Chapter 23 Another Mate Choosing Ceremony
MEIRA ASHFORD
The kitchen was nothing like I imagined.
Of course I had expected it to be big; it was the royal pack house, but it was far more than I had imagined.
Instead, what greeted me felt more like a marketplace than a place of order.
It was massive.
Long wooden tables stretched across the room, shelves were stacked from floor to ceiling with jars, sacks, and baskets, strong smells of spices and boiling broths swirled through the air, and there were people everywhere. Servants hurried in every direction carrying trays, large pots simmered over the fire, and voices overlapped each other in endless chatter.
It took a moment before my eyes finally adjusted to the chaos.
Most of the servants wore the same grey uniform Jacinthe and I had on, but there were others too. Girls in blue and white dresses moved differently, slower, more confidently, as though they belonged here in a way we never truly would.
They looked cleaner and softer, like they had a right to stand tall; the rest of us kept our heads down.
I leaned closer to Jacinthe and lowered my voice.
“Those girls in blue and white,” I murmured, tilting my head slightly in their direction, “are they part of the servants, or are they… something else?”
One of them caught my stare almost immediately; her eyes lingered on me longer than necessary.
It made my skin prickle. Jacinthe sighed under her breath.
“They’re maids. Proper ones. Most are omegas; some are not. They’re higher than us.”
I frowned.
“Higher how?”
She hesitated briefly.
“We’re in grey because we’re hybrids… and few of us…” She hesitated again, her voice dropping. “Are… cursed.”
I was already getting used to her easily nervous pauses.
“You don’t have to whisper it like it’s forbidden,” I said quietly. “Cursed doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s practically my title.”
She gave me a small, apologetic smile.
“Sorry. I forget you’re… stronger than most.”
I shrugged.
“I prefer honest to kind.”
Then after thinking for a moment, I added lightly, “Though honestly speaking, shouldn’t we be the higher ones? We’ve got two powers inside one body. Sounds like an upgrade to me.”
Her eyes widened.
Then she laughed.
“I like the way you think; they have one, we have double.”
“So really,” I said with mock seriousness, “the only explanation here is jealousy.”
She chuckled louder.
“Exactly. They fear our potential.”
We were both still grinning when she leaned in and whispered.
“I heard some of the maids volunteered to come here.”
“Volunteered to work?” I asked doubtfully.
She shook her head.
“No… volunteered to be noticed.”
I blinked. “By whom?” She raised an eyebrow.
“The Alpha Prince”
The words struck harder than I expected. For just a moment, the sounds of the kitchen faded into a hum.
The library, His cold voice, the warning.
Stay away from me.
“They’d really go that far?” I asked.
Jacinthe sighed dreamily.
“Well… Can you blame them?”
I didn’t answer; she continued before I could.
“He’s handsome, powerful, destined for the throne. If I were a desperate maiden with royal dreams, I’d probably throw myself at his boots too.”
I hummed thoughtfully, “Sounds exhausting.”
She laughed.
“Exhausting?”
“Yes. Imagine waking up every day trying to look interesting enough for a man who can barely notice you exist.”
“That’s brutal, Meira.”
“Honest,” I corrected.
She was laughing when a sharp voice cut through the room.
“Listen up.”
Both of us turned, A woman stood at the front, tall, broad-shouldered, and commanding. Her ash-coloured dress and massive white apron made her look like the ruler of the entire kitchen.
Beside her stood Emily.
She wore the blue and white uniform, but hers looked different somehow, better fitted, neater.
Her brown eyes were already on me. Not curious, judging and daring.
Jacinthe leaned to my ear.
“That’s Lady Rose.”
“And the girl beside her, she’s the one you met earlier, right?”
I nodded.
“Emily. Rumour is she didn’t get placed here. She chose it. Says she’s after the prince’s attention.”
I glanced at Emily again and scrunched my face.
“She looks like the type who’d wrestle another girl for a comb.”
Jacinthe nearly choked on a laugh.
Lady Rose cleared her throat, loud and sharp.
“Some of you already know this,” she began, pacing slowly, “there will be another mate-choosing ceremony scheduled for the next full moon, which is only days away.”
Murmurs erupted like fire, squeals near my side, and someone gasped dramatically.
Another clutched her chest. I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly saw my own brain.
Lady Rose raised her voice.
“For maids in blue and white, some of you are permitted to serve.”
More gasps.
“Some of you may even be allowed to attend.”
That did it; someone actually squealed.
I leaned towards Jacinthe.
“Are they selecting mates or winning crowns because I’m confused?”
She laughed quietly.
I added under my breath, “They’re acting like the Moon Goddess herself is proposing.”
Lady Rose droned on about behaviour and decorum, but my mind wandered.
Another ceremony, another parade of hopeful hearts, another night of pretending a bond could be scripted.
I barely noticed the dismissal until bodies started moving around me.
Jacinthe tugged my hand.
“Time to go, Meira.”
I followed her out of the kitchen, dodging trays and skirts.
“Why is everyone rushing like they’ve been summoned by destiny?” I asked.
She laughed.
“Lady Rose mentioned free dresses. Only for the eligible, though. Usually old gowns from the storehouse.”
“That explains the madness,” I said dryly.
“It’s surprising what people will run for.”
We were almost at the door when I felt a hard shove to my shoulder, and I stumbled sideways.
“Move your legs, girl,” a sharp voice snapped.
I steadied myself and turned.
It was one of the girls in blue and white.
Before I could respond, another voice chimed in, sweeter and crueller.
“Of course she’s not in a hurry. She can’t even qualify to serve, let alone attend.”
Emily stood there with an amused smile curling her lips.
Her eyes dragged over me like I was something stuck to her shoe.
Then she sneered.
“Don’t give me that stare, cursed hybrid.”