“The dresses are beautiful but I won’t be wearing them.”
The maid, a small lady in a typical maid outfit looked at me in surprise. “But madam, these dresses have been made from the finest laces in our kingdom and beyond. Is it the net? Don’t worry my lady we can remove the net if you don’t want it.”
“It’s not the net. I just don’t like them.”
“That’s a bummer my lady. We worked very hard to make these dresses for you and you say you don’t like them?”, the maid shrieks.
I risk a glance at all the dresses that are spread out on Sia’s bed. There are so many and ugh! I just don’t like them.
“I’m very sorry if you wasted your time but it’s still a no. Take your dresses and replace them with leather pants. The kind the princes’ wear.”
The maid let out a horrified gasp. “My lady, it’s forbidden for a woman to walk around wearing pants! Especially a woman of your status!”
“Do you want to know a secret? I wasn’t always like this, curvy and pretty. There was a time my aura screamed male. And then I was as handsome as the princes.”
The maid leans in. “Is that true my lady?”
“Of course not, you idiot. I am a badass woman, which is why I would not be wearing these frilly dresses, and those awful shoes or those ridiculous jewelry”.
“But my lady, you can’t wear pants. That’s horrible. And this is the outfit that all the royal concubines wear.”
This horrific dress? Made out of sheer lace and net? Maybe I don’t want to be a royal concubine anymore.
“What’s your name maid?”
“It’s Mila my lady.”
“Very well then. You can call me Crinka.”
“I would never my lady.”
I look at her in disbelief. “Are you disobeying me Mila?”
“Of course, not my lady. It’s just that we servants are not allowed to call people of your calibre by name.”
“Of course. I wasn’t expecting any less. Now Mila, it appears that there is some kind of colour code in this palace. Could you please explain it to me?”
She grins. “I’d love to my lady. You see, the queen normally wears white, royal blue or navy blue. The princesses wear turquoise blue or baby blue. The royal concubines like you my lady wear green”.
I look at her in disgust. Now that explains these ridiculous outfits.
“Green? Why green?”
“That’s because green represents life my lady. And since they conceive life, they are to wear green.”
Ah, that makes sense.
“So, what about the whores? What colour do they wear?”
“They wear red my lady, because red signifies seduction. During events, they wear orange.”
“And what about the servants? What colour do they wear?”
“The chief of palace staff wears yellow. The chief of non-palace staff, that is the head of all the workers that do not work in the palace, wears brown. The handmaidens wear pink. The kitchen servants wear cream. The housekeepers and cleaner wear grey. The guards wear black.”
“And you are?”
“A handmaiden my lady.”
“And I take it that you have been assigned to me?”
“Yes, my lady. Should we try on the dresses now my lady?”
“Are you deaf or retarded? I said I won’t be wearing the dresses! So, gather them and return them to the shithole they came from.”
Her bottom lip quivers as she falls on her knees. “I’m sorry my lady, but I have to refuse. The queen strictly ordered these dresses for you and I’m afraid that if I return them, she would have my head. I’m the only child of my parents my lady.”
My heart goes out to her. Sighing, I plop down on the mattress.
“Fine. Fold the clothes, and put them in the wardrobe next to the prince’s own”
She stands up, delighted. “Would you not try them on my lady? To be sure it fits?”
I glower. “The only dress I would be putting on is the one for the Claiming. Now hurry up with those clothes.”
Mila gets back to work and her moves are quiet. I checked the time. 11:30. It’s almost time for lunch, and in a few hours, I will be claimed. I still have a little time left and I am not going to spend it here with Mila.
Getting up, I exit Sia’s room after instructing Mila to send for me when the dress for the Claiming arrives. Ruarc’s room is a few rooms away from Sia’s. I don’t know why they have to share a wing. I don’t enjoy hearing his wife’s moans in the middle of the night.
Ruarc steps out of his room just then, and I jolt back, wanting to keep enough distance between us. He is wearing his signature look, a white tee and beach shorts. He rolls his eyes, approaching me. I scramble back, my heart thumping heavily in my chest.
“I… how… what are you doing here?”
He looks at me as if I have grown a beard.
“I live here Crinka. I sleep here. So, the question should be, ‘what are you doing here?”
I scowl. “You don’t have to be an ass to me simply because of a rejection that happened days ago.”
He frowns. “I wasn’t going to mention it, but since you have, let’s just get this done with.”
I hate him for the words that leave his mouth next.
“I, Ruarc Lancaster, Crown Prince of the Icelanders, reject your rejection.”
I stare at Ruarc surprised. “There’s nothing like that!”, I sputter.
“Actually, there is,” Eloive says as he walks towards us. I scowl at him. Ruarc smirks, crossing his arms.
“I have never heard of a thing like that, so do elaborate,” I tell Eloive. He clears his throat.
“When a mate is rejected, the rejected mate can reject the rejection instantly.”
“It took days for Ruarc to do so.”
“That is because I’m an Icelander. Your werewolf laws don’t apply to me,” Ruarc says smugly and I glare at him.
“So, what happens when a rejection is rejected Eloive?”
“Well, it’s pretty simple. It’s like the bond was never broken in the first place, and the mates would begin to feel for each other once more. Rumour has it that the one who stirred up the rejection, the renewed bond would affect the most. In simple terms, you guys would start afresh, but your feelings for Ruarc would run deeper.”
I shake my head, taking a step back. “That’s impossible. You’re lying.”
“What difference would it make if he lies? Don’t dwell on it too much. What should be on your mind right now is surviving the Claiming,” Ruarc says, smoothing out his clothes.
I blink, taken aback. “What do you mean by surviving the Claiming? Is there something I should know that you are not telling me?”.
Eloive shrugs. “A wolf has never been claimed by an Icelander before, so nobody knows if you are going to survive it. But since you survived the blood bond, I’m sure you’d be fine.”
I glared at him. “That doesn’t make me feel any better. I need to know now if I can survive it. I’m just an omega and…”
“Cut it out Crinka. Alphas and omegas don’t actually matter here. If you’re weak, you’re weak and if you’re strong, you’re strong,” Eloive says.
“Thanks for not making me feel any better.”
“You’re welcome,” he says with a smile, before leaving me alone with Ruarc.
I turn to his father. “Tell me about the Claiming.”
“Saying please wouldn’t hurt you know?”
“Actually, it would.” I bite back tears before continuing. “When you ripped my clothes apart, I begged you to stop Ruarc. I said the word please, but it appears that the word has no meaning in your dictionary. If you won’t tell me about the Claiming, I might as well find someone else.”
His features soften. “Fine. Let’s find somewhere to sit. I will tell you everything you need to know about the Claiming.”