Chapter 35
After that, Kiara lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling in the dark.
Just moments ago, she’d been on the verge of falling asleep. Now that she was awake, rest felt impossibly far away.
She considered lighting a candle. Then decided against it. What was the point? There was nothing to do anyway. Better to save the wax.
‘I don’t know who will bring me another candle, or when, or how.’
After Ael left, Kiara locked the door behind him and climbed back onto the bed. One by one, she extinguished the candles that lit the room.
It was a habit left over from when she’d first been locked in the northern tower. Before Raelin took charge of her care, back when she survived on dry bread and water tossed at her door every few days, candles had been the height of luxury. Wasting them was out of the question.
Raelin had always looked at the Kiara of that time like she was something pitiful.
‘Don’t save the candles — just use them! What is this, a bat cave? You’re not living in some forest cavern anymore, for heaven’s sake!’
Whenever Kiara was found curled up in a dark, unlit room, Raelin would grumble like that.
Well, she wasn’t wrong. Things were much better now, weren’t they?
‘So it’s fine…’
Repeating the thought, Kiara wore an uneasy expression. There wasn’t any embroidery to busy her hands with, no book to pass the time. So really, what would be the point in wasting candles?
Even if she had those things, what then? She couldn’t read. And unlike Raelin, she had no skill with a needle.
Come to think of it, what had become of Raelin? Ael had looked terrifying earlier. He’d softened somewhat afterward, but still…
‘Huh?’
A sudden knock startled her.
Had she imagined it? She’d been lost in thought. Or maybe someone really was…
She tensed, ears straining for the faintest sound. And then it came again.
Knock, knock.
‘No mistake. Someone’s at the door.’
Kiara clapped a hand over her mouth, frozen in place. Even her breathing grew cautious, as though the mere sound of it might give her away. Her face had turned pale.
Raelin’s warning echoed clearly in her ears.
‘Well… Even if it’s still within the walls, the north end is remote. You never know what kind of foul things might be lurking around.’
There had been talk — some of them, it was said, would risk curses if it meant laying with a witch.
She hadn’t understood it at the time. But after what Ael had told her about the first emperor, she understood now.
They sought the witch’s power. Whatever that even meant, whatever supposed strength Kiara herself was meant to have.
Still, Raelin had warned her like this:
‘The door’s thick and solid. As long as you lock it tight, no one will get in easily. So don’t open it for just anyone. If I’m the one outside, and I’ve forgotten the key like the fool I am… I’ll knock like this. Like this: knock… knock-knock. Knock. Knock… knock-knock.’
Knock. Knock-knock. Knock. Knock… knock-knock.
Someone was knocking now, mimicking that same rhythm from her memories. It was Raelin. She was safe. She’d come back and was asking to be let in.
Heart lurching, Kiara scrambled toward the door. Her fingers fumbled with the lock, urgency making her clumsy. It took far too long to undo all the bolts and chains.
And by the time she flung it open, the corridor was empty.
Only a familiar tray sat there, its surface covered with a tea towel folded with care.
‘Candles…’
Kiara’s lips parted as she stared at the tray.
Tucked beside the towel, a pair of fresh candles peeked out. She knelt, lifting the cloth carefully. The warm, savory scent of stew wafted up to greet her.
‘Ah, Thursday…’
Kiara smiled softly. Stew was the meal for Thursday evenings. In the midst of days that blurred together, it was a welcome sign of time passing.
When she slowly lifted the towel, a warm bowl of stew, two pieces of white bread, the peach preserves she liked, goat cheese, and oat bread stuffed with ham were revealed one by one on the tray.
“…I can’t finish all this in one meal.”
The corners of Kiara’s lips rose higher as she inspected the food. Raelin’s desire to feed her well had packed the small tray with such thoughtful care.
And it wasn’t just the food.
“…Candles.”
Candles, three of them.
Enough to burn for about a day. A small amount, perhaps, but still, Raelin had gone out of her way to include these costly candles just for Kiara.
The message came through clearly, echoing softly in her heart:
Make sure to eat well. I’ll be back at this time tomorrow.
‘Don’t save the candles — just use them!’
Got it, Raelin.
As if she’d truly heard her words, Kiara nodded and carefully took the tray into the room.
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