***
THE NEXT COUPLE OFdays were as busy as could be. I rarely saw the crown prince, much less had time to apologize. I poured myself into sewing his shirt instead, a project I had forgotten about until Giselle barged in several nights to remind me. I quickly fell into a rhythm of stitching. Uneven, lopsided stitching, but stitching nonetheless. The needle grew familiar between my fingers, and though wielding it was painful in more ways than one, I found the pain more bearable than the embarrassment that arose whenever I recalled our kiss.
When Lord Irving sent us the list of appointments he had collected, the sheer volume sent Ulysses into a frenzy.
“Fitting these all into a day is impossible,” Ulysses said, throwing his hands in the air. “This wasnotpart of the schedule!”
After hearing his complaints, Lady Marianna and Prince Ash volunteered to take part in the hearings. This quelled the steward considerably.
The next day at city hall, we listened to the citizens’ qualms.
“I detest waking up in the morning and seeing things float about like they’ve been possessed!” a laundry woman exclaimed.
“The witches always startle my sheep. I don’t know what they are doing to them,” a shepherd said.
“My store cannot compete with the ones at the witch market,” an elder who owned an antique store complained. “Did you know their porcelain figurines are enchanted to talk? Unbelievable!”
A blacksmith shook his wild-maned head. “They’re making swords and axes and saws that make no noise. Can you imagine a silent saw? The woodworkers are snatching those up right, left, and center!”
One woman asked me if witches such as myself drank the blood of children, to which I replied no. After several strings of profanity thrown my way, she was escorted out by Maddox and Flannery. There didn’t seem to be any witches in the midst, merely humans who wanted to ask me how magic worked. Some even asked how to get rid of it.
“No one needs my horses anymore,” a horse-breeder said, scowling heavily at me from across the table. “It’s because your kind enchants carts to carry themselves whenever someone asks. Next thing you know, the fields will be plowing themselves. How is anyone supposed to make a living with all this magic around?”
I noted that Cozbi got put out of work for the very same reason. The horse was living a more pampered life because of it, but I didn’t feel it wise to mention that to the breeder.
By the end of the day, the four of us rattled back to the estate, tired to the bone.
“Many in Vandil still have a strong prejudice against witchkind,” Lady Marianna said, shaking her head.
Prince Ash heaved a sigh, looking out the small window of the carriage. “I’ve been here for a month observing the situation. The main issue is the Vandil witch market outperforming other shops, despite being so new. People flock to see all the oddities. And with prices being so low for magical items...well let’s say the average family can have self-cleaning dishes.”
I furrowed my brow. “Why are the prices so low?” One would assume a self-driving cart or a talking porcelain figurine would cost a fortune.
“Witches aren’t used to being paid fair wages for their products and services. I suppose they’re low because they don’t know where to start,” Prince Ash said.
“How is the textile trade with foreign merchants?” Crown Prince Bennett asked from beside me.
Prince Ash made a face. “Not good. They’re still asking for witch-made fabrics, but I’ve managed to convince them to revisit their original sources. It seems to be working for now.”
“Is the demand for finer fabrics, or utilitarian ones?” the crown prince said. His shoulder brushed mine as the carriage rolled over a bump.
“Both. They think anything witch-made is better, though I’m not sure if that is the case.”
The crown prince nodded, gazing out at the flax fields rolling past us. “Perhaps if we limit the witches to making their specialty fabrics, the merchants will be more inclined to go to human sources for more practical materials.”
I shifted in my seat. “Will that not take away from the witch businesses?”
Crown Prince Bennett met my eye for a split second before looking away. It was dark, but I swore his ears grew red. His voice, however, was as soft and level as ever. “Finer fabrics will naturally be more expensive. Witches can increase their prices. If their fabrics are as good as everyone claims—good enough to riot over—the merchants should have no issue paying a higher amount.”
I nodded, hoping my cheeks didn’t look as warm as they felt. “Fabrics aside, I believe we should limit anything too life-changing for the average civilian. Self-driving carts, for example. People seem the angriest over such items.”
“Good thinking, Narcissa, Bennett. I will send a letter to Father right away,” Prince Ash said. “I’ll keep our solutions vague. You know how he gets when we do all the work for him.”
The brothers exchanged a knowing glance.
Before I could read too much into it, Prince Ash yawned loudly. “But first, a bath. I believe someone spat on my leg today.”
I was ready to fall unconscious when we returned, but when I arranged myself and Misty on the bed and reached over to blow out the candle, my hands brushed over the pile of linen bunched next to it. I stared until Misty pawed my arm.
