Page 153 of Kingdom of Death and Hope

How do they have the ingredients to make candy? I thought they were only given a little bit of rations and they hunted for their meat.

“Yes, a small piece of candy. She only had enough ingredients for two pieces and she wanted me to give some to you,” Kieran says.

“Why doesn’t she enjoy them herself?” I ask as I stare at the two pieces of candy in his hands.

“Because she wanted you to try them. She used to be a candy maker before the curse was placed and she wants you to enjoy some to make your day better.”

Tears form in my eyes and I push my bottom lip out.

“Is there any way for me to meet her?”

Kieran shakes his head. “Not right now. She can’t walk much and there is not enough time for us to get to her before Henry comes back.”

“I want to meet her,” I declare.

“And you will. But for now, let’s eat and then you can have a piece of candy.”

Kieran pulls out the buns and hands me one.

“Are you still having trouble sleeping?” Kieran asks as he bites into one of the buns.

I shrug. “Sometimes.”

Lie.

It’s all the time. I still can’t manage to get more than three hours of sleep consecutively. After having a nightmare I’ll stay awake for a while before my body pulls me back to sleep, only to be woken up once more. It’s an exhausting cycle and I just want to be able to sleep through the whole night.

Mother has threatened to get the herbs, but I’ve managed to stop her. My fear only grows when she brings them up. So many different things could go on when I’m knocked out.

“Sweets.” His voice is disapproving. “Tell the truth.”

“I’m still not sleeping well,” I sigh. “Mother has mentioned some herbs that will knock me out, but I can’t do it.”

Kieran runs a hand up and down my arm. “Why don’t you try it out at least once? It could even be during the day so you have Henry outside your door the whole time.”

Shaking my head, I look down at the bun. “She could still get in the house even if Henry is standing outside. She got me from outside my house to the dungeon before I even knew what was happening. She could easily come into my room without anyone knowing and I wouldn’t be able to say anything since I would be knocked out.”

“But at some point your body is going to get so exhausted that you will just pass out for hours and you won’t be able to do anything. I don’t want you walking around and passing out and hurting yourself. You don’t know when that is going to happen and I don’t want you to do it when something serious is happening,” Kieran says.

“But I’m so worried that she is going to come back and get me. She could hide me somewhere else where no one would find me, and she could use a spell so I wouldn’t be able to communicate with you. What then?” I ask.

Kieran places his bun down and gently holds my shoulders, making me face him. “That is not going to happen. She knows that the prince is watching over you. If the guards don’t see you walking out of the house they will report it to him. Henry will report it to him. I have no doubt your mother will look for you and let everyone know that you’re missing. People will look for you, but even then it is not going to happen. She can’t risk taking you again.”

“What if you’re wrong?” I question.

“I’m not. It would be extremely foolish of her to do it. If you want, I can talk to someone about herbs and tell you how much you should take. There will be different dosages to make you sleep more or less and you can start off with a small amount so you aren’t out very long. And I would try it during the day so that your mother and Henry can keep an eye on you,” he explains.

“Really?”

He nods his head. “I will talk to them after this and the next time we meet I will give you some. We are going to let you get sleep.”

Worry builds inside me with all the possibilities that could happen while I’m asleep. What if the prince comes and wants to talk to me but I can’t be woken up? Will he do anything to my mother?

“Everything is going to be okay,” Kieran whispers. “Now, finish up your bun and then I can give you a piece of candy.”

He lets go of me and I finish the bun, letting it fill my stomach. Every single time I meet with Kieran he always brings me food… delicious food, but I can never eat everything he brings.

“Here’s the piece of candy.” He hands it over.