***
I didn’t think I was going to last a day at this rate.
I barely had any time left to take a shower and fix myself up after breakfast, and I ended up putting my shoes on while I was making my way to the study, which I must say, was not an easy feat. I had to stop a couple of times to ask one of the maids where to go because I got lost, and by the time I got there, I was fifteen minutes late. The pinched look on my instructor’s face said that she completely disapproved.
I was too busy trying to catch my breath to give a shit what she thought. Pardon my French.
“Obviously, we’re going to have to work on your timing,” she said snidely, and I glared at her through the curtains of my hair.
What a bitch.
She didn’t cut corners, either. She immediately went behind me and pulled on my shoulders, making me yelp in pain.
“I do not work with hunchbacks,” she tutted. She walked around me once more, looking at me from head to toe. She stopped in front of me and immediately placed her hand on her forehead and massaged it with her fingers, her eyes closing as she sighed. “It seems I have my work cut out for me,” she said.
“Excuse me?” I said, hating this woman more and more with every word that came out of her big, fat mouth.
“No, you are not excused. Only the most dignified and regal-looking women in this industry are given a free pass for being fashionably late. And, my dear, I must say, you are just late, and not at all fashionable,” she said with a huff.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but I was informed you were going to teach me about manners and etiquette, not fashion,” I retorted.
“You’re quite right, and judging by your response, you are lacking both. There is much to be done, my dear. Follow me,” she ordered.
The first thing she did was to teach me all about the different forks and spoons, when they were supposed to be used, and what each one was for. I didn’t understand all the fuss about cutlery when a spoon and fork were basically innovative in themselves. I mean, you use one, you can use it for all, right? But no… not for these snotty people.
“They all look the same, just in different sizes!” I said, looking at the silverware like they were going to jump up any second and hijack my body or something.
“They are all different! They all have a specific place and use, so pay attention! This one is the salad spoon… this one is the coffee spoon… the one next to it is the tea spoon—”
“What? Coffee and tea have different spoons?!” I asked. I’ve heard of a tea spoon, but a separate one for coffee? Really?
“But of course,” she answered simply, turning her nose up at me.
“This is ridiculous!” I exclaimed.
“Only for the uncultured, which we will be able to rectify before your introduction, I assure you,” she said.
“But the party is in two weeks,” I said. “How are you going to get me ready for it in two weeks? I’ll never be able to remember all of these forks in time, much less remember when to use them!”
“Oh, haven’t you heard? We’ll only be doing the brand launch party in two weeks. The one where you’ll be introduced has been rescheduled to the end of this month,” she said.
I continued to stare at her with my mouth open in disbelief, and she turned her nose up at me again.
“I will be the first to admit that I am an exceptional trainer, but even I can’t perform miracles,” she said before clapping her hands together and carrying on with her explanation.
After forcing all that information about silverware that I never thought I needed to know, she then told me the differences between a three-course meal, a five-course meal, and god forbid that it existed, a seven-course meal, and when I should use all those forks and spoons on the table.
I thought the nightmare would end there, but she immediately slammed my back to the chair and tied me up, so my back was leaning on the panel and I couldn’t move.
“Look, I don’t know what they told you, lady. But I only have twenty dollars in my coin purse, and not much else,” I said, half-joking.
“Oh, please. I did not tie you up to harm you,” she said.
“Then why the hell did you tie me up with a scarf?” I asked.
“It’s merely a training tool. Eventually, you will be able to sit, eat, and drink properly without it. Manners matter.” As soon as she finished speaking, the doors opened and servers came in carrying trays of food. The smell made my mouth water, and as soon as the guy put the food down, I made my move. The stupid scarves kept me away from it though, and I struggled to reach for everything.
I asked if could push my chair forward, but my instructor ignored me and ate her own plate of food in that dainty, prim, and proper way she wanted me to. I was about to tell her where she could shove that fork of hers when the doors opened again and Ariana walked in. She smiled widely as she greeted my instructor with a slight hug and those fake cheek air kisses I hate girls doing.
“Mildred, it’s been a while. How is the training?” she asked, giving me a haughty look as she said ‘training,’ and I glared at her.
My instructor rolled her eyes and shook her head like she was disappointed. “It’s not going well at all, I’m afraid. I thought she’d make a lot of progress by now, but it’s going too slow. I would think she’d be easy to train, since you’re her sister, but unfortunately, it isn’t so. I wish she were more like you, though. You were very easy to teach.”
Ariana flipped her hair back and laughed. “Well, of course! What more could you expect from the daughter of a maid?”
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists to stop myself from taking the bait. If I reacted to her jab this early in the game, then I’d prove that she was right and I didn’t belong here at all. I had to control myself.
“Maybe she needs a demonstration?” Ariana asked, and without waiting for an answer, she snapped her fingers toward one of the servers waiting by the wall and he quickly set up her place on the table. She took the napkin and placed it gently on her lap, gave me a quick smile, and began eating.
She ate like royalty – grace and elegance with every lift of her fork, just like I expected someone born into this world of luxury. It was painful for me to admit, but she was leagues away from me in that department. I already knew that I had a lot of catching up to do to be at the level she was or to even be at the level they expected me to be before the party, but it was different when I had to see with my own eyes just how large the gap was.
They talked to each other as Ariana continued to eat, the conversation more like another demonstration than anything else, and I’d had enough. I cleared my throat, making both of them look at me.
“May I take a break? I really need to go to the bathroom,” I fibbed.
Ariana scoffed and the instructor pursed her lips but stood up from her seat to untie me. I rolled my shoulders to get rid of the stiffness and walked out of the room, not bothering to look at them as I passed by. I didn’t need to see that condescending smirk on my half-sister’s face to make me feel even worse about myself. I turned, then leaned against the wall so they wouldn’t see me, and I waited for them to speak, to say anything about me now that they thought I wasn’t there to hear them. I only needed to wait a couple of minutes before one of them spoke.
“I wonder how long it’ll be before she breaks from the pressure,” my instructor asked
“She won’t last a day,” Ariana replied, and I bristled with anger.
I really wanted to go back to that room and express my rage, as my brain was already thinking up a zillion ways of inflicting pain and agony, but I held myself back.
I’d show her. I kicked myself off the wall and stomped off. I was going to be the classiest girl – nay, woman – this world had ever seen! I’d even give Kate Middleton a run for her money.
She wanted a battle? Well then, she better have her weapons ready, because I was going to give her a war.