A Curse of Malice & Mercy (Courts of Malice Book 1) by Miranda Joy

Author:Miranda Joy [Joy, Miranda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Spellbound Souls
Published: 2023-06-15T16:00:00+00:00

nineteen

Help Me, Please!

Alessia

The last six weeks or so, I’ve stayed busy with training. The sessions are only a few hours long in the mornings. We’ve progressed from bodyweight to strength training with boulders, logs, and iron. But still no weaponry work yet. Sometimes the sessions are so brutal I spend the rest of my day eating and sleeping. Recovering.

My clothes are starting to fit differently, hugging my developing curves. There are hints of muscles along my body. Though I’m no stranger to labor and activity, this is the first time in my life I’ve been able to eat enough to support new muscle growth.

Putting on muscle requires eating in a surplus, Ken informed me, which is quite all right with me. The extra doughnuts I’ve been indulging in are a delight.

It’s crazy what eating more can do for one’s mind and body.

Though my debt is officially paid to Rainer, on days when I have enough energy to be useful, I tag along with Das Celyn, cooking and baking. It’s therapeutic. Best of all, I can sometimes convince Das Celyn to take meals with me. They’ve been eating more, and their mood reflects it. They have more patience, more color in their cheeks. And when Das Lulu is around, we even smile and make jokes.

It reminds me so much of my time with Char. My heart still aches at the loss, and I’m not sure it’ll ever stop aching, but it’s becoming more manageable. I’m learning to swim through the waves of grief.

Ever since I made a fool of myself with the berries, I’ve barely seen Rainer. We almost kissed. That I’m sure of. Or rather, I almost kissed him. But I’m not sure if I hallucinated the attraction between us.

Perhaps it was one-sided.

I’ve continued to dream of him, which is a nice change of pace from the nightmares I had before. But whenever I actually see him in real life, he glares at me. That’s if he doesn’t swiftly exit the room and dodge me altogether. That’s what makes me think I imagined his softer side. I’m a fool for it.

Even with Rainer reining in his hospitality, I can’t believe I’ve been here just shy of two months already. I can’t believe how at home I’m starting to become here.

Today, I dress in black tights, a fitted earthy-green tunic, and my training boots. Parting my ashy curls down the middle, I braid each side into its own long tail, tying the ends with a thin strip of cloth. When I’m done, I peek at myself in the mirror.

The girl reflected back at me in the gold-rimmed mirror looks like a stranger. Her forehead is relaxed, no longer marred with worry-lines, her grey eyes softer. There are no longer dark half-circles under her eyes, and her skin radiates a healthy peach coloring, sprinkled with light freckles.

She looks younger, happier, healthier.

I certainly feel it, too.

I’m still exhausted, but in a different way, a better way, and my new lifestyle is reflected in my appearance.

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