III. Lavanda

𝔄 𝔥𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴 expression that can't be on the fairy's face. There cannot be something like that. So no one will ever know this expression was ever on her face.

No one.

"My Lady..?" A deep yet gentle voice called out almost hesitantly, Mirren's heart skipped a beat and almost slightly jumped in place due to shock.

Who even was this? Mirren had never seen them in her entire life. Her memory was the absolute best, or so that's what she thought before she met eyes with him. 

The boy had gentle eyes with inexplicable warmth exuding from them like they knew no pain or sorrow. He had nice curls that seemed to cling onto each other as to never let go and never fall. His thin eyebrows curved slightly as he furrowed them in worry. Why was she just standing there? She needed to walk away nonchalantly as always.

But she couldn't move.

"Who are you?" Mirren asked with a trembling smile, there was uncertainty in her eyes, whether this man would be a friend or a foe. 

The man noticed this and averted his gaze, "I am but a mere servant, it is a pleasure to meet you M'lady," he replied with a simple bow and headed out.

Mirren stood there in shock, this guy had seen her at her worst and just walked past her? She couldn't believe it and walked back to her room in a rage.

​​"M'lady? What is the matter? Did you get scolded by the marquessete couple again?" Ellen ran to her lady's side in panic, her worry was to no avail and didn't make her lady react one bit. It was the first time Ellen had ever seen her lady behave like this. 

Was the scolding that bad? Did they find out about her underground business? Ellen couldn't help but worry even more so.

"Ellen, are there recently any newly hired servants? We lack no servants as far as I am concerned." This time Mirren's voice was stern and Ellen flinched at her lady's scornful expression.

"W-well...the Marquess hired a few more servants to tend to her garden and to help in the kitchen." Ellen replied in a stutter, she felt her heartbeat's pace fasten and she wasn't quite sure why.

"Alright. I see." Mirren replied with a dry smile, Ellen shuddered at this and felt her heart drop. But why? What is it that makes her feel like this? But...it seemed like her lady was gone. Like she was out of it.

"I hope this stays here, Ellen." Ellen nodded and felt it like a threat to keep her mouth shut. But if her lady was sick then there was no reason for her to keep it shut, right..?

Mirren laid down on her bed and sighed helplessly, her face flushing in bright red, she didn't know what to feel. But one thing she did know was that moment, was now the most embarassing moment of her whole "perfect" life. "What did I do so wrong? I have to find out who that was. Else my mind will wander continously..." She sighed dropping her arms lifelessly on the bed with a frown on her face. She threw her jewels off and flailed her feet for her heels to slip off.

"I'll do it tomorrow..." She told herself as she untied her hair, leaving the hairband on the ground for ellen to pick up. As she started to doze off there were footsteps. She sat up quickly and began to pick up the things she threw off on the floor and organize them hastily, sweat started to form on her forehead and her hearbeat fastened with each footstep taken.

Mirren bit her lip and began to tiptoe quickly to her bed and sat up, the door slammed open and Mirren could already guess what the problem was. The servants bowed and took their leave from the front of the door as the Marquis walked towards her with a stern expression.

"Mirren de Celemente, I heard a few things about you today," Her mother stated coldly, it hurt seeing her mother like that but she had no say. She simply stood there unmoving as her mother walked in circles around her staring her down with ridicule, "You never adapt, stupid child. Watch your words, anything you say people can assume you are aiming for a higher position. That higher position just so happens to be taken." She stopped in her tracks, her eyes landing on Mirren's feet she held out her hand to a servant that handed her a whip, Mirren simply stared at the floor silently.

The servants simply closed their eyes, as they'd rather hold their young lady in their minds as someone pure and kind. Ellen simply bit her lip and stared, she knew it was her fault her lady was being disciplined, but she never knew that a simple question and gaze would hurt her lady. She had forgotten.

The Marquis looked Mirren in the eyes coldly trying to seek any type of emotion in her daughter, but to her avail, there was none she could find. The Marquis raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer to see fear in Mirren's eyes, she began to tremble and her mother sighed, she delicately slipped on some gloves her servant handed her.

Mirren stood on a block of wood and it began.

"H-How many will it be this time, Mother?" Mirren trembled as she lifted her garments up to her thighs, her mother stared at her without response and the first one came.

"Kgh..!" Mirren let out as she felt the fresh burning sensation on her calf, it reddened as the moment seemed to pass, Mirren maintained a neutral expression but in her heart she was at a loss for words and explanation. It was always the same story. Always the same tale.

"Niña estúpida no tengo por qué decirte nada. Yo decido que tan lejos quiero ir y cuantos voy a hacer, asi que quedate callada, asi te ves mas bonita." The woman spoke harshly as she yelped once more at the pain, Mirren began to get dizzy but maintained her grip on her garments. The world became dark, it was cold and eerie, it felt like time stopped for a split second before the next lash striked. Mirren looked down and the world was now different from her perspective, her heart clenched and stung, unfortunately it wasn't temporary like a bee sting. She didn't know the word to describe the tearing inside her.

"L-Lo siento Madre, no quise hacerte enojar." Mirren trembled to which the Marquis noticed and scoffed, "If an apology was all it took to solve the situation, there wouldn't be any officers nor would there be criminals." She lashed once more at Mirren's thin and bony feet and handed the whip back to the servant almost elegantly. Mirren didn't move from her spot on top of the wooden cube afraid that her mother would try once again.

"Reflect on your behavior from now on. Take those gowns she has, make sure not a single one is left, this is punishment for having been so stupid." She flicked her wrist and all the servants nodded as they began to empty out her closet, Mirren couldn't see what they were doing and neither did she care.

"Stay in this room until I say you can get out." The Marquis stated as Mirren's legs still trembled and her expression was pained, she couldn't see the Marquis but she nodded as they all walked out with their hearts anywhere but there.

Ellen stood there in shame, with her head down and heart hurting, but she realized her lady wouldn't be so perfect if it weren't for the Marquis' discipline, either way she walked towards her lady and tugged at her arm. "I-I am so sorry My Lady, I did not mean for all of these things to occur. I-I just...The Marquis told me-"

"Shut up." 

Ellen's mouth gaped at the response she heard, she smiled in disbelief, her lady would never say such a rude and absurd thing. She knew her lady better than anyone in the whole world, she knew her from head to toe, not even her future husband could claim to know her more than she did. "My Lady, you know that's a naughty word you should not be-"

"Shut up Ellen. Just SHUT UP." Mirren's face crumpled like a piece of paper, she was on the verge of collapsing, her feet were weak and they couldn't hold her weight. Then there was the servant who began to delude herself with the idea that she knew her too well, it's not that she knew her too well it's that she just put puzzle pieces together that weren't even part of the same picture to make something she thought was beautiful to see.

"Get out."

"H-huh? B-but My Lady, I can't. You're so forgetful, I'm your maid, I can't just leave-"

"Do I need to repeat myself? GET OUT." Mirren winced in anger as she turned to Ellen, she couldn't take it. This person that seemed to make everything about herself and her "perfect" lady. The maid shocked, simply bowed her head and slowly walked towards the chamber door where she peeked out slightly before actually leaving.

"It's okay, hopefully this can be fixed..." Mirren looked down at her hands that seemed a different shade now, she looked around and everything was the same color as her hands, different shades but same color. Mirren barely got off without a scratch from the wooden cube, she lightly treaded even with the stinging pain to her bed and got on her knees. 

Her dark room was messier than it was earlier, it was full of melancholy as she looked around. The closet doors were wide open with not a single garment of clothes left behind, the wooden cube she stood on had dark liquid splattered on from the lashing. The windows were covered by the curtains and her heels were unorganized unlike what she intended in the first place when the woman arrived earlier.

Mirren chuckled, her dimples faded onto her face as her lips widened across her face, her smile as cold and lovely as icicles. She finally found the glass shard she held earlier that day to her wrist, she had hidden it under her mattress when Ellen had barged in.

She took the gleaming shard and softly raised it up to see her reflection on it, she could see tired eyes and a small button nose with lovely pink thin lips that seemed to smile back at her like the businessmen do in the capital city. As she walked towards her doors she clutched onto the shard tightly which made her blood boil as it tinged her light-colored skin, she locked the doors and placed her forehead on the doors gently.

"Is anyone out there?" She asked with a somewhat breaking voice, there was no response so she assumed there was truly no one. Mirren sighed with a heavy heart and limped as her blood sizzled inside her body and burned as she went on. Her room was jsut a cage she thought, a cage she...

"Please...If anyone is out there, please save me." She muttered desperately, but she doubted. She knew no one would come, so she smiled bitterly at her refletion on the windowpane, not a joyful color in sight. Everything was monotone like her life, as always.

She didn't believe in a prince charming with a white horse, she didn't delude herself with the idea that one would ever come to save her. Because she always managed to save herself from the bottomless pit she keeps being thrown in. Call it toxic positivity, but boy was it really the only darn thing that ever kept her alive.

She giggled to herself, holding the shard to her wrist as it slit halfway, wincing in pain, her eyes widened as she heard a noise.

"My Lady," A hoarse and pained voice called out, it was somewhere she couldn't see, she looked around and thought she'd reached insanity. "My Lady, it's me," She turned to the windows and opened them as wide as she could, she regained her composure and managed to let out a warm yet bitter smile.

______________

"Stupid girl, I don't have to tell you a thing. I decide how far I want to go and how many times I will do it, So stay silent, you look prettier." Translation from spanish to english; Marquis Clemente's dialogue

"I-I'm sorry Mother, I didn't mean to make you angry." Translation from spanish to english; Mirren Clemente's Dialogue (MC)