Chapter 19 #2
Liza had been the head chef at the castle for longer than Auraelia had been alive.
The wrinkles on her round, ivory face told the stories of a life well-lived, and the gold band around her finger told of a love that withstood the years.
Her once auburn hair was now white with faint streaks of strawberry blonde and forever twisted into a knot on top of her head.
And though she was hard as stone when it came to her kitchen, making sure that everything and everyone was where they should be, she had always had a soft spot for Auraelia…
except when she was where Liza didn’t think she should be—like now.
“I’m helping,” Auraelia said with a small smile as she grabbed a spare apron and tied it around her waist.
“Your Majesty—”
“Liza, you’ve been cooking all day. First here, then down in the city, and now here again. I know you’re exhausted—”
“I am n—”
“Yes, you are. You fuss at every person in your kitchen for leaning on the counters, and now look at you.” Auraelia gestured to where her chef was leaning against the banquet table. “You’re tired. Let me help, please.”
Liza straightened and grumbled under her breath before handing Auraelia a serving spoon. “One scoop of potatoes and veggies. After everyone has been served, if there is anything left, they may return for more. Understood?”
Chuckling, Auraelia nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
The line went by quickly, and by the time everyone had been served, Auraelia’s stomach was growling.
Liza cut her a stern look. “You didn’t eat before you came down here, did you?”
Curling her lips inward, Auraelia made to look anywhere but at the harsh glare coming from her head chef.
“Auraelia Rose!”
Shit.
“Getting into trouble, Princess?” Daemon’s voice sent a wave of heat down her spine and flooding into her cheeks.
“You!” Liza pointed an accusing finger at Daemon, her hard gaze turning from Auraelia to him. “Why didn’t you make sure she ate before coming down here?”
Daemon’s eyes widened, his gaze flicking between the plump woman and Auraelia. “Uh…excuse me?”
“She hasn’t eaten! I’m not even sure she’s eaten at all today. Have you?” Liza’s eyes cut back to Auraelia as she finished speaking.
Feeling like a child being reprimanded for stealing chocolate from the kitchens—which she was quite familiar with—Auraelia gave a grim smile. “I was…busy?”
“I swear by the Goddess.” Liza threw her hands up in exasperation, then rubbed her temples before turning back toward Daemon.
“If you don’t get some damn food in her, I don’t care if you’re a prince; I’m going to come after you.
Because evidently, she can’t be trusted to eat when she’s supposed to.
” The last of her tirade was spat directly at Auraelia, and she cringed.
Auraelia had seen Liza angry before—and it was a scary sight to behold—but it had never been directed at her.
Daemon, however, seemed to be struggling to contain a laugh as he responded to the woman.
“I will ensure she eats. You have my word.” He gave her a low bow, then grabbed two plates from the stack at the end of the table and proceeded to load them up with a little bit of everything that remained.
When he finished, he smiled at Auraelia.
“I’ll be in the hall whenever you’re ready to go.
” Shooting her a wink, he turned on his heel.
Once he was out of earshot, Liza slowly turned toward Auraelia with a knowing smile on her face.
“What?”
“Nothing…Princess.”
“Liza.”
“Don’t ‘Liza’ me. He seems like a good one. He’s easy on the eyes, too.”
“Liza!”
“I may be old, Auraelia. But I’m not blind.”
Shaking her head, Auraelia untied her apron and placed it into the chef’s outstretched hand. “Off to bed with you, Liza. And take the morning off.”
“The morning off? Have you lost your mind?”
“We have plenty of pastries and fruit to go around. You’re taking the morning off. That’s an order.”
Groaning, Liza conceded and pulled Auraelia in for a hug. “Take care of yourself, Your Majesty. We would be lost without you.” Tears lined the chef’s eyes when they pulled apart, but she blinked them away and gave Auraelia a stiff nod. “Now, off with you before your stomach wakes the kiddies.”
Shaking her head with a chuckle, Auraelia stepped from behind the table and headed to where Daemon was waiting for her.
“Goddess, that woman knows how to cook,” Daemon exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair and swiped a napkin across his mouth.
“That she does.”
When silence fell between them, Daemon reached over and grasped her hand. “What is it?”
“I’d like to go see Xander. I know they will let me know if there are any changes, but—” Her words were cut short by a knock at the door.
Straightening in her seat, Auraelia gave Daemon a look of confusion and then called for whomever it was to enter. When Ser Aeron stepped into the room, all of the air rushed out of her lungs as dread set in, and every horrible thought she could imagine played on a loop in her mind.
Xander is dead.
Davina is back.
We lost more people.
Seeming to sense where her mind had gone, Daemon gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. When she still hadn’t found her voice, he asked, “What can we do for you, Commander?”
The relationship between Ser Aeron and Daemon had always been a tense one. Her commander didn’t seem to trust him—or at least, he didn’t seem to trust him with her. But there was now an understanding in his eyes as he met Daemon’s before averting his gaze back to Auraelia.
“Your Majesty, your brother is awake. And he’s asking for you.”
Auraelia had never gotten out of a chair faster in her life, reaching for Daemon with a pleading look in her eyes. She didn’t want to waste time sprinting through the halls. She wanted to see her brother, and she wanted to see him now.
Her heart was pounding in her chest as Daemon pulled her into his arms.
Xander was awake.
As his shadows swirled around them, he placed a kiss on the crown of her head and whispered, “Breathe, my star.”