"Oh my gods, I can't believe it!" The woman rushed over and threw her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. A bolt of electricity shot through every nerve in my body. Her softness overloaded my senses, tying my tongue into a knot and driving my heart into a frenzy. "I can't believe it's really you. Are you hungry? Want me to tell the kitchen staff to make you something? Of course, you must be hungry after the long trip." Without waiting for an answer, she dashed to the kitchen.
A smile split Benjamin's face. "Yes. That's our young madam."
"Oh," was the only response I could piece together after my brain was replaced with a head full of molasses.
"Well, that's done." Leyla's voice preceded her as she walked back into the foyer. "Want to rest before having dinner?"
Piecing my thoughts together, I responded, "Um, yes, alright."
A smile embellished her beautiful features. "Ok." Taking hold of my arm, she led me down the hallway. "I know the perfect place. Remember what I told you about the garden? The bench under the willow tree it's the best place to rest in the spring evening."
My gaze glided from her doe eyes to her full lips, looking for the sickly girl from five years ago. It's not that she doesn't look good—in fact, she looks amazing—it's just that, for some odd reason, I expected her to look the same as she did before I left.
"Here we are." Her voice snapped me out of my musings, and her caramel-colored hand reached for a red rose. "Since you like the color red, I planted these for you."
"T-They're nice, thanks."
She continued with an approving hum, "And here is the willow tree."
A small stone bench was placed in the shade of a weeping tree, where it was cool and fragrant due to the gentle breeze flowing through the garden.
Leyla's eyes remained locked on my face as I slowly lowered myself into the bench. "Uh," My fingers wiped the bridge of my nose in an attempt to get rid of whatever was staining my face.
"Oh! Sorry, I was staring!" Her cheeks tinted pink. "It's just that. It's been so long since I've seen you." Her fingers twisted the fabric of her skirt. "So, how you've been? How was the war? Horrible, I can only imagine. How's Calim? Did he return with you?" She asked, sitting down next to me.
"Um, well. Things were hard, and sadly we lost a couple of our men." The faces of fallen soldiers came to the forefront of my mind, forcing me to take a breath to clear my head. "But their sacrifices weren't in vain. The kingdom is safe once again. And Calim, well, he's still his normal troublemaker self. A little battle-worn, but he's fine. He should be back home right this moment."
"Oh, that's great. I need to give Calim something as my thanks for keeping his promise."
"He said he'll come back later for that..." A stray lock of her hair undulated in the wind, breaking my line of thought. Focus! Why are you so distracted?
Her laughter pealed around the garden. "Alright then, we'll invite him for dinner next week."
"I'm sure he'll like that." A timid smile crept across my face while we admired the garden in companionable silence. She really did a good job with the place. "I-It looks good. The garden, I mean."
"I'm glad you like it. I hope this place brings you as much peace as it has for me."
"I think it will."
Dinner was a lively event. Plates filled with my favorite foods and desserts covered the table—steak, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, chocolate cake, and apple pie. A feast in celebration of the master's return. There was so much food I worried it'll all go to waste.
"Everybody, may I have your attention, please?" Leyla rose from her seat and tapped her wine glass with her nail. Capturing the attention of the people that stood around the table. "First, I want to thank you all for this wonderful feast you have prepared for us tonight. It looks and smells delicious." A breathy laugh rushed out her lips, and she continued, "As you can see. The master of the house has returned to us after a grueling five years of warfare. It wasn't an easy task, but he has returned to us safe and sound." Her gaze dropped to the crimson liquid in her glass and with lips turned up in a smile, she added, "And we're very happy about that. So," Dozens of wine glasses raised with Leyla's in a toast. "Here's to our brave Supreme Commander Nubilus."
"May the gods grant everlasting joy to his line and soul." The servants chorused and downed their drinks.
"All right then," Leyla spoke after taking a gulp of her drink. "Let's pack half of everything on the table and send it to the orphanage and the elderly care house before it gets too cold."
The household sprang into action. And in less than ten minutes, everything was packed and ready to go.
"The young madam already had this whole thing planned since two years ago. She was sure you were going to return one day." Benjamin whispered from his place at my side.
My gaze followed after Leyla, and my chest filled with pride. Happy to see her embody the amazing, caring duchess she once aspired to be.
After the incredible dinner, I went back to my room and attempted to fall asleep. A sense of unease crept higher and higher with my tossing and turning on the uncomfortably soft bed in the eerily silent room. Like my days back at the campsite. Loud and persistent thoughts plagued me, barring me from getting any rest. With a huff, my blankets were thrown to the side, giving up on getting my well-needed rest.
I loitered around the manor. Gazing at the new furniture, paintings, and flowers adorning the halls. It feels more homely now, for some reason. In front of Leyla's room, there was a sliver of light escaping from under the door. She's awake? I stood motionless by Leyla's door for a while. Should I knock? What if she's asleep and she forgot to turn off the lamp? But, if that's the case. Isn't it dangerous to fall asleep with a lit lamp? The sound of a chair scraping against the marble floor came from inside, spurring my feet into motion. Oh, she's awake. Well, then let her be. Maybe she wants some time alone. My feet had moved a couple of steps away from the room when behind me, the door creaked, sending a beam of light that illuminated the dark hallway.
Leyla stood by her room's doorway. Her dark loose waves hung freely down the front of her white silk robe, framing her face in a way that made her look almost angelic. "Can't sleep? You always loiter around the hallway when you can't sleep," She said in a low voice.
"Um, no. How did you?"
"I remember from five years ago. That you did the exact same thing. You didn't sleep for a week straight if I recall correctly." Her palms smoothed out the wrinkles on her sleeves. "It's kind of hard not to notice when your footsteps can be heard from a mile away." A grin punctuated her statement.
"Oh, um, sorry." My hand flew to my nape to scratch at a non-existent itch.
"Don't worry. Come on. I have just the thing for your insomnia." With lamp in hand, she walked to the stairs.
Treading on Leyla's heels, I walked into the kitchen. Her lamp was left on the counter while she rummaged through the cabinets. Two plates and a loaf of bread were placed on the surface, and Leyla asked, "Could you please get me those two jars on top of the cupboards? I can't reach them."
I stretched my body upwards and placed the jars in front of her. "Um, I don't think we should be here."
"What do you mean? This is your house and therefore, your kitchen. You can come in here whenever you want." The jar lid opened with a pop, diffusing the nutty scent of the strange light brown paste inside. "I come in here all the time. In fact, that's why those jars were put all the way up there." In response to my confused expression she added, "Well, nobody knows I come here at night, and sometimes I forget to clean up the crumbs before I leave. So now the kitchen staff are on the hunt for the mouse that comes in every night to eat the butter made of peanuts and the loaf of bread." Knife in hand, she cut the bread into four slices. "This paste, right here." Her knife tapped the jar containing the light brown concoction. "Is a spread that Benjamin got from some merchants in town. It's from the islands, and it tastes like pure heaven when you pair it up with jam." She spread the jam on two slices and the butter of peanuts on the other two. Peanut and jelly joined, making two very odd sandwiches.
"Why didn't you tell them that it was you who was coming in here?" The question burst out of my lips when I recalled what she said about the mouse.
"What? Oh, well. Where's the fun in that? Plus, if I tell them, they're capable of sleeping in here so they could make my snacks for me when I come by." After warming up some milk on the stove. A plate of Leyla's strange creation was pushed in front of me with a glass of milk. "Here, try it."
With a skeptical gaze, I grabbed the sandwich and took a bite. Sweet and savory combined in my mouth. The saltiness of the peanuts and the sweet, tart taste of the grape jam complemented each other in a way that made my taste buds sing.
A big smile broke across Leyla's face. "You like it."
"You're right. It's heavenly." My voice was muffled by the delightful piece of heaven in my mouth.
She laughed, took a bite of her sandwich, and as she chewed, her eyes once again focused on something on my face.
My fingers wiped the bridge of my nose. Is there something there again?
"Oh, sorry. I'm doing it again. It's just," Leyla blushed, lowered her eyes, and spoke in a barely audible voice, "I love your freckles. They're adorable."
"Oh." My throat cleared in an attempt to stifle the heat creeping up my neck.
"Sorry. I'm embarrassing you. Let's change the subject. So, do you suffer from insomnia or something?"
"Um, well, sometimes. It only happens after I go out on missions or—" I breathed. "Or when I go to war. I don't know why."
Her eyes filled with worry. "Do you have bad dreams?"
"Sometimes I do. Sometimes it's just like my brain won't turn off."
"Is there anything you can do about it? Like taking a relaxing bath or drinking some herbal tea. Anything?" I shook my head, and she sighed. "Well, if nothing helps, then all I can do is keep you company on those sleepless nights. What do you think about joining me here when you can't sleep?"
"Will I get more of this?" I showed her the small piece of what was left of my sandwich, making her laugh.
"Yes, of course. I'll make you one very single night."
Shoving the piece of bread in my mouth, I responded, "Alright."