A Brugel Fairytale Treasury by Ebony McKenna

Author:Ebony McKenna
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebony McKenna

Monday, January 15

One month until Faddei’s demand expires. This is quite terrible. I am not hiding out, not really. It’s just that the iced cream cellars are further from the castle than even the archery range. It is near the lake, and staff have packed the cellars with sheets of ice and blocks of snow. Shrouded in thick furs and layers upon layers of clothing, I sit here eating my tumultuous emotions.

Perhaps if I eat too much, my body shall freeze and I will not have to marry Faddei.

Obviously I have written this later, back in my chambers. I would not have been able to write in the cellars – the ink would freeze in the bottle, as would my clumsy fingers.

Yes, yes, I must get on with the important thing that happened today. I’m not even using very good grammar. I am delaying, again, because I can scarce believe what took place. So I shall not start a new paragraph in case it is too easy to read amongst the rest of my ramblings, but Leopold entered the iced cream cellar whilst I was there and long story short, my brains and heart are no longer my own.

“There you are!” He says, cheerful as a bluefinch in spring. Then quickly adds, “Your Grace.”

“Are people looking for me?”

“No search parties as yet, but they’ll notice you missing from the dinner table soon.”

“I’m not hungry.”

He surveys the empty barrels but does not correct my obvious lie. “You don’t have to stay in here, the iced cream will not melt on the way back to the dining room.”

“Fine. Yes, I admit I am hiding out here because I cannot face the court.”

He takes a seat, clearly not about to leave me alone. “I missed you at archery training today.”

This barrel is now empty, so I leave it on the floor and reach for another stacked nearby.

He says, “I hope the glove has helped a little.”

I spin around. “It was you! Why didn’t you say anything when I wore it?”

“Too many people watching. I felt it best to say nothing, lest it embarrass you or feed more rumours.”

Drat him for being so thoughtful. I crank the lid off a fresh barrel. “Ohh, this one has roasted coffee beans.” I have only the one spoon, so I wipe it on my arm to clean it off. “Want some?”

He accepts the spoon, ladles some iced cream on it and eats it. His face softens with something approaching rapture. Then he wipes the spoon clean and hands it back. “A fitting last meal.”

I dig in far less politely and scoop as much iced cream as the spoon will hold. “Wait, what ‘last meal’? Why do you say that?”

“I think it best I leave the palace. You need an archery instructor who will not subject you to gossip.”

He’s leaving me? I stare at him, spoon hovering in front of my open mouth. “But that’s not fair!” How very un-Grand Duchessy of me. I think I then ate a massive amount of coffee bean iced cream in a storm of confusion.

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