The Harvest || h.s.

Chapter 28

XXVIII. THUNDERSTORMS OF TEARS

Lena

Just the thought alone of Harry sharing his bed with that woman, falling asleep next to her, his hands tangled in her hair while their lips united... it unsettled Lena. Her stomach was churning, her lower belly aching. But what made her want to rip her head off to stop those disgusting thoughts from roaming her mind was the fact that she cared, and it scared her.

Most likely it was because of what the woman -whom Lena liked to refer to as the harlot, it made her feel way less uneasy- had said to her before.

"Just to let you know, he calls your name in bed." Maybe, just maybe, she was just as delusional and drunk as Harry was when he requested her services, if not more. She scoffed to herself, lifting her dress so that it would not get wet as it had not stopped raining since the night before.

She removed her soaking wet Edwardian shoes and decided to take them down to the laundry room before the white, expensive leather became any more damaged, to ask any of the maids for their miraculous hands to fix it. It would have been a shame if such posh shoes were gone to waste. The doors to the laundry were locked, the maids were probably during their lunch break. She placed the shoes by the door, and made her way out of the servant's ward. But just as she was about to exit, she heard her name being called on the other side of the hallway.

She was relieved it was no other than Peter, a servant she has met the day before, the one whom that voice belonged to. Peter had just finished his shift for the day, as Betty dismissed the servants from their work due to the huge, dangerous thunderstorm approaching the Kingdom of Adwick. Despite the tempting weather, the boy and the girl decided to take a walk down to the horse stables - Lena's idea, those big creatures were a newfound passion of hers, passed down by Harry himself.

Lightning striking the surrounding area of the castle clouded Peter's thoughts. He bit his lips, unsure if he should just drop the bomb and ask the question or if it was way too early and inappropiate to do so, as he had just met Lena and confidence was not strong between them. But he promised his servant friends he would. After all, rumours and gossip were the service's only source of entertainment in the castle, and it was like they fed off it.

He took a breath, still unsure. What if she had no idea about what the rumours said, and it turns out to be true? He did not want to hurt her, he did not even know if it would hurt her. But the intrigue was killing him on the inside as well, he needed to know if it was true that Harry found another replacement for Lena.

"Lena? Can I ask you something?" he whispered, cautiously.

She looked up, catching his blue eyes with her own. "Sure, what is it about?"

"You just never told me-- I mean I know it's not any of my business and you do not have to answer, but, what is your relationship with Harry like?"

Lena sighed, looking down at the floor again. He stared at her now dirty, bare feet as they lead her through the empty hallways of the castle. "I don't know what to call it yet. Why are you asking?"

"I don't know, I was just... curious."

"It's about Faith, isn't it?" Lena blurted. Peter's silence confirmed what his question was actually about, and it only made Lena's cheeks hotter with rage. She was not angry at Peter, but angry at herself. Angry about what happened, about what could have happened if she did not shut her door on Harry.