Sincerely,
Your still-unnamed garden friend
I stared in bewilderment at the elegant, royal invitation tucked behind the letter. My fingers traced over the ornate lettering in disbelief. The royal ball? How did he manage to acquire such an invitation?My thoughts tumbled over one another as I recalled our first meeting. He had been running in the direction of the palace… Is it possible he works for the crown?My eyes widened. Just how important was this man if he could send out royal invitations to whomever he pleased? He must have been a royal courtier, or the son of an ambassador, or even a young advisor. He could have even been a close friend to the prince.Oh goodness… What have I gotten myself wrapped up in now?
As I continued to ponder, the local church bells chimed, signaling five o’ clock. My pulse quickened as I realized I only had thirty minutes to return home, attach my sample to the application, and hand it to the courier. Without further thought, I hiked up my soil-stained skirt and took off at a run.
I didn’t have time to catch my breath this trip. I could only push forward. If I missed my opportunity to submit my sample, then my chance at a new start would be officially ruined. My dire thoughts motivated me to move faster, not caring about my stinging feet. Each time I felt my energy falter, I simply pictured a life where Sapphira had won, where she had taken everything my father had left for me and shoved me onto the streets. The image was more than enough inspiration to ignore the momentary discomfort. I couldn’t let Sapphira have her way. I was going to prove that I could earn my own worth, and that it wasn’t determined by the scraps of sympathy she offered me.
I celebrated internally once my aching feet touched the soft grass of my garden.It couldn’t have been thirty minutes, could it?Not willing to risk being wrong, I continued my quick pace across the garden, sprinting straight past a confused Yvette. As I raced into the back of the house, I instantly directed my course to the attic where I had last left the application. When my hand touched on the upper room’s door handle, a distant noise drew my attention.
“Ah, Sir Sonnet, please do come in. Allow me to see if I have any deliveries for you today.” Sapphira’s sickly-sweet voice stung my ears.
The courier had arrived.
I burst into my room and headed straight for my desk, but as I scanned the top of the tattered surface, my application was nowhere to be seen. My lungs heaved heavily in both exhaustion and panic. I had left it right here! Did I move it before I left?My gaze darted across the room in horror. I couldn’t see the document anywhere. I was about to start tearing the room apart when another string of dialogue drew my ears.
“Here you are, sir,” Sapphira projected a little louder than necessary for a doorway conversation. “This letter, here, is for the royal palace. My dear daughter is applying for a position there. Isn’t that exciting?”
My limbs stiffened, unable to act on the words I had overheard.Sapphira had found my letter… and she was sending it?Something wasn’t right. Sapphira had explicitly told me not to pursue the job, so why send it herself? My confusion held me in place long enough that I heard the front door close. Shaking off my shock, I hurried back down the stairs and found Sapphira and my stepsisters, all standing poised in the entry room.
“Ah, there you are, Kalina.” Sapphira smiled pleasantly. “We were hoping you’d arrive home in time to see your special letter be sent off.” She cast a sideways glance at her daughters, who both were biting their lips in some sort of anticipation.
“Stepmother…” I started, “I didn’t think you wanted me to apply for the job.” I watched with growing worry as her eyes brightened.
“Oh, I didn’t, dear,” she said calmly. “It was rather childish of you to go behind my back, don’t you think, girls?”
“Absolutely, Mother,” Brielle agreed firmly, biting back a snicker.
“Deplorable, if you ask me.” Odelia giggled.
“Precisely,” Sapphira agreed, a little more ice seeping into her tone. “Which is why you have received a childish punishment as a consequence.”
My breath caught, my heart racing in fear. “W-what did you do?”
“We did what you wanted, dear.” Sapphira’s lips twisted up in a venomous smile. “We submitted an application for you, though we may have changed a few things…” She slipped two pieces of folded parchment from her pocket and walked them over to me. “Here’s the one you made... I figured you could keep it as a reminder of why you shouldn’t defy those above you.” She slipped me an icy glare as she handed me the second paper. “And this one is a perfect copy of the application that was just given to the courier. You can thank your sisters for their hard work. They didn’t want to leave out a single one of yourspecialskills.”
I accepted the paper with a horrified look, too afraid to read the contents it held. My stepsisters lost their composure and roared with laughter at my petrified state.
Brielle cackled. “Good luck ever getting a job now, little sister.”
chapter eight
I must have cried for hours. There was no hope of getting a job now, anywhere. I had only managed to read through a quarter of what my stepsisters had written before shoving it aside. The only two words they spelled correctly were my name—Kalina Aristi, Flour Desiner—and it only got worse from there. My special skills had included growing thorny weeds, occasionally being punctual, and only arguing when necessary. The worst part of it all was the notation at the bottom.
I, Kalina Aristi, wud also like to menshin that I wish to worc in the palacce for the soul reeson of heckling the royal familee. Prince Jasper is a lack-luster buffoun with a horid taste in womenn, and the king is a bummbling morron with no cense of dignity. I feal as tho a harsher pressence amongst the staf wud help impruv their self-value to a moar realistic standing. Thank yu for yur considooration, I looc forward to heering from yu suun.
The entire application was so terrible, it would have been laughable, which truly only made it worse. Whoever reviewed this letter would likely believe I had submitted it as a prank, and because it held my true name, the noble class would publicly shame for it. Another tear slipped down my cheek as I imagined the ridicule. I didn’t care much about my reputation among the higher classes, but without their support, I could never run a successful business. My dream of having a flower shop was officially shattered.
As I dried my swollen eyes against my pillow, I thought back to the letter I had received from the garden. The sender was clearly from a high-ranking family, otherwise he would have never had access to a royal invitation. Once news spread about my “prank” toward the crown, he would likely shun me with the rest. He couldn’t find out who I was—it was the only way I could keep him as a friend. I pulled out the royal invitation from under my mattress, where I had stored it with the other notes. My eyes lingered on the beautiful print. The ball was tomorrow night, and Sapphira and the girls had already chosen their dresses. They hadn’t received invitations, but the merchant families often received their updates from the palace last. I was likely to receive one as well... not that I could go now.
It would probably take a few days for the application letters to be reviewed, so I still had a little bit of time before I had to hide from polite society for good. And then there was my birthday… It was only five days away, and my options had run dry.What was Sapphira going to do with me once I turned eighteen?Before I could concoct anymore terrifying scenarios, the bell for afternoon tea chimed. I hadn’t been paying attention to the hour, so I was certainly late this time, but I honestly didn’t care. My heart was heavy enough as it was, and Sapphira’s whip could only sting for so long before I went numb.
Before heading down, I made a meager attempt to straighten the lopsided bun I had balled my chestnut hair into. My light gray dress was wrinkled beyond saving from my endless hours of wallowing in bed, so I didn’t even attempt to smooth it. When I finally graced the parlor with my frumpy presence, Brielle nearly spit out her tea.
“For the love of the realms, Kalina, don’t you ever bathe?” she half-scolded, half-laughed. “It’s no wonder Mother chooses to spare the public from your presence. She’s been doing the whole city a favor all along.”
I took my usual seat without providing any satisfactory reaction to Brielle’s taunts. They only cared to get a rise out of me, and I wasn’t in the mood to entertain them. Wordlessly, I poured my cup of tea, loaded it with sugar, and then picked out a few biscuits to adorn my plate. Munching the sweet treats helped ease my sorrows in the slightest amount. It may have even been a pleasant hour if Sapphira hadn’t decided to open her mouth.