Escaping Her Curse—Completed

Chapter Fifteen

Waking up with a jolt, Jessie looked around the room, breathing heavily. It had only been a dream, but she felt like she could still feel the flames upon her skin. It hadn’t been a dream, no; what she had experienced was a nightmare. It was a foretelling of what could be if she wasn’t careful. It was a picture of the past, a reminder of why she left in the first place.

Jessie was dancing too closely to the line of who she used to be and who she presented now. Now was not the time to lose sight of her decision from 10 years prior.

Getting out of bed, she walked over to a small basin with water in it. She splashed the cold water on her face, forcing her back to reality. She wasn’t living in the past any longer, nor was she stuck in her horrendous nightmare. She was Jessie. She was in the present, and she’d remember that going forward.

Jessie finished washing her face and dressed herself in silence. Oliver had been correct about not seeing her maid the previous night nor this morning. She pitied the other woman. The palace wasn’t as different as the Laroche duchy, it seemed.

Exiting her room and walking to the kitchen, she glanced at the magical device that told the time of day, and saw she had about a half hour before needing to be in Oliver’s office. She politely smiled at the staff and accepted a piece of warm bread, slathered with butter and jam.

“Want a cuppa with ‘at?” Irla asked, smiling at the obvious delight on Jessie’s face.

“Sure,” Jessie replied, taking another huge bite.

Irla laughed and set a teacup in front of her. This cup wasn’t as ornate as the one she’d used the other day. It was what she was used to, though, a working man’s cup. The teacup was cream in color with small yellow daisies painted on the sides. The inside was stained with color from previous usage. Irla poured from a larger, matching teapot. The brown liquid steamed, and warmed her hands as she held it. Jessie took a deep breath in, enjoying the bitter smell that tea gave off. It comforted her, knowing that some things never changed. This is what she was used to.

Jessie drank her tea and ate her breakfast as she watched the bustling kitchen wake up and get started. She had a feeling that she would enjoy this ritual as much as she had at her old workplace. So many moving parts, everyone contributing their part to get things done and help the castle run.

Hopping off her stool, Jessie cleaned up her plate and cup and gave a warm smile and ‘thank you’ to Irla, who was already feeling more like a grandma than head chef. She glanced at the magical time telling device on the wall and was pleased to see that she had just enough time to make it to Oliver’s office. She felt nerves about starting this new job because it was new and something she’d never really done before.

Shaking off the nerves, though, she made her way to the office, opened the door, and surveyed the place. It was ornate and nice, but clearly occupied by a man. Papers were everywhere, the curtains were pulled over the windows, and there was a distinct stuffiness. Either she hadn’t noticed it the day before or he had attempted to clean up before she had gotten there. Whatever the case, Jessie rolled up her sleeves and got to working.

Before long, an hour had gone by and Jessie looked out at the office with a pleased expression just as Oliver opened the door, mid yawn.

“Woah! Good morning, Jessie. Is this really my office?” the prince said, ogling the room.

All of his papers were neatly stacked on his desk in order of importance and deadline. There was a newly poured cup of tea waiting on his desk with a plate of breakfast off to one side, and his pens arranged on the other. Everything had been dusted and the cushions had even been plumped. Jessie had vacuum the rugs and straightened the paintings on the wall. The finishing touch was that the curtains were pulled all the way back and the sun streamed freely in, brightening the room up tremendously.

“How you ever managed before me is certainly a great feat,” Jessie teased. “One day and already I’ve fixed just about everything.”

“I knew I needed you the moment I saw you,” Oliver agreed, sitting down in his chair and taking a sip of tea.

He smacked his lips and gave her an appreciative smile. “And now I know that you can never leave me. Did you brew this tea?”

Jessie nodded.

“That settles it. If I can’t find a bride today, you’re going to have to be her because I need this tea in my life always,” he laughed.

Shaking her head, Jessie laughed along uncomfortably. She didn’t think joking about becoming the next queen due to her tea making skills was appropriate, but who was she to lecture the prince, especially after the humiliating conversation with his father last night.

She then sat down at the makeshift desk she created out of one of his side tables and an extra chair. It was just large enough to hold the leather folder with his schedule in it and several of the sheets with “To Do” items on it.

Jessie had already rummaged through his papers to find several things on the list and had begun making copies for the meetings later that day by setting up the magical machine that allowed for such a thing. She had placed the paper faced down on a screen, which then traced the markings, making indents that matched the original. Once the paper was properly molded, it then was flipped over and the indents were filled with ink. It was a slow process, but it was certainly faster than transcribing everything by hand. She had once heard a rumor that the Ancients had created a machine that copied pages within a matter of minutes and envied such a device.

Because everyone would need to see the agenda of the meeting and have the numbers in front of them as Oliver talked about the finances of the kingdom as well as the military budget, Jessie was both surprised that Oliver hadn’t done it but also not surprised that he hadn’t done it. Oliver seemed to live in the moment and only be so prepared for things.

“Are you ready?” Oliver asked, suddenly.

“Um, yes,” Jessie replied with a questioning voice.

The prince frowned at her. “What’s with that face?”

Jessie tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she said, “Well, I just don’t see the need for me attending your training exercises.”

Oliver set down his tea cup and rose from his seat. He then walked over to where sje was sitting and pulled up a chair.

“Jessie,” he started. “As I’m sure you’ve witnessed already, the palace is not the most friendly of places. I need to surround myself with people I can trust. I trust you. I know that sounds a bit forward, since really, we haven’t known each other that long, but I’m listening to my gut, which says so trust you. I want you to watch everyone around me. I want you to assess them, analyze them, and evaluate them. I want your honest, brutal opinion about the people vying to be close to me and trying to influence me. I need someone not swayed by money or power or my father. So please, Jessie, join me for my training.”

Moved by his words, Jessie found herself nodding along with him. “Of course. And yes, you are crazy for trusting me so quickly, but luckily for you, I’m extremely trustworthy.”

“Sounds like an answer someone distrustful would say,” Oliver winked at her.

Rising from her seat, she grabbed a writing implement as well as pad a paper and followed the prince through the castle and to the training grounds. Already, men were in formation and scattered across the grounds. However, when they saw the prince, every single one of them saluted simultaneously. It was very impressive.

Oliver pointed to a small cushioned chair, and Jessie sat without another word. For the next hour, she took notes on every single person who interacted with him. She wrote down age, rank, longevity of career, relationship to the prince, and a basic description of the person. To her surprise, she saw Simon among the training regiment. He gave her a dashing smile, to which she replied with a giggle and rolled of her eyes.

The look on Oliver’s face did not evade her keen glance his way, and she made a mental note to pry into it later.

Once Oliver seemed pleased with how the men were performing, he dismissed them. Jessie watched the sweaty, tired soldiers file out and head towards the barracks to get cleaned up.

“Well?” Oliver asked, jogging up to her.

“Well what?”

“Anyone seem suspicious?” he whispered, bending down to her level.

Turning her head back to face him, she was startled by how close their faces seemed to be. A few more inches and she could–

“Not really, to be honest. But it is only my first day. Who would be bold enough to declare themselves a selfish prick hoping to take advantage of you so soon?”

His blue eyes pierced into hers for a moment before he cracked a smile at her.

“Fair point,” he said, finally backing away from her and standing tall.

She stood slowly. “I’ll meet you at your office while you get yourself cleaned up?”

“Another fair point. You are on a roll, assistant.”

“I do what I can,” she chuckled.

He then made his way back into the castle as she looked on.

“So… Does this mean I get you all to myself then?” Simon asked, causing Jessie to jump out of fright and turn to face him.

He had a devilish grin.