Chapter 4 The Parents

Liandra

I kept on alternating my gaze between the two of them, still trying to make sense of their relationship.

Feivel looked like he was one wrong word away from committing murder, while Elaina seemed perfectly willing to do anything he wanted, even if it meant putting herself in danger.

I rubbed my temples. What the hell was I supposed to do with this situation?

“Lady Carmilla! There you are!”

The maid from earlier hurried into the room and bowed deeply to Feivel, keeping her head lowered. For once, I was grateful for an interruption.

Couldn't an extra's entrance have come at a more perfect time?

“Your parents have been looking for you, my lady.”

I take it back.

I shook my head. “No.” Not the parents.

I wasn't ready for that. I'd barely figured out how to deal with a perverted man and a shy maid. Now I had to face the people who'd raised Carmilla Daemistre and somehow convince them I was their daughter.

What could possibly go wrong?

“If your parents are waiting for you, you shouldn't keep them waiting any longer,” Feivel said. “They've been worried about you, Carmilla.”

I turned to him with a frown. Was he seriously going to make me deal with this on my own?

“Just tell them I'm still sick.”

“But they're already in your room waiting for you, my lady.”

I let out a sigh and turned to Elaina instead. “We'll talk again later, okay?”

She bowed her head. “If that is your wish, my lady.”

“I'll accompany you,” Feivel offered.

“No, that's not necessary. You can...” I searched for an excuse, desperate to keep him from following me. Then an idea struck me. “Why don't you accompany Elaina instead?”

He frowned. “Who is Elaina?”

I gave him a disbelieving look before pointing at the woman standing beside us. “Her. Elaina.”

“Why would I accompany her?”

“To talk about...” My eyes wandered around the room until they landed on a vase of flowers. “Her flowers.”

The moment I said it, I realized how that sounded. Elaina's cheeks turned pink, and Feivel's expression darkened.

Oh, for fuck's sake. I meant the actual flowers!

“Anyway, I should go!” I grabbed the maid's arm and hurried toward the door before either of them could question me. “Lead the way. I can't remember how to get back to my room.”

“O-of course, my lady.”

I made it a few steps before realizing the maid wasn't keeping up. Looking down, I found my hand still wrapped around her arm.

I released her at once. “Sorry.”

She gave a nod, and we continued down the familiar hallways.

When we reached Carmilla's room, I found them waiting inside, just as the maid had promised.

The mother stood beside the bed, straightening sheets that already looked perfectly fine, while the father stood near the balcony with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing out at the view.

I paused at the doorway. There they were. Carmilla's parents. People who had known her since birth and probably remembered every little thing about her.

Meanwhile, I couldn't even remember what she'd said to them the last time they'd spoken.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside. Both of them turned toward me, and I suddenly had no idea how I was supposed to greet them.

The maid bowed and quietly left us alone.

“Mom, uh... Mommy and Daddy. How are you both doing?”

The words came out so awkwardly that I wanted to take them back.

The mother hurried over, concern all over her face, and took hold of my shoulders. “Oh, Carmilla! We should be asking you that! How are you feeling, darling?”

“Like I got hit in the head, then woke up just to get hit again.” I gave a small, uneasy laugh. “I really can't remember much.”

Considering everything that had happened since I woke up, that was an understatement.

“Of course you can't! You were truly hit in the head!” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Goddess, that little maid and her clumsy hands! She dropped a vase directly onto your head from the balcony!”

“What?”

“We ought to punish her more severely.”

I nearly choked on my own breath. “You already punished her?”

“Emperor Feivel did, last night. She was flogged right outside the courtyard.”

“You did WHAT?!”

The mother blinked at me, looking more confused by my reaction. “Are you quite all right, Carmilla?”

Was I all right? A woman had been whipped in the courtyard, and this was being discussed as casually as the weather.

Before I could respond, the mother shook her head and guided me toward the bed. “You need to rest, darling. You're clearly still unwell.”

I sat down, struggling to process what she'd told me. Feivel had ordered a public flogging because a maid dropped a vase, and the mother seemed to think the punishment hadn't been harsh enough. Was this how things worked in this kingdom?

I swallowed hard. “Why would you do something so cruel. It can't be...was it Elaina?”

She seemed fine earlier, but who else could be going through actual suffering in this story?

“Elaina? No, dear. It was Lottie.”

“Oh.”

Relief washed over me. I still felt awful for Lottie, but I was glad Elaina hadn't suffered because of something that had happened to Carmilla.

The mother tilted her head. “Would you prefer it if we punished her instead?”

I turned to her, startled. “What? No! Why would we do that?”

“Because she did nothing but cast her eyes on your own fiancé.”

I stared at her, trying to understand how a maid looking at someone could be a crime worth punishing. “Let her look at him.”

Her jaw dropped, and I realized a little too late that I might have said the wrong thing.

“I-I mean, it's not as if he'd ever look at her that way.” I forced out a laugh, hoping to save myself. “Ha. Ha.”

Even I wasn't convinced, but the mother laughed along as if I'd given her a perfectly reasonable answer.

“Well, I couldn't agree more.”

I smiled weakly and hoped that would be the end of it. I was beginning to understand why Carmilla's family had such a fearsome reputation.

The mother appeared satisfied with the conversation and brushed a hand over my hair. I tried not to lean away. She was only being affectionate, and I felt a little guilty for being so uncomfortable with it.

“We only wanted to check on you,” she said warmly. “For now, you should rest. Tomorrow, however, you'll need to resume your training.”

I had just begun to relax when those last words caught up with me.

“My what?”

“Your training, of course. You're to become Empress. There's far more to learn than the etiquette we've already taught you. You have tea parties, balls, and all sorts of royal duties to prepare for. Oh, there's so much to do!”

She sounded delighted, like she was planning an exciting week of activities for me. Meanwhile, I was struggling to keep the horror off my face.

Etiquette? Tea parties? Balls? Duties?!