The Beautiful Thief

Chapter Seven

Everyone is standing, holding their glasses. I take my place and grab mine as well, raising it with everyone else.

"To King Hancer! Long live the king!" Someone shouts before the doors open. King Hancer walks in, followed by someone. "To prince Hancer!" The same person yells. That someone following him lifts his head, making every girl swoon.

I however drop my glass, it shatters against the marble floor, sending a shard into my foot. The pain doesn't register, because I'm in shock. "Caleb?" I mutter. He looks around the dining hall, searching for someone or something. His eye land on me, and I freeze. With his attention on me, every head turns. This seems to happen a lot.

"Lady Adelaide, you're bleeding," Grace says. Looking down, I see that I am indeed bleeding.

"I'll take her to the infirmary," Caleb offers. Before I, or anyone else, can protest, Caleb is by my side, lifting me from the ground. We quickly leave the room and I hold tight to him, so I don't fall.

"You lied to me," I say.

"I did, but it was for the best. I was playing a servant to see how the ladies acted. We're removing ten from the kingdom tomorrow."

"Am I one of them." He shakes his head. I look behind him, seeing a trail of my blood. "I'm dripping all over the floor."

"Someone will clean it. We have to worry about getting this out of your foot." He takes a right and continues talking. "It will leave a scar, I hope that doesn't matter."

"Why would it matter?"

"Ladies are supposed to hate scars, but I suppose you have a different view?"

"Of course. Scar's tall stories, some even nightmares." We enter a white room, with beds lining the walls, only thin curtains to separate them.

"What happened?" a gruff lady nurse asks.

"I broke a glass, and a shard got stuck in my foot." The nurse takes a needle and before I can protest, she stabs it into my foot. "Ow!"

"Best not to think about it. I'm just numbing it to make putting stitches in easier." The pain slowly ebbs away, and I see her pull out the shard of glass. "Did you feel anything?" I shake my head. I watch as she starts putting stitches into my foot.

"It's so weird, I can see it, but I can't feel it."

"You are one peculiar girl Lady Adelaide."

"That's nice of you," I say sarcastically. The nurse finishes dressing the wound, wrapping the white bandages around my foot.

"Keep as much pressure off of it as possible. No dance lessons this week or next week." I smile, excited not having to dance, or take any other lessons. "Have a good day, peace be with you." She leaves me with Caleb, who helps me from the infirmary bed.

"I'm not cripple, I can walk." He lets go of my arm, and I place weight on my injured foot. "Ow, ow, ow." He helps me stand straight and we walk back to the dining hall. Everyone is eating dessert when we walk in, and queen Penelope looks at me.

"Adelaide, you're okay! Thank the gods." She hugs me and I hug her back. "Sit, sit. We'll have hot dinner brought out for you." She waves over one of the house maids and she scurries over. "Bring out a hot meal for Lady Adelaide and Caleb."

"Please," I add at the end. The house maid, who I have yet to learn the name of, is off to the kitchen in no time.

"You're a very kind soul, aren't you Adelaide," the Queen says.

"She is indeed mother," Caleb says. I blush at the compliments, the tinge making my cheeks burn. "And very humble." If it's possible, they turn an even deeper red, almost the color of my dress.

"That she is, she's going to take piano lessons with me during breakfast. Did you know that Caleb?" He shakes his head, and a plate of food is set down in front of us.

"Anybody finished with their food is allowed to leave," King Hancer says. Nobody moves, all to intrigued with the events unfolding. King Hancer stands from his place and leaves the dining hall.

I begin to eat the food on my plate, which is delicious of course, and sit back in my chair a bit.

"Queen Penelope," an annoyingly high pitched voice whines. We turn toward it. It's none other than Elizabeth, back in a royal blue dress. "Is there any way I could take a piano lesson with you?"

Penelope does bother answering her, to engrossed in a conversation with her son. You'd think a shrill voice like that could be heard from anywhere. "I'm going to go to bed night. Goodnight Sir Caleb, Queen Penelope," I say.

"So soon darling?" With her attention no longer on her conversation, Elizabeth interrupts.

"Queen Penelope, could I take piano lessons with you as well?"

While the Queen is busy answering her question, I lean over to Caleb and whisper, "please tell me she's leaving tomorrow." He lets out a peel of genuine laughter, and the Queen turns to us.

"What's so funny dear?" She asks her son.

"Nothing mother, Lady Adelaide just told me something. But I think she's off to bed now. Goodnight Lady Adelaide."

"Sir Caleb." I turn to Penelope. "Queen Penelope. Have a good night." Standing from my chair, I take my leave and head to my room. Mary waits inside, ready to help me get to bed.

She looks slightly frazzled, on edge even. "What's Mary?"

"My children, their father must leave the sector for his travels, and I have nowhere to place my children." The gears start to grind in my brain, giving me pause.

"Bring them here. I'm sure we can sneak them in." She shakes her head. "Sure we can. I'll take a car out tomorrow and, and I'll go "shopping". It's a great idea."

"I live out in the Grey sector," she says on the verge of tears.

"Thankfully so do I. I'll pick them up, you can come as well, and we'll bring them back in the motorcar." She shakes her head.

"I'll just go home until my husband returns. It won't be so bad."

"Nonsense, they're coming here and that's final."