Chapter 3 Aria

• Five Years Later...
• The hall is packed with round tables scattered across the spacious and well-lit room. The decoration catches my eye, and I wonder if I’ll ever have enough money to host an event of this magnitude.
• I balance the tray with champagne glasses as I move between the tables, offering drinks. The people seated, all well-dressed and elegant, ignore me as they always do when they don’t want anything being offered. So smug and snobbish, it irritates me. I take a deep breath and continue moving through each table—some accept, others simply keep ignoring me.
• The sound of the party fills the air with the chatter of the guests. The dance floor is occupied only by adults dancing, along with a few teenagers brave enough to dance in a funny way. I keep my focus on every detail in the hall, also noticing my fellow waitresses serving hors d'oeuvres and other dishes.
• I return to the kitchen, a sharp contrast to the elegance of the hall. The place is in a bit of chaos—plates being assembled, cooks shouting at each other, dishes being washed, and trays being brought in and taken out.
• The cacophony sends chills down my spine and even gives me a headache. I feel my lower back starting to ache, slowing me down as I carry trays around the hall. When I decide to take a few minutes to rest my arms and feet, my boss suddenly appears.
• “Aria, am I paying you to stand around?” he asks impatiently, crossing his arms over his burly frame.
• “No, sir. I just needed a little breather before heading back, my apologies,” I respond, embarrassed.
• My boss, a man nearing fifty-five, with a perpetually red, bald head, glares at me disapprovingly, and I immediately grab the tray full of new champagne glasses and head back into the hall.
• Five hours later, at the end of the party, I still have to gather all the plates and cutlery left by the guests. My colleague, Nicole, appears beside me with a tub full of dirty dishes to wash.
• “Girl, you’ve got the weekend off next week, don’t you?” Nicole asks excitedly, and I nod. “Want to do some side work? I can get you a gig as a waitress at an event, and the pay is triple what you make here.”
• My eyes widen at the miraculous offer. I needed more money—I would always need more money. Not out of greed or to spend on unnecessary things, but because of Elowen and Thorne. My sweet little angels.
• “The answer is a thousand times yes, Nicole! This will be a blessing, thank God! Thank you so much!” I reply with relief in my chest.
• Lately, I’d been worried about how I was going to cover the most important bills. With unexpected expenses popping up constantly, my emergency fund had dwindled to a concerning amount.
• “Perfect, girl. I’ll send you the address during the week!” Nicole says quickly. Soon we’re back to cleaning up the hall, and a wave of joy runs through my body. I can feel that this new work opportunity will bring more than just money to me.
• I get home in the early hours of the morning and notice that the kitchen light is on. I try to enter quietly so as not to wake the twins, my children.
• I head toward the kitchen and find my mother sitting at the dining table with a half-filled glass of wine.
• "Hi, Mom..." I greet her in a low voice. Lyra, my mother, lifts her eyes from her phone screen, and I can feel the coldness and disdain on her face.
• "Is this the time to get home, Aria? I’m not your kids' babysitter. I missed casino night with my friends because of you," my mother grumbles irritably.
• "Sorry, I had to stay with the cleaning crew today. It gives me extra hours, and with that, more money," I explain, exhaustion evident in my voice.
• "You wouldn’t have to work so much and turn me into your kids' babysitter if you’d stayed with their father," Lyra replies, annoyed, and I sigh wearily.
• I want to tell her that I have no idea who Elowen and Thorne’s father is. That I drank too many hours after being with Alexander and ended up in another man's bed—the Greek god whose face I can’t even recall in my memories anymore.
• "Mom, Alexander doesn’t care about me... in fact, I haven’t spoken to him in years, okay? He disappeared from the map before I even knew about the pregnancy," I say, repeating the same thing as always.
• Lyra looks at me with a disappointed expression and shakes her head in regret for my situation.
• "You had such a promising future with him, Aria. You would’ve made such a wonderful wife. Now look at you, twenty-five, no education, being everyone’s doormat. This is not what I raised you for, Aria, definitely not," Mom declares, her voice heavy with regret.
• "I know, Mom, I know. I’m going to bed, okay? Goodnight."
• Before heading to my own room, I stop by the twins' room. I open the door slowly and, by the light of their small night lamp, I watch my two little angels' peaceful faces as they sleep. My mother’s accusatory words whirl in my mind as I approach my son Thorne’s bed and kiss his forehead.
• I don’t know how my life would have turned out if I hadn’t gotten pregnant at twenty, not knowing exactly who their father is. But I know I have two wonderful children who brighten every one of my days when they wake up. I go over to my daughter Elowen’s bed and kiss her forehead as well.
• With quiet, swift steps, I slip into my own room, feeling exhaustion take over my entire body. As soon as I settle into bed, my heart tightens with the memory of Alexander. Even after five years, the presence of my ex-boyfriend still haunts me like a ghost.
• "You didn’t tell me the event was at the king’s castle, Nicole!" I exclaim, shocked, as my eyes take in the imposing structure.
• The stained glass windows come alive with the last rays of the sun before nightfall. I’ve never been this close to the noble district, and I’ve always imagined what it might be like inside—full of beauty and magic, something breathtaking.
• "Even with the frequent attacks by the Wolfspawn Renegades against the capital, claiming the king’s illegitimacy and lack of heirs, the royal family decided to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Caelum and Seraphina have been married for five years!" Nicole responds excitedly, driving carefully along the private road leading to the entrance gate.
• I take in the view of the entrance—an expansive garden adorned with white and red roses, with hedges sculpted into massive wolves and other magnificent creatures. My heart races with each kilometer we get closer to the castle.
• "Just imagine the huge paycheck we’ll get tonight, Aria. I can already feel the money hitting my account. And who knows, maybe I’ll meet my future husband here tonight!" Nicole says, her voice filled with hope. I smile at her and shake my head in disbelief.
• Nobles and commoners don’t mix, especially humans with lycans or enchantresses. To them, we’re incomplete, the scum, just the labor force that keeps this country running.
• "I’m not sure getting involved with a noble lycan is a good idea, Nicole. With all the attacks happening lately, being human doesn’t seem so bad right now," I comment, chuckling, and Nicole laughs.
• "But being poor is terrible. I don’t want to serve others anymore. I want to be the one being served for a change," Nicole complains, and I let out a short laugh.
• "I am the coordinator of this event, my name is Malik. Please, do not embarrass me. Because if you do, I will have to deduct from your pay as punishment, understood?" Malik declares with a firm and deep voice, his brown eyes cold and intimidating.
• The entire team of waiters and waitresses nods automatically. The palace kitchen was three times the size of the kitchen at my regular job, and the organization and harmony among the staff impress me with their efficiency.
• "You!" Malik points in my direction, and I freeze in place. "You will be in charge of serving the king and queen at all times. Take this tray of drinks. Be polite and always keep your eyes on the ground, never look directly at them. Understood?"
• "Yes, sir," I reply, my voice trembling. I pick up the tray and balance it above my head, as usual.
• As soon as I leave the kitchen and enter the hall, I am overwhelmed by the surreal beauty of the place. The decor is refined, elegant, and magnificent. I notice small signs of magic being used, like projections of colorful animals walking through the air. I walk carefully toward the long table where King Caelum and Queen Seraphina are seated.
• The couple is radiant. The king, a man already thirty-five years old, has a full blonde beard, with lighter tones than his dark blonde hair, which is combed back in thick waves. On his head, a golden crown blends with his hair. The king’s beauty is like that of a Greek god carved in marble, and even from afar, his broad shoulders and commanding presence are unmistakable.
• Queen Seraphina is equally striking, with the divine beauty of an enchantress. Her hair is short, just below her ears, adorned with stunning ruby earrings that match the color of her copper-red hair. Her golden eyes sparkle with tenderness and grace. The paleness of her face contrasts sharply with the dark gown she wears.
• As I approach, I keep my eyes down as instructed. I politely describe the drinks on the tray and offer them to the royal couple. The king accepts a drink, and I place the glass on the table. Just as I reposition the tray, my body freezes at the sound of the queen's voice.
• "Bring another servant. This one is clumsy and terrible. Remove her from my sight and my husband's, immediately!" Seraphina declares, her voice dripping with disdain.
• I mumble an apology, not understanding what I did wrong, and quickly disappear from their view.