Reigning Curse

Chapter Three ~ Introduction to Castle Life

The Prince paused in his chatter as we rode through the castle gate. A brief moment of silence passed that I barely noticed. I did catch what he said next before we were in the courtyard of the castle.

"The castle has a professor, Sir Eric. He can study this whole jewel-talking-popping-out-of-the-mouth thing. I'll have him experiment to find out how to get bigger gems and nuggets and only get jewels or only get gold. The treasury will be full. Queen Mother's desire to modernize Pembria's transportation system beyond one train and her own fleet of skyships will happen." He stopped the motorbike in front of stables and stopped chattering. A servant arrived with an overcoat which quickly replaced the Prince's leather jacket.

Five servants bustled about us and the motorbike. I took the Prince's silence as an indicator that I should not talk. The ride had filled my mind with thoughts about how I should interact with him. Would we ever have a spark of romance between us? When he mentioned the professor, I was excited to talk to a man of knowledge. He might comprehend H.A.G. curses beyond a life of misery that the stories indicated.

Marrying the Prince and living in a castle seemed like a wonderful dream but I couldn't help the feeling that there was more of a curse side beyond the embarrassment of spitting out precious stones.

Then a woman grabbed my elbow and said, "This way to the kitchen."

This pulled me out of my thoughts.

Prince Charlie stopped her and announced to the crowd of servants, "This is Eliza, and she is my fiancé. Show her to the yellow guest chambers."

His announcement made my heart flutter and my head swim. Hearing the Prince say my name and fiancé made the whole thing real. A gasp came from several of the servants. The woman curtsied to me along with the other servants.

The Prince turned his attention to a very official-looking man. While I was being directed away from Prince Charlie, I could hear him say something about gems and when she talks. I wondered if he would remember to send a messenger to my house.

The kitchen woman led me to a man dressed in a maroon guard's uniform and a girl dressed in a maroon dress and white apron. The girls in town always flirted with the guards and talked about how handsome they were with the brass buttons and fur hats. I preferred admiring the zeppelin captains with their high collared long coats and tall leather boots.

"I don't have time for leading maidens about the castle," she said as she passed me off to the girl. The guard fell in behind us.

I said, "Where-" and the guard ran in front of me and scooped up the gem and put it in a maroon bag, and fell back in step behind us. I smiled at the girl. She stared at my mouth but didn't question me. I supposed she had been taught not to question those above her in station. I was above her in station as a guild member, but now, I realized, I'd jumped several rungs of the class ladder by accepting Prince Charlie's proposal. From my daily errand to the well to now, I couldn't believe how much my life had changed.

We entered the castle and started to wind up and down hallways. It was the first time I was within the castle walls, and its hallways dizzied me. We arrived at the yellow guest chambers and walked into a room brightly painted with yellow flowers on a cream background.

Within a breath of entering, a group of women filed in with dresses and undergarments. The girl departed. If gossip traveled as quickly through the castle as it did in town, I knew, within moments, all of the servants would be informed that Prince Charlie was engaged to a spring-guild girl. Who, when she spoke, a jewel popped out of her mouth.