Amia's POV
I woke up shivering and coughing from the cold while looking around sleepily.
It was morning yet again, and my body was very sore.
"It seems I passed out again," I whispered to my wolf as I got to my feet and stood with wobbly legs.
I slowly made my way to the bathroom and took a bath, making sure I thoroughly cleaned myself.
After that, I went and dressed in one of the dusty dresses that I had dusted off, then sat down on the messed-up bed with a low sigh.
What exactly was I to do to kill time? I couldn't go out because I had no idea what might happen to me or where I could end up. Although the wardrobe had mostly male clothes, there wasn't much to dust.
I looked at the book that was on the table with a frown.
I wasn't much of a reader because I was self-taught, but then again, it wouldn't hurt to read.
When the doors were pushed open, I quickly got to my feet, thinking it was the lord.
I lowered my gaze to the ground with an aching heart. Just thinking about him made my body tense.
"My lady," a female voice called, making me look up.
A sigh of relief escaped me when Serai moved in with a small wooden basket in her hands.
She quickly closed the doors behind her and gave a low bow.
"I apologize for walking in without knocking or properly announcing my visit outside the room. It's just that I came here secretly despite being given instructions on what to do," she said in a low tone.
"If word were to get out that I had brought a few cleaning supplies here, her ladyship wouldn't let it slide," she said as I smiled at her.
She truly was caring and the very first being, besides my sister, to show me such kindness in my life.
"Thank you, Serai," I whispered softly as I looked at her carefully, then at the doors.
"But um... where is the equipment? Is it outside?" I asked seriously.
She moved the small wooden basket to the ground and took a few steps back.
"My friend said that to activate them, you have to say an enchanted word, and to make them work, you have to recite another," she said, then closed her eyes and whispered a word in a language I had never heard before.
A broom, mop, clean cloth, two buckets, and cleaning oil appeared in place of the wooden basket, making me gasp in wonder and amazement.
When I saw her frown deeply while looking at the equipment, I cleared my throat to get her attention.
"I apologize, my lady, for spacing out for a second. The spell to activate them is quite dangerous and tricky because if said incorrectly, they may explode, and we would both be in trouble," she said seriously.
"As you know, I'm not a magic wielder, but I can activate this because of the tide command added to it by a friend of mine who wields magic," she said.
A tide command was a trigger word which was put on something to activate it when someone said the trigger word, be it a magic wielder or not.
"Serai, thank you so much for bringing me this cleaning equipment. I will clean the room by myself without letting anyone find out," I answered gratefully.
"Oh no, you don't have to do that, my lady. Yes, you can use them, but that's too much work. I can use another spell to make them move on their own," she said seriously.
"No, I'll handle everything by myself. I don't want to put you in trouble if something goes wrong," I replied.
The nest sure was different. They even had equipment that worked without them doing much, while back in the pack, it was all me and the other few omegas who cleaned, cooked, and washed.
She smiled widely for the first time, showing her two sharp fangs, and then nodded.
"Also, you can leave, Serai. You doing this for me is more than enough," I said as her smile vanished.
She moved back and slowly turned towards the door.
"Thank you," I whispered before she could go out.
Once I was alone, I quickly filled the buckets with water from the bathroom and grabbed a broom, carefully cleaning the room.
Cleaning such a big room wasn't hard at all because I was used to it. The only thing that was going to be hard was washing the bedsheets and those few dusty clothes.
Would it be a problem if I did it outside? Obviously! Then how would I dry them?
I knew nothing of the palace or what my punishment would be if I did go outside.
My only safe move was to wash them in the bathroom and carefully put the sheets and dresses in the buckets. After that, I needed to give them to Serai, who would spread them outside for me to dry in secret.
Since it was still morning, that meant I still had time before the lord came.
I wasn't sure if he was going to come or not, but one thing was obvious: he wanted an heir so badly that he couldn't even avoid me for the past two nights.
When the door opened, I quickly dropped the broom from my hand in fear.
"It's just me, my lady. I apologize for startling you," Serai said as she moved in.
"It's okay," I answered in relief.
"Why are you back?" I asked with concern. She had a small box in her hand.
She moved closer and handed me the box. I hesitated but took it.
"Open it," she whispered.
I glanced at her, then back at the box, and slowly opened it.
Inside was a small bottle that looked sealed.
"In that bottle is medicine that helps ease the pain of a bruise and speeds up the healing process. All you have to do is rub it on the affected area once a day. You should only use one drop on small bruises and a few more on larger ones," she said seriously.
"When overused, it becomes a deadly poison. Do not drink it or put it on an open sore, cut, or wound; that would be suicidal," she warned seriously.
"Why would you give me this?" I asked, confused.
"It's because my lady is bruised on the forehead," she said as I gasped and moved my hand there.
Because of a lot that had happened, I couldn't even notice the bruise or feel the pain. It was obvious I must have hit my head on the floor on our shared first night when I passed out.
For some reason I healed very slowly unlike other omegas, it was as if I was cursed.
At least this time, I woke up on the bed, not the cold floor, but that still didn't make me feel any better.
Serai on the other hand, she truly was a kind soul.
"Thank you so much, Serai. I will make sure to treasure this," I answered seriously.
"Also, I will try to ask the mistress to show mercy. The least she could do is allow you to eat well if you are to carry the heir of this nest," she said in a low tone.
I wanted to tell her that she shouldn't, but then again, not eating would only end with me passing away and leaving my little sister in the hands of death.
"Thank you," was all I could whisper to her.
I stood still, watching as she left the room.
When my wolf growled loudly, I knew what she meant. She was angry with me for letting things go like this.
I was going to talk to the lord, even if it meant things would end badly for me.