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“We held a weekly book club in a sitting room tucked away in the Northern Fortress. It had two ornate velvet couches and a tall red armchair with a dark wood frame. They faced a large fireplace with a monstrous framed portrait of King Garon hanging above. Every week was the same- I would prepare a fire in the hearth and arrange the cushions from the seats upon the floor in a semicircle. I would then fetch some tea and small cookies- that I made myself- from the kitchen down the hall. They would wait on a silver tray in the middle of the pillows until Felicia and Corrin arrived.
The three of us would then share a book we had read during the week and tell what we liked. I must admit they were a highlight of my week, as it wasn’t often we could meet in such a manner. Felicia and I always had an ever-so-long list of chores and tasks, and most of mine would be the undoing of Felicia’s missteps. Book club was a stress-free moment in which I was able to relax. Seeing Corrin’s dramatic retellings of stories could make any book seem like a masterpiece to me. Her bubbly, twinkling laugh seemed to wipe away any pain I had.
One week, Lady Camilla had gifted Corrin a book from outside the castle. Corrin was beyond ecstatic to have a story recommended by her teenage sister for our club. She brought it in and clutched a pillow to her chest in delight. I felt my heart scorch my ribcage. Every week milady would look forward to our next meeting and read to prepare, but I had never seen her read a book so intensely. It seemed that every day that book was open in front of her or pinched tightly to her side.
My curiosity ate at me throughout the week. “What is in that book?” I wondered. I didn’t dare try to sneak a look because milady would most certainly scold me. The days dragged on until book club finally arrived. Felicia and I knew Corrin would start this week, so we sat in silence to hear what that book was about. We took our seats on the floor and waited. It took all my concentration to keep my leg from shaking.
Corrin burst through the heavy doors and exclaimed, “I finished it in time!” She collapsed onto the cushion, slightly exasperated but joyous nonetheless. Gods, how did I keep decorum? I have no idea to this day. She held the novel to the skies. “My story was amazing…” she sighed from bliss (and being slightly out of breath).
“So… let’s hear it!” Felicia said, as I nodded in agreement- a little too desperately.
Corrin took a few deep breaths and begun to ramble her tale. “So, there is a princess who has to marry a prince from another country. She doesn’t wanna but their country is in debt so she has to because the prince is rich. One day, she meets a regular village girl who looks just like her and they switch lives!”
Corrin spared no details as she retold her beloved story. I was happy that she was happy, but the ending of the story seemed too good to be true.
Corrin continued in total satisfaction, “The village girl freed herself from the prison and found the prince and then the princess and her butler escaped the mines and they fell in LOVE! All of them stopped the queen from marrying the bad guy and then they were all married together in a big wedding!”
Felicia was hooked on Corrin’s every word, but I felt something I never did before. In the story, the princess loved her butler and married him. That’s against the rules! How were they able to? Corrin noticed my concern and asked if I didn’t like it.
“No, no milady! It’s a very interesting and unique story! It just didn’t end like I expected…” I replied, hiding my true opinion. My mind was a mess of conflicting opinions. The book ended exactly as my deepest, most selfish desires hoped it would. I had never heard tale of a butler and his princess in love from a positive standpoint. Any previous examples ended with death and heartbreak, and I still fearfully believed that. I had accepted long ago that I was to always stand behind my master and never beside. A different viewpoint was unheard of, and probably illegal in Nohr.
“I’m so glad you liked it, Jakob!” Corrin exclaimed, clapping one had to the binding, “Now you can read it too!” I most certainly could not read it. Therefore, I receded into myself, replying that I had something to do somewhere for some reason and I wouldn’t have time. Corrin pouted at me but gave up and turned book club over to Felicia. I couldn’t tell you what her book was, as my mind was very much elsewhere. I could tell Corrin wanted desperately for me to read the story, but I knew I was in for a true chastening from castle staff if they knew the contents.
Although I gave up on the idea of a butler marrying his princess, I never forgot that meeting. It resonated with me and clung to the back of my heart. I dismissed the story as fiction and moved on serving Corrin as best I could. One would consider it poetic how that dream became reality, yes?”
“Papa, I’m glad you love Mama so much.”
A soft warmth resonated in Jakob’s chest. He neatly tucked in his son to bed. “Goodnight, Kana.”