Chapter 3 - Aria

Five Years Lates …

The ballroom is crowded with round tables spread across the spacious and well-lit room. The decor dazzles my eyes, and I wonder if I will ever have enough money to throw an event of this magnitude.I balance the tray with champagne glasses as I walk between the tables, offering drinks. The people sitting, all dressed up and elegant, ignore me as they always do when they don’t want anything offered. So haughty and snobbish, it drives me mad. I take a deep breath and keep moving from table to table; some accept, while others simply continue ignoring me.

The sound of the party fills the air with the chatter of the guests. The dance floor holds only adults dancing, with a few teenagers brave enough to dance in a funny way. I keep my attention on every detail in the ballroom, also noticing my fellow waitresses serving hors d'oeuvres and other dishes.

I return to the kitchen, which starkly contrasts with the elegance of the ballroom. The place is a small chaos, with plates being prepared, cooks shouting at each other, dishes being washed, and trays being taken and dropped off.

The cacophony sends shivers down my spine and even gives me a headache. I feel my lower back begin to ache, making me slower as I continue carrying trays through the ballroom. When I decide to take a short break to rest my arms and feet, my boss quickly appears.

“Aria, am I paying you to stand still?” he asks impatiently, crossing his arms in front of his burly physique.

“No, sir. I just needed a breather before going back out, sorry.” I reply, embarrassed.

My boss, a man in his mid-fifties with a perpetually red face and bald head, glares at me disapprovingly, and I quickly grab the tray with new champagne glasses and head back into the ballroom.

Five hours later, at the end of the party, I still need to collect all the plates and utensils left by the guests. My colleague, Nicole, appears beside me with a basin full of dirty dishes to wash.

“Girl, you’re off next weekend, right?” Nicole asks cheerfully, and I nod. “Wanna make some extra cash? I can get you a spot working as a waitress at an event; the pay is three times what we get here.”

My eyes widen at the miraculous offer. I needed more money, always needing more. Not out of greed or to spend on unnecessary things, but for Elowen and Thorne. My beautiful angels.

“The answer is a thousand times yes, Nicole! This will be a blessing, thank God! Thank you so much!” I reply, feeling a wave of relief in my chest.

In the past few days, I had been worried about how I would pay the most important bills. With unexpected costs cropping up constantly, my emergency savings were running low.

“Perfect, girl, I’ll send you the address during the week!” Nicole explains quickly. We return to cleaning the ballroom, and I feel joy fill my whole body, knowing this new job opportunity will bring me much more than just money.

I arrive home in the early hours of the morning, noticing that the kitchen light is on. I try to enter quietly so as not to wake the twins, my children.

I head to the kitchen and find my mother sitting at the dining table with a half-full glass of wine.

“Hey, Mom…” I greet her softly. Lyra, my mother, lifts her gaze from her phone, and I feel the coldness and disdain in her expression.

“Is this any hour to come home, Aria? I’m not your kids’ babysitter. I missed a night at the casino with my friends because of you,” my mother complains irritably.

“Sorry, I had to stay back with the cleaning crew tonight. That means extra hours, and thus, more money,” I explain, my voice weary.

“You wouldn’t need to work so hard and turn me into your kids’ babysitter if you’d just stayed with their father,” Lyra replies stubbornly, and I sigh, exhausted.

I wish I could tell her I have no idea who Elowen and Thorne’s father is. That I drank too many hours after lying with Alexander and ended up in bed with another man. The Greek god, whose features are now lost even in my memories.

“Mom, Alexander doesn’t want anything to do with me… in fact, I haven’t spoken to him in years, okay? He disappeared off the map even before I knew I was pregnant,” I reply, repeating the same answer as always.

Lyra looks at me with a disappointed expression, shaking her head in pity for my situation.

“You had such a promising future with him, Aria. You would’ve made such a wonderful wife. Now look at you—twenty-five, uneducated, being everyone else’s doormat. This isn’t what I raised you for, Aria; it certainly wasn’t,” my mother declares with a voice heavy with regret.

“I know, Mom, I know. I’m going to bed, alright? Goodnight.”

Before going to my own room, I stop by the twins’ bedroom. I open the door slowly and, by the light of the night lamp, I watch my two angels’ peaceful faces as they sleep. My mother’s accusatory words whirl in my mind as I approach my son Thorne’s bed and place a kiss on his forehead.

I don’t know how my life could have turned out if I hadn’t gotten pregnant at twenty, without knowing exactly who their father is. But I know I have two wonderful children who bring joy to all my days when they wake up. I go over to my daughter Elowen’s bed and kiss her forehead as well.

With quick, silent steps, I drag myself to my room, feeling exhaustion consume my entire body. As soon as I settle in to sleep, my heart aches with the memory of Alexander; even after five years, my ex-boyfriend’s presence still haunts me like a ghost.

***

“You didn’t tell me the event was at the king’s castle, Nicole!” I say in shock, my gaze on the imposing castle taking me by surprise.

The stained-glass windows come to life with the last rays of sunlight before nightfall. I had never been close to the nobles' district, always imagining what it might look like inside—a place filled with beauty and magic, something astonishing.

“Despite the frequent attacks from the Wolfspawn Renegades against the capital, claiming the king’s illegitimacy and the lack of heirs, the royal family decided to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Caelum and Seraphina are marking five years of marriage!” Nicole replies excitedly, steering carefully down the private road toward the entrance gate.

I observe the scene at the entrance, a sprawling garden adorned with white and red roses, with hedges shaped into enormous wolves and other magnificent creatures. My heart races as we draw closer to the castle with each passing kilometer.

“Imagine the hefty sum we’re going to make tonight, Aria. I can already feel the money dropping into my account. And who knows, maybe I’ll meet my future mate here tonight,” Nicole comments, her voice laden with anticipation. I flash her a smile and shake my head in disbelief.

Nobles and commoners don’t mix, especially not humans with lycans or enchatresses. To them, we are incomplete, the scum, merely the workforce keeping this country running.

“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to get involved with any noble lycan, Nicole. With the recent attacks, being human doesn’t sound so bad,” I remark with a laugh, and Nicole chuckles in response.

“But being poor is awful—I’m tired of serving others. I want to be served, for a change,” Nicole complains, and I just give a short laugh in response.

***

“I’m the coordinator of this event; my name is Malik. Please, don’t embarrass me. Because if you do, I’ll have to dock your pay as punishment. Understood?” Malik declares in a deep, firm voice, his brown eyes cold and intimidating.

The entire team of waitresses and waiters nods automatically. The palace kitchen is three times the size of the one at my regular job, and the organization and harmony among the staff impress me with their efficiency.

“You!” Malik points in my direction, and I freeze on the spot. “You’ll be in charge of serving the king and queen at all times. Take this tray of drinks. Be polite, and always keep your eyes on the floor. Never look directly at them. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” I respond with a trembling voice. I take the tray and balance it above my head, as I’m used to doing.

As soon as I leave the kitchen and enter the hall, I’m overwhelmed by the surreal beauty of the place. The decor is refined, elegant, and magnificent. I notice points of magic being used throughout, with projections of colorful animals moving through the air. I walk slowly toward the long table where King Caelum and Queen Seraphina are seated.

The royal couple is radiant. The king, a man of about thirty-five, sports a thick, blond beard that is lighter than his dark blond hair, which is styled back in full volume. On his head, a golden crown blends with his hair. His beauty is like that of a Greek god sculpted from marble, and even from a distance, his broad shoulders and commanding presence are clear.

Queen Seraphina rivals him with her own enchanting, witch-like beauty. Her hair is short, just below her ears, adorned with beautiful ruby earrings that match her coppery red hair. Her golden eyes sparkle with tenderness and grace. The paleness of her face contrasts sharply with the dark dress she wears.

As I approach, I keep my eyes lowered as instructed. I politely announce the tray’s contents and offer it to them both. The king accepts a drink, and I carefully set his glass on the table. Just as I reposition the tray, my body freezes at the sound of the queen’s voice.

“Bring another servant. This one is clumsy, awful. Remove her from my sight and my husband’s, immediately!” Seraphina declares, her voice thick with disdain.

I stammer an apology, unsure of what I did wrong, and quickly disappear from their view.