her lip before continuing. "They suspect she'll die soon, possibly sometime this week..." she trailed off, and I felt even worse if that was possible.

Valleree brightened a bit, after a minute of depressed silence. "But there is something sweet..." she gave me a small smile. "Once Queen Kriss got to hold her baby, she hasn't let go since." She cocked her head thoughtfully. "In fact, I think she's resting in her room right now..." a mischievous glint came to her eye, and she was (kind of) back to her her normal self. "If you want, I could bring you up to meet him... and her, of course."

My mouth formed a perfect 'O'. "Are you serious?" I asked. "Will she actually let me?"

Valleree smiled. "Kriss doesn't usually like to show off, but her baby boy is an exception. I'm sure she'd love to show him to everyone she can." She gestured for me to come with her, and I couldn't do anything else but follow her, a stupid grin on my face.

We finally arrived at the Royal Chambers, and I clutched my hands as I followed Valleree. She knocked on the door lightly, and Heather answered.

Heather bowed low to the ground, seeming embarrassed. "Oh, Lady Valleree," Heather said bashfully.

Valleree waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, I'm not a lady," she laughed lightly, and I was glad to see her back to her normal self again, if only for a while.

"Um..." Heather looked awkwardly from me to Valleree. "Would you like to come in?" she squeaked.

"Nope, I'd rather just stay out here, thanks," Valleree chirped.