Carnage Without Flaws

Rain pelted down on the thatched roof of the servant quarters, and a loud thunderous boom rattled the entire shack. The rain made the air of the one-bedroom house freeze to the point a person could see their own breath.

“Coral, Coral, wake up. You are going to be late.”

She groaned at Syd’s words as she was shaken awake. “Five more minutes”

Coral wasn’t the best of servants that worked for the Lord of the estate, but her father made a deal. She would work off his debts, and he would keep his life. She was much younger than the others, had a more free spirit and hated working in this house. But as long as her father kept spending, she kept working. Scrubbing floors and changing sheets in the giant house the Lord resides in.

As the sun finally cracked through the threadbare curtains of the only window in the humble building, Coral finally arose. She had no time to draw a bath or change her clothes, so she dragged her feet to the main house in the same dingy dress she wore yesterday. A horrid shade of brown, the dress was more like burlap sewn together. A size too big, it hung off her petite frame, landing just below her knees. Running up the hill to the main house, she flung on the only pair of shoes she owned at this point, the same shade her dress bore and so nastily worked in the sole had begun to peel off the bottoms.

“You are going to get in trouble one of these days!” A gardener she had befriended yelled her way as she sprinted to her post.

“Mind yourself, or I will cut the roses from their stems while you sleep!” A smile pressed on her cheeks, stumbling her way to her post.

“Coral!” She went still as the deep voice of the Lord sounded down the hall, making her running stride come to a halt. “Come here.Now.”

Coral took a long breath closing her eyes to keep them from rolling into the back of her head. The Lord never cared for the other servants as he did her. She was the only one he made sure was on time, and he gave her the most extravagant tasks that were near impossible to complete.

“Yes, my lord?” tiptoeing towards the man, she tilted her head low in a bow.

“You will not be joining the other ladies. I have a special task for you.” She could have sworn she saw a slight smirk tug at his lips as she looked up through her eyelashes.

Lord Edmund wasn’t hard to look at. He was tall and elegantly handsome. Always had a clean-shaven face that showed off his sharp jawline and a pair of bright green eyes that turned golden in the sun. He was beautiful if a woman was into the annoying type.

“May I ask the task?” The woman’s voice was a mere whisper as she raised her head, her crystal blue eyes meeting his greens.

“To my office, girl,” She bowed her head once more and followed his instruction heading down the long winding hallway that led to the primary office.

She had been through those large wooden doors before. Had her hands placed on the oak desk, which was always littered with parchment, to have the backs of her hands smacked for touching something she wasn’t supposed to. Coral trembled as her hands found the golden door knobs and pushed the doors open. The walls were painted a shade of gold that gleamed and matched the colours of the Lord’s eyes when the sun hit it just right. A large bay window took up most of one of the walls looking out into the rose garden. The oversized blue velvet chair was where the Lord parked himself most of the day, sitting behind the desk. Coral’s eyes scanned over the spines of hundreds of books that took up another one of the walls, all tucked neatly in the bookshelf.

“If I am accused of a misdeed, I am unaware”, she finally spoke as lord Edmund took a seat behind the desk.

“You have not been accused.” He sounded nervous as he raked a large hand through his midnight-black hair. “Your father’s deal states you are to do whatever I deem appropriate to repay his debt.”

She bit her lip to stop her teeth rattling as her whole body shook uncontrollably. Her knees become weak. She would meet her fate as her father has probably bitten off more than he could chew. But Coral wouldn’t go down without a fight.

“I do not take blame for whatever actions my father has done. I am to work for you, which I do, and if his debt is paid, then free me. But I will not be punished for whatever idiocy my father has committed!” Her voice was sharp and formal through the air. She wasn’t always a servant girl; no, she had formal training and could read and write. Coral nervously tugged at the end of her red locks as the Lord just stared at her. “Well, say something!” Her eyes were wide and wild, stinging as she mentally fought back the tears. She would not let the Lord see her so weak.

A small giggle fell from Edmund’s lips as he lightly tapped the desk. “You are not in trouble, girl. But you are no longer a servant from this point forward. My mother is to come, and she believes I have taken a betrothed. A highborn girl, you.”

Anger boiled in the depths of Coral’s stomach. Her face began to pool red to her cheeks. A scowl etched its way across her lips as her back went straight as a board. “No, no, you bastard. Let her take it. I will not fake your whore” she spits venom at him through words before she erupted. “You treat your working ladies like shit. You treat me like shit, and now you want me to parade around your estate as your betrothed?! I will not. Lock me up; take me to the block. I will take that before I take your hand.”

“You will not be taking my hand! It will be fake, nothing more nothing less! My father is dead! I am to inherit all the family wealth, but my mother will not give it to me if there is no chance of an heir! I am not asking; I am telling you, servant girl! Do not test me!” His eyes darkened as his hands slammed on the desk, sending a bolt of fear through Coral as he arose, nearly screaming in her face.

Tears sprung free of her eyes, and bile rose, burning the back of her throat. “Do not cry,” one of Edmund’s hands rose to wipe the tears that slipped down her cheeks, making her flinch. He let out a sigh of sadness. “I am sorry, Coral. Please. If you do this for me,” His hand moved, spinning a piece of her fire-coloured hair around his finger. “If you convince my mother we are one, your fathers’ debts will forever be paid. I will let you go home and return to status.”

Her eyes widened. To return to status was all she ever wanted in the two years she had worked for Edmund. To go back to the lavish parties and the gossiping around the tea table, never having to scrub another chamber pot. A blink was all she gave to the Lord before her answer.

“Fine. But I will not sleep in the same bed as you.”

“Great!” Lord Edmund clapped his hands together. “She will be here in the hour!”

“An hour! We don’t even have a story, my Lord. How did we meet? When did we become betrothed?! Scrubbing the dirt from my fingernails will take at least an hour!”

“Syd will give you the details. Hurry now, lovely.” A soft smile spread across his face as he dipped his head and kissed her grimy hand.

Syd was an older woman, the headmistress of the servant girls. Nothing goes without Syd knowing about it. So it was no surprise to coral she was in on this scam. As though she was listening through the doors, the older woman came rushing in, grabbing Coral around the wrist and dragging her up the spiral stairs to the chambers.

There were many, many rooms in the main house. Some Coral had never even stepped foot in, but this one, she had. The one with the pink door inside it was a lavish living quarters. With pink carpet and purple walls, a larger-than-life bed resided on one wall; the frame was made of gold, and the headboard had spiral designs welded into it. One wall was made of entirely windows facing out to the front lawn sprinkled with hedges of flowers Coral didn’t know the names to.

The room was impressive, but nothing compared to the bathing suit. A large marble tub was carved into the floor, completed with golden piping with a never-ending hot water supply. The chamber pot had its own room as large as the servant quarters. One wall was made of mirrors that showed Coral every angle of her body.

She sat, scanning over it as the tub filled with steaming hot water. Her cheeks had sunken in from the last time she had seen herself in a mirror this clean, and her collar bones jutted out; she was incredibly thin. Thinner than any highborn she had ever seen. And the dirt that covered her once porcelain skin seemed to have stained her a tan colour. Her once bright red hair was muted, now covered in sweat and grim from her long days of work.

“Lose the dress and undergarments, Coral; we are running out of time” Syd’s voice was like sandpaper to her ears.

“I can bathe myself, Syd; please leave me.”

“You can bathe yourself, but I will stand here and ensure you know the story before you leave.”

Syd began spinning the tale as Coral dipped herself into the hot waters with a wince.

“You met at a ball.”

“We met at a ball.”

As Syd spun, she repeated. The Lord and she had met at the annual spring ball where her father contracted business. During that business meeting, Edmund couldn’t keep his eyes off of her nor she him. They danced the night away, spinning around and around the dance floor, falling more after each song.

The Lord had asked for her hand six months ago, and Coral had resided in the estate ever since. Edmund’s favourite colour was the same blue as his office chair; he hated peas and loved the sunsets. It took all her strength to get her mind to believe this love story, but she did it. She repeated the story of them back verbatim as she tugged on a long sleeve velvet blue dress that flowed freely all the way to the ground.

“You will do great, Coral. As long as you stay out of trouble, this shall be over in two weeks’ time,” Syd said as her bony fingers laced the corset as tight as it would go.

A soft knock sounded behind the door as Coral finished braiding her now shiny red hair down her back. When the door swung open, she sat there, mouth agape. Standing almost two feet taller than her, Edmund wore the same colour of blue vest with a white button-down under. His legs were wrapped in black pants, and his boots were shinned enough she could see her reflection in them.

“The dress is too big.” her voice was sheepish, coming out more as a rough whisper. She was blushing.

Edmund slid his hands around her waist, earning a gasp from Coral, pulling the fabric around her as he sighed.

“Fix this, Syd! She can not be seen in a dress that swallows her whole!” The arrogance in his voice snapped her back into reality and washed away any sign of that blush.

“You know if you fed your servants more than a slice of bread and porridge, this would not be an issue!” Her words were loud as she lifted both her arms, the extra fabric raising the entire bottom of the dress. The stare-down began. Green versus blue challenging each other on who would break first.

“I cannot do this!” Coral words erupted first.

“You can, AND YOU WILL!” Edmunds’s booming voice echoed off the walls of the room.

“NO, I CANNOT. THIS WILL NEVER WORK!”

“YOU ARE RIGHT; IT WILL NOT. YOU ARE TOO MUCH OF A CUNT FOR IT TO!” His words silenced her as her breathing became unsteady and rugged. Her chest was heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

“Get me out of this dress! GET ME OUT OF THIS DRESS, SYD, BEFORE I SUFFOCATE!” She was panicking, the walls began closing in, and every piece of the love story began chipping away.

“You cannot suffocate in a dress that is too big!” Edmund scoffed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You know what!” Before Coral could finish, a loud knocking filled the entire manor.

“Compose yourself, girl. She’s here.” A smirk painted itself onto the Lord’s face.

Like putting on a mask, Coral’s shoulders went back as her chin tilted up, and a bright, tight smile spread across her face. With a hand on the small of her back, Edmund led her down the winding staircase to the large iron-clad front door. It was made of stained glass. Each colour of green, blue and yellow showed a small figure of a woman as well as several men, presumably guards waiting behind it.

Coral’s smile widened as the door opened, revealing Edmund’s mother. It took every muscle in her body not to drop her happy face into shock.

The tiny purple heels on the women’s feet are where Coral’s eyes went first, then up to the dark purple ball gown with gold embroidery. Her eyes swept over the woman’s wrinkly shining face before landing on the massive golden crown weaved into the old mother’s silver hair. She wasn’t wearing just any shade of purple; it was royal purple. Edmund wasn’t just the Lord of any estate; he was the prince of Adriadale.

“Oh, my darling boy!” Queen Adlyns words were strung with love and grace as she scooped her son into a tight embrace. “And you must be Coral! I’ve heard so much about you!”

Vomit rose and settled itself in the back of Coral’s throat. She swallowed it quickly before saying. “As I you, your majesty”, crossing her legs in a curtsy, she dipped her head lower than she ever had for Edmund. Laughter erupted around her.

“Mother does not care for family bowing to her.” Another smirk plastered itself on the prince’s face. “Silly girl.” The last of his words were in a low whisper for only Coral to hear.

“What is for dinner, Eddie? I am famished!” The Queen stepped fully into the house before pulling the gloves off her hands and smacking them into Syd’s.

Edmund could hear the uneven breaths escaping Coral’s nose. Leaning into her ear, he whispered. “Compose yourself or excuse yourself.”

“If you’ll excuse me, I must see if Rich is ready for dinner.” The bright smile dropped into a thin line on Coral’s lips as panic seeped out of her.

“You call your staff by name? Edmund was right; you are... different” Adlyns words made Coral want to vomit, her stomach twisting in knots as she walked away.

Walking into the servant kitchen made Coral out of breath, or maybe it was the anxiety coursing through her veins. Her hands braced the butcher block countertops as the sound of spoons clinking on pots filled her ears. She had to catch her breath before she faced the Queen again.

“I need some wine, Rich, anything, please.” Coral rubbed her hands over her face as Rich, the estate chef, slid a crystal glass to her filled halfway full of a deep red liquid.

Downing it in one gulp, Coral’s eyes shoot daggers towards Syd as she walks in behind her. “Oh hey Syd, you know you forgot to mention something when telling me that beautiful love story! Another Rich” The chef filled her glass again before returning to plating the roast beef for dinner. Coral downed the second glass of wine just as fast as the other.

“I thought you knew! How was I to know the merchant’s daughter did not know who her father did business with!” Syd threw the Queen’s gloves on the countertop before crossing her arms over her chest.

Waving a hand to Rich, Coral signalled she needed another gulp of wine. Something, anything to calm her nerves.

“Do not give her another. Serve dinner, Rich!” Syd’s sharp demands were enough for the chef to completely ignore Coral and go about finishing details on the plate of carrots ready to go out to the table.

“I am not going back out there. Tell her I’m sick or died” Coral rubbed her temples before tipping the wine glass back, trying to get the very last drop.

“What are you two doing?!” Syd stiffened as Coral just rolled her eyes before Edmund.

“You’re a prince?” Coral asked, anger lacing her voice.

“Yes,” The prince shrugged. “You did not know?” Genuine confusion drew itself over Edmund’s face.

“No! Gods, I did not know the fucking Queen was the one I am to fool! I can not do this, Edmund. Oh god!” Just from the thought of going back and sitting at a dining table with The Queen of Adriadale had, Coral doubled over the sink. Spews of day-old bread fell from her mouth. The sting from the bile rose into her nose, making welts of tears fall down her cheeks. Coral stiffened as the prince’s hand rubbed circles on the small of her back. “Do not touch me!” She swatted away his hand before turning back down to the sink for more vomit to spill into.

Coral’s head spun around to face Edmund. The contents of her stomach were gone now. Her eyes pleaded for him to let her go to her room, not to have her sit at a table with his mother. Tears still fell from her eyes as Edmund pulled a small cloth from his pocket. Bringing it up to her mouth, he patted the last of the bile from the corner of her lips. His touch was soft as if one wrong move and Coral would bite his fingers off. She thought about doing so. His gesture was so kind it made her want to throw up again.

“Two weeks, Coral. Two weeks and you are free, I swear.” He smiled at her as realisation filled her eyes. “Let’s go eat dinner. You will be okay.”

Coral was more confused now than anxious. She let Edmund take her by the hand and lead her back to the large dining room. A giant cherry wood table spread across the centre of the room, and a fire was lit in the fireplace to fight off the cold still lingering from the rain.

She sat down across from the Queen and allowed the prince to place the white cotton napkin in her lap before he took his seat at the head of the table. Focusing on the red curtains that lined each of the four windows, she barely touched her food. She let her head rest on the back of the intricate wood designs carved into the chair. The dinner was like a blur; she smiled occasionally and laughed when she caught the butt end of a joke.

“So it’s settled, Eddie. I will stay the year and help plan the wedding,” Queen Adlyns proclamation snapped Coral out of the haze she had settled into.

“What?” She went white as a ghost; more vomit threatened to fly through her lips. “I’m sorry; what did you say?” Coral’s eyebrows turned inward as if she had maybe heard the Queen wrong.

“You cannot possibly plan the whole thing yourself. So I will stay the year and plan the wedding with you. I always like the thought of a summer wedding” Coral couldn’t breathe. She had not heard the Queen wrong.

Her chest went tight as her eyes flung towards Edmund, who met her gaze. He mouthed the words “breathe”, but it was too late. Coral’s breath was stuck in her lungs like she was being held underwater. The room began spinning as tears stung her eyes. Finally, she swallowed down the vomit and took a deep breath.

“Excuse me. I seem to have had too much to drink. I shall retire to our room. See you in the morning, your majesty.” Coral did not give the queen time to answer nor Edmund as she flung from her chair and practically ran towards the stairs. Flying up the steps, she reached behind her to begin unlacing the corset that constricted her breathing further. When she finally reached her bedroom door, she slammed it shut behind her. Loud sobs filled the room, her legs gave out, and she became a puddle of velvet and tears.

Clamping her hands around her mouth, she let out a bone-rattling scream trying to silence it the best she could. Coral was stuck. If the Queen planned to stay for the wedding, would Edmund give her the choice to leave? Would he call off the whole thing, or would she be forced to marry him? When Coral thought of her wedding, she dreamed of marrying for love, never money, as her father had planned. But this was neither love nor money; this was forced and would never work. A soft knock sounded through her sobs.

“Leave me!” Her words came out shaky and rough like sandpaper across her tongue.

The demand was ignored as Syd rushed into the room. Picking Coral off the floor, the frail woman pulled her onto the bed. Syd wrapped her arms around the sobbing woman pulling Coral’s face into her chest. “Let it out, girl.”

Syd’s words were like an axe to a dam as Coral’s sobs got louder, and another wail forced its way out of her throat. The older woman of the two just stroked her hair, rocking slightly back and forth. Syd kept them in this position until Coral finally cried herself to sleep. Tucking her in between the blankets, Syd made her way to the door. She took a long look at Coral, taking in all her sadness before walking out of the room, lightly shutting the door behind her.