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“I’m not sure,” uncle Mehdi said honestly. “But we need to think of something, and quickly. There is no other option. Everyone else is married or too young.”
My eyes widened. “But what if there is? Lunja customs are not our own. Their definition of royalty differs from ours. Perhaps there is another potential candidate?”
A look of recognition crossed Medhi’s face. “That might be a solution.” He got up to his feet. “I will bring it up with the Caid.”
“Please do. The sooner the better. I don’t want to see my home turned into a battlefield.”
Chapter 3
Souks and Games
The smells of spices and onions and the sound of sizzling meat filled the kitchen. Confidently, I moved the meat around the tagine, searing it on all sides before adding the rest of the ingredients. I loved cooking; it was one of the few things that calmed me down. When I was in the kitchen, I didn’t have to think about anything else.
Drawing idly in her sketchbook, Tilila watched me cook. “What are you making?”
I added the spices to the tagine. “I’m making tagine with lamb.”
“Ah, that smells good. I love lamb,” she said, her stomach growling audibly.
I chuckled and turned my head. Tilila looked so cute when she was hungry. “I know you do. That’s why I’m making it.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really? For me?”
I nodded and turned back to the tagine. “Of course, for you. I know how much you love it. It’ll be ready soon.”
I nodded as she turned back to her sketchbook and continued drawing. I could see her sneaking glances at the stove every few minutes.
Footsteps came closer and my grip on the spatula tightened. No one was supposed to be home for another hour.
But it was only Souhir. Her eyes darted around the room as if she was looking for something.
My shoulders sagged in relief, and I turned back to the stove. Her face softened when she saw Tilila. She kissed her on her head and then came to stand next to me.
“Anything I can do to help?” she asked, her voice falsely cheerful.
I shook my head. “No, I’ve got it under control.”
She leaned against the counter. “You sure?”
I nodded, but handed her a knife and a cutting board. “You can chop these vegetables for the salad.”
She took them from me with a grateful smile and got to work.
For a few minutes, the only sound in the kitchen was the sound of chopping and the sizzling of meat. But then Souhir spoke up.
“It smells delicious,” she commented.
“I hope you’ll like it.”
A few minutes later, I announced that dinner was ready. We all sat down at the table and ate together.
As we ate, the conversation flowed easily. We talked about our days, and what we had been up to, and Tilila told us about her school trip to the museum of magical creatures.
“And then we saw this huge dragon skeleton!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide. “It was so cool!”
Souhir smiled at her. “That sounds amazing,”
I nodded in agreement. “I would have loved to see that.”
