Her Unwanted Mate On The Throne

Chapter 84 At least you finally found a way to make yourself useful.

passed around. The room was hot enough for Doris to strip off her jacket after only seconds of standing in the entryway. An older man turned to look at her with a curious lift of his brow but said nothing as she hung her coat. The ovens were on, but it appeared that nothing was inside them yet. It made her wonder if they were always left on, just in case. A large pot on the stove was filled to the brim with some sort of warm soup that made her long to curl up by the fire with the largest bowl possible. “Hello, sir.” Doris stepped further in and held out her hand. He glanced down at it before he seemed to decide to oblige her. “I was wondering if I could use some of your ingredients and ovens to bake something small. I promise to clean up after myself and replace whatever I use.” “Oh, you like to cook?” The man asked. He had a thick accent that she wasn’t familiar with, but it was lovely and went along with his kind face. “Yes sir, I love to bake. I’ve missed being in the kitchen, it’s been a long time.” Doris glanced around and felt her head spin with all of the delicious scents. It was so calm in here. The kitchens at the palace were always so loud and busy. It was hard to find any sense of peace there without a string of anxiety to follow. She wasn’t sure if there were more cooks that helped, but for the moment it was just him. “Hmm, I see.” The old man crossed his arms. “What did you have in mind?” “I was thinking something simple. A chocolate cake and frosting.” Doris brushed her hair behind her ears. “I’m Doris, by the way.” “I know who you are, my dear. You can call me Poe.” He turned his back on her to pull down a glass bowl. “You may use my kitchen and ingredients on two conditions.” “Of course, anything.” “You have to keep an eye on my soup, and you have to clean up after yourself.” He turned and placed the bowl in her hands. He smiled a little and winked. “Stay for as long as you need and have someone come find me when you’re done.” “Oh! That’s so kind of you. Thank you, Poe.” Doris smiled widely. Poe went to the coat rack to pull on his jacket. This village was full of some of the kindest people.

getting the recipe right. She missed those sort of simple worries. She couldn’t help but think of the times her largest worries were finding misplaced books and removing all the cobwebs around the shelves. Now she worried if she would witness another murder almost daily. She moved around the kitchen as if it was her own. It felt like an old dance as she placed the cake pans in the ovens and spun around to clean up the mess she made. By the time she wiped the counters clean, she was pulling out the hot pans and starting the frosting. She set the blazing pans by the cold window and had them cooled in no time. She cut the cake into pieces and left one on the counters before she carried the rest of it out. She was almost sad to be finished so soon. Time always seemed to fly faster when she was enjoying herself—but at least she had a taste of what it was like to feel lighter. At least for a little while. 1 Each step towards William’s cabin filled her with a heavy weight once more as her unease and nerves came rushing back in. What if he turned her away? He hadn’t spoken to her once since he spat at her feet. The memory burned worse than any fire ever could. She swallowed her pride before she knocked on his door. His deep grumbled beyond it. “What?” “It’s me.” Doris leaned closer as if it would make him hear her better. She glanced around and was glad to see no one was around to see her pathetic attempt at civility with a grumpy prince. There was a pause that lasted hours in her mind. She cleared her throat and took a small step back as if to prepare herself to run as fast as possible away from this door. It wasn’t worth it, she knew it was an awful idea “Come in.” He said. Doris released a breath and opened his door slowly. Her eyes found him instantly by the dimming fire. His eyes lit up beautifully against the light. What a curse it must be to have such beautiful eyes like that. His dark lashes raised and suddenly they were on her without a warning. She closed the door behind her and lifted the plate in her hands. “I made you some dessert.” “It’s not even dinner time.” He said blandly. Doris felt her cheeks heat instantly, she took a step back towards the door. “Yes, right. I meant for later-of course.” Doris looked