【 CHAPTER THREE】
nadia kumar
( TEENAGERS GET YOUR SHIT
TOGETHER CHALLENGE! )

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The door to the servants' resting room slammed open. A red-haired hurricane whisked in, vibrating with fury.

'Robin Abernathy!' bellowed Katar Wolford. 'Robin star-damned Abernathy!'

Nadia Kumar shifted her head. She looked at the girl through bleary eyes. 'Can't this wait?'

'Of all the people, Robin Abernathy?! I thought Pippa had more taste! Like hello? I'm right here?' She waved around a stuffed bunny with indignation. 'Stuffed' bunny as in 'taxidermied with the essence of nightmares, the tears of children and the screams of horror.' Katar called her Daisy.  'I literally have money and good looks and what in Luna does he have that I don't?!'

Nadia winced at the sight of Daisy's beady evil eyes. 'Bonded experience as servants?'

'So this is my fault that Pippa's my handmaid?'

Under her breath, Nadia nudged the blonde in front of her. 'Hon? Wake up. Your part of the family is bothering me.'

Viveca Ellis groaned. 'Five more minutes.'

' -And another thing! I have literally been giving her bedroom eyes for years-'

The absurdity of the statement roused Viveca. 'You've only had a crush on her for two months. Also, you're only 14. That's too young for sex.'

'I wouldn't know now, would I? It's not like I've been given a chance to reject it,' Katar shot back.

Viveca opened her mouth to counter that but yawned instead. 'Can you just... Give us like 10 minutes?'

Nadia adopted a mocking tone, 'Mommy Viv isn't coherent enough yet.'

'Don't act like you can win this argument after the day you had.'

'Katar's not my part of this circus.'

'What's mine is yours, darling. Till death do us part.'

Katar made a face. 'Ew. You two are disgusting.'

'Serves you right.' 

'Why'd you come to us then?'

'Because you two are the only ones I know in a relationship and I need dating advice.'

Nadia's eyes went glassy as she mourned her peaceful nap. 'Fine. But just because we're in a relationship doesn't mean I know how we did it.'

'Yeah, Raelynn did most of the work.'

In unison, the three of them said, 'Stars bless Raelynn.'

Viveca sat up. 'Alright,' said her girlfriend. 'So. Robin. Pippa. How'd you find out?'

Katar scowled. 'I walked in on them kissing. In my bedroom. I'm fairly certain it was their first kiss. I investigated in the first place because I heard a bunch of clacking noise and "Owie"s.'

The two 'adults' looked at each other. Nadia finally said, 'Hmm. Delightful.' with a silent, defeated, horrified resignation echoed by Viveca's sober wide eyes. This was going to be their mess to mitigate for the next few weeks.

'Right?! My room?! MY ROOM?! Go to your room Pippa it's not like I treat you like the other handmaiden and just give them scrapes and dirt to survive on. Ohhhhh and Robin?! That mistake isn't worthy to be in my presence, let alone qualified kiss my crush!'

Nadia leaned over. 'Dump water on her in 10 minutes?'

'5 if she keeps screeching.'

'Does he know how long I've been waiting for her to notice me? Huh? HUH?! I literally bought that lingerie from Ar-9 just for her to help me with it. Stars know I wouldn't oppose it if she'd just ripped it off though. But does the sight of black lace-covered skin turn her on? Or my wealth? Generosity towards her? My beautiful face? No! No, but that floppy-haired, doe-eyed, idiotic, stupid, smirking fool gets to her first. Who cares that his smiles pulls the left side of his lips adorably crooked? Or that his figure would be desirable to other girls if only he got rid of that slouch? Or his eyes are a dreamy chocolate brown when the real sunlight hits it just right?'

Nadia blinked. 'Did you-' '-hear that?' Viveca finished under her breath. They had a short exchange with their eyes. Slowly, they turned back towards Katar. Nadia smirked as she listened to the next part. This was going to be interesting.

The girl was too caught up in her rant to notice. 'Ohhh if I could get my hands on him, I'd tear him apart but no. I won't do it because Pippa likes him and he makes her happy and because I'm considerate like that. Unlike them! Kissing in my bedroom like in not in the mansion like what the f-'

Pippa chose that beautiful moment to burst into the room. Robin caught sight of the angry red blob called Katar and threw a struggling Raelynn at her. It was a lucky thing Katar caught her; Nadia would've joined the 'Murder Robin' squad otherwise.

'Raelynn!,' cried her mother. Valid, since she was covered in dust. 'Where have you been?'

'She tried to sneak into the labs,' said Robin. 'Said she had to find Nirmal.'

'I do!' the girl cried. 'He told me to!'

Nadia knew her brother well enough to guess that he did not. He loved Raelynn as much as they did. And, to put it lightly, today wasn't the best of times for Raelynn to get a grand tour of the Artemisian labs.

Viveca knelt down so she could look Raelynn eye to eye. 'Sweetheart, Nirmal told all of us that we can't go to the labs today. They're doing a very dangerous experiment and they can't afford being worried about protecting someone who isn't authorized to be there.'

Raelynn glared. 'But he told me to tell him if it happened.'

Nadia joined Viveca on the floor. "If what happened?'

'He told me to tell him first! He's the only one that can help!'

'I highly doubt that.' Her brother might be brilliant with everything scientific but he was seriously lacking in the social skills department. Besides, Raelynn didn't have the luxury of getting a formal education and her eyes got glassy whenever Nirmal explained his experiments to her. Thus, the "help" Raelynn was seeking was not scientific, which meant the rest of them could provide their assistance. 'Come on, Sunshine. We can help with whatever it is. What did my brother want you to tell him?'

Raelynn hesitated. Looked at both of them. Nadia smiled and poured as much Your moms will fix your problem energy into it. In her peripheral vision, she could tell that Raelynn's actual mother was doing the same. Nadia could see the exact second the girl cracked and hoped this trick would still work when the girl was a moody teenager. 'Hofie has a trial in 5 minutes.'

The room exhaled with a collective sigh, the atmosphere untensing. Someone laughed in relief. Comments floated from around the room.

'And I thought it was something serious.'

'When did this become my life?'

'Oh, is it already Thursday?'

'What's he done this time?'

Looking at the still-tense Raelynn, a chilling question popped into Nadia's head. 'Wait. Why would you only go to Nirmal for this? He hasn't cared about Hofer's trials for a long time.'

Raelynn refused to meet her eyes. Silence fell on the group. Slowly so she didn't startle her, Nadia bended until she was at an angle where she could see the girl's face. 'Raelynn?'

She covered her face with her hands. 'I can't tell you!' she cried. 'I have to tell Nirmal first! I promised!'

Nadia shared a troubled frown with her girlfriend. Viveca gently held Raelynn's arms and prodded her to uncover her face. After a few moments of stubbornness, Viveca said, 'Come here, sweetheart. Tell mommy what's wrong. We'll solve the problem together, yeah?'

'Yeah, Raelynn. Please tell us what's different about this trial. Nirmal is in the middle of a very important and very dangerous experiment in the labs today. He told us other people aren't allowed near the labs today, remember? Unless it's a life or death situation, we're not supposed to disturb him.'

Raelynn looked at Nadia, wide-eyed, her next words filled her with paralysing fear. 'But it is.'

Time slowed. Nadia prayed that her ears were going bad. She cou- she couldn't go through this. Not again. 

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Shining azure flashed in her mind. A girl - no, a child - standing before the entire Artemisian court. Her light blue dress was soiled with dirt. Still, it gleamed under the harsh lights of the palace throne room. Her mother's handiwork was immaculate as always. Nadia hardly noticed. Her mind drifted in and out. She was trying to understand where it all went wrong.

Someone was speaking. 'When I heard — was like my heart was being ripped out — We cannot have lower class — away with this — the punishment must fit the crime. Head Thaumaturge Mira, if you will.'

A sharp silver blade flashed, removed from its scabbard. Her aunt handed a knife to the girl, who took it with no hesitation whatsoever. Frozen with horror, Nadia only caught the tail end of Queen Levana's speech.

'—for the murder of Ophelia Angevin, I sentence you to death.'

And with that, the girl plunged the knife into the middle of her chest and dragged it down deeply. Her hands as steady as a neurosurgeon's. Nadia clapped a palm over her mouth and bit down on her flesh to ground herself. A mistake. She would be scarred by the next moments for the rest of her life.

Blood sprayed out of the girl's body. Her azure dress, embroidered with silver thread at the hem, was forever ruined. In Nadia's mind, she was the girl and the girl was she. Present and future on the throne room floor, wrapped in a pretty blue past of a mother's love. Nadia bit down harder to push down her vomit.

The girl slashed at her chest several times with the once-spotless knife. Red on silver. Red on silver. Silver before but red forever red steady warm blood red-red-red. The girl made no sound even when her eyes flickered from person to person, begging for mercy. She dropped the knife and started to claw at her chest like a wild animal. Her eyes locked with Nadia's just as her right hand reached inside her chest using the hole made by slash wounds. Her hand enclosed on something and she pulled it out with all her might. It was dripping red, the size of a fist, and beating wildly.

It was the girl's heart.

The girl dropped it on a silver platter, once again staining shining silver with filthy red. Then, she kneeled like she was worshipping a god. Her body faced the throne, her forehead kocked against the floor of the room. Queen Levana smiled gracefully. Her lips were lined with filthy red. Nadia quickly looked away from the queen. Her ears rang with noise but there was no discernible source. It felt like underwater screams.

Finally, Aunt Mira stopped manipulating the girl and she convulsed on the ground. Nadia didn't need to be her stepmother to know that the girl was dead.

Later, Nirmal would tell her that this method was similar to the Blood Eagle execution method used by old Earthens called Vikings. Nadia didn't question why he offered the information. It was the girl's death day anniversary. It was futile for her to hope that Nirmal hadn't sealed the day away like she had. He always was an impressionable toddler.

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Robin's soft, hoarsed voice brought her back to the present. 'Wha- Raelynn, what do you mean?'

'The trial. It's life or death. That's why I was trying to get to Nirmal. He told me one of these days Hofie was gonna land himself in big trouble and when he did, Nirmal would be there to help him. He said that he would have more sway over the court. And Hofie was just accused of stealing from Thaumaturge Park.'

Nadia cursed. Aimery Park was the second highest ranking thaumaturge in Artemisia, one level below her aunt, Sybil Mira. Say what you will about her aunt, at least she hadn't driven a servant to voluntary suicide before. Aimery Park was a blight on Luna and he had it out for servants.

'Nirmal won't have enough sway,' said Katar, putting aside her animosity for the moment. However abhorent she found his grandson to be, Hofer Abernathy was one of the highlights of living in Artemisia Dome. 'Nirmal may be a promising young scientist but he has no experience or prestige yet. Some of the younger court members may be swayed by him but it won't be enough. And since his crime was against a noble, a thaumaturge at that...' She frowned then repeated softly, 'It won't be enough.'

'What about you, Katar? And your father?' asked Pippa. The usually bright and cheerful girl had her eyes narrowed as she tried to think of a solution. 'The Wolford family is one of the more influencial ones, isn't it? If the two of you side with Hofer in the trial, won't that sway some nobles to our side?'

'Won't work for me. Everyone already knows that we're close and they still took him. Besides, I'm not part of the court yet so my words would hold as much weight as Daisy's dung.'

Everyone but Katar suddered at the mention of the stuffed bunny. Privately, Nadia thought that Katar could scare everyone into voting for Hofer's innocence with the threat of that fluffy nightmare material. 

Katar closed her eyes to calculate the probability. 'I can probably get my father to vouch for Hofer but it probably still won't be enough.'

'What about Marceline?' said Viveca. 'She's a noble by birth, she's a part of the court and she has the age and experience. Also, doesn't she have quite a bit of power even with her reputation as a recluse?' 

Katar barely needed to calculated mentally before she grinned. 'Yes! Marceline should be able to get a lot of nobles on Hofer's side. We'll be able to win the trial with and only with her help.'

'Alright then. No time to waste,' said Nadia. 'Robin, get Marceline and hurry. Pippa, go to the labs and get Nirmal to the throne room. He can sway the younger nobles. But remember to be careful near the labs. Katar, go ask your father to be on Hofer's side. Viv, take Raelynn to your room and then meet me at the throne room.'

'But why?' Raelynn pouted.

Shining silver filthy red shining silver filthy red shining silver filthy re-

Nadia smiled even as her nerves were set on edge. She knelt down to be an Raelynn's level and said, 'It's just a precaution, Sunshine. Don't worry. We'll come get you soon and we can celebrate Hofie winning a trial yet again, okay?'

'Okay.'

Viveca looked at her. 'What are you gonna be doing?'

Nadia shrugged sheepishly. 'I... am going to stall the court until everyone is in place.'

Viveca looked at her with alarm. Though she couldn't see them, she knew the love triangle was doing the same. She heard a snap as someone turned to look at her too fast. 

A haunted look entered Viveca's pretty brown eyes. 'At least try to keep the casualties to a minimum this time?'

Nadia only peered at her innocently. 'Who? Me?'

And she would've looked like a textbook martyr had there not been jagged scars her face, extending her smile to her ears. Nadia hadn't taken care of her fingernails for some time; they looked like sharp claws. Her eyes were bloodshot after a few restless nights. Nadia Kumar looked absolutely out of her mind, which was a good thing. The purpose of trials in Artemisia wasn't to enact justice and punish the wicked; it was just to entertain the lazy nobles after their 3rd midday glass of bourbon. 

If it was entertainment they wanted, Nadia would be honoured to be their obedient servant. Her smile was sharp enough to cut a man.

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Nadia, an Artemisian palace servant, walking into the Artemisian palace servants' resting room: ...
Nadia: Hello, people who do not work here.
Pippa: Hey!
Robin: What up *finger guns*
Raelynn: Hi, Mommies!
Viveca: We gave you the key to this room for emergencies only!
Katar, whispering: I was gonna stab my crush for stealing my other crush.
Nadia: Come right in.

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If you can't keep everyone straight just wait til the Cress chapters because I already made a 'The Family Madrigal' video explaining who is who. Unfortunately, I can't show yall now since it contains spoilers but rest assured, you will get to know these OCs one way or another.

Also, the Love Triangle is gonna be polyamorous so no need for shipping wars (REJOICE MY CHILDREN!)

So a Glasglow Grin is actually quite fascinating but for the casual fan, it's basically a scar in the shape of a smile from the lips to the ears. The most famous example would be Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight.

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TW scar

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Nadia's is a little more extreme but that's the gist of it.

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I finished this entire chapter in one day at 3am but it's fine since her country is 6 hours behind mine so it is technically still Rebekah's birthday. Not to kill the mood but this is as much a gift to you as it is to me.

Anyways I hope yall enjoyed this chapter because honestly, this was all my writing with a sprinkle of MM's shoddy worldbuilding sprinkled in. I say shoddy because we only see Luna in flashes until Winter and only about 15% of it has to do with the palace. Why'd did I make my OCs based in the palace you may ask? Well, it has a little something to do with MM's canon story.