The Alpha’s Slave

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I spent almost an hour or more trying to clean myself up. I had to take another bath to get rid of the stench, spent a longer time washing and combing my hair to remove the food particles that clung to it and change into new cloth. I still found it hard to believe Catherine could have done something like that to me.

As quickly as I could, I rushed back to the kitchen to clean up the mess and begin the chores for the day. Time wasn’t on my side at all. I had wasted way too much time on getting myself cleaned up and it was almost mid-day.

I had to clean and tidy up all the rooms in the castle which according to my assumption were not less than 20…or 30 including the servants’ quarters, the storeroom and the ones that weren’t in use, do the laundry, prune the flower beds and gardens, attend to Catherine’s needs and most importantly have her lunch ready in an hour or two.

After I was done with the kitchen, I proceeded to the dining room. Catherine was done eating and wasn’t there anymore. Seeing the empty plate that was on the table, I slashed out an air of relief, surprised she ate up the whole meal and didn’t complain about my cooking.

Clearing it up, I took it to the kitchen and washed the dishes before heading back to the dining for the paper that contained the house plan. Guarded by it, I made my way to the store room to find the shears I needed for pruning the flower beds and gardens.

It wasn’t easy finding the store room. It was located in a more secure area of the castle, away from the kitchen. Catherine had successfully turned me into a maid, a gardener and a cook at the same time.

Great. Just great.

I was pruning the third flower bed when I heard the faint, distant call of my name twice from inside. In an instant, I dropped the shears and rushed inside, still bearing in mind I shouldn’t be called more than thrice without a response.

Stepping inside, I saw Catherine and another lady giggling and chattering like teenage girls sharing their latest crush stories.

The lady looked casual and stylish in her red, off-shoulder bohemian dress and long corn silk hair which fell in loose waves upon her exposed slender shoulders. Her lips were painted with a shade of red that could be likened with the colour of blood and as she talked, the colour complemented perfectly with her white set of teeth, making them appear whiter than they were already. Merely looking at her, one could tell she and Catherine were birds of a feather.

Her creamy, chocolate-brown eyes looked oddly familiar. But I couldn’t tell where I had seen them exactly.

“You sent for me, my Luna,” I dipped to a courteous bow.

“Yes,” she answered without looking at me. “Go get something for my guest.”

“Yes, my Luna,” I lowered to another bow and before I could turn and make my way to the kitchen, the lady’s voice rang, stopping me.

“Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait,” her chocolate-brown eyes lingered on me as though she knew me from somewhere. But then, they turned dark and were quickly replaced with a black-layered look. “Isn’t she the same girl that arrived at the cocktail party with your husband looking like the goddess of beauty?” There was a heavy sarcasm in her tone. “The same one people thought had replaced you as the Luna of your kingdom. The same one that caused a scene that night. I remember everything like it was yesterday.”

That confirmed it. I knew I had seen her from somewhere. She must have been amongst the crowd that betrayed me. The same crowd that stood rooted to the spot like million-dollar statures while that filthy brute dragged me to the back of the party hall. I cringed inwardly with disgust and pain on replaying that. That was a day I never wanted to remember as long as I lived.

“Yes,” Catherine murdered me equally with her glare. “She is the one.”

“From the day I saw her at that party I knew she was a phony. A lie. A gold-digger. An opportunist. A low-rank wolf,” the lady maintained her black-layered look but I lowered my head to the ground to avoid it.

“Yes, my dear,” Catherine’s bitter voice resonated, adding to the damage. “Don’t be deceived by all that makeup and gown she wore that day. This is her real look. A maid who scrubs floors and waits tables. A servant who is at my command and mercy. An illiterate slave my husband bought out of pity. That is who she is.”

Their words were a knife stab. A bullet. They were damaging me. Wounding me. Murdering me on the inside. My spirit was sinking and painful tears were slowly building up on the back of my eyes. But I struggled to maintain my composure. I struggled to be strong. The last thing I wanted to do was break down in front of these two. I won’t. Never again.

“But what I don’t understand is why your husband will leave you behind and take a filth like this to a royal couples’ party. My husband will never do such a thing to me. If he tried such taboo, I’ll destroy him and that’ll be the end of our marriage.”

“Oh, Rose,” Catherine breathed out. “I was equally as surprised as you are. I wasn’t around and went to visit someone. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened. But not to worry, I’ll make sure Sebastian regrets his actions.”

Rose. That was her name. Like the flower. Yet she was as poisonous as venom.

They continue talking like that for a while and I was sure they had forgotten I was even there. My mind lingered on Catherine’s last words. What did she mean by saying she’ll make Sebastian regret his action? What was she planning?

“Hey, you!” Catherine’s voice snapped, making me jump a little in shock. “What are you still standing there for? What are you? A statue? Will you get the hell out of here and get us some refreshments!” She yelled and I scurried into the kitchen.