I got what I deserved. An apology from Valeria. Hopefully, an actual, meaningful one. If not, it does suffice. It's a start to say the very least.

  Catherine and I ate our dinner in peace. I did not wish to pester her too much as of late. I considered our endeavour yesterday to be enough for the time being. I do love to harass her, though I was fearful to push too far. Our entanglement with each other was something I could not figure. I am a servant yes, be that as it may, our professional relationship has gone astray. Vadoma prepared a lovely meal for supper, before she left, she made a tomato soup dish. Curated with chicken, carrots and potatoes. Valeria hardly touched her soup. She swirled her spoon to make it seem as though she was eating, though, she never lifted her spoon to her mouth. All she did was rotate between her medicine and wine. A liquid diet tonight. Nothing out of sorts.

  "Do you not like your meal, Valeria?" I finished my last scoop in my bowl, disregarding it forward. Catherine looked over through her wine glass swirling the contents in a circle. "I do. Frankly, I felt faint before dinner. I did not feel like eating much."

  "Oh, I see. Would you like me to prepare something else for you? Bread or cheese to pair with your drinks?" I swirled my water in the glass parting my lips to drink. "Ha, the only thing you know how to prepare? Cut bread and take the cheese out of the cold cupboard?"

  "Ha! I will have you know you did not complain during the winter months when that was being served."

  "Yes, because you and I would have starved if not! You know nothing about the kitchen." Catherine chuckled as her legs crossed under the cloth of her dress exposing a glimpse of her knee. Our eyes met for a moment, not relenting. Not breaking our stare. It was sweet, to have but a silent moment with Catherine without the tension of causing her distress. Our stare-down broke as Catherine flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "Bell? Do you like to stare?" Catherine adjusted her shoulders forward in her chair. The fire roared behind her, masking the shadows behind her to give a slim frame as she sat in her usual chair. "Perhaps, perhaps you are the only pretty thing to look at in the darkness of these castle halls." I sipped the last drop of the water in my glass. Her stare regained its strength as quickly as her smile appeared. "Hm...so you think I am pretty huh?" Valeria traced her rather long nail on the dining room table. Creating a small yet not too noticeable carving in the wood. I gulped hard as if I swallowed a pit of a peach. The air was thick with the unadulterated silence we sat in for a moment. Until I began to breathe again.

  "Well...Valeria you asked...I answered..."

  "You always have a whimsical way of admitting you were caught hm? It's alright. I do not mind. At least you are not staring at these shabby walls." Valeria arose from her seat. "Now, you can watch me leave. Then you can clean up." Valeria parted her hair down the middle of her scalp, as she pushed it forward to her chest. Her body swayed to the dining room door, leaving me to my lonesome.

  ???????

  It was odd, to hear the constant noise of Valeria. The humming of her voice echoed in her bedroom. Loud creeks within the floor. To the very point, it piqued my interest. I crossed the threshold of my doorframe to the hallway, my feet spoke but a whisper on the rug in fear of being discovered. It wasn't in fear, or so I imagined. It was sheer curiosity. Curiosity has close bedfellows with fear. Coinciding in fact. My hand left from my side to press firmly on Valeria's door. The sounds of her feet drew to a halt. They made a loud shuffle close to the door. The handle turned clockwise ever more quickly than my eyes could catch.

  "Yes, Bell?" Catherine's arm slid up the doorframe exposing her arm and a glimpse of her bicep. She has put on her usual

  "What on earth are you doing? Hearding elephants?" The one stray curl fell in front of my eyes, I shooed it away in a puff of breath. Her low Romanian accent chuckled. The black dress torn to shreds, her usual attire, was not worn this evening. She changed out in a crimson red dress. One I never thought she would own. However, I never saw her in anything else. It was the same shade of red as the dress I own. Despite I have not worn that certain shade in days. I dawned on my white nightgown and a corset. "I am sorry. Am I causing a disturbance, dear Bell? I would not want to be a pest in my own home." Valeria joked pushing her hair off her shoulder. Her eyes darted down from my feet to my chest. "What are you wearing?" Her hand left the door frame to attach to my tied waist. Her nails scratched the silk fabric. "Well...I found it in a drawer in the library. I hope you are not upset." My eyes rushed to where her hand lay. Valeria's facial expression did not change. I could not tell if it was her usual monotone face with underlying anger built up. "No...not in the literal sense...I-I just remember where this is from. Someone refused to wear it because it was olive green and not emerald green. So, she decided to hide it and said she had lost it on our trip to Paris." She giggled which made me smile. I never heard such a noise escape her lips.

  "Was it a relative? It does feel quite new?" My hands stroked the sides of my waist to feel the new stiff fabric. Valeria's hands left my body to touch a tiny gold bracelet on her wrist. It gleamed bright against her rather sickly pale tone. "It was in fact...however, you do look more exquisite. Oilve suits you Bell." Catherine's hand raised moving her bracelet lower down her arm. Her hand touched my chin softly lifting it to meet her eyes. My cheeks heaten, as though I held a candle too close to my face. Her darkened eyes sparkled.

  "So, I propose...I mean-...I was wondering if you would join me in the common room in a few moments?" Valeria's hand left my chin flipping her hair behind her shoulder. I was startled at first, Valeria had never asked me anything. It was always a demand. Her asking was a new concept.

  "Whatever you have in mind, I will happily join Valeria."

  "Good girl, now go get Roman out of the library. I can hear him scratching the floors again."

  "Damn you Rom." I turned my back storming off up the stairs. To find Roman scratching the wood baseboards. "Roman! No!"

  "Mew," My black ball of fluff squeaked out as if he was caught red-handed. His big green eyes bulged out of his head. His ears drew back ready to leap towards me. "Roman? Roman, don't you dare." His fluffy paws galloped towards flying at my ankles. "No! Hey!"

  ???????

  After Roman very ferociously attacked my ankles, I scurried down the stairs to the common room. There, stood Valeria in front of the fireplace. Her hand ran along the mantel. Her nails screeched the wood with an ear-piercing echo.

  "Ah, Belly, did you take care of your feline?" Valeria's body turned to face me with a rather new cheery disposition. It seemed as though I was in one of my dreams. Where Catherine Valeria is kind to me. The fond kindness I so seldom crave but reject. The advances of a domineering and so beautiful woman that any man can make. "I did. As you can tell, he was not pleased with me." I raised my dress to show the wounds upon my ankles. "Little fucker. We should file his nails if he persists." She lifted my skirt higher above my calf inspecting the scratches. I swatted her hand with the sensation she wanted to go higher. Valeria cackled lifting her head back. "Oh come now, I was not going to do anything. Your dress was simply in my way." She trailed on whisking my hand in hers to drag me along.

  "In your way of what? My thighs?!"

  "The holy land..." She mumbled under her breath. "To what?"

  "Nothing Bell, would you hurry up! I want to show you something." Her grip on my hand tightened leading me through the kitchen.

  "Where on earth are we going, Valeria?" I peered around the kitchen to see the surprise until I saw Valeria's hand turn the door handle. "Valeria! No!" I halted pulling her hand to stop her in her tracks. "Why? Why must we stop?" Her head cocked over her shoulder to see my frightened expression. "You cannot go outside! Why put your health in risk."

  "No, no iubito. The sun will hurt me, not the moon. I can come outside at night." She grinned as she yanked me outside of the castle. "Then why in the bloody hell have we not done this sooner?!" I joked trying to let go. Her grip was firm as she dragged me through the tall grass. "Haha! I never thought of it. Plus it is a full moon. I wanted to do something special." We past the shed where Valeria first found me, going to the broken gate I once walked through. "W-we are leaving? Is that safe?"

  "Darling, don't fret. You will be safe with me. Always. I promise." She led me a sharp left up a small hill. Past tall trees and the tallest green grass intertwined in knots. "You see that light Belly? That's where we are headed. Can you walk on your own or must I baby you?" She joked seeing my bare feet get caught in the knots.

  "I can manage Valeria. I am a fully capable individual." Valeria let my hand go to allow me to move freely beside her. "And for your information, I do not need to be doted on every step of the wa-...umph..." My toe caught on a knotted piece of grass wanting my body to fall forward. Valeria's hand swooped in front of my body under my chest to catch me. "Doted on huh? I just told you I would keep you safe. I will not have a piece of grass kill you."

  "Well thank you for that." I huffed catching my breath. Her hand still resided below my chest. Her hand left my body to retreat to my hand. "You know Bell, you can let go of your independent woman ideas to be treated like a lady for a night right? It will not hurt." Valeria's heels scraped the dirt out of its home up another hill.

  "I could try, it is not in my nature."

  "Bella, I am not asking you to get married and be with child in the fortnight. I just want you to be treated like a lady. So, with that, you will care to partake in some star gazing Milady?" To the top of the hill. Laid a course-knitted red blanket from one if not many guest rooms. Lit with torchiere candles. A black bottle of wine sat solely with two glasses joining it. Of course, her medicine was hidden behind the wicker basket. I was in awe more than shock. To think Catherine Valeria would ever do such a thing.

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  "Oui! How ever did you concoct this?" I sat down on the blanket as Valeria sat next to me. The stars brightly showed off their colours in hues of yellow and white. "Well, I thought our little tiff the other day was resolved but something did not sit well. I thought I may apologize another way." Valeria uncorked the wine letting the cork fly deep in the woods. "That and Vadoma hatched the whole picnic thing. Thought it would be lovely. She's the one who set it up. All I did was ask." She poured one glass, handing me the first one. Pouring a second one for herself, even though I protested her drinking a third glass for it would cause her to be a stumbling drunk. We were celebrating something, after all, I did not care. Nor have I ever tasted wine. Yes, maybe my father's sherry and communion wine but nothing of this sort. My first sip was sour with a sweet aftertaste.

  "Well, Vad is great with her imagination." I took another sip. Watching Valeria take a heavier sip than I did. "Yeah, a great imagination on the one. Thinking I was a vampire. Ha! She lets that mind of hers run wild." She spoke through the glass as her eyes darted at the sky. I never saw Valeria this close before. Surely in my dreams but never this real. A glimpse of red in her eyes I only saw in anger. Or so I thought. I initially thought she had deep browns but in the candlelight, it seemed her eyes were a crimson red. Sparkling red rubies. The way her canine teeth poked out was sharp enough to cut through her bottom lip. I swore if she bit the glass it would surely break. "Ha, yeah, crazy. Why do people think that of you Valeria? Even the townsfolk spoke of you in such a manner."

  "You know it from experience Miss Bella Donna, people are scared of different people. Different ways people live their lives. Especially women. Women are held under such strain to be perfect, and loving and mothers. That one mistake will cost your life. It's why I stay up here. Away from everyone." Valeria huffed leaning into the wicker basket. She held a gold pipe filling the hold with crushed tobacco. She lit a match that illuminated our faces until it was fanned away.

  "Is that why you chose seclusion? You made a mistake?"

  "In a sense. I made the mistake of living in luxury and begging for the finer things over my family. Caring too much about how people see me. Allowing anyone with a title in my home. In which that cost my family." She exhaled a puff of smoke swirling around my face. She coughed out.

  "I do not think it is your fault, Valeria, in your circumstances, you were given luxury. Handed to you. You seem not the sort to be brought up. You were taught."

  "Honey, thank you for the sentiment but I know I fucked up. My family is gone. They're not coming back. I cannot buy anything to bring them back."

  "You cannot write? Speak of your loneliness to summon them back?"

  "No Bella. They're dead. All of them. My parents, my relatives, my good-for-nothing husband and my children. Writing will not bring them back." She coughed again smoking her pipe. Handing to my hands. I grew too close the Valeria's breaking point. I did not want to overstep. In fear, our perfect night might be soured by her running off.

  "I-I am sorry Valeria." I softly inhaled, and to exhale felt like I was coughing up my lung. She reached for it back smirking the clever way she did so slyly. "What?"

  "No matter, no need for another to cry over my sorrow." Catherine lifted her glass to her lips, her canines halted the glass until she held it lower. "We're supposed to be having fun? This feels more like a wake than fun Belly." She finished the contents of her glass laying flat on her back. "Come, look! The stars have twinkles look!" Catherine padded me to join her, my back fell beside hers allowing only our shoulders to touch. Her hand reached out in front of us, pointing out every little star that shone more bright than the other. She was amazed by the littlest thing. "Look Bell! Look!"

  "I am! I am!" I chuckled steering her hand out of my line of vision. "If you would move your damn arm out of the way maybe I could see!" We both giggled as if we were children. Catherine dropped her arms rolling to her side to face me. "I was only showing you what I saw. For someone so open-minded, you are a stick in the mud."

  "I am not! You never let me do anything fun with you! If you would let me, then you would see how fun I am!" I was a tad offended by her remark. I rolled over to my side to face Catherine dead on to tell her what for. If I knew she wanted fun I would have created something in the castle for her.

  "Oh come now, I am only joking. No need to get your pretty face all red." Catherine's hand grasped my cheek trailing down my jaw. "In the many years I have lived in the castle. You have had an abundant amount of fun. Sure a few grey hairs but overall a joy."

  "Grey hairs? Where? I don't see any." I lifted my head to see not a grey hair anywhere on Catherine's hair. I laid back to see Catherine grinning ear to ear.

  "Haha! Well, you cannot see them in this light Belly."

  "Sure and I'm the Queen of England."

  "Haha shut up!" Catherine's hands found my waist tickling my sides. My body jolted flinging myself forward. My head fell into Catherine's collarbone. "No, no, stop! Haha! Catherine!" My hands waved every which way catching onto Catherine's bicep. "Why? You seem to enjoy it." Catherine kidded with her hands still attached to my sides. Her hands stopped moving, her head turned up to the sky. "Bella? Quick! Look." I turned to see why the sudden stop to see a swarm of bats flew overhead.

  "Wow...Catherine."

  "I know..." The swarm covered the moon effortlessly for a brief moment with howls of their little mouths. Catherine's fingers traced my waist again, still in awe over the hoard of bats flying overhead. "Bell?" My head rotated back to face Catherine's. Her eyes were unrelenting, peering into my soul. Not in a choice of anger, but in a much different form. I could not ponder what she was thinking. "Yes, Mrs. Catherine Valeria?" My hand still held Catherine's bicep. "I am very happy you agreed to join me tonight."

  "As am I. I never thought you come outside."

  "Well, I will always be happy to join you if you are up for an adventure." Catherine's left hand rose from my waist to cup my cheek again. Leading down behind my neck, her nails grazed my hair. The bats left our field of vision, with not a single solitary noise but our shallow breaths between us. For the first time since I met the infamous Catherine Valeria, her sickness ailed her body temperature at alarming rates. Despite that, Catherine's skin was warm. Her warm smile I have yet grown accustomed to quite yet appeared with the wary fondness of her skin. Catherine nudged her head closer to mine. I had an idea of what she was thinking, perhaps it was the wine I drank calculating my downfall. My brain was full of fuzz.

  "Hm..." She leaned further laying her lips upon mine. Her lips were soft, almost silken, and pillowy against my own. I could feel the soft tickle of her breath beneath my nose, fingers carding through my hair as we breathed each other in. Catherine gently let my face go falling onto her back. Her eyes darted back to me. I, still frozen to my side. Trapped in her gaze. Not fully grasping what just took place, but rightfully acknowledging it was something I thought of fondly. To have it happen in such a quick yet peaceful way. I finally regained the movement of my body to hoist myself to sit up.

  "Bell? What is wrong?" Catherine still lay with her hair scattered behind her head with a haze of effort. The constant fixes of her dark hair. "I-I just felt dizzy, I need a moment." My head fell into my lap in my drunk state or a battle of my own emotions. Of course to kiss Catherine was extraordinary, deep down the morals I was raised with spoke a different tune. I left those morals behind in Media?. Perhaps those ideas of being infatuated with women were wrong in the eyes of the church. However, I see no saints. No monks up on this mountain. No churches. Not a single bible in Catherine's grandiose library. Just Catherine.

  Catherine's hand trailed down my back. "Had your minute? Come lay back down with me." She hummed, allowing her other hand to reach above her head. She hiccuped at the beginning of our drunken night, glazed eyes searching for her medicine. "Here, allow me." The swirling of my inners stopped momentarily to notice her struggle. I didn't know it was one of her tricks at the time. My hips stayed still as my torso spun to face Catherine, she was bigger than I in stature so to get around her was not an option. Hell, in the state, my head was in, nothing was a beneficial option. I crawled over Catherine's body to retrieve her glass bottle of medicine. I instantly knew this was where I messed up. Once my hand held a firm grip on the shaft of the bottle, so did Catherine's hands around my waist to yank me back to her. A small gasp escaped my lips as my head hit Catherine's shoulder. "Ah! Catherine! You almost made me drop your medicine. Would you want that?"

  "Shh...Belly...just lay here with me. Rest." Her hand tangled in my hair.

  "We cannot! You cannot be out by mourn."

  "Bell..it's fine. I'll stay awake. Rest your head, sweet girl."

  "Fine. You better not fall asleep, I-I do not want you to roast."

  "Haha, I will be fine. Sleep frumoasa." Catherine's hand swiped away little strands from my forehead planting a small kiss. Infinite gratitude. A dream come true. In our little world. There is peace.