Chapter 1
It was another busy evening in the tavern. Plenty of people were finally taking the time to take a break from their hard work. The air was buzzing with laughter and chatter, everyone having a good time.
Estella whirled around the room with ease, balancing a large mug in one hand and two plates of steaming fresh meals in the other. She had a smile on her face as she navigated through the room to the customers who had ordered.
“Estella, another beer for me,” a man shouted from the other side of the room, and she turned around to him. “Coming up in a bit, John!”
She reached the table of her current order and placed them on the table of a group of men, who all seemed to be some sort of soldiers. Their swords sheathed beside them. They smiled at her as she placed the dishes on the table.
“The rest is coming up in a bit,” Estella said with a smile. She let her eyes roam over the faces of the men as she locked eyes with dark red eyes. They almost seemed to have a soft flame dancing in them from the torches placed around the walls of the tavern. It took her breath away as it almost seemed like he was seeing into her soul. And then he smiled, just barely so, but it was the sweetest smile she had ever seen.
“Estella, the orders are piling up,” Margaret shouted from the kitchen, and Estella shook her head, smiling at the stranger before whirling away from the table to grab another round of orders to be handed out.
Adrien was still watching after her as if she almost seemed to dance away from their table, so light on her feet, as if this job wasn’t hard at all. He had been watching her the entire time they had been there, enjoying her soft laughter as it echoed through the tavern, over all the noise that otherwise occupied the room, and he wondered how he had never seen her here before.
“You’re still staring, my friend,” his best friend, Jonathan, told him as he poked an elbow into his side almost painfully. “That’s not a good look.”
Adrien sighed and took a big gulp from his drink, enjoying the taste of the rich flavor of the mead, quenching his thirst. But he still glanced at the girl, whose name seemed to be Estella, as if enchanted by her.
“Is she new here?” He eventually asked Jonathan, who had been going to this tavern a lot more frequently than Adrien.
Jonathan shook his head. “She had been working here for a few months now, but only a few nights a week.”
Adrien nodded, almost disappointed that he hadn’t seen her more often. He watched her returning from the kitchen again, another load of plates dancing on her hands as if they weighed nothing at all. She was so small and looked rather petite. It came as a surprise to Adrien that she carried all those plates and mugs with such ease. Besides, she didn’t seem like the usual common worker at all. She carried herself with the air of a noble, dancing on the dance floor. But there would be no way a noble would come to these parts of the city.
Estella still felt his eyes on her as she hurried back to take the next orders. She had never seen him before, so she wondered if he was a new soldier or maybe even a knight. His clean, shaved face, defined eyebrows, and perfect complexion almost made her think he wasn’t a soldier. Not at all rough around the edges, like the other soldiers she had seen around here. Those are part of the lower ranks anyway and usually hang around the tavern.
But who was she to judge someone and assume where they were coming from, considering that she wasn’t supposed to be here at all either, and maybe he was carrying a similar secret to hers? It made her smile, thinking about a stranger sharing a common fate.
“Estella, where is your head tonight?” Margaret scolded her from the kitchen again, and Estella chuckled nervously. “I’m sorry, I’ll get back to it.”
“Yes, you better do so,” Margaret muttered as she turned around, grumbling all the way until she disappeared into the kitchen. Estella knew she might sound a little rough, but her heart was in the right spot. Only a few knew of her real identity, but Margaret was one of them, and Estella knew that trust like that was scarce in these parts or anywhere, really. Nobles were more or less frowned upon, and most were happy when they didn’t have to see them around after work, in their home, so to speak.
Estella stole one last glance at the stranger, their eyes meeting once again, and she felt warmth climbing up her neck all to the tips of her ears. She quickly whirled around again, getting back into the flow to hand out the orders, trying her best to ignore the handsome stranger. And failing miserably.
The tavern slowly got emptier as the night rolled around. Many were hurrying to get to sleep, so they could be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning, ready to work again. Most of Adrien’s crew had left already, too, or had fallen asleep with their head placed on the wooden table. Usually, he would have left by now as well, but he was still contemplating whether to ask the cheery barmaid to meet with him again, not wanting this encounter to be the last. But she had been busy the entire night, and he didn’t want to interrupt her more than he already had.
“We should leave now, too,” Jonathan said as he smacked the heads of their sleeping comrades without mercy. They jerked awake, panic in their eyes as they darted around the room, their hands clenching the hilt of the sword almost automatically, ready to strike.
Unimpressed, Jonathan stared them down as he fastened his cloak. “Wake up, you lazy bums, we leave.”
The other men muttered complaints under their breath but weren’t brave enough to actually say it out loud. Adrien grabbed the gold coins out of his pouch, paying for their meals and drinks and adding a generous tip for the young woman who had impressed him so. He was still reluctant to leave, taking his time to adjust his own cloak as he watched his men leave one by one. Jonathan stood at the door, his arms crossed as he waited for Adrien, one foot tapping on the stone floor impatiently. Adrien knew he had no time left to stay around, and so he also left without the chance to see the woman again.
Estella hurried to get her things after her shift, fumbling with the dark cloak that was supposed to shield her from the cold outside. It would hopefully hide her from people who might know her on the way back to the manor, too. Only a few guards were out during this time around, and almost none were around the route she had found to come here. But that didn’t mean she would always be safe.
“Are you going to be fine? It’s a little late,” Margaret said as she glanced out into the dark alley. She didn’t feel comfortable letting this young girl run around alone during this time of night, but she had no one to take her, either. Her son had left to study in a different city, and her husband was way too weak to offer any kind of support, either. Margaret knew that she herself would be more of a burden than a help in case of an attack. “Maybe you shouldn’t work during these hours anymore.”
Estella frowned at her, a little frustrated that she was told the same thing almost every single time. “Margaret, I appreciate your concern, but it’s fine. I’m fast on the horse and nothing ever happened.”
It would be a lie if she were always this confident about the trips back during the night, but what else could she do? There was no way she could ask her parents. There would be no point working in the tavern in the first place, then. If her parents knew and supported her endeavors, she wouldn’t need the money that she earned as a barmaid.
“I worry about you, my child. What if the Duke ever finds out about your little adventures?” Margaret said so quietly that Estella could barely understand her. She knew what the old woman was worried about, and she could understand. She was more worried about her father finding out than being attacked on the route back home. Her father would never let it slide. But a little danger in life hurts no one, right?
Margaret clicked her tongue when Estella remained silent and pulled out a small leather pouch, handing it to Estella. “No use in trying to argue with someone so thick-headed. Here, take your pay.”
Estella laughed and stored the money securely on her belt. “Thank you. I’ll be back in four days.”
Margaret smiled. “Have a safe trip.”
Estella waved at her one last time before disappearing into the dark alley, heading to the stables to fetch her horse. The only other person who knew about her nightly outings was one of the stable boys, who remained silent as long as he got part of her payment. She gladly shared the money with the boy, as long as he kept his promise, considering that he also risked a lot by not reporting her to the Duke.
When she opened the stable doors, her horse was already waiting for her, pawing the ground impatiently. Estella slipped inside and caressed the dark brown mare on the neck. “I’m late, I’m sorry.”
The horse huffed as if it couldn’t wait to leave this place, and Estella could understand why. It was small and dark in here, and the still chilly winter air was pushing through the cracks of the shabby wooden planks. It was nothing compared to the warm and cozy stables at the estate.
“Thank you for sticking with me, Calice,” Estella said, as if the horse could actually understand her or had a choice, and quickly saddled up her trusted friend. She pushed open the door and led the horse outside, the sound of the hooves echoing through the dark alley, making her cringe every time. She secured the latch of the stable doors and hurried to mount, leaving the alley as quickly as possible and disappearing into the forest.
“A duke’s daughter, well, that certainly explains a lot,” Jonathan whispered behind Adrien. Adrien agreed, but wondered what a duke’s daughter would do here, of all places, working of all things. He wasn’t sure which daughter she was, but considering the direction she took off in, it might be Duke Tipton’s daughter.
“It might not be the best idea to get involved with her,” his trusted friend advised, but Adrien only laughed at that. If anything, he was even more intrigued to find out more about her. Even now, his instincts urged him to follow her, see where she was going, or stop her and ask what she was doing. But he knew that wouldn’t be the right course of action, and it might scare her away from him forever, which was the last thing he wanted.
“Find out more about her, and fast,” Adrien ordered as he turned in the direction opposite to where the mysterious woman had disappeared. Jonathan groaned, clearly not agreeing with this, but knowing better than to argue, following behind Adrien.
Maybe it might be easier to get to know her if she indeed were a duke’s daughter. Or at least easier than getting to speak to her during her busy workdays, even if it meant that he had to stretch the agreement he had with his own father just a bit. But as long as his father didn’t find out about it, there wouldn’t be an issue, right? Besides, sometimes risks just had to be taken in order to achieve what one wanted.
Calice carried her through the night, safely avoiding obstacles and low-hanging branches. Her horse knew the path well, and she could probably run it blindly, but tonight the moon was high in the sky, enlightening the night just enough to see the path.
The cold air was biting on Estella’s skin, and each breath puffed another small cloud into the air. Her fingers slowly went numb, as she forgot her gloves at home tonight. When the mansion slowly came into view, she felt a rush of relief. Not much longer and she could drop into her warm, cozy bed.
When she reached the east side of the estate, she jumped off the horse and grabbed the bridle to guide her trusted friend close to the wall. There was a door there, just high enough that the horse could go through it with a lowered head, and just broad enough so it wouldn’t get stuck. Estella pushed the old door open, and it made a creaking sound that was impossibly loud during this time of the night. She glanced at the mansion, but she couldn’t spot anyone close by, and even as she listened closely, she couldn’t hear anyone approaching. Carefully, she guided her house through the door and closed it behind them, the same creaking sound echoing through the night.
“For all of what is mighty,” she mumbled. “I had to fix this somehow.”
She mentally noted down the task, wondering if a little oil might help to stop this door from screaming every time she used it. With quick steps, she hurried to the stable, taking off the saddle and holster of her horse and bringing her into her box. Calice looked happy to be back home, as she immediately walked to the fresh hay, nibbling on it in glee. Estella smiled, wishing her a good night and leaving the stable before anyone could find her.
She hurried to the servant entrance that led straight to the kitchen, always watching out for the few guards that were out and about. They were mostly watching the main entrance and gate, but sometimes one of them was also lingering around this entrance. Thankfully, no one seemed to be close by as she hurried inside. The door was unlocked, and she felt relieved that the stable boy still kept his word. She had to remember to visit him right in the morning to hand him his pay to make sure she could enter the house in the future like this too.
She locked the door behind her and tiptoed through the kitchen, which was still warm from the ovens that were heating all day. There was a slight scent of freshly baked bread in the air, which almost made her stop in the pantry to steal a bit, but she knew better than to take a detour.
She quickly hurried through the long corridors of the servants’ quarters, only dimly lit by a few oil lamps here and there that remained lit even during the night, so they could quickly attend to any of their needs if it was necessary during the night.
Estella climbed the stairs and felt confident of not getting found, when she stumbled into the entrance hall, seeing the large chandelier enlightened and her father standing right at the foot of the stairs, his arms crossedalready watching in her direction, as if he waited for her the entire evening.
She stumbled to a halt, a thousand things rushing through her head, trying to think of a solution to get out of this situation, but she did not know what to do.
