Hours later, we were done with cooking. The lunch ball for the young princess' birthday had gone well.
We had prepared the most scrumptious of meals and had them sent. I was not on serving duty and so I prepared dish upon dish. It was tiring, but as usual, I was glad to finally get some rest after a hard day's work.
Celosia Bathory had come in late in the evening while we prepared dinner for the royal family. She had expressed her appreciation for a lunch ball well-implemented.
She was dressed in a ball gown of beautiful velvet: green and rich with emerald stones over the bust. The stones matched the color of her eyes. She smiled as she waved bye at us, her wrist jewelry sliding with the motion.
Minutes later, Orla had seen her off and was back with a small pouch of gold. She distributed only one gold coin to each of the workers and took the rest for herself.
There were murmurs, but no one said anything to her hearing. They feared punishment and they were probably too grateful to even be given a gold coin in the first place. It was worth a hundred copper...
I was heading back for the royal workers' quarters, having closed late with the last of those assigned clean-up duty. I was almost at the lodge when I suddenly remembered I had left my gold coin by the sinks, at a small corner under the racks of silver plates and cutlery for safe keeping while I lathered the plates, pots and pans we were told to wash.
I turned quickly back for the Royal kitchens to get my token. It was disappointing for me to find out about something so important when I was almost at the royal workers' quarters, but I just had to go back.
Who knows how long till I get gifted another gold coin? Zelda Bathory did not have birthday lunch balls everyday.
It was very dark and so I had to walk quickly. The lamps lit with dragon stone that bordered the path from the royal workers' residence to the Royal kitchens were few and far between, bright in the night as they were.
I hastened my footsteps and soon I could see the lights still on inside the small limestone castle of the Royal kitchens.
I entered through the main door and went to the main kitchen. It was the first hall one would meet when one entered the small castle from the central entrance. Farther inside were the other smaller kitchens and a bakery.
I entered the main kitchen whose lights were dim, some of the dragonstone lamps moved farther inside the kitchens.
I headed for the washing area I had only just left. The wet sponge I had left just by the edge of the tub was still there. I reached for the shelves of plates and cutlery and slid my hand to the lowest rung of the shelf. Just between the wood and the hard granite floor, I pulled out my gold coin.
I slid it inside the pocket of my dress and was about to make my way out of the kitchen when I heard some muffled voices from the inner kitchens. The voices were beginning to become louder. I heard Orla Spry's voice and I slipped behind the shelf of plates and cutlery.
If Orla was with whoever was coming, then if she found me here, so late, she might have a fit. She had us dismissed as soon as we finished the cooking and cleaning for the day. She had an apartment in this castle and she probably enjoyed- craved- the solitude. I didn't want to get a permanent stamp in her bad books after what happened at the dining hall the other day.
I leaned back on the wall, the shelf in front of me as I heard the footfalls of at least two persons come nearer and nearer.
They stopped somewhere close to the center of the kitchen, at the worktable where we usually did most of our chopping- of meat, of vegetables.
I heard breathing like the speakers were thinking or ascertaining that there was no one else in the kitchen before continuing their speech.
"I trust you Spry," a male voice said, " that is why I have given you this responsibility. See this to fruition and you will have wealth more than you've ever known. The royal family must all perish at their breakfast tomorrow."
"I will do as asked," Orla said. "But how do you propose we scale through the tasting process? Whoever tastes of the meal would perish at once. It would become apparent then."
"Spry..." the deep voice said again. "Leave that to me. I will have a venomous man arrive at your kitchens tomorrow. He should be made to look like the rest of the workers. He will be your taster. He has been training with poisons for half of his life. He will not be affected by the poison. You have only to play your part."
"Yes, your grace," Orla said in response. " I hope to hear from you soon. "
A small chuckle. "Not your grace," came the man's voice. "I am but a lesser, in comparison to the dukes and counts and kings. But I was sent by one in a higher station and position than myself. He will reward you immensely if you succeed. And he will have your head if you should betray him."
"Who would have asked for this if you would be so pleased to respond?" Orla asked.
"You will find out if all goes as planned," the man said.
I tried to stretch and see his face, but fear paralyzed me in my place. The thought that only heavens know what they would do to me if they found me kept my feet to the floor.
I heard a heavy sack drop, the light jingle of metal against metal a smooth melody. It was money. It had to be money. Only money sounded as nice as that.
I swallowed a breath and let it out slowly- not wanting to breathe too harshly so as not to be found out.
The money...it had to be gold.
I heard someone drop to the ground as though to pick something and I thought it must have been Orla, rushing to the ground to pick up the small sack of coins- gold, most probably.