10: Ada's POV

I didn’t get another word in with Phoenix, Nik or Darius. After nearly an hour of sitting there, listening more to *Lady Elizabeth Jane’s* voice more than anyone else’s, I silently slid out of the three Alphas living quarters with Gwyn at my heels. We spent the afternoon going over some fabrics, and my likes and dislikes (which she was displeased to find that I didn’t know much of my own interests), things I’d like to try, and an upcoming ball that had been postponed from the previous evening. She’d informed me of some unrest in the castle but got nervous when I asked for more details.

It wasn’t until mid-afternoon that we left my quarters, and that was after me practically begging Gwyn to show me the gardens. I’d been hearing about the gardens as Castle Oberon since I was a young girl, and was curious how the descriptions fared to the actual thing. My mother had once told me there was nothing as lovely as the rose arches and nothing as deadly as the field of tamed wolfsbane. Before my father had met Francine, he’d put me to sleep with the stories of him courting my birth mother when they were younger, or how they’d been in the hedges of the gardens when she’d turned eighteen and they’d discovered they were fated mates, just as they’d always hoped. There was something mystical about those gardens and I’d wanted to wander through them for so long. On the farm, it was where I escaped to in my dreams.

So, now, as the afternoon sun peaked through the windows of the castle, Gwyn led me down the halls. In her right hand, she had a picnic basket. In her left, a decanter of wine. She was in the middle of explaining what was behind each door we passed by when she made a left turn while looking over her shoulder at me and ran right into Lady Elizabeth Jane. The glass decanter hit the ground, shattering into what seemed like a million pieces, but not before spilling a good portion of the red liquid right onto Lady Elizabeth’s white gown.

It was a different gown than the one she had been wearing earlier that day, but it was just as beautiful. Gwyn immediately dropped the basket on the ground, her gentle voice tight, “Oh, my! Lady Elizabeth I am so sorry,” she grabbed a stack of cloth napkins out of the basket, “It was an accident. I didn’t see you as I rounded the corner, but if you’ll allow me to help you change I’d be more than happy to clean—“

Lady Elizabeth’s face scrunched up and reddened to a shade similar to a beet, “You useless halfwit!” she stamped her foot, crunching glass beneath it, “No, I’m sorry that’s *too generous,” her words seemed to be directed at Gwyn, but her eyes were locked on mine, “If you had half a brain, you’d realize that this is expensive silk from the outskirts of the mountain region and that *as such* no amount of cleaning will get this filth out of it.”

“I’m so sorry, Lady Elizabeth,” Gwyn hung her head as she crouched down and began to sweep up the broken glass with the napkins, “Please forgive my clumsiness.”

Still, Lady Elizabeth Jane’s eyes bore into mine, “I will do no such thing,” her voice hit a new octave, “You’ll be lucky if I let you live, considering this fabric cost me more than your life cost the King,” she narrowed her eyes, “What? Nothing to say for your servants ineptitude, *Miss* Lennox?” I remained silent as Gwyn turned to me, red-faced and sweaty. I inclined my head slightly. Lady Elizabeth caught the exchange and crossed her arms over her chest, “Your newness here doesn’t exempt you from behaving properly you gold-digging whore,” she clucked her tongue and cocked her head to the side, “I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything more from someone who would lower herself to these levels for a quick buck.”

Voices carried down the hall behind me. I remained silent, equal amounts of fear and rage coursing through my veins. Lady Elizabeth Jane, with her yellow hair and mousy face, was no better than my stepmother Francine. I could understand her reaction if what Gwyn had done was intentional, but with it being an accident… Worse: her tone, the way she was carrying herself, made me cower away from her. I took a step back from her and she took a step toward me, knocking Gwyn onto her hands and knees in the middle of the pile of glass.

My handmaid winced but remained silent. I watched as the bright red of Gwyn’s blood dripped and mixed with the burgundy shade of the wine on the cobblestone floor. Lady Elizabeth’s hand was curled into a tight fist, her face now a deep plum. Spittle spewed out as she continued to scream at me, but I no longer heard words. The ringing in my ears had returned, this time at least twenty decibels louder than anything that could be shouted at me. My chest was hot and tight, my body covered in a thin layer of sweat. The closer she got to me physically, the more incapable I became of moving my feet. Even as my mind screeched at me to *move,* my body had been rendered useless.

The approaching voices grew nearer and somehow drew the attention of Lady Elizabeth. I managed to twist my neck to find out who it was. As my mind processed that it was Mariah and Cade, my hearing and mind seemed to snap back into focus.

“—accident. I’m sure there was an apology,” Cade said calmly, looking between Lady Elizabeth and I, “Why don’t we all just take a deep breath—“

Lady Elizabeth let out a sharp trill of laughter, “This one is apparently mute,” she poked my shoulder roughly, “And who are you to come in here and try to tell me what to do?” she tossed her yellow hair over her shoulder and stepped around him, starting to walk away as she called out, “We all know your mate is barren because that’s what happens to *whores.*”

Cade flinched at her words and watched her disappear down the hall. Mariah had rushed forward and was helping Gwyn, tending to her wounds carefully. I looked over at her and she acted as if Lady Elizabeth’s words hadn’t even been spoken at all. She helped Gwyn to her feet and then stepped over to me, “Take a deep breath, Ada. Everything will sort itself out.”

Finally, I found my voice, “Why is she like that?”

As Mariah rubbed her hands up and down my arms, Cade walked away from us wordlessly. She placed herself right in front of me, nearly pressing her forehead to mine, “I don’t know, but you simply must endure it, Ada,” she rolled her shoulders back, “She is the niece of the King and in her mind, she has every right to look down on us because of that,” she closed her eyes, “and between you and me, the once-kind King Everett Ashford no longer exists. He will support the way she treats you simply because of her standing compared to yours.”

“Her standing?” I questioned, realizing that Gwyn had disappeared from the hall.

Mariah nodded slowly, “Don’t worry about that just yet. Can you get yourself back to you room?” when I nodded in response, she patted my cheek and turned away from me, “Do that.”

It wasn’t until hours later that the tenseness began to release from my body. I’d dressed myself in my own nightclothes — opting in for a set of olive colored silk shorts with a matching button-up short sleeve shirt— and had scanned through the books on the shelves. Food had been brought to me, and I’d eaten the steak and potatoes willingly and quickly, nearly choking on a bite of steak. Another maid came into the room and turned down my bed, lighting the fire as well.

Just as I’d gained the courage to close my eyes and go back to sleep, there was a knock on my door. Before I could answer, Mariah burst into the room and slammed the door behind her. Tears were streaming down her face. She ran over to me and pulled me into a tight hug, her tears wetting the silk of my pajamas. I wrapped my arms around her awkwardly and looked around the room. I don’t know what I was hoping to find, but I came up empty.

After about five minutes of constant sobbing, Mariah started to calm down. She adjusted her position against me, moving some of her hair off of her face. That was when I saw the bright red mark on her throat. It was the perfect shape of a hand, not much larger than mine. I swallowed and fought the urge to touch my own throat. I’d had marks like that on me enough times to know that it never came from a fond touch.

If her words and her current state were any indication, by being the one Selected to be the surrogate, I’d entered a court where drama was encouraged to rule.