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“It’s fine.” I chuckled. “You didn’t know any better. And to be honest, I found it amusing. I even wrote to my mother about it.”
Darith laughed. “If she’s anything like you, I’m sure she loved that. What did she say?”
“She laughed and said that she was glad to know that she still had it,” I said. “I think she was more amused than anything else.”
Like lord Cert, my mother took it in good humor.
“So.” Darith looked around. “What do you think of your new office?”
Chapter 15
Lady Kanna
The bitterest thing in life was to eat and not be thankful. It was something my mother always used to say. Hunger knew no gratitude. It was a lesson I never forgot, and one that has served me well in life.
Gratitude was always the first step to happiness, no matter what we were dealing with. Showing gratitude to the ones who supported you was a way of acknowledging their importance.
Cooking for them was the best way to accomplish this.
Kindness was like honey; it tasted good no matter who it was from. And I hoped Prince Maedras would realize my intentions were pure.
Despite the mind games and his fickle nature, he had been good to me. He didn’t do it without a reason, nevertheless; he was kind to me. A man like him didn’t show kindness unless he wanted something. I needed to remember that. But gratitude was still the way to go.
Lord Caes chopped onions in silence as he watched the bubbling pot of stew. I wondered if he was waiting for me to make the first move. His formality always made me a little nervous.
I tested my theory.
“Thank you for coming to my aid, lord Caes.”
He paused chopping the onions and looked at me with narrowed eyes. “It was nothing.”
“I appreciate it.” I smiled at him. “I know it couldn’t have been easy to allow me in your domain.”
He stared at me. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish with this, princess.”
Direct and to the point. I liked that about him.
“I just wanted to show my gratitude,” I told him, feeling a little defensive. “Am I overstepping a boundary by cooking for Prince Maedras?”
He sighed, his shoulders relaxing a bit. “No, you’re not overstepping any boundaries. It’s just that... The Prince is not used to being treated kindly.”
“I see,” I said, understanding dawning on me.
Prince Maedras was probably used to people groveling and trying to gain favor, not simply showing kindness for its own sake. Mind games. That’s what Lord Caes was talking about. Forged through years of being in the political arena. Community spirit was something that got lost along the way.
“Cooking is a craft that takes time to master,” lord Caes continued, his expression softening a bit as he watched me chop the vegetables rapidly. “It’s not something to be taken lightly.”
“Cooking is an art,” I corrected him. “It’s a way to show someone that you care.”
“Like all arts, we should practice it with respect.”
Reading beneath the lines, I got the message. He was warning me not to play with fire. The Eternal Court valued traditions and ceremonies. I needed to be careful not to disrespect them.
I nodded, understanding his point. “Thank you for the advice, lord Caes.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, returning his attention to the onions.
We chopped in silence for a few minutes. He handed me a fennel root. It was purple, but it had a white fleshy inside. Purple fennel was not something I stumbled upon in the market before.
