Seven

Chapter 7

Elena pov

"Your whole life?" I asked.

The hope that has started to rise inside me was falling fast. But Delaney looks happy as she nodded.

"Yes, of course. My mother was a refugee who fled in this land. I was born here in service." She smiled and I didn't know what to think.

"It not uncommon to be born into service, right?"

She was right. That was a very normal thing to happen, even in my kingdom. If your mother was a maid, you were often a maid too, and so on.

Despite that, there was still something about what she said that wasn't common, something I needed to elaborate further on.

"Yes, that's true. And your mother was a refugee? From where?"

Who would possibly need to flee to a kingdom ruled by Dragon? Who would be so desperate, especially in our surrounding lands? My kingdom was flourishing, and many other kingdoms were too.

Providing they didn't anger the Dragon Lord, of course.

"A country far away from here. She didn't speak of it too much, but she said she had to travel a long way to get here." She said.

I looked at Delaney and was kinda surprised to see that she looked healthy and happy. I didn't see any marks that spoke of Dracul being a cruel master. I didn't see any bruises or tattered clothes.

She looked like she was well provided for. And she didn't seem to want to speak I'll of him.

I was confused.

Dracul was a cruel and brutal leader. That was what everyone said. Everyone believes that, so what made Delaney so happy?

"I see." I said, swallowing hard as I try to put the pieces together in my head, "Sorry for all the unnecessary questions."

"That's okay. Besides you are new here, yes." Delaney said.

"Yes. New." I bit my lip and tried to hold my tongue. The lady was being kind to me and addressing me with respect. But I don't know what she would do if I spoke ill of Dracul.

For all I knew, she was desperately loyal and would react badly if I talked badly about him in any way. I had to tread carefully if I wanted more answers, more information.

"Shall I help you unpack?" Delaney said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Yes, thank you. We could talk more while we hung up my dresses."

I opened my luggage, unlatching the trunk and starting to unload the fabric.

Delaney was quiet and efficient as she unpack my clothes for me and help me to sort through them.

"Since I'm new here, could you tell me a bit about this place?" I said.

"Of course, Lord Dracul rules this castle and Kingdom with firm but fair hands." She said.

It almost sound as if she was reciting something she had read.

"The land is prospering and flourishing, and everyone here is happy."

She flattered me for a moment and I sensed that something was wrong, something more was going beneath the surface. Maybe things weren't as good as she wanted to believe.

"Is that true... Delaney?" I asked.

She glanced over at me and I saw the hesitation in her eyes. She shrugged as she packed my clothes, seeming to choose my words carefully.

"My Lord does his best."She said and there was conviction in her voice,

"His circumstances are difficult, but he does his best to look after the need of his people."

I was surprised to hear that. I thought maybe she was lying about how he ruled his lands. I didn't expect her to say it was a problem.

But then, he said he needed my help with something. He had mentioned needing my help, needing something from me. I just don't know what and he hadn't been in the mood to share.

I needed to tread carefully. Delaney seems nice and cool enough, but she was definitely on his side.

There was no question where her loyalty lay.

For a second, I felt a pang in my heart. She wasn't going to be a friend like Catherine. I wanted a friend more than ever.

I wanted someone I could talk to freely with, someone close to my age, who I could relate to, someone who could maybe help me through this mess.

But while Delaney was helpful and seemed sweet enough, there was no way I could speak freely around her. Not with that unwavering loyalty.

We finished packing away my things in silence.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, your highness?" She said, with a polite bow and a smile.

I opened my mouth to speak, to tell her that I didn't need anything else, only to be interrupted.

There was a defeating bang from somewhere in the castle, a bang that echoed through the halls. For a moment, I almost thought I heard a yell, as loud as a roar.

My hero speaks a beat and I clutched my chest.

Delaney's eyes widened and she bow again, hastily this time, "excuse me, I need to go see what that's was. Please ring if you needed me."

She bowed again, before turning and running out of the room, gently pulling the door closed behind her.

For a moment, I just stood there, the echoes of the bang thundering in my head until I could barely hear myself think.

What was that?

What could have possibly made such a loud noise? What could have possibly sent a vibration through the castle like that? Like it was nothing at all?

My curiosity surged. I wanted to know what had happened, what had made that noise, what was going on.

If only I wasn't locked in this dark room.

Then it occurred to me. Maybe I wasn't locked in the room. Maybe, Just maybe, Delaney had been in too much of a rush to lock it when she left.

I hadn't heard the big, heavy bolt pull across the door. I hadn't heard the sickening click of the lock. I hadn't heard anything past the dull, echoing thundering in my head.

Maybe just maybe, I had a way out of this room.

I couldn't leave the castle, but I couldn't still investigate what had happened. After all, that was the worst that could ever happen? I felt almost ready for the worst, and I wasn't going to just sit here.

Sneaking towards the door, I reached for the handle and took a deep breath. I grabbed it and pulled it with all my strength.

The door give way with a soft squeak and I winced at the noise.

I didn't want anyone to think I was trying to escape. After all, where could I go?

I just wanted out of this room. I just wanted a chance to discover a little more about what was going on. Delaney had been white as a sheet when she heard the bang.

I slid the door open just a little and stepped out of the hallway. It was still too dark to see, and I ducked back inside and grabbed one of the torches hanging on the walls.

They were no point in leaving the room if I got lost and stuck out there, after all. I needed a way to get back, and having light was the best bet.

What spooked Delaney so badly?

I wanted to know. I wanted to know what had her feeling so troubled, too. Why did she look so worried, so uncomfortable when she talked about the kingdom?

What was going on that caused the Dragon Lord to call me - a princess from a neighborhood kingdom? What could I do that a Dragon Lord couldn't? I don't understand the curiosity was getting the best out of me.

Now that I'd cried and mourned, at least for a little, my head was that much clearer. My heart still ached, but I know I had something in front of me then I could focus on.

I could focus on finding out the truth about this castle, this kingdom, the dragons. I could move forward and learn more, even more, it was a dangerous risk.

I crept through the castle, in the direction that Delaney was gone, staying nice and close to the walls and trying not to think too hard about what I was doing.

I moved quietly, taking care not to make too much noise with every step, taking care not to draw attention to myself.

I'm the distance I thought I had a voice, heard the murmuring of people speaking, footsteps.

And then, as if out of the blue, I heard another bang, closer this time. The thundering noise was so loud I almost drop my touch in fear so I could cover my ear.

I cringed and waited for the terrible echoing to subside, at least a little. Then I could move forward again.

Because I have a lot to figure out about this place and I could start by finding out what that noise was.

I just hoped I wasn't making the biggest mistake of my life.