Palace Kitchen

~Nira~

The heat in the kitchen clung to my skin the moment I stepped in. It was thick and constant as the firewood burned beneath the large pots, steam rose in slow curls that carried the scent of spices and cooked meat into the already crowded space.

Voices filled the room almost immediately like they always were whenever too many people were forced into one place for too long, and yet somehow, I had learned to exist within it without letting it touch me too deeply.

My hands moved without hesitation as I focused on the task in front of me, carefully slicing through a pile of vegetables laid out on the worn wooden table. The blade moved in a steady rhythm as I kept my eyes down, letting the familiar motion keep me grounded while everything else carried on around me.

It was easier that way. Easier to listen without being noticed and to think without being pulled into conversations that led nowhere. The others, however, had no such restraint.

“Have you heard?” one of the girls started, her voice low but eager, like she had been waiting for the right moment to say it, “they still haven’t found her.”

I didn’t look up, but my hand slowed just slightly against the vegetables before continuing again.

“Elira,” another added, leaning closer across the table, her tone filled with something between curiosity and disbelief, “the one the King rejected.”

A soft scoff followed from somewhere behind me. “Rejected, yet he’s tearing through half the kingdom looking for her, it doesn’t make any sense.”

“It does,” a different voice cut in quickly, sharper this time, “they said she keeps disturbing him… that even after the rejection, he still feels her.”

A few murmurs followed that, low and uncertain as the idea settled between them.

“He wants her dead,” someone else said, more firmly now, “that’s the only explanation, once she’s gone, everything will go back to normal.”

My grip tightened slightly around the knife before I could stop it, the blade pressing harder than it needed to against the board as something about those words settled wrong in my chest.

Normal. ‘When has anything here ever been normal…?’

A small laugh followed from another corner. “I hope they find her soon,” she added carelessly, “this whole thing is starting to affect everything.”

That was when I spoke. “She didn’t do anything to you.”

The words came out quieter than theirs, but steady enough to cut through the noise, and the movement around the table stilled just slightly as their attention shifted toward me.

I didn’t look up immediately, finishing the last slice before setting the knife down, then I raised my gaze to meet theirs, my expression calm despite their stares.

“Why would you wish something like that on her?” I continued, my voice even, but not backing down either, “she’s just another girl trying to survive.”

There was a brief pause, then a small scoff.

“And why do you care so much?” one of them asked, her brow lifting slightly as she studied me, “you don’t even know her and yet you always defend her.”

I held her gaze for a moment before answering. “And do you know her?” I replied simply.

That earned a few glances between them, the tension shifting as they searched for something else to say, something that would justify what they had already decided to believe.

“It’s not about knowing her,” another said after a moment, her tone softer now but still defensive, “it’s about what this is doing to the palace… everything is tense, nothing is working the way it should.”

“It never did,” I said quietly, almost more to myself than to them, but it was enough.

Before anything else could be said, the heavy sound of footsteps cut through the moment as the head chef stepped into the kitchen, his presence commanding immediate attention.

“Enough talking,” he snapped, his sharp gaze moving across all of us, “if your hands are free enough to gossip, then you’re not working hard enough.”

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly, voices dropping as everyone returned to their tasks without another word.

I picked up the knife again, my focus returning to the board in front of me as though nothing had happened. That was how it worked here.

“Girl.”

I looked up at the call, my attention shifting to the head chef as he approached, a tray already in his hands.

“Take this to the dining hall,” he said shortly, placing it in front of me without waiting for a response.

I nodded once, wiping my hands quickly before lifting the tray carefully, adjusting my grip so it stayed balanced as I turned toward the exit.

The air felt different the moment I stepped out of the kitchen, cooler, quieter, though not by much. The palace was never truly silent.

I had barely taken a few steps down the corridor when it happened.

A sudden movement from the side, too fast to avoid.

My body jerked slightly as someone collided with me, the tray tilting dangerously in my hands as the contents shifted, threatening to spill over completely.

But it didn’t. A hand caught it just in time, steadying it and holding it in place before it could fall.

“I’m sorry,” the guard said quickly, his grip firm on the edge of the tray as he adjusted it back into my hands. His expression was genuinely apologetic as he stepped back slightly, “I didn’t see you.”

I exhaled softly, steadying myself as I tightened my hold on the tray again before offering a small smile.

“It’s alright,” I said, my voice calm, “it happens.”

He hesitated for a second, as though making a decision, before stepping beside me. “I’ll walk with you,” he added, his tone casual, “just in case someone else isn’t paying attention.”

I glanced at him briefly, I was surprised but I didn’t argue.

“Alright,” I said simply, turning forward again as we continued down the corridor together.

For a few steps, neither of us spoke. Then, quietly, I asked, “Is it true… about the search?”

His gaze flickered slightly before settling ahead again.

“I mean the king’s rejected mate.” I added, just in case he didn’t get what I meant the first time.

“It is,” he replied, with a nod, his voice lower now, “they haven’t found her yet, but they’re not stopping.”

Something in my chest tightened faintly at that, though I kept my expression unchanged as I nodded slightly.

“I see.”

Footsteps approached from the opposite direction, and almost instantly, the conversation stopped.

We both fell silent, our movements unchanged as the others passed by. Once they were gone, the silence lingered for a moment longer before easing slightly.

“Where do you stay?” he asked suddenly, his tone quieter again.

I hesitated briefly before answering, keeping it simple. “The lower quarters,” I said, “near the storage wing.”

He nodded as if committing it to memory.

We reached the entrance to the dining hall not long after, and I stepped inside without another word, placing the tray where it was needed before turning back toward the corridor again.

He was still there, waiting for me.

We didn’t speak as I walked past him, but when I did, he fell into step beside me again, walking only halfway back this time before slowing.

“This is where I turn,” he said, his voice quieter now, almost reluctant.

I nodded, pausing briefly as I looked at him.

“Thank you,” I said softly.

He didn’t respond immediately, but there was something in his expression, something unspoken as his gaze held mine for just a second longer than necessary before he stepped back.

And then he turned away. But not before giving me a look.

One that spoke without his mouth moving. One that said;

‘We’ll talk again.’

I smiled shyly and returned to the kitchen. I replayed the conversation in my head again. It was my first time having a decent conversation with someone in the place after Elira.

In the kitchen, the girls were back to gossiping again. I wasn’t surprised. All that just stemmed from a place of jealousy and hatred for Elira.

I guess I was the only one looking forward to leaving this palace too. I was never born to be a slave.

I would do whatever it takes to not continue like this. And even if it costs me my life trying…

‘I’ll get out of here.’