Chapter 8 #2
Mama Nubia is the head maid and cleaner.
When it comes to the kitchens, she makes sure the place is spotless and that not a spoon is out of place, and when it comes to the maid staff, she is in charge of training and assigning the duties.
She’s an amazing woman. Aza would actually consider her quite a good mother figure, especially since Aza doesn’t have one now.
If she has any major girl problems or life questions, she’s the one she would go to.
But Aza was a little hesitant to bring up Jahar, especially her feelings about him, since she certainly shouldn’t have them in the first place, and it is a taboo subject.
“We… ah… had a little disagreement.”
“Aw, you both had your first fight, how adorable.” She coos.
“It wasn’t exactly a fight. I don’t think fights are necessarily one-sided, and it was basically me just yelling at him, and I shouldn’t have.
Anyway, I shouldn’t be talking about this.
I shouldn’t be having any kind of fights with my guards.
Well, except maybe Ramsee, because he’s awful and treats people awfully, too.
” Aza tries to end the conversation, embarrassed.
“Oh, hush, dear. Mama’s here to listen, not spread gossip like some of those other boys and girls. What was the one-sided fight about?”
Aza sighs with a small smile, “I may have crossed a line when he told me we couldn’t… I may have snapped at him and told him I would take my other guard to come here instead of him.” Aza’s cheeks start to blush, and she shoves her face in her palms.
“Men. There’s no winning with them. They’re always on the polar ends of things, either too pushy to get what they want, or too closed-off.
But Jahar is a good man. You two would be great for each other.
I see the way you both look at each other.
But the whole ‘have to marry a prince’ thing gets in the way a bit. ”
“Just a little bit. But either way, he doesn’t want me like that. And even if he did, like you said, princess, guard. Plus, the age difference alone is a no-no.”
“Oh, age doesn’t mean a thing when it’s two grown people who genuinely care about each other and are in love.” She shooed Aza with her hands, then settled into the seat next to me. “I hope you find a way to get your happy ending, though.”
“Thanks, Mama, but I’m not holding my breath quite yet.”
“If I were you, and I had the opportunity to have that much love and devotion in my life, I would never stop fighting for it. You know, when the King offered him that job to become your personal guard, I had never seen him happier; he lit up the whole room. And you and I both know how much he loved working down here and being a chef.”
Aza smiled at that, “Thanks, Mama, I will keep that in mind.”
“Of course, my dearest.”
“What are we gossiping about, ladies?” Jahar’s husky voice interjected.
Mama beams when she sees Jahar enter the room. He was like a son to her from the beginning. Mama Nubia had worked with his father forever and helped to watch him and raise him.
“You, of course.” She coos, and Aza subtly shakes her head, playfully rolling her eyes.
Mama gets out of the chair and makes her way to Jahar, giving him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Hi, Mama,” he said with so much love.
“Where have you been, boy? I know you live here, so why is the only time I hear you visited was on your time off, and I didn’t even get to see you?” She questioned, giving him a small slap on the arm.
“I’m sorry, Mama. I have no excuse. I will be better moving forward.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Now sit down and help this girl choose the perfect plates. You know I would if I had a lick of knowledge about food in my blood, but despite working in the kitchens and palace for over 40 years, I still haven’t got any.” she jokes.
“Yes, Mama,” Jahar says, slightly bowing before sliding into a chair next to Aza.
“Good. Now I will get Chef Naeem again. I will see you both later.” They all wave goodbye.
Silence settles between them before Jahar asks, “What did you say to Ramsee? He looked furious when he came to fetch me.”
Aza couldn’t help but chuckle and sigh a little bit that Jahar wasn’t bringing up what happened right away, and instead went with humor to break the ice.
“I yelled at him.”
“What?! Princess Amiaza? Yelling at someone?” Jahar asks, feigning shock.
“Haha, very funny. And yes, I did. I had asked him very politely to fetch you, and he questioned why I needed you. And I told him I needed someone with culinary expertise and that I was the Princess, and, despite having asked him nicely before, I was now telling him to do something. Any other objections were unnecessary because I am surrounded by people who are knife experts, and I would be safer with them.” She recited, probably more proudly than she should have.
Jahar whistles, “Damn. Well, you got him good.”
“Humph, thanks.”
Jahar just smiles at her, and she can’t help but smile back. Their exchange is interrupted when Chef Naeem returns.
“Are we ready now?” Chef Naeem asks.
“Yes, sorry, thank you.”
“No worries, Your Highness. Jahar, very nice to see you.”
“You too,” Jahar replies, nodding his head in hello.
“What I have for you today is a variety of meats, vegetables, fruits, breads, and wines. I apologize, supplies have been decreasing slightly, so I have a little less to show you than I’d like, but I can make anything work.
You may taste them all. Tell me which ones you like and want, and we will make sure they are all prepared when the time comes. ”
“What is happening with the supplies?”
“Oh, nothing to worry about, just a couple of bad harvests I’ve heard, but that is bound to happen.”
“Oh, alright. Well, Sir Jahar, what do you think?”
“Well, first and foremost, this is your kingdom hosting, so as much as I know you want to please everyone, this is also your opportunity to show off what your kingdom has to offer with the different things that we grow and the spices and such that we use,” Jahar informs, and Aza nodded in acknowledgment.
“I think a nice bird would be a good meat to serve. It is something that is eaten across the world, so will be familiar to people, and we have a large supply of it, but to make it stand out, our wonderful Chef Naeem here, I’m sure, can make you a delicious garnish that makes our kingdom and culture pop. ”
“I would be happy to mix up a few quickly for you to try and choose from.” Chef Naeem offers.
“Yes, that would be great.”
Chef Naeem smiles, bows, and then quickly leaves the room, and they can faintly hear him give out orders to some of the other chefs.
“Now, next we want a nice mixture of vegetables and fruits.”
After much taste testing and many decisions, they settled on a delicious meal course for the upcoming ball in a few months.
Something Aza would not have been able to do on her own.
Jahar had even put in a special order for lunch for them before they left, and Chef Naeem happily served it.
They were now on their way back to Aza’s room.
“Jahar… I’m sorry about today. I completely overstepped, and I should not have yelled at you. That wasn’t very princess-like,” Aza apologized.
“It is all right, Princess. I never meant to offend you or make you angry. You are going through a lot right now, and tensions and emotions are high. I need to also be aware of boundaries and not just question yours.”
Aza sighs but nods her head to him.
They eventually reach her room, and Jahar bids her adieu.