Page 58 of A Cursed Son

“I mentioned the princess just for you to know how much he loves you. How exciting it is to know he’s finally found his queen. There’s no balance when a king is alone, you know?”

“But Renel is single, isn’t he?”

She scoffs. “Like I said, no balance. And he’s no king.”

“Did Marlak, did he ever wear the crown?”

“If he did or did not, it makes no difference.”

So he probably didn’t, and its rightful owner is indeed Renel.

I wish I wasn’t so angry at this seamstress, wish I could make some conversation, get to learn more about Marlak. No, I need to focus and pretend.

Smiling, I say, “I admire your loyalty so much. And appreciate it.”

She is measuring my shoulders now. “It’s a matter of survival. We protect our own. Protect ourselves.”

“Right. And was Marlak involved with anyone else?”

“Perhaps.” She’s measuring my head again, and I sure hope it’s not for a crown. “I’m not privy to his secrets.”

Great. Now she decides to shut her mouth. Still, I need to learn as much as I can. “And this spider princess, did she forgive him?”

“Was it forgiveness, or was it hope? Perhaps now she’ll be free to move on.”

I grit my teeth. “Let’s hope she does.”

For some reason I want to squash that spider, when in reality I should be hoping that she could convince Marlak to let me go and marry her instead.

No, but then I can’t uncover his secrets, can’t finish my mission. That makes sense, and explains why I’m feeling this odd anger. I guess it’s just that I don’t want to miss this opportunity to prove my value.

The truth is that I can’t figure out what goes on in my own head. No wonder even the seamstress is having trouble measuring it.

11

Nelsin takes Irene away, and I’m left alone with Ferer. He’s chopping vegetables for lunch, and I realize I should offer to help, so he gives me a tomato. When I try to cut it, it flies from the board all the way to the other side of the kitchen. Mortified, I chase it, but the fae is faster.

Ferer takes the tomato and stares at me. “You’ve never cooked before?”

“No.” I feel stupid, and add, “We had a dining hall.”

“Huh. What did you eat when you took time off?”

“I… lived in the castle. Ate there.” I don’t want to tell him I never had any time off.

He goes back to the counter and washes the tomato in a basin. “You don’t need to help.”

“But then I’ll never learn. Is there anything less slippery?”

He passes me some carrots. “Try these.”

They are easier, but I think I’m chopping them at one tenth of Ferer’s speed. Well, he is fae. I hear steps coming into the kitchen, and for some reason I know it’s not Marlak.

Indeed it’s Nelsin, who stands beside me. “Let me do this.”

“She’s trying to learn,” Ferer says.

“Oh. All right.” The cat-eared fae crosses his arms and observes me.