Chapter 35
Elise opened her eyes after what felt like a few hours of deep slumber.
“It was just a kiss, lordling,” Seth grumbled, fixing an infernal glare on the other side of Elise’s room.
She blinked, her eyes moving from one wall to the next. Relief washed over her when she found Kurt standing there. Bruno kept hopping about, turning his little beak back and forth between the two men as though trying to decide which one was the better bet.
“So why are you still here, Your Majesty?” Kurt shot back at Seth. “Where is this so-called kingdom you fancy yourself ruling, anyway?”
Before the demon could elaborate on the origins of his pedigree or his domains, Elise quickly sat up in bed. If the truth was to be revealed in this very moment, she preferred that it come from her own lips.
“Kurt. Seth,” she said weakly.
“Elise!” both said in unison.
She looked down at her clothes. Much to her relief, it was the same purple linen dress she had worn in the gardens. For a moment, she feared one of them had thought it proper to change her into dry clothes.
Now, for any other woman, having these two remarkable specimens in the privacy of her chamber would have invited the most sinful thoughts. But for Elise, still pure of heart, the sight of Kurt and Seth was hardly less alarming than having a fire in her room.
“What happened? Why are you two here?” she asked, hoping to buy herself some time to gather the courage to reveal everything to Kurt.
The two men seemed equally eager to claim the right to explain what Elise had missed while she was unconscious.
“I was about to leave when this man picked you up as though you were an old rag he owned,” Kurt said, his eyes narrowing at Seth.
“She fell into my arms,” Seth shot back. “Clearly, even on the verge of fainting, she’s able to recognize the best place to fall.”
“Thank you both,” Elise murmured, her gaze still clouded and her senses only just returning. She wished to have some privacy with Kurt, so she turned to Seth. “I’m feeling better. I would like to rest.”
The demon, however, appeared to misunderstand the request.
“She’s right, lordling,” the demon said. “It’s time for you to go.”
Kurt hummed. “You are the one who should leave. Last time I checked, she wanted to talk to me. One single kiss doesn’t make you her Prince Charming.”
“At least I’m able to satisfy her enough for her to use the stone,” Seth rasped.
“What?” Kurt frowned.
But before the conversation could develop into the confession Elise had already decided to make, a violent rap rattled her door.
“I hear men’s voices in there!” Fabian complained. “So that’s why you cut the celebration short today, you had your own little celebration planned, you wicked girl.”
Elise raised a finger to her lips, looking pleadingly at both Kurt and Seth.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It must be Bruno,” Elise called weakly. “I apologize for the noise.”
“I’m not a fool!” Fabian replied through the door. “How many men do you have there?”
“It’s just me and Bruno, I swear.”
“Open the door!” Fabian barked. “I bet my boots the duke is there.” A jingle of keys made the three of them freeze.
Elise looked horrified at Kurt.
Thank the heavens he was as smart as he was handsome. He only needed a few seconds to come up with an escape idea.
“We’ll finish this later,” Kurt said as he went straight to the only window in the room. The opening was so small he had to squeeze his broad frame through it.
Elise heard a key slide into the lock. A cloud of smoke began to fill the room as Seth was preparing to leave as well.
“Please give me a year!” Elise whispered. “I promise I’ll work diligently.”
There was a brief flicker of what could have been disappointment in the demon’s gaze, but he nodded.
“Have it your way.”
Seth disappeared the moment a key turned in the lock. Seconds later, the door burst open.
Bruno began to caw so loudly that Fabian had to cover his ears.
“What is all this fiendish smoke doing in your room?” the fairy sputtered.
Elise let out a heavy breath. At least Fabian hadn’t caught either Kurt or Seth in her room.
Fabian searched the chamber with a suspicious frown. “Why is your window open at this hour of the night?”
“It’s for the vapors,” Elise said. “I was not faring well. They are a famous remedy among witches for restoring the humors. It was just too much emotion for me today.”
Elise was feeling more awake by then. She was relieved not to have given Fabian any more material for gossip.
The fairy still seemed determined to lower her reputation.
During the celebration, Fabian had been distant, and although she hadn’t paid much attention to it, it was now becoming clear that the man might still harbor some ill will toward her.
The fairy kept walking around Elise’s room, lifting the bedcovers, opening drawers, and peering out the window.
“Well, well,” he said. “Just because you completed the potion doesn’t make you immune to punishment for bad behavior. You are still under my rule.”
“Of course,” was all Elise said.
“Ha!” Fabian snorted as he slammed the door behind him.
*****
The next morning, Elise was up before dawn waiting for Kurt. She searched the entire castle for him. The workshop, the maze, the entrance gates, but nothing.
Had he left already? It couldn’t be. She had not the slightest idea when he would return, and the thought of him leaving like this sat poorly with her. She should have confessed her deal with Seth long ago. How foolish she had been to think she could keep it hidden forever.
With some luck, Seth was gone for good. She didn’t want to dwell so much on the kiss. That had been foolish too, and her collection of regrets was already large enough.
One might think that when it comes to romance, if things become too complicated, it is wiser to let them go.
Some would even say that if the world keeps trying to separate two people, perhaps there is a good reason for it.
All of that is true and wise, but not the sort of advice a young woman pursued by a gentleman with the duke’s looks would be eager to follow.
And who could have blamed Elise? After all, half the kingdom would have given an arm and a leg for the chance to be with Kurt.
One of those ladies was, in fact, waiting in the workshop when Elise went downstairs. Her blonde hair was tied in a tight bun, almost as high as her hopes of catching Kurt in marriage.
“Adelle,” Elise said as she practically ran toward her.
The noblewoman raised a brow and took a deep breath at the sight of her. “Elise.”
“Have you seen Kurt?”
“Why?”
“I need to talk to him.”
“I hope it’s nothing that can’t wait a few weeks,” Adelle replied dryly.
Just like that, Elise’s hopes plummeted to the stone floor.
“A few weeks?”
“He had to leave before dawn. Didn’t he tell you?”
Adelle seemed uncomfortable talking to her, and Elise wondered if Fabian had already filled her head with his theories about the supposed private celebration she had held in her chamber the night before.
“There you are, Elise!” Fabian greeted her with a pernicious tone.
The entire workshop paused as Elise approached the fairy, who was proudly wearing what looked like a brand-new pair of bright blue leggings. The garment clung so tightly that his modesty seemed to have surrendered any hope of privacy.
“Very nice pants,” Elise said.
Fabian twirled around for everyone to appreciate the design. “Thank you.”
The crowd nodded in approval.
As if he had achieved some grand feat, the fairy puffed out his chest. “I’m meeting with the king today to discuss the production of the potion and future projects. It will be my first official audience, and I have to thank you, darling.”
“I was only doing my job,” Elise said happily.
“Well, well,” the fairy said with a knowing smile. “Of course, I haven’t forgotten about last night.”
Elise swallowed hard. She could see the sudden interest in everyone’s faces. A tug at her sleeve made her turn.
“He’s already gone around telling everyone you held a debauch last night,” Emery whispered. “A carnival of sin under your sheets, he said.”
“Good Lord!” Elise gasped.
“He swears you brought half the unmarried men in the court to sweat with you in the vapors of Hell. He claims he couldn’t make out anyone because they all escaped through your window the moment he opened the door. There are suspects, of course. Your duke is the leading candidate.”
Elise could feel the eyes of the entire workshop on her. They all looked expectant, eager for her to confirm or deny the rumor.
“What about last night?” Elise asked. In situations like this, she figured it was best to deny every accusation.
Fabian narrowed his eyes. He looked ready to extract a confession, and worse still, a public one.
“I was not the only one who heard men’s voices coming from your room.”
Elise glanced in Gwern’s direction, and the fairy immediately lowered her head. Of course, she was in on it. Her room was only a few doors down from hers, and by now it seemed only natural to assume she had kept a watchful eye on her every move.
But Elise stuck to her only strategy: denying everything. Somehow, she felt that if she admitted even the smallest part of what Fabian was saying, it would open the door for him to invent an entire catalog of outrageous behavior.
“I assure you I was only with Bruno, and the vapors are a common remedy among witches,” she said, chin held high. Like a convict hoping to be hanged with at least some shred of dignity.
Fabian had lost his smug smile by then and was pressing his lips together as he shook his head. He looked like a wicked little doll, his limbs so thin they scarcely seemed enough to support a grown man.
He was about to say something full of spite, venom, and all the beautiful things he was sure to carry inside at all times, when salvation walked into the workshop wearing a smile that stood in stark contrast to Fabian’s scowl.
“Fabian!” Susanne walked to join the fairy. “What are you doing to this poor soul?”
“Susanne,” he gasped.
Then, with the eagerness of a child carrying scandal, he leaned in to whisper to Susanne with a sly smile that only widened the longer he murmured.
Susanne’s frown seemed to deepen the more he indulged himself.
Elise feared what the Chancellor of Magic would have to say about the matter, but she still held on to some hope. After all, Susanne had been nothing but a savior to her.
“Ha, Fabian, please,” Susanne interrupted after a few more whispers. “One need only look at this young lady to know she is capable of nothing of the sort.”
Elise let out a long breath and felt Emery squeeze her arm in excitement.
“But...but, Susanne, you should have heard what I heard. And I have to tell you, there are other witnesses to this outrage.”
The old fairy merely shook her head, never losing her kind expression.
“Instead of trying to find flaws in what I’m sure is perfectly decent behavior, you should be thanking Elise for her extraordinary contribution to the potion,” Susanne said warmly, glancing at her.
“I cannot recall a more promising member of the workshop since the day you were recruited, dear Fabian. You, of all people, should be able to sympathize with her.”
Fabian gave a reluctant nod. He was no doubt considering the implication. He, too, had once been given the opportunity to work among the fairies despite being a man. Being a witch was of course different, but the comparison seemed close enough to stir a measure of sympathy among those present.
“Susanne, I just want to add something that may help persuade you,” Fabian said, as though a wicked idea had suddenly struck him.
“Elise was assigned a room the very moment she started working. You had already left by then, but to everyone who was here, it was obvious she couldn’t have received such a favor by honorable means. ”
A hush fell over the workshop. The fairy seemed to stand a few inches taller, like the victor of some great tournament of gossip.
Elise’s lips parted. If this was the best card Fabian had left to play, she was eager to watch his game fall apart. She exchanged a glance with Susanne, and it was plain the old fairy understood the ordeal Fabian had put her through in her absence.
Susanne’s expression grew more serious.
“I want everyone to know that the person who gave Elise a room in the castle was none other than me.”
A ripple of gasps swept through the catacombs.
Elise felt an immense wave of relief. At last, the fiendish rumors surrounding her room had been put to rest. Even Adelle seemed taken aback as Susanne explained exactly how it had come about.
“Fabian,” Susanne continued, “it seems you have become rather agitated by all these theories. In fact, I fear you are too agitated to attend an audience with the king today. You may take the day off to recover. I shall explain to His Majesty how we are to proceed with the potion.”
Fabian became the very picture of misery. His face turned pale, and the trembling of his thin limbs suggested he might faint at any moment.
“But, Susanne, I was here when the potion was completed. With all due respect, I am better suited to explain the achievement to the king.”
“You are right,” Susanne said.
A broad smile returned to Fabian’s face at once.
But to his profound misfortune, the Chancellor of Magic went on. “I’ll take Elise with me so she can explain the parts I missed.”
Emery squealed at Elise’s side.
“At last!” he cried.