COWARDS ONLY LIVE IN THE SHADOWS - PART 1

"Cut his head off".

"But my lady, he's innocent".

"I don't care". Catherine shouted, the color of her eyes had changed to red, she hated being questioned.

"I'm sorry". Her guard apologized as he dragged the man from her sight.

The man who seem to be older than her had disrespected her by gossiping about her with the other cooks, he had been her chief cook but not anymore. She stood up only to feel sand on her feet.

"Nana!" She called out.

"Ma". Nana ran to her, she had heard about Aaron who was beheaded and feared more for her job.

"I thought you took care of the cleaning here".

"Yes ma". Nana responded as she tried not to stutter. 

"Then why the hell am I feeling sand beneath my foot". She hit nana's head angrily.

"It wasn't my intention, forgive me". She apologized amidst the pain she felt in her head.

"You know what?"

"Please ma, I will make it clean this time".

"Too late Nana, too late. You're fired, get out of here before I change my mind". She stated as she walked passed Nana who had gone on her knees.

"Please ma". Nana pleaded tearfully as she hoped Catherine would consider her.

"Guards send her out of here, now". The anger she felt had made her nails grow and the color in her eyes was now red.

The picture of Aaron ran through her head, and without a second thought, Nana rose and ran away before Catherine descended on her.

"Good for nothing cowards". She muttered to herself. She didn't know why she felt pissed off but the adrenaline in her rushed so fast.

"Eden". 

"Yes ma". Eden dropped what she was doing to rush out though she had eavesdropped on Catherine's conversation with Nana and felt Catherine had been unfair to her.

"Tell the cook to make some pancakes for me which shouldn't be too brown". She waved her hand to dismiss her but noticed she stood like she had something to tell her.

"What is it?" Catherine asked as her eyes rolled at the timid girl who acted like Catherine was a beast.

"Ma, you fired them all". Eden's face went to the ground as she wished silently that the ground took her.

Catherine was shocked, she never knew she had reached the extent where she no longer had a chef apart from Eden. Eden was her junior staff who had barely stayed a month, this was the first time Catherine met her. 

"So what am I going to eat now?" She asked Eden with her hands folded in silence.

"I'll try to make the pancakes ma". She mustered up the courage to give a reply.

"Try? Is that still in the dictionary?" Catherine asked, her feet stamping the ground impatiently.

"I'll make it".

"Sounds better". She dismissed Eden who looked relieved to leave Catherine's presence.

***

"Lady Catherine, Lady Catherine".

Alex's voice had woken her up immediately, she wondered what was urgent and hoped it was worth her sleep, Alex wasn't exempted from her wrath. He had been her father's Beta for over fifteen years now, and though he was ten years younger than her father, their relationship was more like close friends.

"I can hear you, say what you want".

"Your father demands your presence". He responded not mindful of the nonchalant attitude Catherine exhibited, he was more used to her character than anybody in the palace.

"Anything the matter?" She asked pretending to be asleep.

"Not my lady".

"Then it's not serious, tell father I'll see him once I'm awake".

"It's about the kingdom my lady". Alex hated the position of being a middle, patching the father and daughter relationship was one thing he couldn't run from. The white pack was his family and he had eyes on Catherine's position for quite some time.

"I insist you tell him what I said". Catherine found herself almost shouting, she wondered why her father hadn't dismissed Alex yet, and left for her she would have done exactly that.

"Yes my lady". Alex left without a word, Catherine had never liked him and the feeling was mutual.

No matter how hard she tried to force herself back to sleep, it wasn't working, the sleep had suddenly disappeared from her eyes. She rolled on the bed till she heard a knock on her door.

"Who's there?" She felt pissed off

"Sorry my lady, but the pancakes are ready". 

"Bring it to my room". She recognized Eden's voice.

"Yes ma". She left

Catherine got up as she unlocked her door and went back to her dressing mirror where she packed her hair into a ponytail, she had decided to wear her simple gown to meet her father. She had stood when she saw Eden with a tray in her hands enter her room.

"Lay it on that table". She instructed her.

Catherine walked to the table and opened the tray, she looked confused at the brown pancakes, and she turned to Eden.

"What is this?"

"The pancakes you wanted ma".

"You call what you burnt pancakes?" She felt like dismissing her from her job but realized Eden was the Chef left in the house. Catherine lifted the plate of pancakes and turned it to the ground.

"Clean this mess up". She stepped on it as she walked to her bed.

"Get me an orange juice, that would be all". She fell to the bed, her eyes to the ceiling wondering what her father wanted to discuss with her.

***

"Sweep it again". She looked at Eden through the glass cup she drank her juice from.

"My lady I -". 

"Don't worry Alex that's where I'm going to". She rolled her eyes as she pretended she didn't see him.

"Where's he?" She asked him impatiently.

"He's in his reading room". He didn't want to go back to her with the first report she gave him not until he was about her response. He had known Catherine for not just a pretty good pretender but a pretty good liar. He watched her pass him and was grateful he followed his spirit. 

The reading room was upstairs and though her father called it a beautiful spot, Catherine called it a wasted spot since it stressed her. She walked with no sense of fear, her father was just like her, and nothing can make her fear him, she thought to herself as Alex opened the door for her to face her father.