Chapter 128: Small
The thought startled her, but she shook it away. "He was disoriented," She explained. "He’d been exhausted, and I think he woke rather suddenly. It was an unfortunate moment, that’s all."
The servant’s expression softened, but the concern did not entirely leave her eyes. "Still, my lady, you ought to be careful."
Lucrezia gave a faint nod. "I know."
For a little while, neither of them spoke. Somewhere farther down the corridor, a door opened and shut.
The distant murmur of voices rose from the lower floors, followed by the soft clatter of dishes being carried through the servants’ passage.
The girl glanced down at her basket. "I was actually on my way to the linen room," she said. "But if you’re looking for somewhere quiet, I might be able to help."
Lucrezia looked up. "You know of an empty chamber?"
"Not exactly." The servant hesitated, as though considering whether she ought to say what she was about to. "My quarters are in the eastern servants’ wing. It’s not much, but I have a little room of my own. There’s a spare bed, and nobody would bother you there."
Lucrezia stared at her. "Your quarters?"
The girl nodded, almost apologetically. "It’s small. And I should warn you that the walls are thin. You can hear practically everything happening in the rooms beside it."
A surprised laugh escaped Lucrezia before she could stop it.
The servant smiled, looking relieved to have eased the awkwardness of the conversation. "It’s true. Last week, I could hear the woman next door arguing with her brother about a missing pair of stockings. They went on for nearly an hour."
"Perhaps the stockings were worth arguing over."
"Oh, they were apparently very fine stockings." The girl shook her head. "Though I still don’t understand why anyone would spend that much time quarrelling over them."
Lucrezia’s smile lingered for a moment. It was strange how easily the girl spoke to her. Most people in Blackvale seemed to measure every word around her, as though one wrong expression might bring about some terrible consequence. This servant, on the other hand, was simply talking about stockings.
It made Lucrezia feel a little less like a stranger. "You would really allow me to stay in your room?"
The expression on her face was a harmless surprise. "Of course, my lady. If you don’t mind the cramped space." The girl shifted the basket once more, then added, "Besides, I wouldn’t want you wandering through the castle looking for a room that might not even be available."
Lucrezia considered the offer.
She knew it was not entirely appropriate. She was a guest of the gods, a Punishment, and the wife of one of the Sins. It was hardly customary for someone in her position to spend the night in a servant’s quarters.
But the thought of returning to Vaeron’s chamber was unbearable. And there was another reason she did not want to remain there.
The book.
Greed’s book was still hidden beneath the bed. She had no intention of leaving it where Vaeron might discover it, especially after what she had read.
The passage about a Sin falling in love with a witch had raised too many questions. She needed time to think, and she needed to read the remaining pages without worrying about someone entering the chamber unexpectedly.
A different room would give her that. Maybe, she thought.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "I would be grateful."
The servant’s smile widened. "Then come with me. I’ll take you there."
She turned, but Lucrezia remained where she was for a moment. "Wait."
The girl looked back. "I’m sorry. I haven’t even asked your name."
"Oh." She seemed faintly embarrassed. "It’s Nalia, my lady."
"Nalia," Lucrezia repeated.
The name felt familiar on her tongue, though she could not remember whether she had heard it before.
"Thank you, Nalia." She added.
The servant dipped her head. "You’re welcome."
They began walking together.
Nalia led her away from the more familiar corridors, taking a narrower passage that ran behind the western staircase.
The castle seemed different from this side. The polished stone floors gave way to older flagstones, and the elaborate wall carvings became simpler. There were fewer tapestries here, fewer gilded lamps, and none of the grand portraits that watched over the main halls.
Instead, there were doors. Many of them.
Some stood open, revealing small storage rooms and narrow workspaces. Others were shut, their handles worn smooth from years of use. The faint scent of soap, clean linen, and warm bread drifted through the passage.
Lucrezia followed Nalia at a measured pace. "Do you live here with the other servants?" she asked, her voice carrying out through the less noisy corridor.
"Most of us do. Some have families in the villages below the mountain, but the castle is too far from there to travel every day. So we stay here, especially during winter."
She frowned. "Doesn’t it become lonely?"
Nalia gave a thoughtful hum. "Sometimes," She admitted. "But there’s always someone making noise somewhere." She glanced at Lucrezia. There was hesitation in her gaze, only for a moment.
Lucrezia noticed it. "You can ask, Nalia," She urged. "Please. Even if it’s just for tonight, I’d like to be regarded normally,"
Her words seemed to have taken the woman by surprise.
But then, she nodded, finally relenting. "And you?" She asked. "Do you find the castle lonely?"
Lucrezia looked ahead. The question lingered longer than she expected.
She thought of Vaeron’s chamber, with its bare shelves and dark stone walls. She thought of the enormous bed, the cold corridors, the unfamiliar faces, and the way she had spent so many days recovering while the rest of Blackvale continued around her.
Lonely was not quite the word she would have chosen. "I’m still getting used to it," she answered truthfully.
"That’s understandable," Nalia followed. "Blackvale isn’t exactly welcoming."
Lucrezia turned her head slightly. "You don’t like it?"
Nalia looked almost startled by the question. "Oh, I didn’t say that,"
She gave her look.
A small laugh escaped the servant. "Perhaps I did." She lowered her voice a little, as if sharing a harmless secret. "It’s beautiful, my lady. But sometimes I think the castle was built to remind everyone how small they are."
Lucrezia looked at the towering walls around them.
She could not disagree.
"Do you think the gods feel that way too?" she asked.
Nalia shrugged. "I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been a god."
This time, Lucrezia laughed properly.
The sound surprised her. It had been so long since she had laughed without first considering who might hear her that she almost forgot what it felt like.
Vespera had been the first.
Although, the thought of her made that sound gradually diminish.