Page 31 of This Is Not True Love’s Kiss

She gestured at the small wooden door. “This is our first stop.” She knocked on the door, and it opened to reveal a little girl with a brace on her foot.

The little girl who’d broken her ankle today.

Her whole face brightened when she saw Aoife and the basket full of bread. “Is that for me?” she asked, looking longingly at the chocolate loaf perched on top.

“It is,” Aoife said, leaning over and tapping the girl on the nose. “I heard you took a little tumble today.”

The girl’s lips turned down into a pout. “Healer Enid said I won’t be able to run for six whole weeks.”

“That’s too bad,” Aoife said in a soft voice I’d never heard. She reached up and grabbed the loaf from the top of the basket, handing it to the little girl. “Do you think some chocolate might make you feel better?” The girl nodded eagerly, smiling to reveal two front teeth missing. “Thank you, Your Majesties.”

She shut the door, and Aoife and I walked out, Aoife leading me to house after house, serving bread to both Fair Folk and mortals alike. We served an older woman who had trouble getting out, one of the Fair Folk who was celebrating their name day, a family who’d been struck ill with some kind of virus, and lastly, Niamh, who was experiencing horrible nausea with her pregnancy, and the only thing she could stomach was the flavor of lemon. She took the lemon loaf gratefully, smiling up at me, her green eyes shining bright as she held her rounded stomach.

“This little one is causing a lot of trouble, but they’re already so loved.”

“I’m sorry you’ve been so sick,” I said, looking down at my brother’s wife, her pale skin ashen and gray, purple circles under her eyes. I hadn’t even known how much she was suffering. Wolfe hadn’t said anything, and I’d been so busy I hadn’t noticed. Maybe that was why he hadn’t said anything. Because he knew how much I was already taking on.

Niamh stood on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek. “It’s nice seeing you both out together, visiting your people.” A sly smile spread across her lips that I ignored. “I hope this is something we get to see more often?”

“We hope so,” Aoife said from beside me, and my head snapped to her. I couldn’t keep putting off my duties for things like this. Yes, it had been nice greeting citizens, handing them loaves of bread, but in the end, this wasn’t what would make our community truly thrive.

Niamh shut the door, and the empty basket hung from my grip as Aoife and I walked back toward the castle.

“Your next invitation will be coming soon,” she said.

“Aoife, I don’t know what you’re doing, what you’re trying to accomplish with this, but you can’t just expect me to drop everything and bend to your will.”

“Why not?” She stopped and faced me, all the softness I’d seen from her hardening as she scowled and planted her hands on her hips. “Isn’t that what I’ve been doing for you?”

“For Fairwitch Isle,” I said, my shoulders tensing as I sensed another argument coming on.

“And what do you think this was about?” She gestured toward all the houses we’d visited today. “Your people need to see you, to know you. To know me.”

“They need to have a leader who gets things done,” I said and sighed. “What you did today was amazing, Aoife. It was kind and wonderful. But we have serious problems that need to be addressed.”

“Like what?” she asked, nostrils flaring.

That was the perfect segue into what I wanted to tell her. “It’s time you find out.” I set the basket down and faced her.

She backed away a step. “If this is another ploy to control me . . .”

I held up a hand. “It’s not. I want you to be involved.” I paused, ready to forge ahead with my plan. “I’ll do everything you ask of me in the next month.”

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“As long as it doesn’t interfere with what’s already on the schedule. We have weekly meetings with council members, the royal guard, city business owners, the castle staff. I expect you to attend all of them.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Why?” she asked. “Because you think that will scare me away? You think I’ll come to all these meetings and be so overwhelmed that I’ll just quit?”

That wasn’t what I hoped at all. I hoped the opposite. That she’d come and finally see how hard I was working to keep our community safe and thriving. I hoped she would finally understand where I was coming from, and maybe, just maybe be the queen I needed her to be.

But she didn’t need to know that. If I said it, it would likely just offend her or she wouldn’t believe me. I might as well play into this narrative that she’d created that we were enemies, that we were both playing the same game. In some twisted way, that seemed to be what she wanted.

I stayed silent, and she huffed. “Fine, Lor. I’ll attend your meetings. Have the schedule sent to Meera.”

“You already have it.”

She pressed her lips together. “Very good, then. I’ll come to whatever is on the schedule as long as you participate in everything I put on the schedule.”