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“Eager, are we?” he asked, circling me like a tiger with its prey. His action made me both defensive and submissive in unison. “Let’s see what they teach the little faeries of Carrottrove.”
While I quivered inside under his boldness, I threw my head back to glower at him. I sniffed the air around him, trying to get a sense of his power, but he stepped out of range before I could gain any real handle on what he was capable of.
He was good.
But I was better.
“I just want to get it over and done with,” I mumbled, tightening my arms defiantly at my chest. I suddenly felt as though I was holding myself up. I caught Maywin’s confused expression, her own thoughts as conflicted as my own, apparently. “Although honestly, I don’t even know what this is all about. I’ve been training for this role since I could walk.”
“I suppose we’ll see about that,” he replied, sounding unconvinced.
“Yes, I suppose we will,” I retorted, unsure if I was flustered or excited—or both.
His presence was confounding me, making me jumpy and agitated—but I wasn’t sure if I liked it or abhorred it.
“Very well,” Axel agreed, nodding toward the massive dining hall table. “We’ll begin with basic dining etiquette.”
I stopped in place, turning my head toward one of the tables, blinking.
“What?”
He gestured toward the plated surface, and I snickered.
He couldn’t be serious! Did he think I was brought up in a cave?
“I thought that this was going to be more… hands on,” I explained, careful to check my tone.
“You’ll be allowed to use forks. In fact, I rather insist on it.”
This had to be a joke. Was it a joke?
Axel moved toward the table, and I swallowed my question, accepting the humiliating task at hand. It was part of my duty now if I was going to be queen. I’d have to do many unpleasant and mortifying tasks that I had no interest in performing. This was my wretched life now.
To my surprise, Axel held out my chair to seat me first, and I relaxed slightly, nodding in thanks as I perched tentatively at the edge of the heavily cushioned seat. Axel took his own seat and unfolded his napkin.
“Are you familiar with which silverware to use for each course?” he asked.
I stared at him dubiously, and he returned my expression innocently.
“Are you?” he asked again, and I realized he was genuinely waiting for a response.
Gritting my teeth, I nodded curtly. “Yes.”
“Good. There will be a quiz later.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh, to show that he was kidding, but he snapped his fingers, and from the hall, a maid hurried through.
“Yes… Al… yes…?” she squeaked, shifting uncomfortably.
She didn’t seem to know where to look, a fact that I found odd. She darted quick glances at Axel, then me, back to him, and then to the floor, her cheeks flushing crimson. She seemed ill-at-ease, as though it were her first day on the job and she had no idea what she was doing.
“Bring the soup,” he instructed.
“Yes, Al—” She stopped herself. “Yes.”
Axel shot her a scathing look, and she turned purple under his look before almost sprinting out of the ballroom as I again glanced at Maywin. We stared after the servant, and Maywin shrugged, but I couldn’t shake the sense that something was entirely amiss about the whole situation.
A small, awkward silence fell over the table, and I shifted my weight as I waited for Axel to fill it. When he didn’t, I decided to open the conversation.
