A nasty smile

"Young miss." Hazel looked away from the window when she heard the voice of her mother's maid.

"My lady wanted to meet you. She had come straight here when she heard about the accident.'' Hazel wanted to laugh at that statement. It had been a day since she was injured and her mother was only coming to see her now and yet the maid had the audacity to say that she had come here straight. And what did she mean by accident? It was an attempt to murder.

Hazel nodded and soon Celina walked in. her eyes were filled with worry. Hazel wondered if the whole family took part in dramas before and she was not aware of it. How could they all be perfect actors?

Her mother came and sat beside her. She roamed a hand in Hazel's hair. "Oh dear, how are you now?" for 19 years! Hazel had waited for this moment when her mother showed concern for her. When she sits beside her and caresses her face and hair, she looks at her lovingly the way she looks at Amelia. But now that the time had come, she felt numb. She did not feel the emotions she had thought she would.

'It was still a lie, anyway.' she told her as she smiled back, her smile was full of lies too. All she felt was disgusted looking at her mothers crocodile tears.

"It is painful, mother. They had tried their best to kill me." tears spluttered out from her eyes as she moved and laid her head on her mother's lap who turned stiff due to her actions.

Her face was well and she could see her mother's hands were shaking. She was sure her mother wanted to throw her head away but could not as the staff was watching and so as the caretaker who was assigned by the physician.

She laughed awkwardly and nodded, "then you should rest more. The accident must have haunted you. I will not disturb you further." She wanted to leave but Hazel was not ready to let the opportunity go. It had been years, she was watching her mother shout at her every time and finding flaws in her every work. Now that she had got the chance to irk her, she was not going to let it go.

"Mother, I am scared. Do not go. After all, it is the first time that you have visited me in the past 19years." her voice was trembling and everyone felt bad for her. They looked at her with worry and her mother with narrowed eyes. Even the nurse looked aghast with the revelation.

Celina gritted her teeth. If her husband had not told her to go and meet Hazel, she would not have even put a foot in her chamber. Look at how rotten Hazel was behaving. And if she was not worried that the nurse would tell the physician and other staff of the medical guild, she would have set that little brat straight. But now all she could do was endure for a while.

"What is there to be scared of, Hazel. You are in your chamber and your father has even assigned you a knight! Even though I told him that it was not needed. Yet you are complaining. Be an adult, you are 19, not nine." Hazel smirked in her heart. At last, she had found a perfect weakling. If she flashed her mother more, she was sure that her mother would forget how to act!

Hazel trembled hearing the scolding voice of her mother and hid herself under the blanket as if she was afraid that her mother would be further angry.

"I.. I understand my mother. Please do not beat me. I am feeling weak already. Please do not slap me." her trembling body and breaking voice surprised everyone in the room and they all looked at Celina with horror. Though they had known that Celina did not treat Hazel nicely and often scolded her. They were not aware that she beat Hazel too.

Beating a grown up girl for petty reasons. What a cruel mother!

Celina's eyes widened and a scowl formed on her face. "What nonsense are you spouting this time. Apologize right now.'' She had slapped Hazel a few times, but it had been years since she had done that last and it was the first time Hazel had developed the courage to talk about it and she did not like it even a bit.

"I.. I apologize to my mother. Please forgive me. I was lying.. You.. you have never hit me or slapped me. You have not even used the burnt wood to scald my knees. I.. I must be hallucinating." her voice came out wet with difficulty and her whole body continued to tremble as if she was panicking.

The staff exchanged glances and even a few gasps could be heard when she told them about burning wood.

But her mother did not notice that. She was satisfied with the fear Hazel had for her. She nodded with pride.

"Better, you must know you can not spout lies this easily. No rest! I will ask your father to remove the knight and extra staff as it would only disturb your peace. Why did you need so much staff anyway when all you were doing was laying in the bed all the time." she stood up, oblivious to the damage her words had done in the room.

Hazel smirked, hiding her face in the blanket as she nodded. "Yes, yes, mother. I apologize for taking so much staff for myself."

"Good, tell your father when he comes to visit you for the next time. I will be leaving now. You better behave like an adult next time i will come to visit you." with that she left. The moment she went out, the whispers increased and they all started gossiping about Celina forgetting about the girl who had a nasty smile on her face.