She looked around, wondering what she could do. She wanted to thank Azam for his kindness. If she had magic like her mother and Shahmir, she could have grown beautiful plants to give Azam; if she was like Irfan, she would find an adorable puppy; if she was like Mustafa, she could write him a gorgeous and moving letter.
But she didn’t have any magic. Sonya released a great big sigh. Those men in the tavern last night had been right: she was nothing special.
The very least she could do was make breakfast, even if she wasn’t a kitchen-witch.
She began by cleaning things so she’d have more space to work. She washed the dishes, then organized all the kitchenware, tidying up where she could. After a bit of organization, things looked much improved.
Afterwards, she found eggs and vegetables, along with bread and cheese. She lit the fire, which thankfully was easy, as the wood was already dry and the matches were right there on the mantle. She had seen the maids start the fires in her rooms enough times.
Finding the kettle, Sonya filled it with water, then set it to boil for tea. Then, she cooked eggs in a pan with some sliced vegetables and cheese. When that was done, she browned bread on a toasting fork.
After it was all ready, she cleared the dining table, then set it, finding matching plates and utensils. She tidied up the living area as well, and the space looked much more open than it had before.
Still, Sonya was worried she hadn’t done enough. She knew how to cook only a little bit because she spent a lot of time in the kitchens with the head cook, Arabella. She always loved watchingthe kitchen-witches at work. Outside of her tutorial lessons, she hadn’t been allowed to do much else, let alone leave the castle, so spending time watching the kitchen-witches at work had helped to occupy her.
They were always so kind to her—she knew theyhadto be because she was the princess, but still, in a way, she had loved them. She knew each of their names and their stories.
She felt a painful twist in her chest. She would miss them.
As she looked at the breakfast spread now, she knew that Arabella, at least, would be proud of her for her work. Arabella was the one who had allowed Sonya to spend as much time as she wished in the kitchen, saying, ‘Come now, if you’re going to stick around you may as well help.’
She’d let Sonya stir the pot of chicken and chickpeas with a long wooden spoon, or baste the goat leg with gravy, or even knead the dough for bread. Easy things, and Sonya had known she wasn’t exactly contributing much, but it had made her happy. She was always pleased to be a part of something.
She felt that same pleasure now, making breakfast for Azam and his family. Of course, she did not have Arabella’s magic, but she hoped the breakfast would taste good anyway.
Everything finished, Sonya went to the door, wondering whether she should call Azam down or if it’d be more polite to knock on his door. But when she entered the hallway, she bumped right into Azam himself.
‘Oop!’
‘Sorry!’
Sonya stumbled back, and he caught her elbow, pulling her upright. He gave her a warm smile, amused, and a jolt ran down her spine as she looked up at him.
In the light, she noticed just how handsome he was.
‘Good morning,’ Azam said, hand still on her elbow. He smiled and she noticed that he had dimples in both cheeks.
‘Good morning,’ she replied. He let go of her elbow and ran a hand through his hair, which was messy from sleep. As his arm moved, his shirt shifted; the white shirt was hastily tucked into his trousers and open at the throat. The sight of his bare collarbone made her feel jittery for some reason, and she glanced down. He was barefoot.
‘I thought I heard someone down here,’ he said.
She looked back up at him. Hisvoice. It was deep, a bit gravelly this early in the morning, and his accent made the words long and drawn out, like a song. She wanted to hear him speak again.
‘I guessed it was just the mice,’ he said, and she scrunched her nose.
‘I hate mice,’ she said with a shudder. He laughed an easy, open-mouthed laugh. It made her smile. He was so bright, so vivid. She tried to remember what she had been going to say. ‘I—I made breakfast,’ she managed. ‘I thought it was the very least I could do to thank you for your kindness.’
She stepped back into the room, and he followed. When he glanced at the table, his face lit up. ‘Oh! You didn’t have to do all this, Sonya,’ he said, and a little shiver ran down her spine at the way he said her name. He looked around. ‘And it’s so tidy! I haven’t seen this place so neat in…I can’t remember how long.’
She held her hands together, feeling shy. ‘I wanted to.’
‘Thank you,’ he said, turning back to her. His eyes were so very brown. ‘Breakfast looks delicious. I should go wake—’
He cut off at the sound of feet barreling down the stairs. A moment later, a tiny figure shot into the room. Sonya caught the flash of messy pigtails as a little girl launched herself into Azamwith a delighted cry. Alarm jolted through her, but Azam was unperturbed. He seemed prepared for such an onslaught and easily caught his sister, tossing her into the air.
She shrieked, and Sonya held a hand to her heart, but the girl was grinning. Azam flipped her in the air then caught her, plopping her down onto a chair. Now that she had stopped moving, Sonya caught a good look at her; she looked just like Azam, the same dark brown hair and big eyes. She was wearing a gingham dress in a bright yellow color.
The little girl giggled up at Azam, and he bopped her nose. ‘Good morning, bandri,’ he said.Little monkey. The girl laughed. ‘Dania, can you say hello to my friend?’
