Death-Bound

Misspelled Invites

Chapter Sixteen

Margaritta came with all the food she thought I could consume. She was worried indeed and she insisted that I should eat now that I have fully recovered. She told me I had been sleeping for three weeks. Expected with all the blood I lost when I stabbed myself, it felt like I only slept for hours. She also took me out for walks around the castle, since I didn’t asked her yet to move out of it. The castle was crawling with princess from all the kingdoms. All have beauty of their own and specific talents that would certainly arouse the Emperor’s interest. However, up until this day none of them seems to interest me.

My plan was to stay until I would find my master with a well-soothed wife to be. Until I saw him looking at one of the princesses with such eyes, one, which I only see him, look to me. Interesting. I smiled to myself. I wanted to meet her. To see if she is as interesting as my master saw she was. I could not help myself from being jealous. But I told myself, the faster I find him a wife, the faster he would stop on asking me for an heir. That was my plan, I wanted him to fall in love with this girl. And I’m playing Match-maker. Another grin escaped my mouth as I looked over to my master.

After two days of planning their meetings and supposed ways of falling in love, I requested for my stay in the castle to seize, and move in once again in my cottage outside of the castle walls. Margaritta was willing to help me, because this time I am planning to stay outside for all of my life in my master’s service. I said my farewell to my chamber. I looked outside of my chamber’s balcony only to see the princess I wanted my master to fall in love with her. Then I realized she was talking to my master himself.

Well-well, looks like it won’t be hard after all. I grinned. Then a stabbing pain once again cut my deep thought. I couldn’t help myself from being jealous. Stop it! You’re an i***t for being such a love drugged woman! This is the only way out of this. To make him fall in love with another woman, have an heir and be happy as he grows old with her. I bit my lower lip. I know scolding myself would do nothing, but it’s better to do so than to look and constantly be hurt by it in the process. I suppressed a tear and walked towards my door. I am leaving and perhaps staying away for good.

“Are you sure you are really inviting all these ladies for tea? I mean, our garden isn’t that big. And fifty ladies aren’t going to fit in here.” She said looking at the guest list. I decided to host a tea party. Being one of the said princesses and the only daughter of the king of the Red Stones, I had to share my wealth and throw a little tea party for gaining once again a cottage of my own. I smiled. I was fitting one of the dresses she bought me that day. “Jem? Are you even listening?” she asked me—looking at a full length mirror with the dress dangling from my shoulder. She placed both of her hands on her hips and tapped her toes noisily on the wooden floor. “EHEM?!”

I looked at her and flashed her one of my full teeth smiles—being guilty of not listening. “I wanted her to come. I mean I wanted to get to know her better. Nothing but the best for my master, you know.” A scheme, which will tore my heart, is starting to move its way to the castle’s main gates and no one seems to notice. Margaritta gave me a frustrated look, I shrugged. “maybe you can cut down some invites to about thirty people. But she will be the first on the list.” I looked at myself in the mirror once again, smiling.

“What has gotten into you, child?” she sat on one of the couch. “First of all, I thought, the idea of our lord’s decision of having a wife is somehow hurting you. And I thought, you love our lord as well.” My smile faded. I looked down as if I am in deep thought.

“I don’t know Margaritta. I know in my heart that I am hurt. However, seeing a spark in our master’s eyes as he looked at her made me hope that he can be happy with her. I…I wanted him to have his heir to a virgin, to someone whom I could never be.” I said. I smiled weakly. “There is a part of me that is dying right at this moment. But I have to do what I am told, to find him a wife even it breaks my heart in the process.”

“Foolish young people.” Margaritta muttered and looked at the list again. “How about I make this to a dinner for four.” I looked at her to my surprise. “If you are planning to kill yourself of being jealous, I have a better plan.” She gave me one of those devilish grins of hers. “I am not saying that we are getting back on our master for hurting you emotionally, we can lose our heads for that. But I am old. I can misspell invites!”

“You do everything.” I said smiling. “And I’ll do my best to act with all my talents.”