Cassandra

Chapter Fifteen

Cassandra POV 

I wait for some time making sure that the teacher has done, before getting up from under the stand. Washing the plate and putting it back, I look at Grace, who is still occupied by some thoughts. Her face looks pale and her usual smile is missing. My heart aches to see her like this and I slowly take my hand and put it on her shoulders. 

She jumps with the sudden gestures and looks at me, a fake smile pasted over her lips. Her eyes are still telling the story of her concern. I see the blank expression go away and the worried look appears over her face. Her fingers fidgeting and eyebrows knitted together. 

She may be just a maid in academia but she treats everyone like her own child and that’s why’s she is worried that most of her kids are not getting fed properly. Now that I take my time to look at her, she is rather lean with her hands covered in wrinkles which shouldn’t be there at such a young age. I haven’t seen her either eating breakfast or dinner and it does look like she hasn’t eaten for days. Maybe the fact that there is less food for all of us, keeps her skipping her own meal. 

I know that she won’t be able to eat till she knows that every kid is fed properly, getting up early in the morning and standing on her torn feet all day, her only priority is to cook food for us and keep us healthy. Despite working all day, in the past few days, she has made time to look out for me too, being there for me when I needed her and taking care of me when I got hurt. 

How do mothers do that?

How do they work all day nonstop and still don’t complain?

How do they are still able to smile at us after being so tired?

How do they still manage to look after our needs? 

When do they get time to look after themselves then? 

I am now able to understand the true love of a mother, even when she is not your own. 

I feel myself getting teary when Grace looks at me. 

How did she know that I am sad when I haven’t even spoken a single word 

I put a large smile on my face so as not to make her worried. I know she is already occupied with cooking and I don’t want to be a burden to her. 

Maybe I could help her in some way. Maybe I could make her work easy.

“Grace..I was thinking”, I tap my pinky finger over my chin and while looking up and I know she is smiling. 

“I have free time today, I could help you around with some things here”, I gesture towards the kitchen. 

“You must be tired from yesterday dear, you should take rest...I will manage everything”, I don’t believe her smile now and I am frustrated since she is not letting me help. 

“I am not tired and anyway I always wanted to learn how to cook”, this time her eyes twinkle and her smiles reach her eyes. 

“I could teach you that”, I let out a breath I was holding in and start to look around. 

“So how do we start?”, I ask excitedly that I could help her with at least something. I couldn’t be that useless. 

“How about you arrange the plates?”, she says with a smile and I know she doesn’t want to give me tiring tasks. 

She is really sneaky 

“I could do it later at night, tell me how could I help now”, she takes a look around and nods in one direction. 

“You could peel the potatoes and then I will show you how to prepare vegetable”, I am jumping up and down with joy. I have finally gotten an important task. 

I rush towards the cauldron kept at the left corner, but before I could pick up the lid, my hand is grabbed by Grace. 

“Dear, it must be too hot right now, you shouldn’t pick the lid with bare hands..here use this cloth ..also there would be hot steam once the lid is open so keep your distance…and the potatoes must be hot too so pick them up too with a knife”, I feel like an i***t right now. I didn’t know anything about cooking, not even how to peel potatoes. 

I feel her tapping my head with affection and a smile on her lips 

“Don’t worry, you will learn everything soon. I know you are a smart girl”, her words make my heart flutter. 

When someone admires your efforts, you get motivated to try even harder. 

I soon start to take the peels off followed by cutting them in small shapes. Everyone is saying something to encourage my work when I know it is a small task but I feel nice surrounded by people who lift each other up. 

They might not be of the upper class but they are empathic, they are kind, they are sincere. They have big hearts. And this makes me want to help them more and more. 

Grace is already prepared to cook veritable with all the ingredients ready to cook. I handle her the chopped potatoes and stand by her side. 

“Dear…stand with a little distance away from the stand, there will be smoke while cooking chilly will could make you cough and sneeze..or you could just go out of the kitchen for some time”, I shake my head no 

I nod and push me a little far from the cauldron. I have to remember what she is putting since it is done so fast that I am losing the track of what was added after what. It doesn’t even take her 5 minutes to cook the vegetable and I am stuck by her cooking skills. 

“You have to teach me how to do that”, the grin forming on my face might split it in half and she nods. 

My day is spent mostly in the kitchen, helping everyone with one thing or another and eating while cooking. I can say this day is the best one I have spent in academia. I am content with what I did today and I promise myself to get up early and help Grace often. 

I am in my room completely exhausted when a sound makes me jump from the bed. 

It is the horn of the town crier 

I quickly throw my blue robe over my gown and rush outside. 

There are many guys like me who have reached the ground and are gathered in a circle around the town crier. 

I feel my hand grabbed and look at Evan who is pulling me in the front. I am too happy to be bothered by anything. 

He blows the horn again and more people join us, I could see happy faces everywhere and I reflect their grinning face. 

"Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!"

I am jumping up and down like a 5-year-old and I could feel Evan’s eyes over me. 

“I am too excited”, I say to him and he smiles back 

“On the auspicious day of the birth of the king of Ditio, his daughter, the princess Aira of Ditio is going to perform a dance along with her group in the academia. Your presence will make the occasion more joyful. LONG LIVE THE KING” 

There are whispers when the announcement ends instead of the expected cheer. 

“He is making his own daughter dance?”

“This man can’t go lower”

“He shouldn’t be even a king”

“I have heard they are looking for a prince for his daughter”

“Maybe he wants to gather more interested prospects” 

“I would just be delighted to see a princess dance like a court’s woman”

It is followed by laughers and more whispers. 

“Is it wrong to dance?” I ask Evan as we are making our way back to the chambers. 

“The princess isn’t supposed to dance, not at least in front of others” he shrugs his shoulder as it wasn’t a matter of discussion. 

I put my thoughts aside, and I am excited to have at least some fun tomorrow at the dance.