Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
RANA
“I’ve always said my cooking was good enough for a Sultan,” Teta sighed happily over her steaming cup of tea. “If only your grandfather were here for me to tell him, ‘I told you so.’”
Rana grinned as she set her own cup back on the small table between them. Dan and Aida’s apartment above the tailor shop was small, but cozy, and the kitchen was full of bright sunlight and the fresh, calming scent of the trailing ferns that hung from hemp baskets on either side.
It had been too long since she had been able to sneak away and visit Teta. After the incident with the scorpion the night before and the sudden revelation of the feelings she was still trying to fight against, Rana had taken the entire morning off.
“Didn’t you normally break out that line when something burned and he happened to notice?”
“Details, details.” Teta waved her comment away. “What matters is that our Sultan has tasted my Adhavian Delight. Even more interesting.” Her eyes took on a calculating gleam. “Is the fact that you willingly shared with him. What happened to staying as far away from him as you could?”
She could feel the blush creeping up her neck, and she picked her cup up again and held it with both hands in front of her face, as if somehow the tiny vessel would hide her from Teta’s far too knowing gaze. “He kept finding me.”
“Hmmm.” Teta took a loud sip of tea. “And because you were so upset that he kept seeking you out, you rewarded him with some of my Adhavian Delight—your favorite treat—to convince him to stay away?”
“I…he can be very charming when he wants to be,” Rana grumbled into her cup, sending a mock glare over the top when Teta broke into laughter.
“I see. And given your request for more, am I to understand that he has continued being charming?”
“I’m just trying to be kind.” Rana lifted her nose primly into the air. “I’m being paid quite well for this job, and I would like to be a good guest.”
Teta’s answering hum was unconvinced, and there was a twinkle in her eyes that Rana didn’t trust. She cleared her throat and pressed forward.
“Though I should probably warn you that, after his first piece, Kamaran did decide that he should cancel the Queen’s Contest and marry you instead.”
“Did he now? And how do you feel about Kamaran’s intentions?”
Rana instantly recognized her mistake. She ignored the emphasis on Kamaran’s name, knowing that the more she fought against it, the more deeply whatever idea Teta was forming would embed itself in her mind, and the more persistent her own emotions would become.
“I think he has impeccable taste. Who wouldn’t want to marry you?
You’re a much better option than some of the ones he currently has, anyway. ”
“How are things going?” Teta set her empty cup back on its saucer. “The contest is down to the final three, is it not?”
She nodded, swallowing against the bitter taste of jealousy that stampeded in like a raging elephant at the merest mention of the Queen’s Contest. “Tonight is the final elimination announcement, and the winner will be decided after the ball next week—which reminds me, I need to remember to grab more of that lilac trim before I head back.”
If she focused on work, perhaps that would distract her from the situation.
As long as she didn’t think too hard about the fact that the beautiful dresses she was making were specifically designed to enhance the wearer’s beauty and catch the Sultan’s eye.
I don’t think I’ve ever regretted being so good at my job before.
“Is there a favorite? From what I’ve heard, Kamaran seems to be rather fond of Nour.” Her grandmother leaned forward with her hands laced together, as if anticipating a serving of juicy gossip.
Is he? I suppose it would make sense. Nour is the kindest of the three, and she’s the one least likely to look down on him if she knew about his struggles with reading. If I had to pick one of them for him, it would be her.
She forced herself to smile. “I can’t say for sure. It’s not a topic that usually comes up during our conversations.”
Because the last thing I want to hear is him describing which of them is capturing his heart. I don’t think I would be able to keep the jealousy off my face, and he doesn’t need me to make things awkward. This is my problem, not his, and I need to just get over it and be happy for him.
“Ah, yes. The conversations with His Majesty that have been happening nightly for the last two weeks.” Teta nodded knowingly.
“How did you…?” Rana started in confusion before her shoulders fell with a heavy sigh. “Jasper.”
“He keeps me well-informed.”
“If that’s the case, why not ask him who the favorite is?”
“Because he has a rather different answer than what I’ve heard, and I wanted to get your perspective as a woman on the inside.”
Rana abandoned the idea of her cup shield and set it down. “Like I said, Kamaran hasn’t really said anything to me about it, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Nour is the one he likes most. She’s kind and honest and doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who would take advantage of her position.”
“You think she’ll make a good wife for him?”
If she were honest with herself, the idea of Nour in a wedding dress standing across from Kamaran made her sick to her stomach. She was, however, quite happy to continue lying to herself and so instead of denying the statement, she shrugged. “I guess. It doesn’t really matter what I think, though.”
Teta’s brows lifted. “It doesn’t?”
“Why would it? The only part I have to play in any of this is to make sure that the ladies’ wardrobes are in good condition.”
“So you’ll be content to sit back and watch him marry one of them? And before you answer that, dear, remember that I’m your grandmother. I can tell when you’re trying to keep things from me.”
Rana doubled down. “I’m just the seamstress, Teta. I might have been wrong about Kamaran before, but there’s nothing between us but friendship.”
“Does he know that?”
“Of course he does! If he were interested in me romantically, he would have said something by now.”
“Unless he thought you were uninterested in him,” Teta pointed out.
“You made no secret of how you felt about him when you first met. Perhaps he’s simply respecting those boundaries.
He obviously likes you enough to regularly seek out your company, and friendships are often the best foundation for something more.
But if he’s afraid his feelings would be unwelcome, he might say nothing out of a desire to maintain your current friendship. ”
Something that felt suspiciously like hope flared in her chest, waking a kaleidoscope of butterflies. If Teta was right, if Kamaran really did care for her but was holding himself back because he thought she didn’t feel the same…
“I’ve seen that face before,” Teta said with a smile. “What are you thinking?”
“I think that it’s time we finally get to the happily-ever-after part of the story.” Rana stood. “The part where the girl realizes that the prince isn’t the lizard she thought he was and breaks his curse—maybe even with a kiss.”
Teta pushed herself up from her chair and shuffled over to the counter.
She picked up the tin that Rana had brought in to be refilled and handed it to her.
“And if that doesn’t work, don’t forget that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
If he was willing to marry me for my Adhavian Delight, imagine what he’ll say when he learns you know the recipe as well as I do. ”