The next day, a maid arrived in Alina's room while she was dressing.
"You'll eat all your meals in the great hall from now on," She said.
Alina paused, her fingers on the buttons of her green dress.
"Why?" She asked.
The maid shrugged.
"I don't ask questions, miss. I just deliver messages." She replied and left before Alina could ask anything more.
She should've felt annoyed. She should've resented being put on display, paraded like a trophy in front of people who disliked her.
Instead, she was curious. It was the place where she could get information about the duke and finally solve his mystery.
The great hall was already packed when she arrived. She walked to her seat at mid-table and sat down. Then she looked at Austin who was sitting in his usual chair, with the same blonde woman beside him. They were busy in gossiping and laughing about something.
He didn't look at her. He just talked to the woman beside him and ate his breakfast.
She ignored them and focused on eating. She was about to reach for a spoon when the man sitting on her right handed it to her. She turned and saw an old man, probably in his sixties.
"Lord Ashby," He said. "You're the duke's..."
"The bed warmer," Alina replied.
He smiled and nodded.
"I saw you in the library yesterday reading Pomeroy's Eastern Trade Routes."
"You saw me?"
"I see everything." He smiled warmly. "It's one of the few advantages of being invisible." He replied while sipping his tea. "Pomeroy is excellent."
"You've read it?" Alina asked.
"My dear girl, I've read everything." He gestured vaguely at the hall. "I've spent sixty years in this castle. I know about all its books and even about its ghosts."
Alina laughed. It had been so long since she had laughed genuinely. Lord Ashby's smile widened. Then he leaned closer and whispered.
"You're wondering about the woman sitting beside His Grace, I assume."
Alina's heart skipped.
"I…"
"She is Princess Audrey Valcourt. She is…well…I think that's enough information for now."
"Princess," Alina repeated. "She seems very familiar with him."
"She has been friends with His Grace since they were children, so the familiarity is normal."
"I see. I would've never guessed I was eating at the same table as a princess." She tried to joke as she sipped her tea.
Lord Ashby smiled and turned back to his breakfast, as if the conversation were over.
A princess with the duke?
After breakfast, she went to the garden. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed the woman sitting by the fountain.
The woman was sitting alone, staring at the fountain. Alina almost passed her, but the woman spoke, making Alina stop.
"You're the new one."
Alina stopped and turned to her.
"Who are you?"
"You're the new thing that everyone ignores," The woman continued, ignoring her question. "You're the new bed warmer."
Only then did Alina noticed her red hair. The woman was very pretty, even in simple clothes.
The last one was gorgeous. A redhead.
"I'm Rosilyn Cross," The woman said, finally turning to look at Alina. "Sit with me."
Alina sat beside her on the bench.
"You're the previous bed warmer?" Alina asked.
"Yes." She replied, her gaze drifting back to the fountain. "He never touches us, you know. He'll lie beside you in the dark, but he will never touch you."
Alina's heart pounded.
"Do you know why?"
"Don't ask questions and try to understand him," She replied. "And remember to not eat or drink anything especially prepared for you or served only to you."
"What? Why?"
"Because not everyone in this castle wants you alive." Rosilyn then stood up abruptly.
"Rosilyn…"
"I shouldn't have spoken to you at all. If anyone saw…" She trailed off and walked away.
Alina sat frozen on the bench, the fountain burbling in front of her, trying to process what Rosilyn had just told her.
What kind of place is this? What kind of danger am I in? And why would Rosilyn warn me if it meant risking herself?
"Ahhhh!!" She screamed in frustration.
Her head felt like it might explode from thinking about so many things. Each day brought a new revelation. And the worst part, she had absolutely no idea what was happening in her life anymore.
She wanted to give herself a break from all the drama happening in her life. So she went to the only place that gave her peace.
She was walking between the shelves in the library when she turned a corner and stopped.
Lord Ashby sat in one of the chairs, his head tilted back, mouth slightly open with a book open on his face. He was asleep, snoring softly on the pages.
Alina smiled.
She walked towards him quietly, careful not to wake him, and gently lifted the book from his face. He moved slightly but kept snoring.
Alina looked at the book.
Genealogy of the Noble Houses of the Northern Territories.
Her breath caught.
The page was open to the Ashworth Family. Her family. She saw her father's name, her grandfather's, and her great-grandfather's…The page had a list of her ancestors.
She looked at Lord Ashby's sleeping face.
Was this accidental? Or intentional? A message? A warning? A clue?
She didn't know. She didn't know anything about what was happening in this castle and how she was related to it. There were only mysteries, and no one to help her solve them.
She placed the book back on Lord Ashby's face and left.
At night, she was in his bed when he arrived, lying on her back, staring at the ceiling.
"I met Rosilyn today," She said, as soon as he lay down.
He didn't reply. She had expected it.
"She was in the garden," Alina continued. "She told me some interesting things."
Still no response.
"She said you never touch your bed warmers." She paused, waiting for his response but none came. "She also said some people in this castle might want me dead and warned me not to eat or drink anything made especially for me."
Still silence.
"Does it concern you?" Alina asked, though it felt like she was talking to a wall. "That your former bed warmer is talking to me?"
"No," He finally replied.
"Listen… I know I'm not just a bed warmer," She couldn't stop herself. "There is something more. I want to know what. I want to understand…"
"Stop talking."
"No. I deserve…"
"You deserve nothing." He replied coldly. "You are my property, remember? I purchased you from your father. You have no right to ask me anything. Didn't you read the contract?"
Alina flinched.
"You want answers? You want to understand? You shouldn't. Just shut your mouth and behave like a bed warmer."
"I am…"
"Don't mistake my tolerance for kindness. Don't mistake a few conversations for something they're not." His voice was colder than ever. "Don't push me, Alina. You don't know what I'm capable of."
The threat hung in the air between them.
Alina was actually scared now. She sat in the darkness, her heart pounding, her hands shaking, unable to respond.
Because he was right.
"Go to sleep," He said. "And in the morning, remember your place."
He turned away. Within minutes, he was asleep, leaving Alina awake, shaking with fear on the other side of the bed.