Chapter 7

‎Lizabella

I couldn’t believe that on my first day at the job the girl was missing. And even though it didn’t happen while I was supposed to be watching her, it didn’t matter. Because with the way things seemed to work in this palace, the Lycan Kings would absolutely blame the people watching over her, including me. And even though it wasn’t my fault, they would still find a way to twist things and pin it on me. I hope they won’t say I’m the one who brought bad luck. 

Maya’s voice snapped through my thoughts as she rounded on the maid in front of us. “Nancy, where were you?” Maya demanded. “How did she go missing?”

Nancy was crying like she already knew her life was about to be ruined. “I… I left Pearl seated here playing games on her iPad,” she stammered. “And I only stepped out to go and relieve myself in the ladies. But when I came back, the whole room was turned upside down and Pearl was nowhere to be found. So, I checked the bathroom, I checked under the bed and I just checked the wardrobe, b-but she's not there either.” What kind of explanation is this?

Maya’s eyes widened, and then she snapped, “You mean to tell me you didn’t think to alert anyone? All this while, instead of getting help, you wasted precious time tearing apart this room?”

“I’m sorry,” Nancy whispered, crying harder.

Maya looked one second away from exploding again, so I reached out and grabbed her arm.

“Maya, this isn’t the time to scold her,” I said quietly. “This is the time to find Pearl.”

“You don’t understand.” She turned sharply toward me. “Even if Pearl isn’t found, all of us are going to be in trouble. Because she did something like yesterday, yet we had no idea how she got out of the palace, wandered into the forest and almost got killed and when she was later on found, the maids on duty, the people around, and the guards were severely punished. So, if something like that happens again, we’re all in trouble.”

“Okay. But if you don’t want the punishment to be extreme this time, then we need to find her immediately, right? So yelling at Nancy is wasting time.” I nodded. “So, do you know the kind of places Pearl usually goes to or places she hides?”

Maya gave me a look like I had just asked her to solve world peace.

“You don’t know Pearl,” she replied with an exasperated sigh. “She doesn’t have a usual hiding spot, she just hides in the strangest places, places we’re not even supposed to enter. So, we have to alert the kings now so a search can be conducted.”

Nancy stepped forward, crying harder. “No, please don’t. Please, Maya. If you alert them, I’ll be fired and… punished.”

“What will you have me do then?” Maya snapped. “Search the entire palace alone?”

Nancy shook her head frantically. “Do you remember last year when Pearl went missing and Susan alerted the palace. But guards couldn't find her even after searching everywhere because she was hiding in the lounge the entire time. Four maids and three guards were punished for causing a ‘nuisance.’ Please, let's try to find her first.”

Maya shut her eyes like she was fighting a migraine. “Okay, but what if she isn’t in the palace? What if she slipped out again? If we don’t alert the kings now and go searching on our own, what if she gets too far before anyone knows?”

“Security has been tightened since yesterday,” Nancy uttered, wiping her face. “So she wouldn’t be trying to slip out again for a while. She's still here, she just wants to throw the palace into a frenzy so she can have fun.”

Before Maya could give another lecture, I stepped forward again.

“I think Nancy has a point,” I said. “If she went missing last time and almost died, then she wouldn't try to slip out again knowing that it would put her in danger. No child who knows danger is waiting outside willingly walks straight back into it. She’s still somewhere in the palace, Maya. Let’s look for her.”

Maya stared at me for a long second, annoyed but also listening, then said. “Lizabella, the palace is huge. Where do we even start?”

“Let's split up.” I took a deep breath. “ I'll search every room on this floor. Nancy, you check the third floor. Maya, take the first floor and when you are done, wait in the first living room. If you can find a maid who won’t snitch to the kings, have her search the second floor. We start with the rooms we’re allowed to enter. If we don’t find her, then we decide whether to alert someone or sneak into the restricted rooms.”

Maya finally nodded. “Fine.” Then, I turned to Nancy. “Calm down, go to the third floor and start searching.”

Nancy nodded rapidly and hurried away.

Then I asked Maya. “Are there any rooms on this fourth floor I’m not allowed to enter?”

“No.” Maya shook her head. “All the rooms here, other than Pearl’s, are either guest rooms or unused.”

“Good.” I exhaled, then rushed out of the room and walked down the hallway, heart pounding, and entered the first guest room where I checked under and even the wardrobe but didn't find her, so I turned to the door. But I suddenly stopped a few feet away from the door, remembering that I hadn't checked the bathroom.

Hissing under my breath, I walked to the bathroom door, opened it and froze on seeing Pear seated there on the covered toilet seat, head down, with her feet dangling calmly. Like she hadn’t just thrown three grown women into emotional ruin.

‘Seriously…?’ I whispered to myself. Then I called softly. “Pearl?”

She had no reaction, she just kept her head down, so I stepped closer. “Pearl, are you okay?”

She finally lifted her face, and her eyes widened the moment she saw me. “You’re the woman who saved me yesterday,” she whispered, standing. “My fathers really brought you here for me, didn’t they?”

Before I could even respond, she launched herself into my arms. “Whoa… okay, hi.” I said, crouching and hugging her back.

Out of nowhere, I felt tears slipping down my cheeks before I could stop them and I realized that it was because I would have still been pregnant by now, if things hadn’t gone the way they did. I would have been holding my own baby soon but here I was, holding a child who wasn’t mine, yet somehow it made something inside me ache and soften at the same time.

Pearl pulled back, frowning at my tears. “Why are you crying?”

I laughed weakly. “Because you’re cute.”

She giggled. “Okay, that makes sense.”

Then I asked gently. “Why were you hiding here? You know this causes problems for the maids.”

“I don’t like them.” Pearl crossed her arms. “They pretend to like me but they don’t, so I don’t like them either.”

“Pearl, you’re getting them fired.” I sighed. “And they’re only acting that way because you’re not being kind to them.”

She looked away, refusing to answer, so I asked. “Are you going to treat me the same way?”

“No,” she replied instantly. “You’re a good person and you saved me, so I’ll treat you well.” She smiled, then hugged me again.

Her innocence softened every bit of anger I’d been holding onto. It softened the anger at her fathers, at this palace, and at the situation that dragged me here because none of that was Pearl’s fault. 

I pulled back and smiled at her. “Before we do anything else, I need to take you to Maya so she can tell the others you’ve been found.” I stood and held out my hand. “Come on.”

“No,” she said immediately. “Carry me.”

I blinked hard. Pearl looked around six or seven, and wanted to be carried?

“You’re not a baby.” I laughed. “You can walk.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “If you don’t carry me, I’m not going.”

Not in the mood for a tantrum, I picked her up and she wrapped her arms around my neck happily. Then we went downstairs, and the moment we reached the living room, I froze.

Maya was standing in front of one of the three brothers, and the moment Pearl saw him, she practically exploded.

“Daddy!”

She wriggled out of my hold, so I set her down, running straight into his arms and he crouched to catch her while I rushed to Maya’s side.

“Is something wrong?” I whispered.

“No,” Maya whispered back. “King Damon was just asking if I’d finished showing you around.”

“Oh.” I exhaled in relief, then glanced at the king. “How do you even know which one is which? They look alike.”

“With time you’ll learn,” Maya replied. “But if you want, I can show you their pictures later. It’ll help.”

“Please, that would help a lot.”

Damon rose, Pearl clinging to his arm, and looked at me. “I’m glad you’ve been told how everything runs in this house,” he spoke up, his voice as cold as ever. “But I’m surprised no one told you something important.”

I frowned. “What is it?”

Then as though it should have been obvious, he said. “Pearl shouldn’t be treated like a baby.”

I blinked. “What does that mean?”

“For example.” He said. “You shouldn’t be carrying her because she's not a baby and she can walk perfectly well with her two legs. So, no matter how many times she insists on being carried, you do not carry her.”

In my head I said. ‘Seriously?’ These men had issues with everything.

But out loud, I simply nodded and that was the end of my very chaotic first day. I’ll snap your heads off if I could.