Dreaming Cinderella

Chapter 18

Emilia was was bored. Breakfast and lunch had both come and gone and she'd been cooped up in the kitchens all day, at her Mother's request. Emilia couldn't help but feel as if she were being watched. Anytime she tried sneaking off her Mother was right there to call her back to her spot.

To make things' worse; Margaret hadn't come today, and her Mother had stopped by to let them know that she was in bed sick with a slight cold. Although Emilia felt bad for her friend and hoped that she was ok she couldn't help but snicker when her Mother had told her, and Emilia's Mother looked to her daughter shaking her head.

"I'm surprised Emilia isn't sick either." Her Mother had said to Margaret's mother shaking her head, apologizing. But Margaret's Mother had only laughed. She had always been like an aunt to Emilia and she held no ill will towards her.

"As I hear it I'm surprised that young gentleman whose staying here isn't sick himself." Margaret's mother said and Emilia had stopped smiling looking up in Surprise at the mention of Aster. "I here little miss Emilia drenched the poor young man." She continued and Emilia felt herself flushing. Emilia's mother started laughing and Margaret's mother had joined in.

They had continued to gossip and talk for a little while longer, most of it at Emilia's expense; but she didn't mind it was fun. She had missed moments' like this. It had felt like a long time since she and her Mother had spent time like this together. Ever since she'd asked to go to the Capital things' hadn't been the same. There was a tense between the two, but today it seemed like it had vanished. Perhaps her Mother had forgotten all about it, or maybe she thought Emilia had. Either way, it was nice and Emilia didn't mind for now if the topic was forgotten.

But Margaret's Mother had left and now Emilia was bored. She was alone in the kitchens' her Mother had left her to check in on other things around the inn and the others were all free until super time. Emilia though, had been put in charge of making some fresh apple pies and was working on the dough; all she wanted to do though was to sneak off. But it wasn't as fun sneaking off and getting into trouble when she didn't have her best friend to get into trouble with her.

"Keep scowling like that and you're going to get wrinkles." Startled Emilia looked up from the pie dough she had been kneading and saw Aster standing in front of her, a grin on his face. It had been hours since she'd sent him and Ivan off to clean themselves up after the chicken incident. Her Father had enlisted their help in cleaning out the stables and she hadn't seen them since.

"I'm not scowling!" She scoffed, kneading the dough roughly causing flour to puff up in her face. She coughed trying to fan the flour out of her face, while Aster erupted in laughter. She scowled up at him, but quickly grinned. "If you think its so funny, here." She picked up some flour in the palm of her hand and blew it at him. It wasn't much, but still it was enough to stick to his nose. 

Now was his turn to scowl as he wiped the flour off with the sleeve of his shirt which came away white. Emilia laughed, satisfied. She was going to start kneading her dough again, but Aster ran his hands over her board and then quickly clapped them together in front of her face, causing a large dust cloud of flour to coat her face.

"Ah!" She said startled. He was staring at her with a grin and she dropped the dough, standing up. If he wanted a war, he was gonna get one. And she was going to win.

***

Emilia and Aster were laughing so hard that they had to halt their flour war so that they could both catch their breath. Emilia was sitting on the floor, her hands stretched out behind her, and Aster was beside her.

"Emilia are those pies in the ov..." Emilia's Mother walked into the kitchens stopping her words as she took in the sight. Emilia bit back her laughter and looked to Aster noticing he had done the same. His face had gone from carefree to serious and quickly he stood up, dusting flour from himself, but it didn't matter, he was covered, and so was Emilia. 

Still Emilia stood up and smiled sheepishly at her Mother who was busy taking in the kitchen. Her face gave nothing away and Emilia couldn't tell if she was angry or surprised. Then again she might have been both seeing how it was unexpected. After all she had only been gone for about twenty minutes. 

"I can't leave you alone for a second can I?" Her Mother finally broke the icy silence in the room by saying and followed it with a sigh when Emilia shrugged her shoulders. "I'm afraid my daughter keeps roping you into her mischief." Emilia's Mother told Aster who grinned.

"I don't mind." He replied and Emilia's Mother looked at him a long time before finally nodding her head and looking away. "Alright, fun is over, I'm expecting this kitchen to be cleaned up, pies in the oven and the two of you washed and redressed before supper." She told them both sternly before walking out of the room. Emilia could hear her muttering to herself as she went and she couldn't help but laugh as she looked to Aster and saw his face relax now that her Mother had gone.