Page 15 of Glass Hearts

I think we all thought this day was going to go very differently when we went straight to the vixen.

The fact that the awful Baudelaire sisters and their mother are connected to the little thief is shocking, to say the least. The council had forced us to add them to the list already, a letter to be delivered later this evening. Yet here we are.

Zia seems to be deemed for me. All she wears is green.

The other sisters also seem to sport the colours of our lands.

They seemed to have done this since the ball.

Mia wears red for Grayer, Pia wears blue for Koi, and Lia wears white for Archer.

In a way, it’s a blessing, so I can finally tell who is who.

They were our last choice, and if the council hadn’t pushed them, they definitely wouldn’t have made the list. The sisters are quite pretty.

They have long legs, shiny hair, and delicate faces.

What most men would want their wives to look like, I suppose.

But my brothers and I quickly noticed that their beauty was just on the outside.

This visit only confirms as much with how they treat Arabella.

Arabella ran off a while ago. I could see the tears forming, and the fact that those tears made me feel absolutely sick shocked me. She should not be crying. Why was I so concerned about the little thief?

“My prince.” Zia sits beside me on the settee as I sip my tea. “I cannot wait to continue our courtship. I will have you know I am the most… flexible of the sisters. We don’t have to wait for our marriage bed if you prefer to reap the benefits early.” She bats her over-makeuped eyes.

“That won’t be necessary, Zia,” is all I say as I try to look at anything or anyone but her.

“If only Belly didn’t fuck up our lingerie. It’s probably all still wet. She is so incompetent. Can’t get good help these days. It’s no matter, I have some dry backup garments I can pack. I think you would enjoy unwrapping me.” She runs her long manicured finger down my bicep.

“Belly? Why do you call her that?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious!?” Zia laughs. “She is a bit on the chubby side. You would think with all the work we give her, she wouldn’t have a pooch like that. I feel sorry for the farmer our mother wants to marry her off to.”

All I can do is shake my head, a sigh escaping my lips.

Zia couldn’t be more wrong, not by a long shot.

Arabella’s body has the soft curves, lines, and delicate strength I’ve always desired.

You can tell by the calluses that she has had a hard life with the Baudelaires.

Yet she still indulged in many hors d’oeuvres at the ball.

Despite the untouched plates around her, she savored every flavorful moment.

She appreciates all that there is in life.

But we can’t have Arabella.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t ship her off like we had planned. Though I suppose it will be good to have her help at the castle.”

“She will not be attending to you, Miss Baudelaire. We need different help than serving attendants.” She is my thief to watch. I want to keep her close to make sure she steals nothing else. It’s not just because I want to get her away from these awful people.

“Hmm, I guess if she is still within the castle, her dreaded curse won’t affect Mother.”

“A curse?” Curses are quite rare these days. Many of the enforcers have successfully been able to imprison the villains who doled out brutal curses. So how could Arabella, who looks to only be in her mid twenties, be under a curse?

Zia rolls her eyes. “All the more reason to ignore the whore, my Prince. Belly’s father, on his marriage to my mother, added the stipulation that Belly was to find a husband.

That my mother would guide Belly. Yet all that did was chain her to us.

If my mother and Belly are apart for over twenty-four hours, they both crumble into severe pain.

Like, how could she do that to Mother! She refuses to marry, but Mother will get her off our backs. The ungrateful twat.”

So, therefore, Miss Bernice was going to send her off today to get married. She didn’t want to bring her to the castle. Fuck.

“We’ve got a problem, brothers,” I send through the bond.

They all look at me, but before I can even reply, a red-eyed Arabella walks by. A ratty suitcase in tow. My heart squeezes. All I want to do is dry her tears. She is a puzzle. A very tempting puzzle with many personas. But who is the real Arabella?

“Very well, it appears we are all ready! Shall we head to the castle, my princes?“ Bernice is all smiles, but the expression freezes as she turns to Arabella, her smile twisting into a snarl. “Put the bags in the car Belly, don’t just stand there like a useless sack of shit.”

Arabella reaches for the bags, but before her fingers even brush the handles, we all lunge for the sister’s overflowing luggage.

“It would be our honour to help you sisters out, especially if we are courting,” Koi gracefully interjects and offers no chance for argument as we all set out towards the carriages. By the time we pack the carriage with the sisters’ luggage, there is little room.

“Why don’t you five grab the carriage over there? Wallace will take you to the castle. We will ensure your servant gets there as well.”

Arabella tenses beside Bernice.

“Wouldn’t you rather ride with one of my girls?”

“We couldn’t possibly choose between them, Mrs. Bernice, and you should ride with your daughters. Your servant is of no consequence. We need to interview her regardless to figure out where she will work, anyway.”

Bernice glares at a wide-eyed Arabella. Gone is the confident thief; in place is a weary, downtrodden Arabella. We will have to remedy that. Bernice gets closer to Arabella. All our hackles rise, noticing the predator heading for our woman.

No, not our woman.

“Mind yourself, girl. Don’t get any ideas. Victor will be home soon, and I have been inventorying all your transgressions for him to sort out later,” she hisses at Arabella.

“Who the heck is Victor?” Archer asks through the bond.

Grayer is already reaching for his knife; he looks like he is about to murder Bernice, so I choose to get her separated from the wench as soon as possible. It’s been a genuine struggle to quell his fury, which has been simmering throughout this whole mess.

“We will see you all at the castle, ladies, but we must get going.”

I put my hand at the small of Arabella’s back to direct her to our carriage. I place her so she is in the middle of Archer and Koi. I don’t think it is a good idea to place her by Grayer; he looks ready to devour the little thief. I, of course, next to Grayer to keep him in check.

“Figures you would bring a parade of carriages to pick up my stepsisters,” she scoffs, crossing her arms. Already, she has relaxed now that Bernice is out of sight.

“There’s my sassy woman.” Gray reaches across, giving her a wicked gleam, placing his large hand on her knee. Curiously, she doesn’t remove it. Before he can continue trying to woo the vixen, I interject.

“You are cursed,” I state. This gets all my brothers looking at Arabella.

“Ahh, yes. It seems none of my secrets are safe.”

I glare at her. Stop hiding from me, Vixen.

“You’re cursed? How?” Archer inquires.

Arabella sighs. “It is of no consequence to you all, so I am not sure why you care. But yes, I am attached to my stepfamily. I need to get married to break the curse.”

“Is that why you went to the masquerade ball? To find a husband while also stealing?” Koi asks.

She snorts. “Definitely not. What I said was true. I do not want to get married. It was just an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

“Oh yes, an opportunity to steal from innocent people,” Archer snarls, not looking at her. Arabella rolls her eyes. As much as I don’t enjoy the tension in the carriage, it is nice seeing Arabella’s fire once more.

“She is also forgetting to mention that if she isn’t close to her stepmother for over twenty-four hours, she suffers extreme pain. No need to be tight-lipped about it, little thief,” I add, since we seem to be straying from the problem at hand.

“Motherfucker.” Koi puts his big hand on her other knee. I clench my fists even harder. They really need to stop touching her, but again, she doesn’t remove their hands.

“Yes, well, there isn’t much I can do about that, for now. So. Will I be heading straight to the dungeon? I imagine you wouldn’t want me actually serving you all.”

“Oh, Duchess, I would love to have you serve me.” Gray winks.

“Clearly, I am not a duchess, Prince Grayer.”

“Just Gray or Grayer to you… Or husband. Either works.”

She looks at Gray as if he had grown another head. Koi laughs.

“We aren’t sure what to do with you, Sunshine,” I catch him squeezing her thigh, bringing her attention back to him.

“You will not be going to the dungeon. But I also don’t want you in the servants’ quarters.

Those rooms are quite close to your stepfamily and where the other ladies will be staying. ”

“I think we should put her in my room,” Grayer says in our bond.

“No,” I reply, “I think she should go into the room that is down the hall from us. That way we can monitor her and intercept her if she tries to leave.”

“The one that holds all our weapons at the moment? We will have to remove those. I don’t trust her,” Archer says.

“And we want to keep watch on you. We don’t want you stealing more things that don’t belong to you,” Archer sneers out loud.

“This all seems like a lot of trouble for a thief, no? I am really of little importance. I will steal nothing; that would be stupid since you all know about the shadow. Just put me in the servants’ quarters. It’s where I belong.”

“My future queen does not sleep in servants’ quarters, Duchess.”

“Why do you keep saying that?!” she replies exasperated.

Grayer shrugs. “Because you’re mine. Just waiting for you to catch up, love.” I don’t miss the sharp intake of her breath and the heat in her eyes.

“We also need to have you close so we can intercept Gray. Do not listen to him, little thief, he just wants to fuck you. You are not on the list, like your stepmother said, don’t get any ideas.” Archer curls his lip.

Grayer’s knuckles whitened as he clenched his fists, his gaze alone a weapon sharp enough to sever Archer’s neck.

“Stand down, Gray, we will need to have a chat later. All of us.”

Mercifully, the carriage creaked to a halt, leaving a hollow echo where bitter words had hung only moments before.

The sisters seem to be getting out of the carriage already and ordering our staff about as we arrive behind them. This is going to be a long few weeks.

Koi offers his hand to her for the dismount, but she shakes her head and whispers to him, “They will see, and I don’t need to give them more ammo for their dislike of me.”

Koi nods. I can tell he is just as desperate as Gray to get her in his arms. Not sure when that change happened. This morning, he was just as on board with collecting her for questioning. Did they talk when he said he was running off to the bathroom?

“Koi, stop looking at her like she is your salvation,” I reprimand.

“So, my princes,” Bernice approaches, once again eyeing up Arabella, “Where have you determined to place Arabella? I still think we are more suitable for her. We know her flaws and can manage them.” I hate the way she says manage. Arabella cowers and flinches at that.

“What do they do to Arabella? Did you all just see her flinch at that?” Grayer roars down the bond. Murder is in his eyes.

“Miss Arabella will join the kitchen staff. We need help there. Wallace will help you get all settled in your designated chambers. If you have questions, please let Wallace know.”

Bernice nods as Wallace motions for the gaggle of Baudelaires to join him. Once they finally leave, we all turn to our enigma.

“Are there rooms by the kitchen or something?”

“There are, but you, my duchess, will sleep down the hall from us instead. Though my room is always an option.” Grayer scoops Arabella up, bridal style, and enters the castle.

“Put me down!! I am way too heavy for you!” she screeches.

“You wound me, my love. You are quite light for me.”

“We need to talk about boundaries and intentions, Prince Grayer.” But she still wraps her arms around his neck.

“Again, it’s just Grayer or Husband to you.” Koi smacks him on the side of the head.

Things are getting complicated.