She found herself facing an even bigger challenge a day later: cooking. It wasn't like she was completely incompetent when it comes to being domestic, but she hadn't been inside the kitchen for so long, too busy managing other aspects of their estate.
Her fingers flitted through the pages of a cookbook, only stopping once she identified one of her husband's favorite meals. The dish was simple, but it was classy and recognizable all the same.
After skimming the page with fast eyes, she got to cooking, replacing the memories of her last altercation with a list of ingredients the meal needed.
Hours flew by as she seasoned, stirred, and chopped vegetables with unfamiliarity leading her movements.
Servants would occasionally offer a helping hand, but she always turned them down. Sure, it wasn't something she was used to, but it was comforting nonetheless to achieve something on her own.
It silenced all the turmoil inside her head.
It silenced Luke's accusations of Sophie not loving him sincerely when she would choose to have him over the light of the sun. It silenced her storm of questions as to where he got those ideas from in the first place.
Before she knew it, the clock's shorter hand landed on the eighth hour.
A bit late for dinner, but it didn't discourage Sophie as she set the table, ordering the maids to light special candles to create a romantic mood.
She sat. Next to her was a velvet box, her husband's cloak resting inside.
Sophie was set on fixing things. It was tonight or never.
She fixed her wearied posture, watching as the red wine she matched with the steak sat unmoving inside her glass.
It was hard not to reminisce about the glory days of their marriage when everything felt golden and hearing her husband's unrestrained laughter made her feel like she could swallow the world whole.
Now, it was this, cold and empty, waiting for the disaster that was approaching. She hoped there was no disaster approaching. But it felt like an inevitability.
Marriage was like that sometimes, according to her mother.
"Where is he?"
She glanced at the clock on the wall, it was fifteen minutes past ten.
She'd been waiting for that long?
At that point, the steak needed to be reheated.
Sophie's fingers started drumming against the table in worry.
It was so late. Where was her husband? Had he run into trouble and she'd been too deep in her daydreams to realize? Usually, he informed her when his responsibilities would force him to stay somewhere else.
Unable to control her anxiety, Sophie requested a thick cloak from her servants. It was a gift from her eldest sister, said to be blessed with all sorts of protection spells. Maybe it was Sophie's habit of running into the woods to collect flowers, but her sisters were always meddling when it came to her safety.
She ran to the stables, mounting a trustworthy steed before riding it to the nearby town.
Whatever it was that she was anticipating, she hadn't expected to run into an angry mob, equipped with pitchforks and torches.
The lady got off her horse, carefully concealing her identity as she asked the nearest stranger what exactly was going on.
"A beast. The guards spotted a beast, towering with long horns and empty eyes. Now all the lords and knights are after it. I heard the king is willing to pay a handsome price for its head."
Sophie's eyes widened. Luke was hunting a beast? Was her husband seriously putting his life on the line for money and recognition they didn't need?
He was usually very brave, yes, but she wished he wasn't so self-sacrificial. The royal family, hell, the entire kingdom did not deserve him.
"Oh, Luke." Her eyebrows creased in frustration and increasing worry. She tried not to imagine her husband's lifeless body, deformed in ways that had her stomach tumbling.
"Where is the beast now? Better yet, where do the lords think the beast is?"
"The woods! I'd already be there myself if I could afford better weapons." Another stranger answered, seeming much too drunk to be wielding a pitchfork in a crowded area. In Sophie's eyes, he was more of a danger than the elusive beast.
"Alright. Thank you for your time, gentlemen."