Page 5 of Bearly Free (The Emerald Realm 2)

chapter three

I groaned loudly as my back protested against any movement. My entire spine ached from my neck to my tail bone, and I briefly wondered if marriage would have been less painful. For such a lavish room, the bed was absolutely miserable. The blankets had been warm and inviting, but the mattress… oh, the mattress.

My gaze shot down to the floor with a look of longing. Clearly, I should have considered other options sooner before choosing this sleeping arrangement. The springs within the bedding had been entirely stiff and unyielding. It was like sleeping on stone—if stone poked every single nerve in your body with pristine accuracy.

Every muscle in my torso cried out in relief as I peeled it off the offending surface. Who in their right mind would ever choose a mattress so stiff? Perhaps the original master of this estate is no longer present because he perished from spinal injuries.

I tossed my feet back over the edge of the bed with an unsatisfied yawn. There was no use trying to sleep late on such a coffin, so I might as well hunt down some food. My stomach growled as I recalled that I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast yesterday.

My mind flashed back to the uncomfortable meal conversation with my stubborn parents. A flush of red anger mulled over my cheeks as I stomped across the room to check my damp clothing. Just the thought of their ignorance toward my wishes made me want to scream. Hopefully, they recognized the error of their ways. I allowed myself a satisfied smirk at the thought of them discovering my empty bedroom. I wondered if they canceled the celebrations. Or perhaps they made up a lie that I was unwell and couldn’t attend the festivities as promised. Either way, it was no longer my problem, and I couldn’t be more pleased about it.

I grabbed my dress and stockings, but was disappointed to find they were still damp. Instead of risking catching a cold, I decided to seek out the spare clothes I had left in my satchel. But wait…

Where was my satchel?

A flood of panic washed over me as I realized that I hadn’t entered the estate with it last night.Had I left it in the woods? Did I drop it?My mind flashed back to my brief moment when I had relaxed on the ground. I took it off before it began to rain and then…

“Oh no, No, no!” Recognizing my fatal mistake, I paced the room in frustration. “What was I thinking?! My clothes! The jewels! Everything!” I yelled at the emotionless walls, wishing I had a real being to vent my frustrations to. This was an absolute disaster.

Feeling completely defeated, I pulled on my chilly dress, leaving the stockings out to dry a little longer. I knew in my head that I was alone, but something inside me couldn’t quite get behind walking around in only my undergarments. I sulked through the halls, barely even looking up from my bare feet.

What was I supposed to do now? I looked over at a silver candlestick that sat on a low shelf. I suppose I could always take something of small value. Something as simple as a candlestick would hardly be missed in such a lavish home, right?

“Aurelia! Cut it out!” I smacked myself in the head, knocking the selfish thought from my brain. I wasn’t a thief, and I wasn’t going to tarnish my moralities just to escape my parents. If I took something for my own gain, then I was no better than they were.

I padded my naked toes down the stairs and swerved around the back of the house to the kitchen. It had been dreadfully dark last night, so I hadn’t been able to look around much. Now that the sun was fully streaming through the windows, I was able to see a large wooden door at the back of the room.

Once it swung open, I was glad to discover that it was a walk-in storage pantry filled with dried goods. My eyes lit up greedily as I took in the sights of the grains, spices, jerked meats, and jarred jellies. My heart gave a slight twinge of remorse as I recovered my previous internal lecture about stealing. But this wasn’t stealing, right? Nobles always fed their guests upon visits, and that often included uninvited ones. I was simply doing them the favor of preparing my own meal.

Having felt content with my reasoning, I set out to craft some breakfast. The pantry was extraordinarily well-stocked for having been left abandoned, and fortunately, the food all appeared to be well preserved. After digging around for a bit, I discovered a back-stash of fire logs and kindling. I quickly got to work building up a fire in the kitchen hearth, then started on a pot of porridge.

Upon further inspection of the pantry’s contents, I managed to secure nuts, dried apples, and even a small jar of maple syrup. I hummed happily as I brewed the most tantalizing pot of autumnal porridge. It was barely past winter, so these flavors felt almost forbidden to craft together during the rainy season.

Between stirring, I took a moment to sprint back up the stairs to the main bedroom in order to retrieve my stockings. I hung them above the fire and sat close to its emerging heat to aid in the drying of my dress. Before long, both the stockings and the porridge were completely warmed through. I gathered up a bowl and spoon and served myself a heaping portion of the thick oats.

I was far too hungry to be patient, so I proceeded to take a massive bite of the steaming spoonful. Not surprisingly, my actions came with consequence, and my entire mouth burned from the scalding heat.

“Eek!” I yelped in pain, spitting out chunks of my breakfast. I ran across the room for a cup of water. I felt instantly relieved once the cool water touched my tongue and not too regretful over my foolishness. The bite had been delicious, and there was not a soul for miles who could scold me for acting so indecent.

With a sly grin spread across my face, I returned to my seat to continue nibbling the steaming meal. It was still far too hot, but I could simply chew with my mouth open or take excessive sips of water to quench the heat. I snickered like a child as I put on the most disgusting performance of unladylike behavior at the table. It was all deplorable… and I was relishing in it.

I had just filled up my bowl for a second serving when an unfamiliar sound directed my attention away from my food.Was that? No, it couldn’t be… What were the odds of that…?

The unmistakable sound of clattering horse’s feet rang through my ears. My entire body stiffened as the alarming noise grew nearer. Ever so slowly, I turned my head to gaze out the kitchen window—and, sure enough, the snout of a chocolate-brown stallion was coming into view.

“Oh dear…” I chewed my fingernails anxiously as I spotted a simple carriage trailing behind the horse. Someone was returning to the manor, and I had already overstayed my welcome.

Deciding that I didn’t want to wait around to get caught, I rushed over to the fire to grab my hanging stockings and douse the flames. Smoke billowed as I splashed a pitcher of water on it, clouding the entire room. I coughed aggressively as I pulled on my stockings with burning eyes.

Please don’t notice the smoke from the chimney.

I paused in contemplation, debating cleaning up the breakfast I had left behind. It pained me to abandon such a delicious meal, but I didn’t want to risk discovery. With a heavy heart, I fled the kitchen, not even bothering to clear the plates. No matter what I did in the kitchen, they were sure to find the master suite had already been disturbed. There was little chance of the owners excusing all the evidence left behind. I simply had to hope that I could get far enough away before they noticed.

I dashed around the back entrance to the kitchen just as I heard the distinct sound of a door opening. Risking a quick glance down the halls, I saw a tall figure push the front door forward. My racing heart elevated at a dangerous rate as I quickly darted for the nearest closet. I reached for the brass knob and breathed a sigh of relief as it turned without sound. Then, just as swiftly, I shoved my body between mounds of folded sheets and towels. The door clicked closed, and I nestled into the hiding spot.

My nervous fingers twisted the edge of my skirt as I listened for any unfamiliar voices. Hushed footsteps tapped along the floor, causing me to hold my breath.

“Strange…” a male voice broke the silence, and I nearly jumped at the sudden sound. “I could have sworn we locked every entrance before our winter departure.” The owner of the voice sounded perplexed as their footsteps continued to pace.

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