“It’s my home,” I say, mustering as much courage as I can. “Mrs. Gooch gave it to me, and it’s mine.” I suppose, truthfully, I handed it off to Bash earlier this morning, including the key, but unless he says something—and I’m betting he won’t—no one else knows that.
“Sweetheart,” Mother says, using an endearment that hasn’t passed her lips in nearly a decade. “I’d really rather we were somewhere more…fitting. We do have quite a lot to discuss. And the facilities here are less than ideal.”
I don’t know if the endearment is a good sign; I hope it betokens relief, and some sympathy.
“I have tea. And biscuits,” I say. “And I’d rather we stay here to talk. I meant what I said. I don’t want to…”Be a royal princess?“I’m not happy, and we need to make a change. This is my home; it’s been my home for the past six months, and I love it. So I’d prefer we remain here for the time being.”
“But lunch,” my father says.
“Oh, Roth,” Mother sighs. “She said she has…biscuits.”
“There’s a shop down the road that makes incredible cinnamon rolls,” Amaritha pipes up. “I could go get us some?”
I turn to her and Sasha, still holding hands and beaming at me. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Oh, Ireallywant to,” Amaritha says. “Reallywant to.”
Ah, so she can tell everyone the curse is broken. Who am I to deny her that?
“Then by all means,” I say. “Take Honey with you.”
Amaritha and Sasha sweep out of the room, followed by a distinctly thoughtful Honeyrose. We haven’t had a chance to speak, and she clearly has something on her mind. But it’ll keep.
“And this…person?” Mother says, gesturing to Bash.
“He stays,” I say.
She sighs. “If this is some sort of delayed teenage rebellion…You were always such a tractable child. So unlike your sister.”
Bash makes a funny noise in the back of his throat, but when I glance at him, his expression is composed.
“Perhaps, somewhere to sit,” my father suggests, eyeing the pillows on the floor. I ask everyone to stand aside and enlarge the table and chairs, which makes my father smile; he’s always liked little magic, and knows a few spells himself, despite never having taught me any—the enormous tulips in our various royal gardens are his doing.
Honey and the girls return bearing plates of rolls and biscuits, all still warm from the oven, and a giant, steaming urn of tea, which Honey explains she borrowed wholesale from behind the counter at Mrs. Mangigony’s. I refrain from asking if she also bought the entire counter’s worth of baked goods. Sasha’s brought me a cinnamon roll now and again, but I feel a distinct and uncomfortable heaviness in my chest at the idea that I can now walkdown the street and buy one myself. If I were staying in Little Pepperidge.Am I staying here?I wonder.Is that what I’m about to insist on, in front of Bash and Sasha and Amaritha and this lunatic sorcerer and my parents and Honey?They’d never let me.
The sorcerer is busy helping herself to a roll.
“The princes are all gathered outside,” Honey says, without preamble.
“So’s everyone else,” Sasha adds.
It seems news travels fast. I should have known. Can’t get them in here to buy a book, but they’re all happy to stand outside and wait to see what a recently de-cursed princess looks like when she finally leaves her bookstore.
My mother takes a sip of her tea—Mrs. Mangigony had also provided nicer teacups than Mrs. Gooch left me—sighs, and turns her gaze to me.
“Tanadelle,” she begins. “I understand that you’re upset, and this represents a lot of change for you, and that I may have been a little overzealous in bringing up the various duties that you must begin attending to now that you’re free…” She pauses. I use the opportunity to tear a cinnamon roll in half. “Certainly we can give you the time you need to reintroduce yourself to your role in society, given that you have been in, essentially, seclusion for the last few months.
“Perhaps,” she continues, “you’re feeling a little overwhelmed; I can see that there are some strong feelings between you and this young man here.” She indicates Bash, who continues to sit in complete silence, with neither tea nor roll to occupy himself. “You’ve never really had a, well, ayoung manbefore, and I certainly understand how overwhelming such feelings can be. But please don’t make a decision that might affect the next few years of your life, if not longer, based on a…well.” She clears herthroat awkwardly. Mother was never keen to talk about the love lives of her daughters, even if one of us didn’t have a love life. “Ayoung man,” she finally says, having found no other suitable synonym. She can’t call him my suitor, and princesses don’t havebeaux. If he even is, which he isn’t; we spent the night together and managed not to confess any deeply held feelings, much less say anything to betoken a relationship. Well, he didn’t.
“I’m not,” I say, simply because it’s the truth. “These months here—this is the first time in my life where I’ve felt like I have a home, and friends who aren’t…” I glance at Honey, and she gives me a sympathetic nod; she understands. “Who aren’t Crown employees,” I say, sadly.
“I mean, technically,Iam your employee,” Sasha pipes up, and Amaritha shushes her.
“It’s a little different with you, Sasha,” I say, gently. “You’ll grow up and leave and live your whole life, and if I’m lucky, I’ll be a little part of it. But I’m Honeyrose’sjob.”
“I report to the Crown,” Honey adds.
“Oh,” Sasha says, a little more quietly.
