Chapter 7: A Little Water Never Kill Anyone
It didn't take long for me to get cleaned up for dinner. I'm not even sure why I had to get cleaned up. I was already spit-shined before even entering this damn castle.
I took the time to just sit silently on the straw-stuffed bed, studying my surroundings. My eyes glare out the window down to the garden below. Something feels off and I haven't been able to put my finger on it just yet.
"Life is going to be pretty fucking difficult without you," I grumble to my empty finger, gently rubbing the empty space where my ring should be. Acid feels like it's burning my throat when I picture the ring I've worn for years on that assholes finger. I'm like a turtle with his stomach exposed without it.
No.
No, I will not show myself as that weak. I am still a weapon of death. Ring or no ring.
Sighing, I run my gloved hand through my hair; I've finally stopped cringing at the feeling of my hair missing. I don't have time to dwell on it, and I have to focus on the task at hand until I can figure a way out of this.
If there's anything I'm good at, is defying the odds.
My head keeps going back to my friends at home. By that, I mean Luke and even Vincent. I even miss that specific teacher who would spit in my face as he yelled at me for being late (again).
With my wits about me, I shove my hands into my pockets and calmly start to walk my way down the castle halls. My footsteps echoing off the walls makes the scene even eerier, along with candles being lit so people aren't wandering blind.
I feel like I'm walking on a movie set and not a real place. Like I'm just a debut actor in Hollywood about to make a name for myself in a big role.
"This may be the greatest role I've ever played." I think to myself as I adjust the gloves on my hands. I follow the smell of food and it doesn't take long for me to find the kitchen. It's not as large and grand as I might have imagined, but it's spacious enough to pass. A giant pig roast is being prepared. I glare at the swine stuffed with an apple and imagine the fat lard of a king that sent me here. My fists tighten at my side as I remain calm and composed within my face.
This won't be easy if I'm the one causing myself issues.
Within the kitchen is a woman who can't be older than her late 40's, but that's pretty old in this day and age. She looks familiar to me, but I can't seem to place my finger on it; just like this whole situation. She looks up at me and her dirt colored eyes widen and her forehead grows worrisomely wrinkled. I hold eye contact with her as she grows more and more terrified at whatever she sees. Her body stiffens and she starts to tremble as if she has just seen a ghost.
It then clicks in my head just as she's about to stammer and I see an empty place where her golden tooth used to be.
She commissioned me to kill her cheating/thieving husband.
This could be trouble.
She opens her mouth to scream like I'm there for her. No one else is in the kitchen at the moment and I quickly cup my hand around her mouth, wrap my arm around her thicker center, and drag her to a corner with a single sweep.
My lips whisper calmingly and gently into her ear as she still tries to cry out against my hand. Her breath heating up my palm and I can smell the rancid breath that only someone who hasn't brushed their teeth in their entire life can create.
"I am not here to hurt you." My words laced with charm and reassurance that I am able to do without my ring. It enters her brain through her ears and works as a relaxer. Her stiff body calming and her breath no longer covering my hand.
I release my hands from around the woman and adjust my top coat, so I may look my best. I spot the tray of beverages being filled by a boy no older than thirteen. His blonde baby hairs not having yet thickened and still sticking out on his forehead. Just by glancing at the drinks, they all look the same, so more than likely no one gets a special drink.
I briskly scoop them up and balance with one arm, mimicking how servers in the modern world do it. I take a step out into the dining hall to see the entire family already sitting together.
Just by scanning over the royal family, you can already tell that they had multiple mothers. My eyes are first drawn to the two matching red heads sitting side by side. One with hair almost touching his shoulders and the other with it shaved and slicked back. They're both adding and removing steamed green beans from their plates, trying to give the other one the most.
I stop by them first and don't make eye contact as I place their drinks in front of them. The next person who catches my eye is sitting right beside the twins is a male that looks about the same age as the twins, only he has curly hair piled up around his head with thick glasses covering his matching pair of eyes. He side glances me as I place the drink down beside him.
Going down the table next is a little girl with ringlet blonde curls, who looks like she should be on Toddlers and Tiaras, with a giant pink dress that's bigger than she is. There's a glass that's much smaller than the others, so I assume it's hers. She looks up at me with giant blue eyes and a big tooth gapped smile. "tank yew!" She says as she starts to chug away. It feels like I just gulped a stone, but I give her a polite nod and keep my face neutral. She is a princess, after all, a young one, but a princess nonetheless.
Lastly, my eyes go to a male that looks regal even just sitting at the table. His hair is very long and silvery, which looks unnatural in this time period without modern hair dye. His amber colored eyes looking up at mine, but his thin-lipped expression never changing.
My foot catches briefly on the carpet and the rest is in slow motion.
I feel myself tripping forward in a lurch and at the same time, I see his lips turning up into a snide grin that reminds me of prince Ring-Stealer. The arrogance burns something inside me; I will not fail this early. My hand reaches up to the drink and within the rest of the second, I have the drink placed on the table without a single drop, but my face is inches away from his now fully smug smile.
His beady eyes peering into mine in a half second battle of will.
He speaks to me and his voice comes out much deeper than I would have expected. "I thought you were going to spill on me." His breath warm against my face, but it felt different than the woman in the kitchen.
I stand straight up and showing no emotion of what had just occurred and, give the prince a polite nod. I will not let arrogant assholes screw up my mission. I make my way over to the king who is just happily digging into his pig leg and reminds me of the picture of Santa from the Night Before Christmas; with rosy red cheeks and just a happy looking face.
The king is now my favorite, and I can tell the little girl is actually his.
I don't see another person that could signify the king's significant other, and there are no more glasses on my tray.
After going back to the kitchen to drop off the tray, I go back into the dining room and stand there with my spine completely straight and I wait for another order to be given.
The curly brown haired prince raises his hand up and snaps for my attention. If this were the modern world he would not have a hand to snap. I take a silent deep breath and walk over to the prince.
"Yes, your majesty?"
He doesn't even speak to me, but just points to his spilled cup on the ground at his feet. I bite down on my tongue and bow. "I will get someone to clean it at onc-"
"I want you to clean it." The prince interjects with his eyes that are more piercing than I would have thought with brown. My blood starts to boil and my temper rises with the indignity of the tasks, but once again. I bite my tongue and bow, "right away."
The fuck am I supposed to do about a spilled drink?
How the hell did he even spill it?
How did I not notice?
I go back into the kitchen and locate a vacant rag that's already stained and looks like it's on its last thread.
"I am an assassin and I will not clean up after you royal assholes. You should be the ones on the floor at my feet." I keep repeating in my head just as I get on my knees as gracefully as I can and starts to wipe up the spilled drink. I feel his eyes burning holes into my back as he belittles me by watching me.
It's only my first day as a butler, but I have been humiliated enough to last a lifetime these past few days.
As I begin to rise and adjust my pants and brush off any lint, I feel a hand grope just below my lower back.
My hand snaps to the prince's wrist, the action goes unnoticed by the king who is eating the last of the pig legs.
"Let's keep our hands to ourselves young master," I say through gritted teeth as we lock eyes. His expression looks bored and he doesn't even try to struggle out of my grip.
A smug grin spreads across his face, "don't forget we own you, scum." I release his hand just as he's pulling away and goes back to sipping his soup like nothing happened. I take the dishcloth back into the kitchen. While throwing it into the sink, at the same time sending a punch right at the wall. My eyes seeing so much red I swear I had just killed 5 people with chainsaws. My blood boiling hotter than any summer day could even imagine being.
I didn't anticipate the wall being brick, but I should have. My knuckles swell up instantly and tear at my once pristine white gloves. Blood soaking through to the point of not being able to repair them.
I hiss between closed teeth, holding my hand tightly to my chest, and glare towards the door, with so much hate that I wish I had my ring to murder everyone who even looks at me wrong.
After allowing myself a couple of silent moments and being grateful the chiefs were done for the say, I shove my ungloved and bloodied hand deep in my pocket and wait out in the dining hall for my next order.
Dinner took much longer than I had anticipated and it took everything I had to not smash the statue I stood beside. It would not reflect well if their new butler started smashing their priceless artifacts. I also tried to not make eye contact with the prince who assaulted me; though I could feel his eyes linger on my face for split seconds.
Maybe they won't miss this statue.
The pain of the injection started to arise as the clock ticked by slowly. If I didn't get my injection soon, I would die a very slow and painful death. Fun to administer not go through.
"Edward you are now dismissed." The king waves me off, and I give a polite bow to the rest of the royal family before tracking back to the room I was thrown into where the night from earlier was waiting to give me my dose.
"How was your first day?"
"Fuck off."
~~~~~~~~
(Unknown POV + Unknown Time + Unknown Realm)
"How is he doing?"
"He seems to be adjusting well, no argument or retaliation so far."
"That's good. We don't need another situation on our hands."
"Do you think he'll figure out his real mission?"
"Oh, of course, he is the best for a reason. It just is a matter of when."
"Think he'll survive that long?"
"God I hope so."
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