A Dove's Tale

Chapter 23

Mother's birthday dawned bright and sunny, and for the first time since the incident with Jack, I actually felt happy as I made my way up to the palace. She was going to love the beignets, or at least the effort I put into making them. A little voice at the back of my head told me I was going to get in trouble if I let my excitement get the best of me. I told it that a sweet, innocent smile was part of my good little maid mask and I would be fine.

"Good morning, Prince Chevalier!" I called at nine o'clock as usual. This time, I didn't have to fake a cheerful tone. It was very much real, as was my smile.

He moved slightly but didn't sit up. "There's no such thing," he grumbled.

"Of course there is, your highness. Come on, get up."

It was kind of cute, the way he fought me like a sleepy child. Not that I'd ever tell him that. But then he sat up, and that impression fled from my mind as he emerged from the blankets. The top couple buttons of his shirt had come undone in his sleep, and there was nothing childish about his normally hidden muscles. I had to force my eyes away from his chest and up to his icy blue gaze.

"You're going to be a nuisance today, aren't you?" he asked coolly.

"I hope not, your highness," I said, dropping his clothes on the sofa and leaving for his breakfast.

That was an image I needed to get out of my head as soon as possible.

Beignets. I was making beignets for Mother today, and Prince Yves cleared his afternoon to help me. I didn't want to come unprepared. It had been a long time since I made them with her, and I'd never made them by myself. Running through the recipe in my mind wouldn't leave room for other thoughts and wouldn't affect my morning routine, because it was just that - a routine. I didn't need to think about it anymore.

Except Prince Chevalier didn't stick to the routine this morning. He was still sitting at his desk when I finished in the bathroom, his icy blue eyes immediately meeting mine as I reentered the bedroom. Normally, he was long gone to his office by this point, and I was alone.

"You're in a good mood today," he commented.

Small talk? From him?

"It's my mother's birthday, Prince Chevalier. I'm looking forward to surprising her," I explained, crossing the room to his desk and piling the dirty dishes onto the tray. "It's been a while since I've done any proper baking. I'm hoping the beignets make her feel a little better."

"It doesn't take much to make you happy," he observed, a mocking smile on his lips.

When I first started working at the palace, I would have taken that as an insult, and he probably would have meant it as such. It didn't come across that way today.

"I don't know about that. It's not always easy to make somebody else smile, and that's what really makes me happy. Like you, Prince Chevalier. I haven't figured out what makes you smile yet. Is there anything else you need from me?" I asked, pausing at the door with the full tray in my hands.

"Since you are wasting much of the afternoon on your trivialities, I expect you to work twice as hard this morning."

His words were harsh, but his tone was not. I smiled back at him.

"That won't be a problem, your highness. I work twice as fast when I'm this happy."

The little voice told me I was too careless and too comfortable around him. I told it to shut up and headed toward the kitchens. Prince Clavis appeared when I rounded a corner, coming my way. The little voice told me to ignore him. I ignored it instead.

"Good morning, Prince Clavis!"

"Well, this is a change," he said, smiling. "Should I take it I'm finally growing on you, then?"