it hurts…
**Veronica’s POV**
“What is this about? Are you seriously telling me that you allowed that lowly slave to beat you up?”
“Mom, this isn’t helping! It’s already bad enough that she made me hit my butt really hard. I mean, it hurts so much right now. But please, stop saying it over and over again like that; it’s embarrassing.”
“Well, you should be embarrassed! Weren’t you the one going on and on about her being weak and unable to defend herself? You’re way stronger than she is. Why would you let such a weakling defeat you so easily?”
“Whoa, Mom, calm down. I don’t think you get it. She was extremely strong, and obviously, no one expected that. Even Simon himself was surprised.”
“And so? You are of royal blood. You have the strength of a warrior in the blood flowing through your veins, while she is just a lowly entity that doesn’t even match up to the standards of the maids we have here in the palace.”
“No, Mom. You see, this is exactly where we are all getting it wrong with her. I can say for sure that there was something about her strength that just seems too powerful for a regular person. Surely, there’s more to this Ashley girl than meets the eye, and I will have to be very careful with her moving forward.”
“Well, whatever you do, all I know is that you are not going to let that no-good girl take your place as the Queen of that Kingdom. Whatever you have to do to ensure that the twin brothers keep to their parent’s promise of being with you and only you, just do it, even if someone has to die for it.” I gasped, widening my eyes in surprise.
“Mom!” I exclaimed loudly. She laughed briefly on the other end. I looked at my phone to confirm whether it was really my mom I was speaking to or someone else because that was a very bold statement I never expected from someone like her.
“Oh, please. You better get yourself acquainted with these struggles of life. Nothing will come to you easily; you always have to fight and earn what you want. Never forget that, okay? It doesn’t matter how many people you have to trample on to get your way; all that matters is that you get exactly what you want.”
“Yes, Mom, I understand.”
“Good! Now I have to go. I have a spa appointment that I don’t want to miss, so take care of yourself, and remember to use this season to your advantage.”
“What do you mean, Mom?”
“Oh my goodness, why are you being so slow right now? It is the mating season, for goodness’ sake. Obviously, Simon and Lucas will be very heightened to mate, so ensure you are the one available once the effect of the season gets beyond their control. Do you understand me, or do I have to emphasize what I am really talking about?”
“No, not at all, Mom. I understand perfectly well, and I will ensure to do as you have instructed.”
“Good, take care then.”
“Alright, bye!” The call got disconnected, and I breathed out a deep sigh. Dropping my phone on the bed, I turned to sit upright, as I had been lying on my stomach while speaking with my mom. The moment my body weight pressed on my butt, the pain instantly hit me, and I cried out. I got up from the bed, and the soreness in my lower back hit me instantly.
“Curse you, Ashley!” I yelled out, trying to massage the area that hurt. A knock came on the door, and I responded for the person to come in. Amara walked in with a tray in her hand, and I turned to see what was on it.
“Good evening, my lady. I brought you some things that would help with your back.” I smiled weakly.
“Oh, thank you so much! I was just about to request it, in fact. You can just place it over there,” I said, pointing towards the side table. She carefully walked closer and placed the tray there.
“Have you been able to get the materials I requested?”
“My lady, I…”
“Did you get them, yes or no?”
“Well, the thing is, I actually…”
“Amara, it is a simple question. Have you gotten them yet? All I need you to say is either yes or no.”
“No, my lady.”
“And why is that?”
“Actually, the credit card you gave me got declined when I wanted to purchase the items, and so I didn’t know how to tell you about it.”
“What? What do you mean the credit card got declined? There is so much money in that account, so it is not possible for that to happen.”
“I’m really sorry, my lady, but I cannot lie to you. It really got declined, and so there was nothing I could do about it.”
“Whatever! Just get started with my back, please. It hurts really bad,” I said, moving over to the bed to lay flat on my stomach. She stood on the spot for a while, and I turned to face her.
“What’s the problem again? Get started right now!” I ordered. She struggled a bit with her words as she tried to say something to me.
“If you have something to say, just say it already. Why are you stuttering like a fool?”
“Your dress, my lady. I don’t know whether you’d be comfortable with me lifting it up from underneath.”
“Oh, that?” I got up and then took off the dress, revealing the tights I had on inside.
“Now you can get started already,” I said, laying back down on my stomach while she walked over to get the balms she was going to use.
It was extremely painful, but I just had to go through the massage Amara gave me for my injured lower back and butt. To prevent myself from screaming out loud and giving that wretch the pleasure of hearing me in pain, I bit hard into my pillow every time the pain hit me really hard.
As soon as Amara was done, I wiggled my back to check, and to a large extent, the area was a bit more relieved.
“Oh wow, that was extremely painful, but I feel so much better now. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome, my lady. I will go get you something to eat and some painkillers to help as well. Once you take them and go to bed, you’ll feel much better when you wake up in the morning.”
“Alright then, you can get going now. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She made her way out, and I used the opportunity to try sitting down this time. Although the pain was still there, I felt much better, and I could actually sit completely this time. While I sat in the silence waiting for Amara to come back, everything my mom had said kept coming to mind. Whether I liked it or not, Ashley was a huge rival to me. I didn’t like that I was now competing with someone who doesn’t even come close to my class in any way, but from the looks of things, I was slowly starting to lose to her.
“No! I cannot lose to that disgusting and worthless girl! I might have lost this battle, Ashley, but I have most definitely not lost the war. Mark my words, you are going to pay dearly for what you did. I will make life so miserable for you that you will wish you actually died the very moment you entered this cruel world,” I said to myself, biting my lips angrily.
Not too long after, Amara walked in with a tray in her hand, and I took it from her quickly. She gave me the painkillers to use, and I took them, placing everything in front of me.
“Alright, you may leave now,” I said, motioning with my hand for her to leave the room. She curtsied respectfully before making her way out, and I then dropped the tray on the bed so I could grab my dress and put it back on.
It wasn’t as easy as it normally would be, given that I still felt a bit sore back there, but I managed to get myself dressed once again. I took the food she brought, which was just fried rice with a turkey drumstick, and started eating. With every bite, I savored the bursting flavors of the delicious dish, well-seasoned and spiced to perfection.
“Hmmm, this is just so good! The person who made this needs to be in the kitchen every day,” I said to myself, as I held the turkey drumstick in place with my fork. Skillfully using the knife, I cut myself a piece and ate it gratefully, relishing the delicious meal. As soon as I finished eating, I smiled softly before taking the painkillers Amara had brought in. I needed just two pills, so it was only two that I peeled open. I didn’t waste any time gulping them down before putting the tray aside to rest.
I stayed on the bed for a while, and in the deafening silence, I couldn’t help but wonder why Simon and Lucas hadn’t come to check up on me yet. Even if Lucas wasn’t going to show up, I at least expected Simon to come since he was the only one actually in favor of me being in the house with them. I went on my phone to pass the time, hopeful that at least Simon would burst in through the doors, asking about my condition and how I was feeling.
At the end of the day, nothing of the sort happened. I waited so long that I started falling asleep while waiting. Instead of just sitting and waiting for them to come, I finally decided to go outside and check for them.
It wasn’t easy for me to walk like I used to, but I managed to get myself out of my bedroom and downstairs to see if I could find anybody there. When I got downstairs, it was completely silent; it almost seemed like no one lived in the house, and this made me very disappointed. Obviously, I had wanted either Lucas or Simon, or probably both of them, to see me in my injured condition and do something to help, just so I could get closer to them.
Not having them around further disappointed me, and I carefully started making my way back upstairs, feeling really down. I was already halfway up when I heard the opening and closing of a door from one of the rooms downstairs. I stopped for a moment to see who it was, and my mood instantly lifted when I saw Lucas approaching the stairs. He walked up until he got to where I was standing, then turned to face me.
“Veronica, what are you doing here?”
“Lucas, I had actually gotten myself something to drink downstairs, but now it’s hard returning back up since, you know, *she* happened.”
“Who is this ‘she’ you speak of? The last time I checked, everyone in this mansion has their respective names that we all are to use respectfully with each other.”
“My bad, I meant Ashley!” I responded, already very tired of the conversation.
“So, how is your back? I hope it isn’t too serious.”
“I hit it pretty bad, and it hurts so much, but Amara helped a bit by massaging it for me. I just…”
“Oh, alright then, that’s good to hear,” he responded, walking away right after cutting me off. I pursed my lips in embarrassment as I watched him leave. Words cannot describe just how angry I was at what he did, but I chose not to say anything further. I quietly made my way back to my room, thinking hard about what I could do as a comeback for everything I had to go through.