The Mice in the Kitchen

Chapter 21

Only a week had gone by. However, in Herta's head, the palace seemed to be the scene of a bad dream she was trying to forget. Those memories would probably not be so bad, as a whole, if it weren't for the knife episode, which, although it had at that moment taken so little time that it hadn't felt likely to dangerously remain in her mind, it had actually affected her more, scared her more, than she was willing to admit.

Every night ─not for much longer, she hoped─ she saw the duchess's menacing eyes, full of dark intentions.

Adalberht was in her dreams too. Even Kasimir was. She had brought too much mental luggage to her new life, which she didn't really feel as the brand new beginning she had been expecting.

'Tomorrow we will try to cover a longer distance,' Detlef suggested while they were having breakfast at the inn. 'If we reach Sonlagarb, we can start to look for jobs somewhere and settle. It would be safe to, I think.'

Flora looked at Herta. Neither of them was too sure.

'Right,' Flora said at last. 'It might be a good idea.'

'We can't go on living on the jewels you brought with you,' Detlef added.

'Do you think anyone will still be looking for us?' Herta asked, afraid of the answer.

Flora looked at Detlef for support, not knowing what to say. She was worried about her friend. Something had happened at the palace that last day which Herta had not wanted to tell them. But it had clearly left her anxious and tense.

'Nobody's looking for me,' the young man said to excuse his own silence. 'I'm not that important. As for you,' he continued, mainly addressing Herta, who seemed more in need of encouraging words, 'I really doubt you're still in danger.'

They all knew it was more a wish than conviction, but, in order not worry the other two anymore, none of them wanted to induce unease about that possibility.

They went to see the horses Detlef had hired for the following day. But when they were near the stables, they found Adalberht riding towards them. He was on his way to leave his own horse there when, due to a lucky coincidence, they ran into each other.

His eyes quickly moved to Herta.

She wasn't expecting to feel the way she did. She felt that she had missed him immensely, without having been aware of it, or without having wanted to be. She was determined to keep her feelings under control, no matter how much he tried to change that with his way of looking at or treating her. In fact, she was angry with herself for even thinking in those terms: that he actually tried. He was the prince. And the several times he had said that he didn't want to be that anymore did not eliminate the gulf between them. She would be very stupid if she ever dared to forget it. After what they'd been through together, should she treat him like a friend? Yes. Should she avoid courtesy that may annoy him? Yes. But that would be all.

He gave the three of them a hug, truly happy to see them. He explained that he had been looking for them for days. This was one of the several towns he had visited, and he'd finally found them.

'There's nothing left for me to do in the palace. Everything is settled there.'

'What about my mother?' Flora asked, not very convinced.

'She's satisfied. I was able to talk to her in a cool and calm way ─I did not mention what she had done to us, which made the atmosphere less strained─, and neither she nor Kasimir have any reasons to believe that my intentions aren't exactly as I declared them to be. I have renounced the throne, in case I was still entitled to it, in favor of him and the duchess, who, no doubt, will be advising him... a lot. But that's their business. Not mine anymore.'