by Aya Ling
“I’d say pistachio ice cream,” Valeria said decisively. “Baklava is too easy to spoil with cloying sweetness, and a soufflé is too complicated to make it right the first time.”
Ralph, who was telling a kitchen maid to stop refilling his cup of water, looked at her in surprise. He did not even know that pistachios could be made into desserts; he only ate the kernels whole and raw a couple times before. She looked confident and in control; it was so different from her nonchalant behavior during the mornings.
“Ice cream it is, then.” Ferdinand nodded.
As they headed back to the Academy, Valeria couldn’t help asking Ralph how the chocolate cake was.
“Good.”
A great compliment to her own enthusiastic reception. But then, she couldn’t imagine a talkative Ralph.
“So I suppose this means I am not banned from future excursions?”
“No rule explicitly states that a student cannot leave the grounds, provided they aren’t running away,” Ralph admitted. He himself was summoned to the palace occasionally, as the king wanted him to learn more and more about managing state affairs.
“Oh, I’m so glad,” Valeria said, smiling at him. “The training is so hard, I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have any food to turn to. Real food, I mean.”
She looked really pretty when she smiled, with dimples showing on the corners of her mouth, and her eyes sparkling like the palace fountain in the sun.
Ralph looked away. He did not say it out loud, but he was tempted to try some more desserts—the pistachio ice cream sounded both unusual and enticing. And he wouldn’t mind seeing that smile again.
Five
Valeria walked in a relaxed, meandering way as she headed towards the lake, carrying a heavy basket filled with cream cakes, fruit tarts, and chocolate biscuits.
Finally, it was the beginning of the month again. She decided to use this blessed day to have a nice, relaxing day outside. When she ran round the lake every morning, she had discovered a special spot that caught her fancy. It was a patch of soft green moss under an oak tree, from which one could have an excellent view of the lake. Buttercups and daffodils dotted the grassy bank, and occasionally a hare sprinted across the ground.
She had invited Nadine and Lydia to join her, but both girls declined. Nadine wanted to practice her legwork in unarmed combat, while Lydia said that she wasn’t really into desserts.
Valeria plopped down on the mossy surface under the tree. She was careful to set the basket of goodies upright and made sure the cloth on top covered the goodies completely.
The princess stretched out on the grass and yawned. The sun was out today—a nice surprise for the cool autumn days. Then she extracted a nice, plump cream cake from the basket and started nibbling. The cake was delicious, flavored with white chocolate cream and sprinkled with chopped walnuts and coconut flakes.
Perhaps she should have invited Ralph along today. Effie had told her that the king was trying to deal with raising taxes for the rich merchants down in Hammond, and Ralph was required to be present as part of learning experience for a king-in-making. Judging from the weary expression he wore in the morning runs, Valeria figured that he could use some relaxation.
There was a rustle behind her. Valeria turned around.
To her amazement, her basket was suspended in midair, just inches above her head!
Then came the sound of a thread snapped in half, and the basket came tumbling down. Valeria managed to catch it before it hit the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Awwwww!”
Valeria looked up. A little girl about five or six years old was sitting on a thick bough above, holding a large fishing rod in both hands. The basket must have had been too heavy for her line.
“Come down,” Valeria called. “I’ll give you as many as you want.”
In a flash, the little girl clambered down from the tree. Even at a young age, she was already a little beauty. Heart-shaped face, glossy black hair, large, shining blue-gray eyes, pert little nose, and a rosebud mouth. Judging from her fine satin gown and apron (albeit dirtied by the branches), she had to have been of noble stock. In fact, she looked rather familiar—Valeria was sure that she had seen that face somewhere.
Valeria took off the cloth, revealing the colorful mountain of cakes and cookies.
“Ooh!” The girl tried to grab a piece, but Valeria stopped her.
“Nothing for you unless you learn your manners.”
“Please?” the little girl said, looking at her with pleading eyes. Valeria doubted anyone can refuse her request.
“Here you go.” Valeria handed her a chocolate cookie. “One at a time.”
The girl bit into the cookie, and the hazelnut cream oozed from the cookie—earning a surprised, but delighted chuckle from her. “This is amazing! What’s it called?”
“Nucella biscotto,” Valeria said, naming the Amarantan word for the cookie.
The little girl was instantly intrigued. “You are from Amaranta? What’s it like over there? Do you always make desserts like this?”
“Oh, lots and lots,” Valeria assured her. “Even for desserts, we keep special cooks for each job. In the kitchens, we have a biscuit maker, a pie and pastry maker, a cake chef, and a saucier.”
The little girl’s eyes shone. She pestered Valeria with numerous questions, until a voice interrupted them both.
“Elaine?”
Valeria turned and almost spit out her own cookie in shock. Prince Ralph was walking towards them, his long red cape billowing around him. Seeing the unmistakable likeness between him and the girl, she now realized why the little girl looked familiar. She would bet a mountain of nucella biscottos that they were brother and sister.
“You are supposed to be at your lessons.” Ralph held out his hand to the little girl. “Come.”
Elaine made a face. “But everyone at the Academy gets the day off today!”
“You’re not an Academy pupil yet.” Ralph turned to Valeria, a question in his eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“Relaxing,” Valeria said, waving a hand at the lake. “I must say, the lake is a lot nicer when you don’t have to run ten laps around it.”
“She’s a genius!” Elaine jumped in, holding out a fruit tart. It looked extremely tempting—a pile of raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries sitting on a rich cream filling, surrounded by a flaky golden crust. “Ralph, you have to try this!”
He took the tart but remained adamant.
“Elaine, your tutor is waiting.”
Elaine looked as though she wanted to cry. “But I want to stay here! The lessons are so boring. All Miss Blair talks about is reciting poetry and memorizing court rules.”
“Don’t worry, Elaine,” Valeria said. “I’ll bring you more cakes next time, or you can come to the kitchens. We can bake together.”
Elaine’s face lightened up. “Really?”
“No,” Ralph said.
“Yes,” Valeria said, ignoring Ralph’s disapproving expression. “But only when you are finished with your lessons. If you do, then I’ll let the bakers feed you all the Amarantan desserts I’ve told you about. But if you skip your lessons, then not a bite shall you get.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Valeria held out her pinky finger. “We’re making custard pudding with caramel sauce tonight. Caramel sauce is an Amaranta specialty—we make it by boiling sugar and butter and cream on the stove, and it comes out smelling so tasty that I often dip my spoon into the pan before they serve it on the table. If you are attentive in your lessons today, I’ll be sure to save you some. But if you’re not…”
Elaine needed no further encouragement. She jumped up and disappeared in the direction of the palace, not even bothering to take her fishing pole. Even Valeria was surprised.
“Excuse me for bribing her,” she told Ralph, with a shrug and smile. “It’s what my father does when I fall asleep in my lessons. I probably wouldn’t be able to read
and write if he didn’t use food as a reward.”
“It worked.” Ralph paused for a second, gazing at some leaves floating on the lake. “May I join you?”
“If I won’t be blamed for corrupting your stomach,” Valeria said with a mischievous smile. “Or making you look more feminine from eating desserts.”
Ralph settled on the grass next to her and started to eat the fruit tart. “Too late.”
Valeria passed him a napkin, noting dark circles under his eyes. “You must have been working hard,” she said softly.
He was silent for a moment. “It’s expected of me.”
Right. The crown prince of Riviera, future ruler of the most powerful nation in the world, of course he had to live up to expectations. His conduct had to be impeccable. Still, he should be allowed to relax some time so he wouldn’t remind people of a stick or stone.
“A stone?” Ralph said.
Crap. Valeria realized that she had been speaking her thoughts out loud.
“Er…” A delicate pink flush spread over her face. “I’m sorry…I just think that you should smile more. You look much nicer when you smile, and as far as I remember, I’ve never even heard you laugh. Not that you don’t look nice when you have that stony…er…expressionless face on, but I’d like to see that you aren’t too stressed and reserved.”
Ralph stared at her. Valeria blushed—it was hard not to when he was so good-looking. Had she said anything wrong?
“I’ll take a nap,” he suddenly said. “I haven’t had one for weeks.”
“Of course,” Valeria said, a little taken aback. “I’ll watch out for spiders dropping from the trees in case you sleep with your mouth open.”
The corners of his mouth curved up slightly. “I don’t.”
As she watched the prince stretch out on the grass and close his eyes, Valeria thought that she could detect a slight smile on his face as he dozed off.
Ever since Valeria’s unexpected encounter with Princess Elaine, the kitchens had another new guest dropping in to sample the desserts. With her presence, the palace staff had to stay extra aware because the little princess was what Winifred called “a pesky monkey masquerading as an angel.” She would hide under tables and steal food, smear icing or cream on people’s faces when they were dozing off, and entered through the window instead of the back door, which was too heavy and the knob beyond her reach. But since she was an adorable child and the apple of the king’s eye, rarely did anyone try to restrain her, except for Ralph and Valeria.
For one thing, Valeria ordered that no snack may be granted for Elaine unless she showed up with written permission from her governess. Once she caught Elaine trying to steal some doughnuts using a long skewer. While Valeria had to commend the little girl’s resourcefulness (no one discovered the doughnuts disappearing until Valeria remembered), she was vexed that Elaine was already thieving at seven.
“Sit,” Valeria ordered.
Since few people dared to discipline the little princess, Ralph did the job. He caught Elaine by the collar, raised her in the air, and deposited her on a stool.
“Did you do your homework today?” he asked.
When Ralph learned that Elaine had not read a single line of her assigned readings, he had her sit on the stool and memorize a Rivieran poem, while Valeria sat near her and deliberately munched away on cookies and cake.
“Don’t they look like a couple?” Effie whispered to Winifred—a tad louder than necessary.
Valeria choked and reached for a drink of water.
Ralph said nothing, though his ears reddened.
Elaine, who was in the middle of spelling a very long word, did not hear Effie’s comment, but she did look up curiously.
If Elaine performed well in her lessons, she was allowed to bake simple pies and cakes with Pat. Valeria joined in sometimes, when she wasn’t too weary, but often she had more fun decorating cakes with smiley faces than doing the heavy work like kneading the dough or mixing the batter.
Ralph showed up frequently, though he often looked tired. He would sit and listen while Valeria made incisive comments on the food.
“Do you think it’s possible that the prince is interested in Her Highness?” Effie asked Winifred.
“I don’t know.” Winifred frowned.
“But he comes by so often! It can’t just be that he wants to keep an eye on Princess Elaine!”
Ever the curious, Effie sometimes asked her mistress if the Prince Ralph had developed feelings for her, but Valeria only shook her head and smiled. Ridiculous. A girl who had three suitors fighting to lose her hand was not going to attract the most sought after young man of Riviera.
Six
There was a cherry tree growing at the edge of the Academy that had just borne fruit. Valeria, passing under the tree, was suddenly seized with a desire for cherry cheesecake. She had recently introduced cheesecake to the Riviera cooks a while ago, and it had caused a sensation. Apparently, it had never occurred to Pat and the others that sugar could be added to cheese, much less baked in the oven. Even Ferdinand chose to abuse his power as head cook, and once the cheesecake was brought out from the icehouse, he demanded the first slice “just to make sure the flavor was right.” Everyone else knew that it was a poor excuse, but then, few dared to raise dissent in front of the walking volcano.
There was one minor quibble, however. Try as they might, they could not achieve a cheesecake with a perfect surface on top. There was always a crack running through it, and no matter how Valeria tried to fix it, from placing a pan of water in the bottom of the oven to lowering the temperature and lengthening the baking time, no method guaranteed a perfect, un-cracked cheesecake. They had to resort to spreading strawberry jam over the cheesecake.
Now, looking at the plump, red cherries hanging above, Valeria was suddenly inspired. They could boil the cherries with syrup and spread the mixture over the cheesecake. She was certain that whole fruits would work much better than jam to conceal the cracks.
Excited, she decided to bring some cherries on her way to the palace kitchens.
Valeria eyed the cherry tree and contemplated fetching help or simply climbing it herself.
The tree itself seemed low enough, and there was even a hole in the trunk that she could use. Giles, the hand combat instructor, had trained them in tree-climbing recently, as it was a handy skill when one was traveling. She might as well put what she learned to use.
Valeria started to climb. Huffing and puffing, she finally reached the lowest branch and gathered a handful of red, ripe cherries. She crammed the cherries in her mouth and relished the sweet, tangy flavor.
Until—
Snap.
The branch she was leaning on gave way—most likely it could support her weight no longer—and Valeria, taken by surprise, failed to grasp another branch for support. Arms flailing and hands clawing in the air, she tumbled on the ground.
Instead of hard earth, she slammed into a warm body.
“Oomph!”
Valeria quickly sat up. To her utter amazement and horror, she had managed to land on His Highness Ralph Leventhorpe in her fall. His eyes were closed and his face was pale.
“Ralph!” she yelped.
It was very rare that Valeria was frantic, but now she was seized with terror. Had she squashed the life out of him? Oh, if only she hadn’t eaten a dozen cheese-filled pastries the day before!
“Ralph!” Valeria slapped his face. “Oh Ralph, don’t be dead, please, please wake up…”
His eyelids fluttered open, just as Valeria took hold of his chin and was shaking his head from left to right.
“Stop.” He grabbed her wrist. “I'm all right—just a little dizzy.”
“Oh.” Valeria breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought I was going to be hanged for crushing Riviera’s crown prince to death by falling from a cherry tree.”
An amused gleam flickered in his eyes for a second. “I do not believe you are capable of that. Although I admit that I overesti
mated myself when you fell.”
“You thought that you could catch me?”
A pink flush appeared on his handsome face. Valeria found it a welcome novelty compared to the stony expression he wore during the morning runs.
“Well, I suppose you underestimated my weight. You forgot how many desserts Ferdinand has been asking me to test lately,” Valeria said jokingly and stood up. Then she realized with alarm that all the cherries she had gathered were squashed flat. Great.
“What have you been picking cherries for?”
“For a cheesecake topping.” Valeria explained about the numerous cracked cheesecakes. “Even if the cake itself tastes delicious, we can’t exactly serve it to the queen with a cracked top. I’ve written a letter to our baker in Amaranta for help, but it’s going to take a long, long time before I receive a reply.”
Ralph had been busy these days and had not visited the kitchens for some time. He raised his brows at the mention of making cheese into a dessert.
“Cheesecake? Is it—sweet?”
“Definitely—the texture should be rich and luscious and creamy, while the taste sweet and delightful.” Valeria’s eyes sparkled as she described the cake. “We’ll top off the cake with a beautiful red cherry jubilee. And with the rest of the cherries, we can make cherry pie, cherry cobbler, cherry crisps—”
“Stop,” Ralph said, holding up a hand. “No wonder you do not concentrate during classes.”
“Well, I thought that was obvious when I fell.” Valeria sighed. “Giles has been teaching us how to climb trees, but somehow mastering that skill continues to elude me.”
Ralph was silent for some time.
“It is evident that the Academy is not suitable for you,” he finally said. “You have neither the interest nor the potential to be a warrior. What made you enroll?”
“Because my mother wanted me to lose weight.” The words came out before she realized what she was saying. Crap.
Ralph glanced at her waist. “Then she will be disappointed.”
Valeria shrugged. Now that he knew the truth, she might as well tell him everything.
