SWNOVELS Chapter 9: Dinner
The King is having some important guests over, apparently for the first time in a while, and all the servants are stressing out about it. I heard that they are Royals from a small kingdom to the East, but am not sure if there's any truth to that.
Nonetheless, everybody has been running around making sure that the castle is pristine. I spent all day yesterday cleaning up the room that they are to stay in, and even still there is more that needs to be done.
I sigh, already knowing I'm going to say yes. "Do you really need my help?"
"We really do!" She says, voice rising in pitch. "The Royals are going to be here for dinner and we need all the help we can get to make sure everything goes smoothly. I heard from John that you used to help out occasionally in the kitchens."
I haven't seen the King since he helped clean my wound, but he's been keeping his place pretty neat, making my job easy and giving me back a lot of extra time. I should be able to finish early enough to help out in the kitchens for dinner.
"I'll try to finish up as quickly as I can today and come down to help." I promise.
Emma squeals, pulling me into a tight hug. I hold back a wince as the movement causes the healing cut on my neck to tug, and quickly return her hold before pulling away.
"Thank you so much! I owe you one." Emma says, a large smile on her face.
We continue chatting for a couple of minutes before departing to get started on our day. I find John chatting up some girls outside the women's bedroom, and wave my hand to grab his attention, gesturing towards the main hallway. He gets the hint and excuses himself to walk over to me.
"Time to head up." I say, shoving my hands deep into my pockets.
I glance down at the ground and shuffle my feet slightly. Not sure what else to say, I pull my hands out of my pockets, clap them together, and give John some finger guns. I regret the motion as soon as I do it.
He gives me a slight chuckle, taking pity on my awkwardness, and begins walking out of the servant's area.
John got word yesterday that the King's empty wing is going to be clear in three nights' time, and things have been a bit awkward between us since then. Neither of us is really sure what to say to one another- do we go on like normal? Afterward, do we pretend as if nothing happened?
He told me the news last night and, despite my excitement at finally getting a time and place secured, I find myself pretty nervous.
"I'm going to finish up early to help in the kitchens for dinner, so we won't be able to walk back down together." I say to him, voice quiet as we walk through the hallways.
"Sounds good, thanks for letting me know." John responds, giving me a friendly nudge on the shoulder.
The gesture makes me smile, and I feel some of the tension between us fade. John's a good friend, and I appreciate him keeping things easy between us.
We continue our walk in silence, both of us keeping a watchful eye on the Beasts as we pass them.
The King's chambers are empty when I arrive, just as they've been for the last couple of days, and I'm pleased to see that they are pretty clean. It even looks like the King cleaned his own dishes last night!
As suspected, I manage to get through everything pretty quickly and rush down to the kitchens in record time. I enter through the servant's door and look around for Emma.
She's standing off to the side cutting some vegetables, and I jog over to greet her.
"Hey, Emma! I'm here to help." I say as I approach, careful not to startle her.
She spins around, relief evident on her face. "Addie- thank god you're here. One of our servers is sick, so I'll need you to fill her place tonight."
I frown, a sudden bout of nervousness coming over me. That's not what I expected to be doing.
"I've only ever helped out with the cooking- I don't know how to serve." I admit, hoping that it'll be enough to change her mind.
Luck doesn't seem to be on my side though as Emma begins walking me over the basics.
"It's easy! You'll be in charge of wine. All you need to do is stand to the side holding the bottle and refill glasses as they get low." She says, shoving the container in my hands and nudging me towards the door.
Feeling slightly overwhelmed, I follow her direction and head into the dining room, careful to stay along the wall and be silent.
I spot the King first- sitting at the head of the table with a scowl on his face. The seat to his left is empty, and on his right sits the Second. Next to the Second is his mate, and the visiting royals across from them.
Most glasses look to be pretty full so I post up along the wall. Other servants line up against it as well, waiting for their cue to rush in to serve the Beasts.
"You've caused quite a stir by sending Jade home." The man I don't recognize says to the King, voice filled with laughter.
I slyly glance over at the King to see his reaction. He looks slightly annoyed but otherwise unbothered.
"It was time for her to go." He calmly replies, bringing his glass to his mouth and taking a sip.
The man laughs, shaking his head as he cuts up and shoves a large piece of ham into his mouth. The woman next to him clears her throat, drawing the attention to her. She doesn't speak right away, and instead looks between King Heloix and his Second with squinted eyes.
"Have you thought any of our proposal?" She finally asks, voice smooth and confident.
Everybody looks at the King but he gives them no answer. The room is filled with unease as everybody waits for him to speak, and eventually the Second pipes in instead.
"We have discussed it and, unfortunately, found the terms to be disagreeable. Your price for the humans is too high." He answers curtly.
The King is looking to buy more humans? We already have more staff than we need. I can't even imagine what we would do with more.
The man begins to splutter, voice rising in volume as he throws out obscenities at the King. King Heloix seems to be holding back a smirk, and brings his glass to his lips to cover it.
It's hard not to admire the King when he acts like this. Even surrounded by other Beasts he stands out. His sizable frame is quite threatening, even when he doesn't intend for it to be, and his whole aura demands respect.
I watch as he takes another sip from his wine, my eyes drawn down to his throat as the thick muscles shift underneath his skin with each swallow.
My gaze continues downward to his shirt. It's quite loose, but his large arms and muscular chest are still quite prominent. My mind, of its own volition, thinks back to the times that he has changed in front of me. I shuffle my feet as I think of his strong back, and the visible muscles just underneath his skin.
For a brief moment I wonder how they would feel under my hands, but I quickly move on from that thought, knowing that this is neither the time or place.
The sound of King Heloix clearing his throat brings my attention back to the present, and I snap my eyes back up to realize that he's watching me, eyebrow raised in amusement. He holds an empty wine glass in his hand and subtly gestures for me to fill it. None of the other Beasts seem to have noticed, but I am positive that the other servants have caught my staring.
My cheeks heat up at the thought, and embarrassment floods my body as I move forward to fill up the King's cup. He holds out the glass for me as I approach. My hand visibly shakes as I pour the wine out of the container, trying my best not to let any spill.
The King's eyes remain on me the whole time, watching my every move and making me even more nervous.
Once his glass is full, I back away and do a spot check of the others at the table. The guest's glasses are both nearing empty as well, and I head over to fill them up.
As I approach the man reaches out and grabs my wrist, roughly tugging me towards him. He shifts his grip to my face, and I wince as his pudgy fingers press against my wound.
I flail in response, trying to regain my balance and almost dropping the bottle of wine on the floor. The liquid splashes over the rim at my abrupt movements, coating my dress and shoes. Ignoring the mess, the man yanks my head to the side, facing me towards the King and Second.
"My price is too high? Why don't you tell me how much this one's worth?" He snarls, squeezing my face with more force. "You've clearly got a soft spot for her."
My jaw clicks under the pressure, and an audible whimper leaves my mouth. The Second looks merely annoyed, mouth turning down at the corners, but the King is livid. He sits up straight, eyes narrowing in on the man's hand.
"I recommend you let her go." The King says, his voice loud and threatening.
The man loosens his grip slightly at King Heloix's words, but quickly changes his mind and tightens up once more.
The man laughs. "Or what? How about this- the price you put on her head is how much I'll sell you my humans for." He pauses for a moment, rubbing his rough thumb across my lips. "If you give her a good enough price I might even buy her from you."
King Heloix's eyes flash and his body twitches at the threat. The Second notices the change and jumps quickly into action. Standing, he puts a rough hand on the King's shoulder, keeping him seated in his chair.
"If you expect to see tomorrow I recommend you release the girl." The Second says, looking at me with narrowed eyes.
The man does as he's told this time. The second his painful grip is gone I scurry backward until my back meets the wall. I bring my hand up to my jaw, gently massaging the muscle and watching the scene unfold in front of me in fear.
Is King Heloix going to sell me? If he sets a low price then the other King will no doubt try to buy me.
My entire body is shaking, and it takes everything in me not to run right out of the room.
All eyes are on the King as he struggles to compose himself. King Richard was never this temperamental, always able to control his inner Beast, and King Heloix's inability to do so is honestly quite concerning.
"We will be taking the slaves free of charge." The King says, finally calm enough to speak.
He takes a deep breath, standing up as he continues. "And should you have any issues with that you are free to declare war. I don't recommend that though, we both know that my men outnumber yours four to one. You will take leave immediately-"
The King's eyes suddenly flash to mine, before returning his gaze to his guests. "Empty-handed."
He doesn't wait for a response before walking away from the table towards me. He grabs me by the arm and pulls me out of the room.
I stumble after him, struggling to make sense of thousands of questions running through my mind. His guests begin arguing with the Second and his mate as we exit the space, but I'm unable to make out the words.
King Heloix continues pulling me through the hallways, his pace so fast I need to jog to keep up. He pushes open a closet door and abruptly pulls us both inside.
"What are you-" My words are cut off as the King crushes his body to mine, burying his head into my neck.
His arms snake around my waist and squeeze my body into his. He breathes deeply, taking in my scent as his wild curls tickle my face. I remain frozen in place, not sure how to react.
The King doesn't seem to mind my reluctance, though, as his arm around my waist loosens and his hand moves to my head. He grabs a handful of my hair, gently pulling my head back and exposing my neck to him.
"Are you okay?" I whisper.
My voice seems to snap the King back to normal as he quickly composes himself and pulls away from me.
"What the fuck were you doing serving in the kitchens?" He asks, his frustration now directed at me.
My blood runs cold at his tone, not having expected him to be angry with me. "I- uh, I was asked to help out tonight with dinner."
King Heloix steps backward, getting as far away as he can from me in the small space. He runs his hand through his hair before yanking softly at the curls.
"If I wanted you to be a kitchen wench I would have made you a fucking kitchen wench. Next time do the damn job you're assigned to do." He scolds, spitting the harsh term at me.
I say nothing to that, unable to come up with the right words to explain myself. King Heloix doesn't wait around to hear what I have to say anyways though, opting to rip open the door and exit the room, leaving me alone in the closet.
His footsteps echo as he stomps away, the noise slowly diminishing until he's completely gone. Everybody pore in my body is filled with confusion, and shock, at the ten different moods he seems to have just cycled through. I stay in the closet trying to process what just happened.
Loud footsteps begin heading back towards me from the direction the King just left, and I straighten up, ready to be yelled at some more by him.
Instead, and to my surprise, the Second appears in the doorway. He looks me up and down with a frown, clearly unhappy with what he sees.
"Come with me."