“I’ll head to bed, then,” he says, starting to walk backward away from me. “Don’t let that tincture go to waste. It’s not the time to be a martyr. You need to be at your best for tonight.”
I slide my thumb over the small cork of the vial as I watch his retreating back. A tincture to cure my headache. Unbelievable… Taking deep breath, uncork the vial. One gulp, Alys had said.
It’s still enough to make me nearly gag as the bitterness hits my tongue.
Water. I need water. I’ve never made it to the kitchen so quickly. Eefa swivels in my direction as I rush in.
“Good morning,” she says, a smile on her face. “Eggs?”
“Water, please.” The bitterness remains on my tongue, but sure enough, my headache is already starting to fade. I stand perfectly still, trying to figure out if this is a figment of my imagination—if it’s that simple to alleviate something that has left me in tears so often.
A cup of water appears in my line of vision, and I startle.
“Are you alright?” Eefa asks, cocking her head at me.
“Yes. Thank you.” The water washes the bitterness away and I hand the cup back to Eefa. The headache is more of a background nuisance than an overwhelming pain. I have a suspicion it’ll be completely gone soon.
“Are you ready for the Feast?” Eefa asks.
“Ready as I’ll ever be. What about you?”
“Oh, I’ll be working. All hands on deck in the kitchen tonight.” She appears unbothered about it, pleased in fact. But then she adds, “I’m looking forward to it. It’s wildly more exciting than the norm.” Her smile certainly verifies her words. “So, about those eggs?”
“Yes, please.”
“Bacon? Bread?”
“Sounds heavenly.” Who knows when I’ll get bacon next.
She winks and disappears behind a set of doors.
A while later, I’m savoring one of my last breakfasts in the palace when I sense an approaching presence. I raise my head as Carys lumbers into the room with Callum at her side. One of the other kitchen servants drops into a deep curtsy, then hurries off to the kitchen. Carys stares me down, fiddling with the amulet against her chest as she plops gracelessly into the seat across from me. “You look way too chipper,” she says.
“Me?”
“You just cannot wait to leave me, can you?”
My spine stiffens. There’s no humor in her eyes. Instead, there’s a hint of genuine hurt and annoyance.
“It’s not that …”
“Then what is it? The palace isn’t large enough for you? The food not good enough? Your bedchamber not to your liking?”
“No …”
“Then what is it?” The demand is clear on her face.
“I miss my family,” I blurt.
She slumps in her chair, her focus zeroed in on my face. A moment passes between us, and she slowly says, “Your family is dead.”
It might as well be a physical slap. I dig my teeth into my lower lip and breathe out slowly. “My best friend and his family. We’ve been close since childhood.” He’s the only one who knows all my secrets.
She huffs out a breath and drops her face into her open hands. A servant appears with a tray of food—an even grander spread than my own. Carys lifts her head and stares at the food, not even acknowledging the servant who stands by, waiting for some sort of validation.
Carys lifts a slice of bacon. It’s dark around the edges and stands upright in front of her face. She scrutinizes it in simmering silence before dropping onto the plate, disgust on her face. “Get me one that doesn’t look like it caught fire,” she demands. “In fact, take the whole thing away.” She flicks her fingers toward the plate as if shooing it away.
Everything about her is off today. She’s a cornered animal, wounded and more than willing to lash out at anyone. Once the servant is gone, I eat my own bacon slice to keep myself from speaking out of turn. Carys pinches the bridge of her freckled nose and closes her eyes.
