Chapter Seven
It was evening, Cassy sat in front of her vanity, preparing to retire to bed. Joanna had offered to help but she had told her not to.
Cassy liked doing it on her own as it helped her mind and thoughts wander far.
She removed the heavy accessories from her neck and ears and stored them in her jewellery box.
She proceeded to remove the red she was made to wear on her lip with a wet piece of cloth. The action made her remember the lady in the kitchen earlier.
The lady had heavy make up on her face and held her nose high in the air when she was almost like those she was yelling at.
Daryl did not even try to shun her, she only bowed her head like a loyal servant to someone who was equal to her. Who was she?
Cassy wondered who was behind her as only those who have something to do with higher ups acted like that. She must be a lover to an elder or even the….
No. She did not want to think that the Alpha was the lady’s lover.
The thought alone made her wolf recoil in sadness, nonetheless imagining its possibility.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was not going to go to bed sad today because she was thinking about the possibility of her mate having a lover and refusing to see her.
Trying to shove the thoughts behind her, she shuffled to the armoire standing at the corner of the room and retrieved her chemise.NôvelDrama.Org © content.
Cassy wanted to forget about the thoughts of the grumpy lady and migrate to another train of thoughts.
The image of Kai in his birthday suit popped into her brain overpowering the one of her mate in the arms of another.
His large muscles, the tight pac on his abdomen, well toned muscles and nice taut bu…
She winced at the direction her dirty thought was going. She was not going to entertain the thought of a naked man.
“Goddess,” she groaned and shut her eyes.
She padded to the bed and laid beneath the quilt facing upwards.
How was her father faring? She recalled that she had not written to him since she got there.
She sighed and turned to her side. With the thought of sending a letter to her father the following day, she shut her eyes as darkness drowned her consciousness into a dreamless slumber.
“I cannot wait to finally see my Archie today,” Cassy heard a familiar voice in her sleep. “I have missed him so much. I cannot wait to be in his arms again,”
“Ohh how lucky you are! While some of us only get to dream of speaking to him, you are already sharing his bed with him,” another person spoke, beaming but Cassy could not recognise the voice. “First it was Richard then Harrison and now Archie,”
The familiar voice giggled. Cassy could imagine her waving her hand with a prideful grin.
“You should really teach us how you get these lads in between your fingers,” the sycophantic person told her.
“It is just about being sexy and charming with a sprinkle of feminine charms,” the familiar voice spoke, pride laced in her tone.
“I do not understand the sexy and charming part. How do I–”
“On the contrary, I have a feeling today is not going to be a happy one. I really have a bad feeling about today,” Cassy recognised the voice as Joanna’s.
Cassy already had enough of their banters, so she pried her eyes open and sat up. A wave of cold hit her as the quilt slid down from her chest, she held it and covered herself properly.
She noted that the three ladies, Joanna, Emma and someone she had never seen, were standing opposite her bed, obviously waiting for her to awake.
“Are you crazy? What goes on in that basket head of yours?” The unfamiliar person glared and flung her hands up.
Joanna was going to make her own comment but Cassy had already had enough of their baseless talk.
“Perhaps, can any one inform me what’s going on here?” Cassy finally said in a tight tone, making them flinch.
She was beginning to get used to yelling and speaking in some tones.
“My lady,” they greeted in unison and curtsied, bowing their heads.
Joanna glanced at the rest and step forward. “I apologise for rudely waking you,” she bowed and rose when Cassy nodded.
“What’s happening today?”
“The moon festival is today, my lady. We have been given orders to get you prepared for it,”
The moon festival? She wanted to ask but she swallowed her words. She had met with Kai yesterday but he did not mention it. Did she disgust him that much that he could not inform her about it?
Cassy knew it was held every year but never took note of the period.
She shook her head. She needed to busy herself until the time for the moon festival.
The moon festival was held every full moon to honour the moon goddess. They morph to their wolf form and howl into the night, the wolfs who were not lucky to find their mate at the mating ball may find their mate at the moon festival. The wolfs may go for a run too but this was normal.
Cassy got down from the bed and headed to the armoire. She got out of her chemise and threw on a regular tunic. She used it back at the manor when she worked.
Without sparing them a glance, she opened the door and began to walk down the hall.
“Where are we heading, my lady?” Joanna asked. “It’s noon already,”
Did she sleep that long? Indeed she had slept late but it was not too late to join them.
“To the kitchen,” she replied without faltering her steps.
Emma sighed loudly. “I have no idea why she cannot leave her omega behaviour. She is going to be our future Luna for moon’s sake,” she spoke in a low tone but made sure it was loud enough for Cassy to hear.
Cassy’s face dropped and stopped in her tracks. She wanted to turn and go back to her bed chamber but her wolf was against it.
“They have spoken correctly, Cassy. You are going to be their Luna soon, so show them the Luna they want to see,” Natalia encouraged.
Cassy smiled inwardly.
Whenever Tabitha cursed her and tell her how useless she was, she remembered that the moon goddess blessed her with her wolf. Natalia was weak but she always had encouraging words and a good sense of judgement.
Cassy turned on her heels and faced the duo who were fully invested in their gossip.
“I am going to the kitchen and it is an order!” she spoke with a tone of finality and again the duo flinched.
With one final look, Cassy strutted leaving her handmaids behind.
Joanna smiled and turned to Emma. “I hope you can follow the order this time,”
“Your grace,” all the servants in the kitchen said in unison, curtseying.
“You may rise,” she replied with a smile and they scurried to their assigned positions.
“Good morning, Daryl,” she greeted and the older woman smiled.
“It’s afternoon already, my lady,” Daryl corrected and everyone laughed.
“I heard it’s the moon festival today, I’d love to join in preparing the meals. It is said that the palace always holds a large feast yearly,”
Daryl nodded. “Perhaps it’s going to be even larger for the alpha have found his mate,”
A mate he did not approve of? Cassy wanted to snort. He was so disgusted by her presence that he had not even checked on her since she moved in and when she went to him, he sent her out of his bedchamber without even batting an eye lid.
“W–we– shall we begin now, please?” Cassy quickly switched the topic.
“Yes, your grace,”
There were more than twenty servants in the large kitchen, with the help of Daryl Cassy was able to distribute the workload.
Cassy did not fail to notice that most of them did not like her at first, but as she tried to converse with them, they warmed up to her, there were still some who tried to always have a conversation with her and she was never hesitant to show them kindness but then, there were the ones like Emma and her followers, who never tried to hide their dislike for her.
Emma had stepped on Cassy and was going to pretend like she did not but Daryl had already seen her and demanded that she should apologise to her.
“I apologise for carelessness, my lady,” she’d apologise and bowed her head.
Cassy only nodded in reply for she had nothing to tell the maid who had never shown her any form of respect since she entered the palace a few weeks ago.
Work moved smoothly as the servants worked together. The servants were switched when the sun was about to set. A lot of hands were needed to prepare the large dining hall.
Cassy was in the storeroom when she heard voices from the kitchen.
“Who brought lunch to my chamber late today!?” she recognised the voice as the lady from yesterday.
“The day has been hectic for us, Isabella. We thought that–” Daryl tried to say.
“Thought what!? You know how well I don’t joke with my meals! If I did do you ever think I’d be this pretty!” Her voice was going louder and Cassy was beginning to get bothered. “Little wonders you kitchen servants have so many wrinkles and you cannot birth–”
That was the height of it for Cassy. How could she speak to Daryl so arrogantly?
She recalled her thoughts of yesternight but discarded them.
“Little wonders you do not have a latch around that wide mouth of yours with your ugly face,” Cassy yelled, waltzing to the kitchen and shocking everyone.
They thought she had left to prepare for the festival.
“Who do you think you are to speak with Daryl in such a manner?”
Isabella stood dumbfounded, she never expected to find Cassy there. What was she always doing in the kitchen?
“I-I” her tongue was tied. She did not know the words to utter.
“You what?”
“I am–”
“What’s going on here?” A masculine voice spoke, startling them.
“Your Majesty,” everyone bowed excluding Cassy who was glaring at him.
“I asked a question,” his voice was low but venomous.
“She was–”
“I was–” they spoke simultaneously making Kai glare at the both of them.
He turned to Daryl who quickly began to speak.
“Your Majesty, Isabella came in demanding to know why her food was served late and I explained to her that we have been working here. She went on to say that that’s the reason why we have wrinkles and I cannot birth–” Daryl trailed off as a wave of pain hit her chest, making her wince.
“Mother,” Cassy was quick to call her that as she moved to her side.
Daryl coughed and smiled at her. “I am fine, my child,”
Kai watched the both of them interact like they have known for ages. Was she always this kind?
He didn’t know if he should accept her kind side like his wolf was pestering him to but he, on the other hand, he didn’t want an overly kind mate but a strong and ruthless one. Just like him.
And that was why he thought that the moon goddess chose the wrong person for him. He felt Isabella was the right one. She was kind at the same time, cold and ruthless. But sometimes like this moment, she went too far…
He glared at her form, which was avoiding her gaze.
“So you stood up for her?” Cassy nodded. For a moment, she thought he was going to reward her for doing so but his next words proved how much he hated and her theories correct.
“You have been causing a ruckus since you started coming here. Therefore, I have to do just one thing,” he said and looked around before letting his eyes settle on Cassy who was still beside Daryl. Her cat eyes were hypnotising him and drawing him close but he immediately snapped out of it.
“On no circumstances shall you be found in the kitchen,” he finally said confirming Cassy’s fear.
Oh no. His heart wrenched seeing tears in her eyes. He was going to call her back but she lowered her head and dashed out.