62 -- Experimentations

"I've drawn your bath."
Laura didn't glance up from her place beneath her covers. She wanted to stay cocooned right here, because leaving this cloud would bring her back to her actions and what she had wrought.
She watch from her periphery as Suzy busied herself folding her clothes. She knew that it wasn't because she was cleaning then, because Suzy had done this every other day since Nicholas's Father had arrived. Suzy was trying to avoid that evil man.
Laura could relate, because she locked herself in her room everyday just so she wouldn't see him and listen to his tireless taunts. The only time she left the room was to see her Father and to partake in the dinner that The vampire King had forced both her and her father to attend.
Her Father needed bed rest, be shouldn't be walking down the stairs just to sit down and watch King Eric eat. Laura squeezed her eyes shut, not ready to face the reality of the day and what had happened.
"Your water grows cold." Laura threw the covers over her hips and sat up, glaring at Suzy. She just gave her a weak smile and went back to folding the clothes that Laura knew she had unfolded, just to refold.
The palace and kingdom was destroyed and only because she had trusted Prince Nicholas and fancied herself in love with him.
She shed her clothing and walked to the hip bath and squatted in it, her arms hugging her pulled up knees to her chest. Suzy came behind her and began washing her. Laura didn't take notice of all this, her mind was elsewhere.
She had to do anything to get her father out of her, to Mr. Finch, because King Eric had refused him from coming to check up on her father. He was gladly waiting for her father to drop dead, especially as Nicholas had absconded.
Laura bristled, she'd never let that happen. She couldn't let her Father die, that would destroy her completely. Her mind made up, she endured the hot water that washed over her head, thinking of how she was going to get her father to Mr. Finch.
As soon as Suzy was done, Laura rushed through her whole dressing process, telling Suzy to just brush her hair out and braid it all in. She planned to pay a visit to her father and think of how to get him out.
"Thank you." She left Suzy in her room, still refolding her clothes and walked down the hallway to her father's room. King Eric had moved him from his wing to hers and had taken residency in her father's rooms, proving the more that he was the king of the manor.
He had even restricted everyone in the castle from going out into the village. It was his men and people that ran errands for him and now, prepared his meals even.
Laura pushed into her Father's new room, coming to a stop when she saw King Eric standing above her Father that remained lying on his bed, his face an angry mask.
They both turned to look at her and she shivered when she saw the weird but very broad smile that spreads across King Eric's face.
"Laura! My dear!" He always referred to her as thus but this time, she didn't offer him the little smile she normally did. Instead, she walked up to her father, placing a kiss on his cheeks and sitting by him.
King Eric had moved away from the bed at her approaching and now watched them, a frown on his face as he rubbed a palm on his chin.
"I came to get the both of you for dinner." His peacock feathers that he had attached to his shirt caught her attention and she kept her gaze there, not wanting to look into his despicable face.
"We'd definitely be there, seeing as we don't have a choice anymore." He had 'declared' that they should always join him for his most important meal and she had readily accepted. She had heard tales of the man and she didn't want to know what would happen if she didn't listen to him.
"Good. I just needed to be sure." He adjusted his collar, glancing around the room. Laura knew that he was lying, he had come to her father's room for something but she won't ask right now, she'd ask when he was gone. She just hoped that he hadn't been threatening her Father.
"Well, you can leave now. We'd come down when it's time." He looked around again and after a while, he walked out.
Laura turned to look at her Father, frowning when she saw that his face was turned away from hers. Her Father had been feeling immense guilt for what Nicholas did, seeing as he was the one who brought him on as her suitor.
Laura placed a hand on his shoulder, letting him know that she wanted to see her face. He finally turned his face to hers and her heart broke when she saw a year trickle down his cheek.
"Father." She hugged him then, a strong wave of emotions coming over her but she willed herself not to cry and add to his distress.
They stayed like that for a while, just listening to each other's breaths and heartbeats. A knock came from the door and they both looked up, Laura smiling when she saw Austin step inside, pulling a trolley in front of him.
"King Eric said to deliver this to His Highness, seeing as he won't be joining us for dinner." He pulled the trolley closer to the bed and began to unload all the dishes on the side table.
She looked at him as he did all these, shocked. King Eric had told her that he came up to her Father's room to make sure they come down, but here he was, sending food up to him so he wouldn't come down.
First, it solidified her guess that he didn't just come to invite them for dinner but to speak with her Father. And it also made her wary, because that meant that only the two of them would be dinning. Alone.
She was very sure that he had a plan somewhere there but she didn't want to think on it now. She had taken everything in stride since Nicholas's betrayal, his Father's arrival and his running away, and she'd continue to take things calmly. She had a sure feeling in her gut that King Eric wouldn't win this time.
She helped Austin lift her Father up and he walked out immediately after. She took a watercress soup first and began spooning it into his mouth. He kept avoiding her gaze and she had had enough.
"What exactly did King Eric come to say to you." She dropped the bowl of soup down and stared at him, daring him not to answer her. He glanced away from her and Laura became fed up.
"You have to share things with me. We're together on this, Father." She placed her hand on his and squeezed, letting him feel the sincerity she was trying to show him.
"No, not on this. Not about this." He pulled his hand from hers and lay down, turning his back on her. "I'd love to sleep now, please leave me."
Laura stared at him in shock. Yes, she knew that his guilt was eating away at him but he wasn't the one who had signed away her people's right on a parchment. The happenings of that night had flooded in after Nicholas's betrayal and Laura hated herself.
She left her Father's room in silence, shutting the door and telling the stationary guard to check up on him time to time. She didn't trust him all by himself nowadays.
Austin turned the bend and saw her, "I was just coming to get you. King Eric sends for you. Is your Father done with his meal?" She nodded, stiffening at Austin's stiff speech with her. Almost all the servants had been this way. Elaine was the worst, she didn't speak at all to Laura and Laura could see the hate that everyone had for her.
Austin glanced around them, his eyes on the vampire guards that patrolled the halls and then he walked closer to her, palming her shoulder. "Stay strong." He whispered and then he was gone.
Laura was tempted to pinch herself to make sure that she hadn't imagined that. She was still standing in the hall, deep in thoughts when Suzy found her.
"Oh, Princess. We have to get ready now. King Eric doesn't take tardiness lightly." Suzy pulled Laura after her, rushing them to her room and helping her put on a gown. Suzy kept checking the clock as she hurried through styling Laura's hair. She was done under twenty minutes and she pulled Laura out of the door and down the stairs.
They came to a stop at the dinning room and Suzy brushed her hand over Laura's dress, nodding and then walking hurriedly away. The guards, Malik and a vampire, pulled open the door for her, Malik shooting her a small smile. So maybe not everyone hated her.
It gave her a little boost, just what she needed and she straightened, walking into the room with her head held high.
And froze when she saw who sat at King Eric's right.
"Mary?"
Her friend, a slim chain locking her wrists together, glanced up quickly and went to stand, sitting back down quickly when King Eric yanked on her chain, hard.
"Sit down. You too, Laura." The only reason her feet hurried to the table was because he had Mary and she didn't want anything to happen to her friend.
She sat down and glared at the patridge casserole laid before her. Did he really think that she'd finally find the appetite to eat in his presence?
His hand clasping both of Mary's, he cleared his throat, getting Laura to look up at him. "Eat." He ordered, his hand tightening on Mary's and Laura could see Mary flinch in pain.
Without further prompting, she grabbed her cutlery and began to eat, casting nervous glances at King Eric. The meal was over almost as soon as it started and Laura was left staring at him as he drew small circles on her friend's palm.
Mary's body was strained and she leaned away from him, even though she was always being jerked back every time she did so.
"I have a proposal." He stopped and thought for a while, laughing at his slight. "Not a proposal, I'm letting you know of my plans for my kingdom."
Laura was about to ask what her business was with how he ruled his kingdom when she realized that he was referring to the werewolf kingdom. Her kingdom.
She flushed with anger and tried hard not to let it show, clenching her fists right and placing them on her thighs.
"Taking a page from my son's master plan, I thought it'll be wise if we continued breeding your people. There are still in heat, aren't there." His fingers crawled up to Mary's elbow and she jerked, a glaze look coming over her eyes.
"I wouldn't want to waste such an opportunity like this, seeing as there's no one around to take advantage of this momentous time." All the men in the village had been rounded up and kept in the dungeons. Laura didn't know for how long but she knew that she had to release them soon and take over her kingdom.
She thought back to Nicholas and how much of a coward he was. He had done all these, brought ruin upon her people, only to run away in fright when his Father came and demanded the throne. She didn't know what she had ever seen in him, but at that moment, she detested him strongly.
"Stand." Laura watched as a trembling Mary stood and was being led in front of King Eric. He looked at Laura, smiling as he began to unbutton his shirt. Mary's shoulders shook and Laura froze.
"I've realized that biological experiments are better than the engineered ones. Against the table." He pushed Mary till she bent against the table, her eyes closed.
Laura saw red.