Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 96695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
So far, no one had said that he’d lose his head if he failed to spin the straw into gold, but there was the feeling that he wouldn’t leave the room until the task was done.
The letter from the queen hadn’t said much. It only stated that he was to come to the palace by a certain date and time, which was a full two days ahead of the ball. He’d thought that maybe he would be instructed on how to dress and act at the ball so as not to embarrass himself and the royal family, since he was their guest.
No, it was to give him time to spin the straw into gold.
Hugo’s gaze slid over the room, taking in its appearance. Not much had changed from his last visit. There was a slight improvement in the food. Now he had a full baguette, rather than half, and an apple. There was even a small bottle of wine to go with his water. If they’d added a bit of cheese, it might have been called a nice snack.
The spinning wheel was the same, but there seemed to be even more straw this time.
Cursing his luck, he walked to the window and opened it, letting in the late-morning sunlight and some fresh air. It was later in spring now, and the days were getting warmer. The window would help keep the worst of the day’s heat at bay.
He stared out, but this time he didn’t contemplate jumping to avoid having his head chopped off. Prince Everand filled his mind. Would he ever get to see him? Did the prince know he was in the palace? Would he care?
No, that wasn’t fair. Everand would care, but there was no telling if he could do anything against his mother’s orders.
Hugo leaned his shoulder on the window frame and stared at the empty courtyard far below. “This is what you get for wanting things above your station.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?”
Hugo jumped at the intrusion of an unexpected but vaguely familiar voice. He jerked around to find the same strange figure in ragged clothes and a mask perched on the straw, swinging one leg. His other leg was bent with the heel of his old black boot dug into the straw. An elbow rested on his knee, making him look so comfortable and casual, as if it were normal for him to appear out of nowhere and rescue Hugo.
Relief poured through Hugo at the sight of the strange man, and a smile grew on his face despite his words. “I don’t want to, but it seems like every time I reach for something, it comes back to bite me in the ass.”
“Is that why you’re here?”
“Something like that. It’s my fault this time. Can’t even blame it on my mother.”
“That old queen demanded you spin more straw into gold? Witch!”
“No! No! Well…not technically. She dangled an invitation to a royal ball in front of me. I thought I could use it to see Prince Everand. She mentioned nothing about spinning straw into gold, but I suspected she’d make that demand.” Hugo dropped his hands to his sides, letting them slap his legs. “I thought I would get the chance to explain to her that I couldn’t spin straw into gold, but I didn’t get to see the queen. The guards took me straight here and locked the door. No one will listen to me and let me see her.”
“Can’t spin straw, huh?” the stranger asked while rubbing the pointed chin of his mask.
Hugo huffed and flopped on the floor, leaning against the stone wall. “It’s time I came clean, or I’m just going to get into this mess repeatedly. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about you.” His lips twisted into a crooked smile. “I doubt anyone would believe me, though, even if I did.”
The stranger shrugged as if being discovered wasn’t a concern. “If you were lucky to keep your head, she probably wouldn’t let you see the prince.”
Why did that feel like the worst that could happen? Even worse than losing his head.
The stranger made a noise of disgust and hopped from his perch. “Why do you want to see that ugly, stupid prince anyway? He’s a big, boring lout.”
“No!” Hugo almost shouted. He lunged up to his knees, glaring at the man who’d saved his hide once. “You’re wrong about him. He’s beautiful, funny, and brave. He saved my life when he could have left me behind. No one would have thought worse of him for it either. I really l—” The word got caught in his throat, and he swallowed before trying again. “I really like him, and I wanted to see him.” Hugo dropped to sit on his heels, his hands falling open and empty to his thighs. “But what’s the point? The queen is using me for your ability. Once I finally tell her I can’t, I won’t be able to see Everand. There’s no way she would have let me marry him anyway. I keep telling myself I need to be more practical so I can help my family, but…each time I think about him, I want…more.”