C1 Chapter 1

If running a kingdom took time, preparing the dishes for the king's meal took longer. Adélie, a gardener's daughter, had been working in the kitchen for two weeks now. She was more specifically in charge of soups. Winter was fast approaching and the king loved soups as soon as the temperatures dropped.

Adélie had joined the palace kitchen team thanks to her father, himself the king's gardener. She had left her mother and her home to live as close as possible to Her Majesty. In the basements of the palace were the maids' rooms. This is where all the little ants of the palace swarmed day and night in the service of the royal family.

Adélie shared her small room with Flore, in just two weeks she had become a great confidante for her.

Their room had a very low ceiling and had no windows. There were two small wooden beds against each wall, a sink and a small table. Flore had stolen a chamber pot during her vigil because theirs had been stolen.

Flore was one of the hundred maids owned by the Queen Mother. She had somewhat extravagant hours. She worked four hours in a row and then was allowed two hours of exposure and so on. Adélie was lucky to have more correct hours.

The kitchens were swarming, the King's Supper will take place in less than an hour, and the staff seemed to be in turmoil. Adélie was trying hard to keep up. The Head of Soups was yelling at him a whole lot of order at the same time.

"Mix the broth!" Put the soup on the fire! Crush the potatoes! Faster than that ! "

Adélie executed each request but it was too slow so that the chef got angry and tapped her fingers with a wooden stick.

“Ouch!” She cried, “you hurt me! "

His fingers were bleeding painfully.

"You better go faster if you don't want me to do it again!" "

Tears in her eyes Adélie resumed her work.

Suddenly the bell rang, a sign that the king's supper was beginning. Adélie took advantage of the chief's inattention to slip away. She walked towards the dishwashers. She quickly ran her fingers under the water and wiped them on a tea towel.

She hurried back to her post quickly, but she took the wrong corridor. The waiters were walking all over the place and so fast that she was confused, unable to find her way.

Ashamed, she approached a man who was giving orders to ask for help.

"- Excuse me sir ...

- You there ! What are you doing in this outfit? Take off your soiled apron and put this one on! You can't serve the king in these rags!

- Sir, you're wrong, I don't ...

- Faster miss! Unless you want to be sent to the dungeon for not having obeyed ?! "

Adelie disconcerted did so, she took off her old apron for a clean one.

"Well now hurry up, the king is not going to wait forever!" "

The man said this to him, handing him a carafe of wine. He pushed her towards two large swinging doors. Adélie felt her heart beat wildly. She had no way of escaping anymore.

She entered the large room. The dining room of the royal family. She did not have time to be ecstatic more because she had to be quick, serve the king and return to the kitchen, where she belonged.

It was the first time she had seen the king in person. He was seated at a table with his family on a long wooden table and decorated with flowers. He paid no attention to the servants circling around him.

Still, she found him very handsome, as handsome as the basement gossip said.

Adélie walked over to the table. She quickly watched the other waiters do it, she had to stand to the king's left, pour him a glass of wine, then put the carafe down and retire. Child's play, but not for Adélie. She felt panic rising in her.

She served the king gracefully and was about to put the decanter down when he stopped her.

He had stopped him in his tracks. Adélie no longer dared to breathe, the King himself had placed his hand on her forearm. This hand so large and adorned with signet rings.

Adélie immediately lowered her head at this contact. The room had become silent and everyone was waiting, hanging on to His Majesty's deeds and gestures.

" Miss ? "

The King's voice, so suave, authoritarian and gentle at the same time. He had just addressed Adélie. She thought she would faint at that moment but the hand still on her kept her awake.

She didn't know if she should answer or if she was forbidden to do so. Nonetheless she ventured to mumble a weak "yes?" "

"Who did this to you?" "

He was pointing at the marks on his fingers. The same brands that had led her to where she was, next to the King.

Adélie looked at her hand, the pulpit was raw. She was ashamed of showing up with a bloody hand in front of the royal family.

"I was not quick enough in the kitchen Your Majesty ..."

In front of the silence of the room she answered softly. Her voice was thin and her legs seemed to be cotton.

"- So we did this to punish you? he asked the young woman softly

- O ... Yes Your Majesty

- Which ?! "

This time his voice had roared throughout the room. Adélie still hadn't raised her head for fear of meeting her King's gaze.

The other servants had also bowed their heads. She did not want to denounce the chef of the soups but she had no choice, she could not lie to her Sovereign.

"- The soup chef," she whispered for fear that he would hear her.

- Forgive me Miss, I misheard you, can you repeat? "

The more the King began to get impatient, the more Adélie felt panic rising in her. She was not to cry in front of Her Majesty. She plucked up her courage and repeated what she had just said.

"You say the soup chef whipped your hands because you weren't going fast enough in your work?" I would not accept such things in my palace! Bring me this wretch! "

The King's hand had still not left the young woman's arm. She couldn't escape, she was going to be confronted with her executioner. And if he could convince the King that she was lying, she would be beheaded on the spot.

Adélie was beginning to see cloudy, the room was swaying around her. She recovered when the chief arrived.

The poor man arrived with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze on his shoes.

The King stood up, still holding Adélie's arm firmly.

"You dared to whip this young woman's hand because she was too slow for your taste in her work ?! "

The Sovereign's voice echoed in the room no one dared even breathe. Adélie kept her eyes lowered, she didn't want to look the soup chef in the eye, too ashamed to have denounced him.

"- Your Majesty, if I hadn't done that ...

- Enough ! Your act is unforgivable, I would not tolerate this kind of antics in my kitchens! Take him to the dungeon I will decide his fate later! "

As soon as the King was done, two guards grabbed the doom and led him out of the room. Calm returned, the servants resumed their activity. Adélie was pale in front of this scene. Through his fault a man was in danger of dying.

"- Gustave I doubt that this kind of reaction on your part will calm the revolts in the country, you have just defended a poor maid ...

- Stop calling me like that mother! I am your King, should I remind you?

- Forgive me but I think ...

- My reaction only concerns me now if you would go back to your place as Queen Mother and stop taking care of business that is not yours. "

Her voice had been so firm that The Queen Mother immediately changed her mind. Adélie was only waiting for one thing: for the King to let her go so that she could escape. But obviously it was not in the plans of this one.

He turned to her.

"Miss, I'm sorry about your situation, if you don't mind, my sister will be happy to have you looked after and cleaned. "

Adélie dared for the first time since the altercation to look up. She plunged into those of the King. Eyes blue like the sky and deep like the ocean. But this vision was short-lived because the room began to rock again and the poor weak young woman fainted.