Preparations for the feast continued long into the night and by the time Ashlynn crawled into the straw bed she felt more exhausted than at any point in her life. The sun had set long ago and the dinner they ate amounted to a stew of meat broth with vegetables thickened by old bread.
Eating such atrocious food while preparing the refined dishes for the upcoming feast was, in Ashlynn's mind, a special form of torture. To add insult on top of the horrible dinner, Sir Kaefin posted one of his guards outside the kitchens to prevent any of the staff from sneaking food before it could be served to the nobles during the feast.
The next day started just as early as the last one had and once again Ashlynn found herself hauled from bed early to feed the rest of the household staff. After that, the day turned into a sweltering nightmare as every hearth and oven was lit to cook everything from loaves of fresh bread to meat pies and spit-roasted venison.
