"Now how stupid is that?" Big Cook said and a peal of laughter filled the kitchen.
"Stupid?" Belladonna asked, looking away from the man who didn't seem ready to offer any explanation, to the direction she had heard the voice that promised a story.
"It is a name from a child's story."
"Fae tale." Another provided.
"Fairytale, you mean."
"It's stupid ya think." Big Cook added.
"What is the fairytale about?" Belladonna asked. For some reason her heart kept pounding, the sound of it overwhelming her mind.
"Silly kids ya claim to see what ain't there. Idiots. Don't worry none about it, Milady. It's all bullocks!"
They burst into laughter again, like this was the most ridiculous thing they would ever hear.
Belladonna craned her neck a little to search for the man that had started speaking about "The Eye" in the first place, eeriness she had sensed from him earlier, was now gone because of the large grin on his face that showed his perfect set of pearly white teeth. His loose-fitted dull orange shirt, with disorganized sleeves, coupled with blue pants lacked the mysterious aura she had caught up on earlier. His short curly black hair gave him a boyish look, that his hairless face did not contradict in the slightest.
It was like the eeriness had suddenly disappeared.
His eye bags were still there though.
He was obviously sleep deprived but in this kind of situation, who wasn't?
"My Lady." He greeted, bowing his head slightly and flashing her an even wider grin, a blush rising to his cheeks at her blatant close inspection.
"Yes, foolish thing. A child's fea tale." He nodded, looking away from her and behind her to Big Cook and others. "Is this the last one?"
"Yes, boy. Don't be late for lunch."
"I won't."
With that, he went out of the kitchen, wheeling the last trolley away.
Oh, well, that was one tale Belladonna had never heard about before. When she would have the time, and when things were more settled, she would try to read up on it just to catch fun.
One could never read too many stories, right?
____
After breakfast, things got busier. Many people needed her help with writing complaints, and they had to use one of the empty halls for that.
Anok had been very helpful in setting it up, and Seb had been here to help too.
He hadn't looked too keen to be meeting Belladonna again, and being no longer desperate, Belladonna apologized for putting him through such pressure of forcing him to have brought her back to the castle.
It didn't seem like there was anything wrong between him and Anok though, so Belladonna believed that he didn't punish him for that, or if that had happened, the punishment had been mild and not done all the way before whatever form of rescue had appeared to save him.
Whichever one it was, she was still sorry and she let him know this.
Being busy helped her to cease worrying about Eli a little, at least for the last hour she had not tried to check the note again to read the letters that she had read over and over again. Instead, she was focused on what she was writing down and the complaint, the man sitting at the opposite side of her desk was making.
The smell of the ink stuck to the roof of her nose and she could hear how the quill swiped over the dry paper, an impact of having written too many letters in one sitting. She sat up, cracking her knuckles and straightening her back, only to see that the queue had only extended.
There was so much heat, she should have observed that the hall was crowded.
Still, were all these people from the castle?
How big was this place?!
She needed help.
Why had she thought she could do this all by herself?
She turned to Anok who was standing by her side, to explain her plight, but the sound of someone rushing into the hall and calling her name distracted her and she turned her attention to the approaching person instead.
The way the sun glowed against the red hair as the running lady passed by the windows, was an instant reminder of who that was.
Nadia.
"Lady Belladonna," she said breathlessly, resting her hand on the desk, huffing and puffing, her chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath and speak at the same time. "I have--how-- are---" her voice trailed off when she noticed the person standing by the Lady's side and she looked on, stunned, her face turning increasingly red by the second.
"Nadia, are you alright?" Belladonna asked, standing up to help her.
How could someone go so red?
Was she still sick?
Anok took a step towards her in assistance, wanting to avoid Lady Bell from tasking herself with that. Nadia shifted backward stiffly on her feet when she saw that, and as she attempted to speak again, she passed out.
Anok beat Seb to the rescue, and off they were to the Physician.
____
Belladonna had been surprised to see Collin on the patient's bed, while the Physician spoke to him. He had stood up shortly after, done with what he came to do and unconscious Nadia had taken his place.
Nadia had woken up on their way here but something had made her pass out again.
They were all thrown into confusion as to why she kept on passing out. Till they got into the hall, Belladonna had been certain that Nadia's fainting games were the most puzzling thing to happen today, until she saw Collin sick.
Sick?!
It was just never something that she would imagine him being.
"My Lady." He bowed in greeting, following the Bride as she walked some distance away from the Physician that was attending to Nadia, to speak to him.
"What is the matter?" Her concern was plain.
"Just a little headache."
She nodded, "how is Raquel? Is she doing better?"
She would have asked if he was ready for the King to help them with their debt but this just wasn't the right time, besides her question implied many things.
"My Lady," he looked right at her, something Collin didn't usually do. "My wife is dead."