So This is Love (Disney Twisted Tales) - Elizabeth Lim Page 0,20
there.” Charles started to leave, then paused in his step, tensing.
“What is it, my boy?”
“It’s a matter of the council,” said Charles. “I’d like to join. Your daily meetings with Ferdinand, too.”
“Ah . . .” The king’s voice drifted. He coughed into his sleeve. “Naturally, you will, Charles. In due time. Let us focus on getting you settled back in the palace—”
“I am settled.”
“Then let’s wait until Ferdinand finds your girl, and then we’ll talk. All right? Best for you to have a proper introduction to the council once that is sorted.” The king leaned back against his chair’s cushioned headboard. “You’ll be happier, too.”
“Very well, Father.” The prince bowed. “Enjoy your breakfast.”
On his way out, Charles noticed his father’s chamberlain lingering outside the door.
Keeping his voice low, the prince said, “Sir Chamberlain, would you have the royal physician visit my father again today?”
The older man blinked, as if surprised by the question. But, befitting the truly trained and skilled servant he was, he quickly hid his confusion and bent his head. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Sir Chamberlain.” Feeling slightly better about his father’s health, Charles strode on, but he didn’t know where he was going.
The gardens, perhaps. He had spent almost all of the day before there, trying to retrace the steps he’d taken with her, to see if he could remember anything that might help him find her. He hadn’t, but maybe today would be different.
It was better than waiting for Ferdinand to come back with news.
Three corridors down, Charles passed the physician hurrying to the king’s chamber.
“That was quick,” he murmured. “Dr. Coste! Are you on your way to see my father?”
“Why yes, Your Highness.” The physician shuffled backward, and a flash of parchment peeked out from under his arm, stamped with Ferdinand’s seal.
Curious. What did Ferdinand want with the royal physician?
“I am concerned about his health. Was he ill much while I was away?”
“His Majesty the king is in excellent health!” Dr. Coste replied, a little too brightly. “His appetite is vigorous, and his energy boundless. I have recommended that he exercise more, perhaps a daily morning walk about the gardens, but His Majesty has been so excited for Your Highness’s return from the Royal University this month that he has not yet implemented my suggestion. Even still, there is nothing to be concerned about.”
“You are certain? His cough sounded worrisome.”
“It’s happened before,” the physician assured him. “Likely, His Majesty is simply growing more sensitive to things like dust—not unusual for a man of his age. That, and his blood pressure is slightly elevated . . . but it’s nothing a good week of rest can’t fix. Think nothing of it.”
“I see,” Charles replied. That was what his father had said. “Well, if there’s anything you can do . . .”
Dr. Coste stroked his beard. “I know the Grand Duke enjoys visiting His Majesty after the evening council meetings, but I would suggest that your father not take any tea after dinner. A better night’s rest should relieve his coughing fits. I’ll propose a sleeping draught instead.”
That eased some of Charles’s concern. “Thank you, Dr. Coste. Carry on.”
Unclenching his fists, the prince headed to the stables. He might not be allowed to leave the palace to help search for the girl of his dreams, but a brisk ride through the royal grounds would help clear his mind.
Even if just for a few hours.
At precisely seven thirty in the morning, the city of Valors came alive. One by one, the shopkeepers opened their doors, sweeping the floors and throwing buckets of water onto the streets to clean their storefronts. Bright yellow and purple awnings hovered over the tiled roofs, and aromas of bread, oranges, and fish wafted into the crisp air. Carriages darted out of narrow side streets and rumbled onto the roads, and the fountains in the town squares gurgled to life.
As Cinderella followed Louisa deeper into the city, she marveled at the scene. Everywhere she looked there were people. Children clinging to their mothers’ hands, young couples on a morning stroll, and elderly women lining up at the market for the day’s first pick of fruits and vegetables. Years of loneliness, so deeply carved into Cinderella’s heart, were slowly whittled away.
This was what she had missed during her years with Lady Tremaine. Going out to the market with the servants, meeting strangers and chatting with other girls her age, wandering the streets of the city with her papa until she got lost. Having dreams of