Chapter 10

*Eleanor's POV*
I woke up to the slight tapping on my arm and somebody calling my name. I groaned inaudibly under my breath tossing around on the floor.
"Wake up Eleanor, you have a lot of work to do at the palace, remember?"
I forced my eyelids open and looked through the small window. "C'mon Gwen, it's not sunrise yet." I shut my eyes, ready to drift off to sleep again.
SMACK!!
"Ow!!!" I yelped in surprise, jerking up off the ground and rubbed my head soothingly, trying to ease the pain. "What was that for?" I asked, scrunching my face in annoyance.
"Well, that's a clear reminder that the Queen hates you." she replied, folding her hands under her breast with her brows arched.
"Why would she ha--" I trailed off when I remembered the order from the Queen yesterday. "Oh dear gods of Narva, why me??" I grumbled wanting to rest my head on the wall but accidentally smacked it a little hard.
"Ouch!!!!" I yelped moving away from the wall.
Gwen stood up from the ground with hands akimbo looking down at me. "Well, now isn't the time to lament Elly, get up and go take your bath before the Queen loves you more than she already does." With that she turned around and left.
"Why does the Queen hate me again?"
"Because you are a slave." My subconsciousness chipped in.
"Oh dear subconsciousness, did your mother not teach you not to interfere in other people's thoughts?"
"Well, I'll say our mother didn't teach me that because I'm your thoughts, you dumb log of wood."
I groaned standing up "I really wish I could shut you off. Very stupid subconsciousness."
"Do not forget that we can't be separated Eleanor. We are one, which clearly means we are both stupid."
I scrunch my face in anger walking to the bathroom. What a bad way to start a day.
*
*
Luciano paced restlessly in his room. He has been very furious ever since he left his father's room the day before.
"Old man wanted to go for a hunt!!
He called me and said prince let's go hun-hun-hunt!!
And the wolves came ho-ho-howl!!
And the ducks flew screaming quack! quack! quack!
I fled because I was so scaaaaaared!
The knight came maaaaatchiiiing!!
They came to my rescueeeeee!!
With their swords singing clink! clank! clank!
It was a white woooollllf!!!!!! a white woooollllf!!
Prince woooooolllllllfyyyyyyy!!!!!!!"
"Shut up!!!" Luciano snapped at Nikolai who was lying on the bed with arms and legs spread wide apart, singing with a loud voice. Nikolai snapped his mouth shut and looked at his brother with a wide grin on his face. "What?"
"I'm trying to think here, Nikolai." Luciano growled in annoyance.
"And what am I supposed to do?" Nikolai asked, smiling at his brother, taunting him.
Luciano stood still glaring daggers at him. Nikolai threw himself up from the bed before speaking. "Well, if my presence disturbs you, I'll take my leave." He walked to the door, opened it and turned to his brother with a smile on his face.
"Go get a bride, prince wolfy." He shut the door behind him, his Laughter echoing in the hallway.
*
*
Eleanor raced up the stairs to the prince's room. She had been so occupied that she almost forgot to go clean the prince's room. She finally climbed up the last stair and literally ran into the hallway bumping into a hard wall. She lost balance and felt herself falling to the ground. She was expecting to hit the hard floor when suddenly, she was hanging in the air, her equipment scattered on the floor. Wait? Am I flying?
Then she felt the strong hands that wrapped around her waist. Oh, somebody caught me.
*
*
Nikolai was still laughing after he left Luciano's room when Eleanor bumped into him. She was running with so much speed he had barely seen her. He held her from crashing on the ground, before putting her back on her feet, steady.
"Hey! easy easy." He said holding her. "Where are you rushing to? That made you run like a mad horse, you didn't even see me."
"Sorry! Sorry! I have to go!" Was the first and last thing she said before bending down to pick her sweeping tools and dashed off.
Nikolai turned his head to look at her, then he saw her stopp at the door of Luciano's room. Oh, that's where she's heading to, but why was she in such a hurry. He shrugged, turned around and whistled his way down the stairs.
*
*
Eleanor panted heavily when she finally reached the door of the prince's room. She knocked twice on the door, not bothering to greet the guards. Why would she? When they'd never reply. She heard the prince voice reply "come in."
She pushed the door open and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. Prince Luciano stood in the middle of the room looking restless.
The first thing her mind took note of, was the fact that this was the first time she was seeing him standing in the middle of the room in the morning looking like he could break the wall with just a punch from those huge fists.
"Good morning Master." She bowed her head in greeting, she immediately took a mental note that she has been bowing her head frequently these days.
"You are late." He said, his eyes fixed on her with a glare.
"I'm sorry. I had so much work to do in the castle, I did not reali-" She was apologizing but stopped when he hissed out "I did not ask for an explanation, did I?" He had this menacing deadly look in his eyes
"No! Forgive me, master." What is wrong with him? Why is he acting so vile?
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room before he finally said "get to work." And walked to rest on the table, his right hand on his jaw with his left hand folded under it.
Eleanor took a napkin and began dusting.
*Few minutes later*
She packed the equipment in her hands as sweat tickled from her forehead down to her jaw. It wasn't easy cleaning the room with him standing there and staring at her like she's his worst nightmare. She turned around and was about to exit the room when she heard his deep voice growl.
"Where are you going?"
What?!!
She stopped on her tracks and turned around to face him. "I have work to do in the palace?"
"If I remember well, I ordered Madam Helen to relieve you of your duties " He asked with a dominating look on his face.
"Uhmm, well the Queen gave orders that I also work as a palace slave." She said in response.
"What do you just say?" He asked, lifting himself off the table and taking slow strides towards her.
Unconsciously, she took a step back. No! She's not supposed to be scared of him. You're brave, remember? She forced herself to stay on a spot so she doesn't appear to look intimated.
He stopped about three meters away from her. His huge figure towering over her small stature. Then, she realized this man is really big, he was about 6ft- wait! Is she not supposed to be thinking of how she would escape in case he tried to strangle her, not thinking of how physically fit and gloriously built he is.
Her fingers itched to scratch her head nervously but she restricted herself.
"The Queen gave orders that I serve the castle." She repeated keeping her eyes on him
He looked like he's on the edge of losing it but, being the man he is, he managed to keep calm.
"When?" He asked with a scowl on his face.
"Yesterday." She responds trying to keep calm like him, even though her heart was pounding hard threatening to burst out of its ribcage.
"Leave."
Ugh? Just like that? Without any further thought she bowed her head and scurried out of the room.
*
*
Eleanor walked into the castle's garden to sweep it, when she noticed a figure sitting on a wooden bench under a tree. Silently as she could, she walked closer to the figure when the figure snapped his head to her.
She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that it's Nikolai. She could swear her heart was in her throat when she saw the figure.
"Hey"
"Hey there Elly, how has your day been?" He asked with his usual smile on his face
"Hectic" She replied, rubbing her temple before taking a seat beside him.
"I guess starting from my brother right?"
She nodded in response. She really can't understand why she trusts Nikolai so much. "He was in a real bad mood today."
"You shouldn't take whatever he does to the heart Eleanor. He's in a tight situation right now, he has every reason to be mad."
"I'm a slave remember? I don't have any right to take whatever he does to the heart." Eleanor said, looking down at her feet.
Nikolai stared at her for a while before speaking. "You're more than just a slave Eleanor. I see potential in you."
She scoffed before saying sarcastically "potentials? Like what?"
"I don't know. You're just kind of special."
"Hmmph, you really don't know what you're saying Nikolai." Eleanor said, looking at him with her brows raised.
"I'm serious!" Nikolai defended "you're special!"
Eleanor hit his arm playfully. Nikolai gasped, faking hurt. "Ouch! My arm hurts! It's broken!" She chuckled and hit him again before they both burst out laughing.
"You know you're really special, especially to prince wolfy."
Eleanor gasped and began hitting his arm frantically making Nikolai burst out laughing uncontrollably.
*
*
Luciano stood in the balcony of his room, his blood boiling in anger as he watched the two. He doesn't know why he was feeling this way. All he knows is that he hates the way she's laughing with Nikolai.
His body was filled with rage, it felt like he was breathing fire. He doesn't know what he is feeling or he actually knows but refuses to admit it.
He clenched his fists in anger breathing hard, he felt like going there and dragging her away from him, but that would look unlikely to him as the cold hearted prince. As anger ran through his veins he admitted inside him that he hated what he was seeing right now. He hated it to his guts.