Midnight Blue

25 / Karly

The sun creaked in from every direction and slowly seeped across the floor towards her. Rose was surprised that the rest of the servants were not up already but soon got wind that the Alpha King had not yet left his office and discerned that that must be why.

The morning air was kind to her as she stepped briefly outside, raising her face to the morning light. It was peaceful here, in the small servant's courtyards tucked away from the palace grounds. Beyond the tall cobbled wall, birds were singing. She suddenly ached for their freedom.

Rose knew that the coming day would not be easy. The glares and comments from passing servants were not kind and she worried about the jobs she would be given.

She heard the rough stamping of guard's boots from around the corner and slipped back through the kitchen door.

That was another thing she worried about.

Being the only omega here was akin to having a target on her back and she feared that the guards would take advantage of that. She could not afford to slip up - not even in the tiniest of ways.

Here she might pay with her life.

The kitchen was suddenly alive, a stark contrast to what it had been earlier. A blur of bodies moved around inside, each individual hurrying to get something done. A hand grabbed her elbow roughly and a face she didn't recognise looked at her in disdain. 

"Should have expected the omega to be lazy," they said before dragging her into the heat of the kitchen. They continued through, out into the hall and down the long corridor, stopping outside of a low door. The stranger pulled it open revealing a disorganised supply closet. "You can start by cleaning this." Rose was pushed inside and she didn't miss the sound of the door locking behind her. 

She sighed, looking around at the mess. With no instruction, she had no idea where to start. Frankly, she was worried they would punish her if she did it wrong, regardless of the fact that they hadn't mentioned what to do in the first place. 

Perhaps that was their intention. 

It took her longer than expected to get the work done but it didn't seem to matter. No one had come to check on her and Rose took that to her advantage, sitting whenever she could. Once finished, she had called out in hopes that someone would hear her but when she realised that either nobody could or nobody cared, she sat with her back against the door. It was unusual to get a break like this during the workday and with the growing pain coming from the injury she received back at the Assumption Building, she was glad of it. 

The King had done a good job in fixing her up but that couldn't hide how bad it really was. A cut from an Alpha was bad but to an Omega it was even worse. 

She sighed, running a hand through her hair, wondering for the first time if anybody would even come to let her out. 

Eventually they did, chastising her for 'lazing around.' Rose tried to explain but the person was having none of it. She was glad, however, that this person seemed kinder than the last. Either that or they just didn't care about her omega status quite as much. 

Back in the kitchen, the message of her laziness was passed on and one of the chefs took it upon themselves to give her more work as a punishment. She spent the rest of the night helping to clean up the kitchen before being shown to a room that housed the silverware. 

"You can sleep when you've finished this," she was told. 

Over the chef's shoulder, Karly shot Rose a sympathetic smile. 

The silverware room was unnecessarily large and Rose wondered what one Royal would need with quite so much of it. She arched her back, preparing herself for a night of cleaning. She hadn't eaten and was hoping to do so once she finished the kitchen. 

She wasn't even sure what she was being punished for, though deep down she supposed she knew. 

It was for being an omega. 

A clatter pulled her from her thoughts and she winced when she realised she had knocked a gravyboat over from the top shelf she had been dusting. Footsteps made her freeze and her gut sank.

"Need some help?" 

She knew the voice.

Karly.

Rose turned to her, a smile on her face. "You'll get in trouble."

"I won't" said Karly, picking up a rag.

"You're fraternising with the enemy." 

"Who said we were fraternising?" 

Rose laughed, carefully jumping to the ground. 

"Helping," she corrected.

Karly began on the cutlery that Rose had carefully organised on the old wooden table. She took the opportunity to watch while the girl was distracted. Her eyebrows were furrowed in unneeded concentration, her deep eyes squinted. Her hair was down now and Rose was jealous of the lively curls that spilled outwards and over her shoulders. 

Karly noticed her watching and spotted the concern in Rose's eyes. "Think of it as extra credit," she said and the pair let out a gentle laugh, both all too aware of those sleeping nearby.

Rose's eyes fell to the floor. She was reminded of another night - not all too long ago. 

She just hoped that this one ended a little better.