6 - A Crazy Friend
Aniya flinched, and Ulima quickly wiped the milk away with their napkin. *” Go back to where you came from, you maggot.” Her eyes were filled with apology, her voice was gentle and soothing, while the words that slipped past her lips were nothing but foul.
The other maid, Ganisa, quickly knelt by Aniya’s side, getting the other stains of the milk off Aniya’s skin with her napkin. She wiped too hard on nothing, and Aniya flinched.
*“The stains that I give the earth are better than you.” She held Aniya’s gaze like she was giving an apology.
Mistaking their words for apologies, Aniya nodded, telling them not to worry about her. She had more things to worry about right now than the stinging feeling in her shoulder.
Despite feeding him, her son was still warmer than he should be in her arms. Her worry was consuming her.
Hopefully, they would be able to understand her language.
“Are there any physicians that can help me? My son is sick.” Tears built up in her eyes. If Arlo were to die, she would kill herself too.
There would be nothing to live for.
*“Her son?” Ulima said. “The Gamma really brought in the foulest thing. Is he to raise a bastard now?”
*“Not if we let him die. We will be doing the whole pack well. Let him burn to death.”
“Please do you—” Aniya began to ask again, but they shook their heads.
The door swung open at that moment, and someone stepped in; it was a woman with blonde hair, fair skin, and a bright yellow dress that made Aniya’s stomach turn.
The maids moved away quickly and bowed their heads in greeting to the lady.
Wait.
By Ignas, this must be someone with power, hopefully, more power than Ikrus.
This might be their freedom!
Aniya tried to stand, hoping to sway the lady’s sympathy with her words.
But a man stepped in, along with others in the same blue attire as him.
They moved closer to her, and she backed away, holding onto Arlo and sending them a glare.
“Give him to them. They will take care of him.” Aniya turned to her with surprise, stunned by the amount of luck that the powerful person knew her language.
They approached her again, and this time, she didn't move. Instead, she observed them even more.
They must be physicians.
She let them have Arlo reluctantly, determined to fight if they dared to hurt her son.
“I want to leave. I want to go back. I have someone who can help my son and nurse him back to health. This place is not for us. His body rejects it because this is not our home. Please, help us.” She cried to the lady, who frowned slightly.
“You want to leave?”
“Y—yes,” Aniya nodded, hope blossoming in her heart, but when the lady’s frown deepened, she added, “I may return if you desire but my son—”
The maids suddenly stood up and spoke in their language once again. Aniya wished they hadn't interrupted her conversation with the lady, even more, she hoped they wouldn't snitch to Ikrus about this.
Her desperation had made her forget about them.
*“We were ordered to come here with food. We are done now, Princess. May we take our leave?”
Not understanding what they were saying, Aniya kept her eyes on her son and her attention on them at the same time. Arlo was starting to regain his color, and her worry for him was starting to subsidize.
“Before you go, I want some milk. Very hot one.”
One rushed up to get the jug, while another got a cup. They knelt in front of her while they handed it over to her. The Princess raised the jug and missed the cup.
The hot liquid splashed on their faces. When they tried to move, two guards stepped in, grabbed their hands from behind, and kept them fixed in a position to receive their punishment.
The maids’ screams of agony filled the room, and vapour raised from their faces.
Aniya’s eyes widened with horror. By Ignas, this woman was insane! She feared for her fate and for the fate of her child.
If she was doing this to the maids, what would she do to them next? The actions of her mother flashed in her mind and it became hard to breathe properly.
The blonde lady poured them each a glass of milk and the guards forced it down their throats.
“Sorry, I accidentally spilled it.” She said to the maids, then she turned to the guards. “Don't just stand there, help them. Take them somewhere to wipe this mess away with some napkins.”
Aniya frowned at those words, realizing how similar this was to what had happened to her just some moments ago.
The spill was an accident.
Wasn't it?
She watched as the guards dragged the maids away. Their agonizing screams lingered in the air even when they were long gone.
No. That spill was no mistake.
The realization settled in Aniya’s veins like cold water.
The Lady turned to her; she froze. Those brown warm eyes flashed against her earlier actions.
She was crazy.
“You do not give chances to budding enemies. You snap them before they grow. I am Oana, Ikrus's sister and your new friend,” she smiled. “Let me look at that shoulder.”
Aniya blinked.
A friend?
A crazy friend, but a friend still.
Would she be their freedom? Or was this just a test?
Could Oana even be trusted?
Was she indeed a friend or was she like her past self, a wolf in sheep’s clothing?