| |
I was finished with the autobiography of yet another megalomaniac who ruled Neretha. The book was a bit dry, but I would have read a manual by that point. Boredom was beginning to drive me wild. And I hated to admit that I was actually longing for the noble, considering that my last human contact had been with Lady Tamara, who had punished me for having a heart. I forced myself to shove the light punishment from my mind. Instead, I went to the kitchen and decided to make shepherd’s pie. Well, it was a Nerethian version of it. I had to substitute a few things. After that was finished, I decided to bake chocolate chip cookies again. As I prepared the dough, I thought of Jane, who had sat at the kitchen table watching me make a dessert for her bitter sister-in-law. I had to stop rolling the dough, the memory so overwhelming. I needed a distraction, and the boring biography wasn’t going to cut it.
As soon as the shepherd’s pie and the cookies were finished, the door flew open. To my relief and annoyance, Lord Larshak barged into the cabin. He closed the door and sniffed appreciatively.
“Dinner was some gooey piece of crap that’s supposed to be healthy,” he complained. “Did you learn anything from the biography?” he questioned. My eyes widened in surprise.
“Why have you been leaving me books?” I asked.
“Did you learn anything about our society?” he persisted.
“Women never really had any freedom,” I said, disappointed. “But it wasn’t nearly as bad as it is now.”
“That’s all you can focus on?” Lord Larshak demanded.
“Of course. What else am I supposed to focus on? I’m trapped in the cottage. Speaking of being trapped, have you met the other women?” I wondered.
“I’ve only met one woman, Ella. She will be married off pretty soon, I’m sure of it,” he said. “After she leaves, the focus will turn to you, since you are new. That means you should pay attention to the material I give you.” I had partly responded with my opinion to annoy him and to point out that women shouldn’t be collected and hidden away like glass china. Instead of pointing that out, I decided to reward his kindness.
“Would you like some shepherd’s pie?” I asked. He frowned, as if he hadn’t heard of the dish before.
“Was that an insult?” Lord Larshak asked.
“No. It’s a dish from Earth,” I corrected. He nodded, the interest making me chuckle.
I rushed into the kitchen, grabbed two plates from the cabinet, and served up the food. I gave him a plate along with silverware. With my food in hand, I sat down on the bed and Lord Larshak plopped down beside me. His proximity made me uncomfortable, but I ignored the awkward feeling in my gut and began eating. The pie was a bit salty, but delicious. He watched me eat for a moment before digging in. The delight transformed his face, making joy fill my chest. When he wasn’t scowling, he was handsome.
“This is phenomenal,” Lord Larshak declared.
“What’s your first name?” I wondered.
“My given name?” Lord Larshak asked, confused.
“Yes. What is it?” I insisted.
“Why would you like to know, Jade?” he asked. Goodness, could this man ever answer any of my questions?
“Because I’m curious,” I responded, before continuing to eat.
“Tell me something that you learned from one of the biographies that I lent you, then I’ll answer you,” he bargained.
“I learned that Nerethian leaders have obviously been building their military in hopes of invading other planets. I also learned that only the Nerethians rule, but there are pockets of Jantons and Najori living in the wilderness,” I said.
“Right, the savage tribes,” Lord Larshak said.
“Do you think that you’re better than them?” I asked, disgust coating my tone.
“It isn’t a matter of me being better than them. They live off the land and refuse to conform to Nerethian society.”
“Maybe if they do, their women would be taken away from them,” I accused. Lord Larshak paused and considered my statement. I wanted to smirk when he hesitantly nodded.
“I never thought about it that way,” he admitted. “Zamire.”
“Zamire? What’s that, another tribe?” I asked, bemused.
“Zamire is my name,” Lord Larshak impatiently said. “Don’t ever call me by it. It will be seen as an insult.” I nodded, recalling that a commoner had been beheaded for making that same mistake. The nobles in Neretha were extremely strict.
“What is your home like?” I wondered.
“I sometimes have a hard time remembering, since I spend so much time touring the galaxies,” he replied.
“Wow! You must have seen a lot,” I replied, amazed at the thought.
“Just remember, Jade, just because I’ve seen a lot, it doesn’t mean that it was pleasant,” he cautioned. My chest ached at the thought that he had seen unspeakable violence.
“Oh. I’m sorry. You don’t know me well. But I’m a good listener. If you ever need to talk, you can talk to me, well, if you have no one. Which is stupid, because a lord has plenty of friends to talk to. Though I imagine that a lord has shady friends that may stab them in the back later. I’m not like that. I believe that you receive what you put into the universe. Like, if you put in nothing but negativity, you’ll get it in return,” I rambled.
Zamire let out a sigh.
“If I have no one to talk to, I can come to you?” he inquired, seeming confused.
“I didn’t mean it quite like that. I meant that I don’t want to assume that you have no one to talk to. But I wanted to let you know that I’m here for you,” I explained. Zamire nodded and abruptly got to his feet.
“Didn’t you have a sweet treat in the kitchen?” he asked me.
“Yes! I made chocolate chip cookies,” I announced. He scarfed down the rest of his shepherd’s pie and went into the kitchen. I wanted to laugh when he came in with a small plate stacked with cookies.
“You might get a stomach ache if you eat too many sweets,” I warned.
“I once ate an entire cake by myself,” Zamire boasted. I shook my head and allowed the man to eat nine cookies. “I have to go.” He quickly went into the kitchen and discarded his empty plate. I was disappointed when he left me alone in my cottage.