Claimed By The Rival Alpha

Chapter 67: Chapter 67

Selena

One more day... Just one more day until the ball everyone in the castle seemed incapable of talking about.

If anyone had asked me weeks ago whether I wanted nobles, councilmen, and Alphas from neighboring packs crowding into Blackbourne Castle, I would’ve answered with an immediate no. Yet now, I found myself polishing decorations for the very event I dreaded.

Every servant looked ready to collapse, the kitchens never rested, and the laundresses barely sat.

The stable hands worked through the afternoon without complaint.

As for us maids.... We were doing the work of three people each.

There was no proper rotation anymore, no breaks, and no chance to even catch our breath.

By the time the afternoon sun began sinking, my legs felt like they belonged to someone else.

Marqee rubbed her aching shoulder.

"I swear," she muttered, "if Sera asks me to polish another silver tray, I’m throwing myself into the moat."

I laughed weakly. "You won’t."

"I won’t," she admitted. "But I’ll think about it very seriously."

We shared a tired smile before quietly slipping away from the kitchen.

The servants were too busy rushing between tasks to notice us disappear.

We ducked into an empty storage room where someone had left two wooden stools beside a barrel.

Marqee shut the door gently. "I think we’ve earned this."

From beneath her apron she produced two wooden goblets filled with ale.

I stared at her. "You stole those."

"I borrowed them."

"Without asking." I pointed out.

"They’ll never notice anyway." She says as she hands me one before tearing a chunk from a small loaf of bread.

I accepted both with more gratitude than pride. "I haven’t eaten since sunrise," I admitted.

"Neither have I." Marqee added with a small chuckle.

We sat quietly, chewing our bread as though it were a royal feast.

The ale was warm while the bread was hard. Yet at that moment it tasted wonderful.

Every few seconds one of us peeked toward the cracked doorway to make sure no footsteps were approaching.

Marqee suddenly stopped chewing. "You know..."

"What?" I asked, still focusing on my bread.

"You do eat like a noblewoman." She said, taking me aback for a moment.

I blinked in fear that my cover had been blown. "What do you mean by that?"

She demonstrated dramatically by straightening her back. "You hold your bread with your fingertips."

"I do not." I quickly argued.

"You do." She replied as she mimicked me so perfectly that I burst into laughter.

"You even chew politely." She said softly.

"I can’t help it because that’s just how I am naturally." I said with a shrug.

"You really can’t."

I sighed as the thought circulated my head. I’ve been living as a maid for months and apparently I still haven’t forgotten some royal habits."

Marqee smirked and snapped me out of my thoughts. "I actually do like how you eat."

She laughed again as she added. "If anyone watched us now, they’d think you were pretending to be a servant."

"I am a servant."Before I could say more, the door burst open.

"Aah!" Both of us nearly dropped our goblets as a familiar head poked inside.

"What exactly do you two think you’re doing?" Sera’s sharp eyes swept across the room.

Marqee immediately hid the ale behind her back while I stood so quickly I nearly stumbled.

"We were just—"

"Eating?" Sera finished as she cut me off.

Neither of us answered as she folded her arms.

"The kitchens are overflowing with work and you’re hiding." She scolded.

"We only came for five minutes."

She sighed dramatically. "You two never cease to amaze me."

I gave her my most innocent smile. "We were starving... You’ve worked us since dawn."

"Not me," she corrected. "It’s the headmaid."

"Yes... we are aware."

"So complain to her." She said with a shrug.

"I’d rather stay alive." I quickly said.

That finally earned a small smile from Sera just then, instead of scolding us continuously, however, she simply held up an enormous loaf of fresh bread.

To my surprise, even she seemed exhausted as the corners of her eyes carried deep shadows

"The stress isn’t easy at all. I need to eat too plus I won’t judge the both of you." Sera said as she sat down beside us.

Marqee whispered under her breath. "I think she almost feels sorry for us."

"I heard that."

Marqee immediately straightened. "Sorry..."

For the first time all afternoon, laughter filled the tiny room. Even the Sera’s lips twitched ever so slightly.

After another few moments, Sera leaned against the doorway. "I’ve never seen the castle this busy."

"You too?" I asked.

"I thought assistants had easier duties." I couldn’t help but ask.

She laughed loudly. "Easier? I’ve barely sat down today."

"We’re all suffering then."

"Exactly."

An idea suddenly came to me. "Sera..."

"Hm?"

"Will you and the headmaid be attending the ball tomorrow?"

She shrugged. "I don’t know about her because she hasn’t told me anything yet."

"What about you?" I asked.

"I’ve officially been dismissed for that day so I’m off work."

I blinked. "So you’ll actually get to rest?"

A strange smile crossed her face. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"I’ll still be around but not working."

"So why stay behind?"

She hesitated before speaking,"I have... something to attend to at the ball."

Something in the way she answered caught my attention. She wasn’t lying but she definitely has something underneath her sleeves.

Before I could ask another question— Voices suddenly echoed down the corridor.

"They’re coming," Marqee whispered. We all immediately scattered as Sera slipped out first while Marqee hurried toward another exit.

I grabbed the remaining bread before following behind.

By evening, the main hall finally looked complete. Black and silver decorations stretched from pillar to pillar.

Hundreds of candles stood ready to be lit. Fresh flowers filled enormous stone vases. The entire room looked nothing like the gloomy hall every one had described Blackbourne balls to be.

As exhausted as I was... I couldn’t deny it looked beautiful.

The headmaid finally dismissed us. "You’ll report before sunrise tomorrow."

A chorus of tired acknowledgements answered her.

Marqee groaned beside me. "I’m going to sleep for an entire week after this ball."

"If they let you."

"They’d better." We laughed quietly before parting ways.

She headed toward our chamber while I had barely taken a few steps when Sera approached. "The headmaid wants to see you."

My heart skipped. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Just go." She offered no further explanation as she walked away.

I found the headmaid standing alone in one of the smaller workrooms.

She didn’t look up immediately. Instead, she carefully folded a piece of linen before speaking. "Close the door."

I immediately obeyed as Silence settled between us.

Finally... She looked directly at me. "Tell me something."

"Yes headmaid?"

"How did the Moon Goddess decide to match you with Alpha Kael?"

Every muscle in my body froze. "...What?"

She studied my expression. "I asked a simple question."

"How..." My voice barely worked. "...how do you know?"

A quiet chuckle escaped her. "You’d be surprised how many things people believe are secrets."

She walked slowly toward me. "This castle talks... It always has and it always will."

I swallowed. "You aren’t... angry?"

"Should I be?"

"I don’t know."

She shook her head. "I have no intention of standing between mates."

Relief washed through me.

"But..." My heart tightened again as she looked toward the window. "Don’t make the mistake of believing the bond alone guarantees a happy ending."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Too many young wolves think finding their mate means every hardship disappears." She smiled sadly. "It doesn’t."

I searched her face carefully as the sadness there seemed far older than anything I had witnessed before.

Without thinking... I asked, "Is it because of your daughter?"

She became completely still. For several long seconds... She simply stared at me.

Then... Very slowly... She shook her head. "I made that same mistake years ago."

Her voice had grown quieter. "If I hadn’t..." She looked down at her hands. "...I wouldn’t be where I am today."

She offered nothing more and neither did I press further because some wounds didn’t need questions.

As I turned toward the door, I paused. "I’m sorry..." She looked up as I added. "...about your daughter."

Her eyes softened only slightly. "Thank you."

I quietly left the room as the bathing room was unusually crowded that evening.

Steam filled the air as servants hurried to wash before collapsing into bed.

I had barely stepped inside when someone touched my arm.

I turned and discovered it’s Niamh. She leaned close enough that no one else could hear. "Everything’s ready."

In a whisper I asked. "What is?"

She glanced around carefully before whispering, "Everyone has been assigned specific nobles to watch tomorrow."

A smile slowly spread across my face. "Everything has been prepared?" I asked and she nodded.

"Every servant knows exactly which noble they’re responsible for." She stated.

Excitement and nervousness tangled together inside me. Tomorrow... Everything we’d been planning for weeks would finally begin.

All we had to do now...was wait for the main night.

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