Chapter Nine

"Do you need anything else milady?" Layla asked after she'd helped the younger Simia Royal get changed out of her pretty light blue evening dress. Lunch today had been fairly grand again, as if the Simias were still trying to impress Evangeline and her parents. The engagement ceremony was only a week away now and so everyone had to continue on their best behaviour until the deal was sealed, especially after what had happened with Nieve two days ago. The blonde was trying not to linger on the fact that her friend had been prepared to leave her without saying goodbye, or that it now seemed that there were more sentinels around wherever the girls went.

"Yes, please come sit here," Kaitlyn said with a warm smile as she patted a spot on her bed, the covers keeping her warm as she crossed her legs to sit more comfortably.

"Eh…" Layla hesitated slightly; she wasn't sure what the protocol was on getting too friendly.

"No one's here to see this. Besides, I want to help you learn to read," the younger girl said, pulling a book from the top drawer in her cabinet.

"Oh, Lady Kaitlyn, there's no…" the handmaid started to object, her cheeks blushing a little ashamed and awkwardly.

"Yes, there is, every lady should be able to read," Kaitlyn corrected her, and her server was in awe at the Royal's attitude; no one would have called their common server a lady. "And I want to. I love reading, getting lost in adventures beyond here. And I know you would too," she continued, at which the blonde finally sat down on the edge of the bed as previously instructed, her hands folded in her lap and her eyes on the bedspread pattern. They had some time to kill before the seamstress would show up to make some final adjustments to Kaitlyn's clothes for the engagement.

"Thank you," Layla said softly, daring a glance up at her. Her lady's golden-brown eyes twinkled at her warmly and she felt herself smiling in response.

"Don't thank me yet, I might be a horrible teacher," the Simia Royal said with a laugh, at which her server dared a chuckle as well. "Let's get started," she said as she opened the book and moved up to sit closer to her handmaid. "Are there any letters or words you can already read?" she asked, thinking that would make it a little easier.

"Some, Nieve started teaching me," Layla admitted and looked at the open pages. She found one or two she could identify in the sea of unintelligible scribbles and pointed them out to her new teacher.

"That's good," Kaitlyn said encouragingly and delved into the basics of letters and tried to help her server sound them out phonetically.

More than once they ended in fits of giggles at the sound or the accompanying facial expression, and anyone who passed the Lady's room would've thought they were two friends enjoying each other's company.

Nieve sighed when she'd closed Evangeline's door behind her. The visiting Lady hadn't done anything as bad as that stormy night but had made her work almost twice as hard to make up for 'the embarrassment you caused Ryan and myself'. She huffed, not caring one bit about her, or the Simia heir if she had to be brutally honest. For a change, the future Lady had let her go early when her mother had joined her for the dress fitting. Apparently Nieve was of no use anyway, so she might as well leave so at least Evangeline could talk freely with her mother.

Nieve was making her way back to her bedroom, taking a detour so she could keep to the quieter hallways, glad her now usual escort of Sentinels was otherwise occupied, when she heard her friend's laughter coming from Kaitlyn's room. Nieve paused outside briefly, wondering if she should check if her friend was ready to go as well, so she didn't have to walk back to their room with just the sentinels standing guard. But her friend sounded like she was genuinely having fun and the brunette couldn't help feeling a twinge in her stomach. Not sure what she was feeling, she decided to keep going and enjoy the quiet of their room while she could. The halls from Kaitlyn's room to her own were long and wide. Decorated with paintings and busts and other things that cost too much money. Money they could easily spend on people who need it. Windows along the walls showed a view of Serenissima by twilight. The city twinkled while the sky had turned a husky purple. Even though the sight was beautiful, Nieve found no happiness in looking at it. It only reminded her that this was all she was going to see for the rest of her life. She hadn't realised she'd stopped to watch until she felt a presence near her.

"Enjoying the view much?" she called, feeling Riven's eyes on her before she'd even turned around to sure enough find him leaning against a wall casually, his eyes shooting up to meet hers as she did.

He gave her a crooked smile as he shrugged. "Nothing I haven't seen before," he said in a murmur, making her wish she was somewhere else.

"Something you'll never get to see, you mean," she told him, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him.

"Are you sure? You could use some unwinding, I'd be happy to help, my next day off's in a week," he said, and she pursed her lips when he laughed softly and slowly walked her way.

"Please, you can't read my mind, there's nothing you could add that I couldn't get from anyone else," she told him, glaring at him. She had no idea how she did it, but that cold stare she gave him always got under his skin, and she enjoyed it more than she should. She knew it didn't help that he couldn't figure out what her deal was, how he couldn't read her mind like everyone else's. He stepped closer, towering over her, his jaws clenching and unclenching in a way that would have made most men cower and most women melt into puddles. Even Nieve had to admit he was handsome, his blue eyes the colour of a summer storm, his dark hair falling over his eyes a little as he bent closer.

"How would you know? Have you ever even been with a man, Nieve?" he asked, his voice so low she barely heard him. She knew he was only trying to push her buttons, but it had her treacherous heart thundering anyway. She bit her lips, wondering whether to tell him the truth or not.

"No, have you?" she opted for the truth, adding a smirk that always seemed to drive him crazy. He growled in reply, but suddenly stepped away, his back straightening as he clasped his hands behind his back. Nieve would have found his behaviour odd if she hadn't seen him do it a million times before and knew to scurry away, going left when Riven nudged his head that way. She was just around the corner when she heard him greet Lady Simia. She sighed in relief, glad to have avoided any contact with the white-haired woman whose stare was icier than her appearance. Ever since her attempted escape, the queen in all but name was trying to find any excuse to punish the brunette. So far, Nieve had been able to keep clear of punishment, only because she'd tried her best to stay away from the Simias as much as Evangeline would let her. Since the redhead was hell-bent on acting nice for Ryan and his parents, she stayed fairly cordial with her server in the company of others.

He frowned to himself as he leaned against the window, looking out over the garden. Not many people went into the gardens in the evening, which was a shame really. But he spotted her blonde hair straight away as she walked through the flower beds, her fingers carefully caressing the petals of the blooms. She was following his sister, who looked like she was uncomfortably pulling at her corset. He knew from her first day here and other conversations she'd had with Kaitlyn that she loved flowers and plants, wishing her latent earth power could be more like his sister's. The first few days that Layla and Nieve were here, he'd allowed himself to be alone with her on occasion as he tried to get to know her; it was hard to deny that she intrigued him like no one else had before. Even if she wasn't supposed to. His mother would have a meltdown if she found out that her son, her heir, had feelings for a common server. It wouldn't do. Ryan knew that. Of course, it was easier said than done, to ignore how he felt whenever she was around, but ignore it he should. He'd have to ignore her positive energy, her warm smile, those gorgeous brown eyes, her soft and polite tone, her infectious laugh when she and his sister shared one of their jokes when they weren't supposed to. He straightened his posture and turned away from the window. There was no use in watching her out in the sun, he had to treat her like any other maid, which basically meant he had to pretend not to see her at all. Starting right away, as there were only a few more days before his engagement to Evangeline.

Layla hadn't known that the Simias, or any other royalty, didn't just have the one engagement ceremony to focus on, but several days' worth of events. It meant having to work even harder than Nieve had already so far. Her blonde friend had it a little easier as the youngest Simia's server, but even she had to work harder over the next few days. And it started with a day of tedious dress fittings. Even the occasional walks through the garden to check how Kaitlyn felt in her dress while walking around didn't do much to improve their moods.

After a few hours Kaitlyn was getting as fed up as her handmaid was. For the next few days alone, she would be wearing four different outfits and they all had to fit right, and Layla would need to know how to get her in and out of them by herself. Luckily, in a way, because Nieve was looking after the bride to be, there would be another handmaid helping her with Evangeline's outfits. It meant that, for at least this week, the grey-eyed girl knew the fiery future Lady couldn't have a go at her. Whatever game she was playing, she couldn't do it with any witnesses in the room. It was also the first time that Nieve finished before her friend and was able to head back to their room and relax a little, as much as she could while she was still stuck in Serenissima in any case.

"Oh thank goodness," Kaitlyn sighed when Layla helped her out of the last dress and into her evening dress. "I know it's important for Ryan, but does it have to be so uncomfortable?" she asked, watching her server carefully hang the dress away.

"I believe so, milady," the blonde said with a soft laugh. She'd come to realise during her time here that the more fashionable a dress was, the more uncomfortable it tended to be.

"It's not fair. Why does he get to be comfortable? And why…" the young royal started to complain until she heard movement outside her door. She leapt up and yanked the door open. "Ryan!" she called out, not noticing her handmaid compose herself at the mention of the Simia heir.

"Kaitlyn, you're still awake?" her brother asked, sounding concerned, as he came into the room.

"I've had to try on four different dresses for your engagement," Kaitlyn told him accusingly; it was all his fault. "Poor Layla's had to work really hard," she added.

"Well… that is what she's here for," Ryan said slowly, not even looking in the direction of the blonde handmaid. His eyes stayed with his sister. It was the first time that Layla could remember that he'd said something not so nice to or about her, but also without even giving her a friendly look or smile. It was like she wasn't even in the room.