The Red Witch - Chapter 17
Perhaps the cancellation of the wedding wasn’t entirely a bad thing after all. Kiara nodded in acknowledgment, and Raelin added:
“The figs… they must have been left behind by the guests. Who would dare to say anything if the bride wanted to have some? I’ll bring them to you.”
Raelin moved toward the door, but as she was about to leave, Kiara suddenly spoke up, her voice hesitant, as though she had just thought of something that had been weighing on her mind.
“…The king is…”
Kiara’s face flushed with embarrassment as she realized that, though she had never met him, he was still her husband. Asking about his well-being felt awkward, but the curiosity had been nagging her. Raelin’s expression stiffened in an instant, and Kiara’s own discomfort grew, her anxiety creeping up as she saw the change in the maid’s demeanor.
After a long pause, Raelin’s lips parted again, her voice serious but composed.
“…Thankfully, the king is unharmed. It’s been difficult for him, but…”
“He’s… in a difficult situation?”
Kiara’s worry deepened.
Raelin straightened her back, her tone firm as she reassured Kiara.
“He’ll be fine. The Altnebrans are strong, after all.”
She had always had a strong attachment to the country and the royal family, but this was something she couldn’t understand. However, the expression on Raelin’s face was so firm that Kiara couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
* * *
Raelin, who had disappeared with a stiff expression, soon returned. As always, she wore a soft smile and was holding a small plate covered with a tea towel.
“…What’s that…?”
Kiara looked at the plate in her hand, puzzled. The kitchen was quite far from the northern tower, and the food that appeared before her was usually covered. Not with a tea towel, but with a proper cloche. But the plate Raelin brought now was hidden carefully under the towel, as though it should remain unseen by anyone.
“Why… are you hiding it?”
It was strange. Raelin, the head maid, had been looking after the king since he was a prince, and her family had served the royal family for generations. Naturally, she held considerable influence within the palace, so there was no need for her to hide anything she carried. In fact, it was almost surprising that Kiara, who had once only eaten hard bread and water, was now being allowed to enjoy luxuries like sugar-preserved peaches.
Noticing Kiara’s gaze, Raelin awkwardly smiled and placed the plate down.
“It’s nothing special, really. It just looks so strange, and everyone kept asking what it was. I hid it just to avoid the questions. You said you wanted figs, right? Here they are!”
Raelin lifted the tea towel, revealing what was on the plate. However, instead of the small, round, dark-skinned fruit Kiara had been expecting, there was something else entirely.
Rather than that, it was…
“…a block?”
Kiara tilted her head in confusion, and Raelin proudly shrugged her shoulders.
“Figs! Figs. Eat them!”
Kiara had no choice but to pick up the block and look at it. Is the fig I know different from the figs here? She then carefully took a bite. Indeed, it was sweet.
“How is it?”
Raelin asked with an eager expression. Despite her anticipation, the taste was nothing like the fig she had imagined. It wasn’t the kind of fig where you peel off the thin skin and take a bite, juice flowing out.
“It’s tasty, but…”
Kiara shook her head, vaguely remembering eating something similar before. What was it again? Nuts mixed with honey or syrup and hardened. Yes, she’d eaten something like that before. But back then, it wasn’t exactly a treat or a snack…
“Stealing rations from the army is treason.”
…It was eaten as a meal replacement.
Lost in thought, Kiara was startled by the low voice of a man. Surprised by the unexpected interruption, both Kiara and Raelin turned towards the door.
The man stood at the door, clad entirely in black — black hair, black leather armor, black cloak. It was Ael.
