Chapter 80: Work with me

I take my place on the opposite side of the table, my breath is tight and my hands are already sweating. "Victoria", I squeeze my eyes shut, "Victoria." She states again and I peek one eye open, "Yes?" "What do you want to eat?" She still has her head tilted and it makes me face the tablecloth. "Whatever you see fit Mother." "Victoria," she says my name again and my brain starts to spin.

Why does she keep calling me? Why is she asking me what I want, when she never asked that in years? Her opinion is the only one to matter so why is she pretending like mine's matters?

Like I matter.

I bite down on my lip hard, and hear shuffling on the other side of the table, what's she up to? I glance up and my eyes widen at what I see, she took off her veil? Why would she take off her veil? I don't under-I can see her chestnut brown eyes now, they're lighter than mine.

Even prettier in a sense and even though she looks tired there's still so much youth in her skin that it almost glows. No wonder they call her a queen, she very much looks like one now. "Victoria, can you work with me for today?" "Work with you?" I ask very confused as she nods, "I want to be honest with you, for today. That's why I took off my veil, I want you to see who your mother is, just for today."

She still isn't yelling at me, which makes me think this is a dream. So I pinch myself hard and it burns leaving a mark on my skin. "Ouch", I whisper and my mother's brows raise. "Are you alright?" "Yes, I'm fine." "Good, then let me ask again, what would you like to eat?" I bite my tongue unsure what to say, but if she really wants me to work with her then maybe this will be okay. "I'm not really hungry." "You're not?" "No ma'am." "But you haven't been eating much, I hear from the chefs that you barely touch your food."

Her eyes shift in a different direction, "It has me worried for you. I know you probably don't think I worry for you. But you are the heiress to this estate." Right, so this is what this is about. Interesting how she didn't say daughter but rather heiress, I'm honestly not that surprised. She tucks some of her blonde hair out of the way, linking her hands together. "I will at least have soup brought out to us, even if you don't have an appetite. I need to see you eat something. I don't want to get too skinny now." She laughs to herself, pushing out a forced smile.

"But before that, I need to work with you, as in talk, about something I kept rather indirect. Victoria, you are getting older now and have a birthday approaching, so this is the least I should tell you." She takes in a deep breath, clapping her hands together which startles me at first, "Kyle!" She yells and he comes out right away with a bow, "Yes ma'am?" "Put a Tomato Basil Soup on hold for lunch this evening and while you're at it", she scratches the side of her head, "Bring me a vape as well." "Yes ma'am." He disappears into a hallway while my mother turns to me with a small smile. "I am trying something new as you can see, also I decided not to have you wear a mask like the maids. That of course was for show because it demonstrates that they are mindless followers of mine. While Kyle."

She rolls her neck around, "Is not, but I'm waiting til he slips up so I can reveal what he's been plotting behind my back." She leans on the table, smiling wider, "You must know that not everyone will be loyal to you Victoria. For example, your brainless Father definitely wasn't loyal. He was a cheat even throughout all the years I gave him, sacrificing my body and heart all for it to be wasted."

Her hand went to the tablecloth and she started to squeeze the cloth tight, "I damaged my body for an heir and lost what happiness I had left for this estate, for this money. I wanted to be rich of course but that didn't include ripping up my body for a child." Some of the cloth started to tear as my mother continued, "Luckily money can fix bodies, but it sure can't fix the soul, which is entirely different from the body. Because you see-" she stood up taking a piece of the tablecloth with her, "My soul was taken way before my body was and I was the one to give it up. To sacrifice."

Mr.Kyle came rushing back in with a maid next to him, passing my mother the vape. She took it, looking them up and down with something of a snarl, "It took you long enough, now go. Both of you!" "Yes ma'am", they say in unison as my mother takes a puff at the tempting poison. I can hear the heightened sound in her voice now, her true nature coming through as the pristine queen starts to fade away. Revealing something more broken, something empty and melancholic. 

She takes two more puffs of her vape, blowing the smoke out, her eyes shifting back to me. "Even with all the smokes in the world, it just doesn't hit the same as your first puff." She frowns, some of her red lipstick leaving stains on the vape and I gulp, debating on whether to ask a question or not. "I know it's not my place to ask, but may I speak freely?" "For today, you may." I nod, "Okay, well, how did you and father even meet? What was he like before you had me?" "Before I gave up everything?" "Yes, if you don't mind me asking." 

"Sneaky but also kind, which would surprise you. He neither wanted children, but your grandfather, his dad did."