Something filthy about Mr.Haynes

My whole damn life.

Serene's POV

"Rest, Miss!"-a maid tries to calm me, sending a subtle and both sincere smile towards me, while I watch her preparing my bed for the night. "You must have a good night's sleep if you want to look pretty tomorrow! You wouldn't want to displease the king with those black circles under your eyes, now would you?"

Emily turns at me, folding her arms on the cute, expensive looking white apron and gives me another small, assuring smile, as if her happy mood would somehow affect me. However, she doesn't seem to be waiting for any response, but it appear she's trying really hard to get my mood turn to pathetic to a bit more cheerful. But again- she's failing. There's terrifying and unsettling feeling in my guts and obviously nothing could calm my eradicate heartbeats at the moment.

Afterwards- there's just one night left and that would be the end of me. It's so confusing to try and realize that my life is about to end. I didn't even have a chance to live for real.

I breathe out harshly because of annoyance and finish the cup of hot coffee, the only thing making me feel alive. "What if I don't go tomorrow, Emily?"-i ask her with a secret hope she would help me make a right decision and who knows- maybe even bail me out of this hell hole? "What if I refuse to prepare myself and attend the dinner?"

Emily's hands drop by her sides and her sincere smile vanishes in a second. "You can't be serious. They would make you by force. There's no way you can prevent the meeting."

"It won't hurt to try!"-i mumble and swallow the last sip of delicious coffee.

As I was about to place the mug on the night stand, Emily appears in supernatural speed right at my frame and places a cute napkin under the cup. "We do not leave stains, honey!"-she states with such seriousness I am staring at her wide eyed. "It's the most expensive material- African Black wood."

"Oh..."-i mumble dumbly. "So if I leave a stain the Duke is going to kill me, or what?" I jump up from the bed and turn to the closet. I open the double sided door and for another minute stare at all the shiny materials I didn't try. "That's how I don't have a chance to wear all of this amazing stuff."

"Not at all!"-Emily calms me as she approaches the wardrobe. Her hand lands on my shoulder in supportive manner. "We must respect his home, though."

I shake Emily's hand off of me without even realizing. I guess i'm just being jumpy, even with another woman by my side. But damn- after everything i've been through I do not trust anyone any longer.

"See?"-i grin and turn my now watery face at hers,-"that's the difference between the Duke and Mr.Haynes, as you call him. He stained everything with my blood and he was fine with it. I swear, sometimes I even think he's enjoying it too much. But I wasn't smart enough, Emily. I didn't realize he's not even a..."

"A human?"-she cuts me off, sadness igniting in her eyes and her lips curls into a sharp tight line,-"we didn't choose this, miss. But you are hurt too much to understand what we had to go through. We had no choice, we were born like this! Just like Mr.Haynes. He was a child, just like all of us, with his naive dreams and future plans. He wasn't born bad. That's just the way it is. He triggered the prophesy somehow and that's why he became this...a monster, as you call us."

"No, no, Emily!"-i beg, grabbing her palm into mine,-"i didn't mean to offend you! You did nothing wrong to me, in contrary, you helped me a lot! I'm sorry for hurting you! I just don't know how to process all this!"

"It's fine, miss!"-she shakes her head and turns back to bed. She places the pillows in precise angles and straightens the last wrinkles on the material with her pale palm. "Who am I, after all? Just a servant. I have no right to get offended."