Page 10 of Markets & Mooncakes

"It's fine. I would have said if the dishes you asked for were too much. But it's short notice, and that always makes it harder."

I sigh and lean against the table, giving a quick glance to Ember, who is thankfully sleeping happily now she's eaten her snacks. "It is short notice. From what Mama said, it's that they didn't get word from the last place the ambassador stayed for a few days because of a delay, so we should have had slightly more warning."

"That's just the way of working and living in a palace." He pulls his leather-bound journal towards him and picks up a stubby pencil, adding a few notes to the page that I assume is about the tea loaf. "Do you want to add anything?" He gestures to it.

I pause for a moment, not really knowing what the right answer to that is. I've written notes on his recipes before, but this feels different, probably because it's a test, and the first one at that.

I lean over so I can read over what he's put so far, and the notes he's added. "I don't think there's anything," I say. "At least not until we try the end result."

"I don't think so either." He sets the pencil down and looks at the page as if it's going to tell him what that's going to be. The expression on his face is uncertain, something I very rarely see from him, especially not when there's baking involved. It makes me grateful that he feels comfortable enough to share this, even when he said that he was unsure.

"Thank you," I say softly.

"What for?" His eyebrows crease together as he asks.

"For showing me this part of you too." I put a hand on his chest.

He covers it with his own and smiles at me in a way that makes me feel like the only person who exists. "I'm glad I can. And I'm sorry that I haven't before."

"I'm sorry I pushed you on it."

"Maybe we should just stop being sorry about this," he says.

"All right."

"Good." He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it, making my heart flutter in response. It doesn't matter how the tea loaf turns out, I know it's going to be good, because that's what spending time with him in the kitchen is like.

Chapter 5

The mountain solar is as quiet and tranquil as it normally is at this time in the morning, and even more so because it seems like none of my siblings are here for breakfast yet. Kathryn rarely joins us, and Ernest is too young, but it's surprising that Veronica isn't here yet. Artie and Solana are a different story, and they often take breakfast together rather than with us.

Will that be what it's like if I marry Nate? Will we want a private breakfast rather than being here with my siblings?

The thought startles me slightly. I know that's where we're supposed to be heading. Nate, Veronica, and Mama have all said as much, but it still surprises me that I'm thinking about it, especially when it took me so long to realise how I feel about him. It's probably just because we went to the tea shop the other day. There were other people around seeing the two of us together, and that's making me think about what an actual life between the two of us might look like.

It should scare me, but I don't think it does.

I pick up one of the almond croissants that's been sent for breakfast and start pulling it apart so I can eat it. The sweet nutty flavour goes perfectly with the flaky pastry, and with the smoothness of the tea that's also served with breakfast.

I sit back in my seat and look out the window. It's surprisingly sunny considering that we're less than a month away from Yuletide. It won't be long before we have to start preparing for the banquet, and everything that comes with it. It'll be Nate's first Yuletide back in the castle, and I'm excited to see what he comes up with for the desserts, even if I don't particularly want to go to the banquet, or the ball, or the temple ceremony that all seem to happen in one day.

I push those thoughts away. For now, I need to focus on the more imminent things, and that's the arrival of the Shengdanese ambassador. Thankfully, Chef Martina has had six years of experience cooking with Shengdanese ingredients, so even if the dishes are traditional to our kingdom, they can hopefully have some of the flavours that the ambassador and his family are used to.

I pick up my cup of tea and take a sip. It seems that my mind is all over the place today. Hopefully, it calms down before I'm required to do anything, or it's going to be one of those days that just makes me want to curl up in a ball and scream.

Hopefully, it won't be that.

The door opens, and my younger sister enters, yawning widely even as she thanks the servant for holding it open for her.

"Good morning," I say.

"Morning," she responds as she sits herself down and reaches for the teapot. "What do we have this morning?"

"Almond croissants," I say.

"We've had those a lot recently."

"There was an overdelivery of almonds," I respond, thinking back to what Nate told me. "And I like them."