Cursed With You

I Know How

Jacina invited everyone to dine at the long dining table with twenty chairs. Malyn refused at first, feeling unworthy of eating with her queen.

"You are my family now," Jacina urged. "Who else would I eat with if not with you? Do you have the heart to let me eat alone?"

"You are not alone, Your Majesty." Malyn glanced at Raffin, Ferula, and Magus Ivys.

"Yes, they are here now. And when they aren't? Come, Malyn." Jacina squeezed Malyn's arm like a whining sister. At last, Malyn relented and called everyone over, including the coachman who had driven them from Ostelux.

"I hope you don't mind that we eat with the servants, Prince Raffin?" asked Jacina as Thomasina and Jehann served the food at the table.

"Of course not, Your Majesty," Raffin replied.

"Raffin is not like other princes, Your Majesty," said Ferula, sitting across from Raffin. "He is simple and populist."

"Glad to hear it," Jacina beamed.

Raffin glanced at Magus Ivys, who sat next to him. She scrutinized each dish as if waiting for it to turn into something else.

"Relax, Magus, we don't serve poison," Jacina joked.

"I hope not," Magus Ivys replied in a serious tone.

The meal was served. Everyone sat down. Jacina sat at the head of the table, Raffin to her right, Ferula to her left. Next to Ferula were Malyn, Thomasina, and Osric. Next to Raffin were Magus Ivys, Jehann, Aldous, and their coachman from Stratham. They ate like one big family. It reminded Raffin of when all his brothers still lived in the palace. They ate together at a longer table. They talked about their day, joking and teasing each other. It was a warm atmosphere that Raffin had always looked forward to as a child and always missed as an adult.

Despite their initial awkwardness, Raffin felt the same warmth at the table with Jacina and her servants. Jacina was not only a queen to them, but also a mother, a daughter, and a sister. She knew how to talk to everyone, even Magus Ivys, who, after a few bites, acknowledged that she had enjoyed her meal, although the lines on her face were far from relaxed. Jacina listened to everyone, smiled at everyone. A smile that caused a slight throbbing in Raffin's chest.

"You're not angry, are you, Your Majesty?" asked Malyn, after telling her about using the magic portal to shop in the markets of the nearby capital.

"If the result is such a delicious meal, how can I be angry?" Jacina said.

"So, you're the descendant of Magus Naphiane," Malyn said to Ferula at another point, which was followed by Ferula explaining such to Magus Ivys.

"And how did you become a dark wizard?" Magus Ivys asked.

"Because I was impatient," Ferula answered with a shrug. "I wanted to gain magic in a short time. So I sacrificed my annoying cousin. And became the first dark wizard in my family."

Magus Ivys shook her head as she continued to eat. "I don't understand how you dark wizards can kill people so easily."

Their conversation continued on lighter topics until they ran out of food and drink. Then Jacina told Malyn to escort Raffin, Ferula, and Magus Ivys to their rooms.

"Raffin," Ferula called after Magus Ivys had entered her room and Malyn had left. She approached Raffin and whispered, as if afraid someone might overhear. "Do you have feelings for Queen Jacina?"

"None of your business, Ferula."

"It is not. But if the answer is yes, I suggest you end those feelings right now. She will never reciprocate. You will only hurt yourself."