"That horse ...is Twilight. He's the Dark Lord's."
I immediately stopped smiling. This was the Dark Lord's horse? I turned back to look at the creature and I didn't see anything to fear, just my reflection in its pearly eyes.
"I suggest you move away from it milady. It can be very temperental and sometimes violent." Mr James warned.
I stroked the horse's velvety mane. It was as calm as a pond on a hot summer day.
"Are you sure it's this horse? The only thing I see is its very mesmerizing eyes." I asked him.
"Well, it is usually temperamental and violent. It is calmer today. It usually doesn't let anyone near it and is only obedient to its master." Mr James tried coming close to it.
"Well. I think he likes me." I assured Mr James. "Can I feed it a carrot?"
"Sure." Mr James handed me a stick of carrot and I fed it to the horse. This was my first time feeding a horse and as Twilight bit the carrot, I giggled.
"You're the second person that I've seen him respond positively to." Mr James told me. He obviously seemed so surprised that I was getting along well with the horse.
"Who's the first? The Dark Lord?" I asked.
"Nope. Well yes, the Dark Lord is his master but I'm talking about his right hand man. It never lets anyone come this close. There must be something exceptional about you Miss."
I didn't know how to take the compliment. The Dark Lord's horse liking me wasn't much of a big deal. I mean, what was I even doing befriending the Dark Lord's horse? Was I hoping it would put in a good word for me when I eventually met its master?
"Have you ever seen the Dark Lord, Mr James?" I asked him.
Mr James nodded. "Yes, once or twice. Why do you ask?"
"She's curious what he's like since she will be meeting him soon." Mirabel explained to her father.
"Oh." Mr James said. "Well, I don't really know much milady. All the times I've seen him, which is very few, it's always from afar. He is always in a dark hood and I never see his face." He told me. "No one has."
So he likes to keep people mystified? What was his deal? What kind of king didn't want his face seen by his subjects?
When we left the royal stable, it was indeed noontime. Mirabel and I went to the next place in our schedule. The royal infirmary.
It was just beside the garden so people in the infirmary could have a wonderful view of the garden too. The structure was huge, three times bigger than the one in the village. It probably could take a hundred patients.
So this was where Papa has started to work. To change lives, to save lives.
As we went into the infirmary, I noticed that compared to the size, the people were few in it. There wasn't much staff attending to the very few patients. Was it that the sick people in the capital were less than the ones in my village.
"Why are there so few people here?" I asked Mirabel.
"This infirmary is for the royals and some select nobles." She told me.
"What about the servants? Where do they go when they are ill?"
She shrugged. "They usually receive treatment in their quarters. If we get treated here, it would take a lifetime of our wages to pay back."
How could she say it so casually? In the village, Papa and I never discriminated who we took in as patients, whether it was the noble families or the peasant families, we took care of them all.
But then, I couldn't compare my lowly village to the castle estate of Kerva, could I?
Although I had worked in an infirmary all my life, I wasn't so comfortable being in this one. I asked Mirabel if we could go to the next place instead.
"Is something bothering you milady? You've been awfully gloomy since we left the infirmary."
I guess she must have noticed the change in my mood which prompted her to ask.
I shook my head. "Its nothing. The infirmary just reminded me about my Papa a lot. That's all."
She seemed to understand that it was a sensitive topic for me and she let it be, not saying anything more. We took the stone archway and went back into the castle. We went down the hallway of the first floor and followed a narrower corridor to the back of the castle where the royal laundry room and the royal kitchen were.
Mirabel showed me the laundry room as where all fabrics were washed and mended, keeping them in good shape. Then we went to the royal kitchen where a mixture of different pleasant aromas greeted us.
Just like the infirmary where there few servants, so was the kitchen. Mirabel took me to meet a middle aged man who was stirring something in a cauldron. He must be making soup of some sort.
"Miss Frieda, meet Mr Roman, the head chef. He's in charge of the meals and he usually makes those delicacies you enjoy." Mirabel introduced him to me.
So this was the man behind the tasty dishes I ate. If there was something that I enjoy about my stay in the castle, and there are barely any, it would be the food.
I prided myself for being a good cook. I knew all the plants that made excellent spices and medicines. Everyone in the infirmary complimented my cooking. But never had I tasted anything better than the food I was being served in the castle.
I looked at the man in utter admiration. "Oh thank you sir. I love all of your meals, especially your pudding."
The head chef beamed enigmatically. "Thank you milady. It is an honor to cook for you. It is a while since I cooked for someone else other than the king and the servants."
"What about the other guests of the castle? I'm sure they must have told you what a wonderful cook you are."
"Oh no milady. " The head chef said. "You are the first guest I've cooked for in the last ten years."
I was stunned. "What? There haven't been any guests in the castle for the last ten years?" I asked him.
Both he and Mirabel shook their heads. They couldn't be serious.
"Why? Why are have there been no guests?"
Mirabel whispered into my ear. "The Dark Lord doesn't like to entertain guests."
I looked around. No wonder there were few people in the kitchen.
"There aren't much people here because there isn't much to do." Mr Roman said to me in a more quiet and hushed voice. "The Dark Lord canceled all the festivals. He never holds balls or banquets, he doesn't like guests either. So there isn't much work for the kitchen servants to do. They just work in other parts of the castle now."
What a grim king he was then. He never allowed festivities, he doesn't hold banquets and doesn't entertain guests?
"What are you making?" Mirabel asked the head chef, going closer to the pot to see what it contained.
"Chicken noodle soup." He told her. I took a whiff of the delicious aroma and my tummy rumbled so loudly, I turned red with embarrassment.
"Oh no need to be shy, milady. I know all this touring has made you hungry. You both have a seat over there and I will get you something to eat." Mr Roman told us.
We did as we were told and the head chef served us a steaming bowl of soup each. I took my spoon and tasted the soup. It was amazing.
"Oh my! This is so delicious, Mr Roman." I said out loud. Mirabel also agreed.
"I'm glad to have someone compliment my cooking." Mr Roman beamed.
The Dark Lord made people suffer because of his unusual demands. Merriment was good for the soul and he denied people of it. I was going to try and make things better while I was here.
"As long as I am around. I'll give you ten years worth of compliments." I said resolutely.
Mr Roman laughed. "I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness."
Mirabel and I cheerfully ate the soup. A little while later, the head chef offered us apples he had peeled and cut. "Have some apples." He said to us. "Fresh from the royal estate's orchard."
The servants brought in carts of apples into the kitchen.
"What are these apples to be used for?" I asked him.
"Some for food. Some will be eaten fresh. The rest will be used to make cider. The Dark Lord only drinks apple cider." The head chef explained.
I nodded. "Where is the royal orchard located?"
"Outside the castle walls. Just past the servants quarters. The land there is the best for growing fruits and vegetables." The head chef informed me.
I looked through the large window of the kitchen and I saw the servants coming with the fruits through a tiny gate at the far wall of the castle..
Bingo! That was my exit.