Chapter 59 - It Would Be Nice Not To Care (1/2)

Considering the plan was Marcy's idea in the novel, her pessimism surprised me. I wasn't sure what to tell her.

Franz wouldn't want gossip to get out but Marcy had worked with him on this originally...what was I supposed to do? In my plans to get the plot back on track I had mentally separated defeating Sigmund and getting Marcy and Al together.

I thought that as long as both of those things happened in the end it would all be okay somehow.

In this version of the story, the one where I existed, Marcy was friendly with Al and me but she did not know any of the other royalty.

I trusted Marcy because she was supposed to be the main character but Franz didn't.

Then there was her reaction to contend with…Marcy seemed afraid of something. It hit me.

All of their political meetings happened in the safety of Franz's office, not the bustle of the kitchen.

If somehow word got back to Sigmund from one of the kitchen staff everything would be completely ruined. He would nip it in the bud with no one the wiser.

My blood ran cold. I nearly made a fatal mistake.

”Please keep it to yourself. I just wanted to know if it was readable.”

Marcy's eyes darted around and she leaned in closer.

”It's readable. Take it and go. But first pretend like you're asking me about something completely different and take some sweets to go so no one suspects you. The two of you have visited enough times that it shouldn't be suspicious.”

I wanted to know how someone who was supposedly a simple pastry chef understood the nuances of the palace spy network better than I did but I couldn't ask.

I would have to investigate this more later. Marcy Grandin just became a lot more interesting.

”So do you think you could make a dessert like that?” I asked brightly, making sure I was loud enough for passing kitchen workers to hear.

If they thought I was showing her a reference for a dessert I wanted, it would seem perfectly normal.

”Yes, the blueberries would be a nice touch,” she improvised. ”I'll get on that right away, Your Highness. In the meantime, please take these gingerbread squares.”

Marcy handed me a plateful and ushered us out of the kitchen with a strained smile on her face.

I folded my draft several times before clenching it in my fist. I needed to be much more careful.

Al and I spent so much time alone that I nearly forgot other people might be working for Sigmund in this palace. How stupid was I?!

”That was certainly exciting,” Al said dryly as we returned to the library. ”Mind telling me exactly what happened back there?”

I triple checked every corner to make sure we were alone before slumping onto a chair in exhaustion.

”I was careless. I shouldn't have involved someone else, let alone in such a public place.”

He swallowed his bite of raspberry tart before looking at me questioningly. ”Why does this matter to you so much?”

”Why doesn't it matter to you?” I countered.

As much as I sympathized with the commoners in this feudalistic society, my primary concern was getting the plot back on track.

Catherine du Pont wouldn't care about either of those things so I didn't have a good explanation for my obsession.

”Nothing matters to me but our escape to Shibatsu to live a normal life,” he said nonchalantly. ”You know this already.”