SWNOVELS The Poisoned Princess: Chapter 13
DIMITRI
I’m not sure which one of us has lost our mind more. Me or Ivanka. She’s carrying a wild creature in her arms as if it’s a domesticated pet.
And I almost kissed her.
Which means it’s me. I win. I’m definitely losing it.
We arrive back at the cottage to find everyone else back as well. Kostya and Maxim are both looking very proud of themselves. When I glance down at their baskets, I can see why. Both are filled to the brim. Arseniy is beside them with his own basket filled as well. Not as much as the other two, but definitely more than what Ivanka and I found.
“Well, look who we have here. A last place winner.” Maxim greets me, coming to throw his arm around my shoulder, like he’s not scared for his life. This kid never learns. I let it slide this one time.
“We were a little distracted,” I say and realize immediately how that sounded by the way Maxim leans back to look at me.
“Oh really? Do tell,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows. This time, I land an elbow to his stomach, but barely. He’s getting quicker at dodging my blows.
“Don’t make me put you on bathroom duty for a year,” I warn. I nod back at the girl behind me, raising my voice a little. “Someone talk to her. She’s given me a headache.”
Everyone turns to Ivanka, and then they swarm her immediately, their attention on the creature in her arms.
“Is that a bunny?”
“Is it hurt?”
“Where did you find it?”
“How did you catch it?”
The questions pour out on top of each other as I stop next to Igor, the only person that didn’t run toward Ivanka immediately.
“She found a bunny?” he asks, giving me a quick onceover before he smirks. I have no idea what he sees in my face, and I don’t want to ask.
“Honestly, I think the bunny found her. It didn’t run. It just waited for her.” Which is why I’m concerned it’s a forest spirit come to claim Ivanka as his own. I’ve never personally encountered the leshy, but I’ve heard stories about him since I was a child. The forest spirit takes shape of whatever the person wants—oftentimes it’s a lost loved one—and then the person is never seen again. Igor always says that the forest holds many secrets and most of them will never be shared with us. I believe him.
“Igor, can we keep him?” Maxim asks, turning to the oldest.
“Her,” Ivanka corrects. “Her name is Kroshka.”
This time I’m not the only one bewildered. They all stare at Ivanka as if she’s lost her mind. She makes the announcement like she’s one hundred percent certain it’s the truth. Ivanka is smiling nonstop, and I can almost see Igor melting under that gaze.
“Igor, don’t you dare. That thing could be dangerous,” I warn, receiving a quick eye roll from Ivanka before she turns her doe eyes back to Igor.
“I don’t think she’s dangerous. She feels like a gift from Skazka herself. Don’t you think? Just look at her.”
We all look at the bunny, and I swear the animal gives me a knowing smirk, as if I’ve already lost and she’s won. And by she, I mean both Ivanka and the bunny, because they sure look like a united front, making eyes at us at the same time.
“She can stay,” Igor says, surprising absolutely no one. I exhale in annoyance, which everyone ignores. “But you are responsible for her. If at any time I think she’s a danger to us—”
“I take full responsibility!” Ivanka exclaims, nearly bouncing up and down. She leans over, half hugging Igor with one arm while cuddling the bunny with the other. “You’re the best!”
Then, as if afraid he’ll change his mind, she rushes inside the cottage, Maxim and Pavel on her heels. They both seem just as smitten with the animal as she is. I watch them go, then turn back to Igor and find everyone’s eyes on me.
“What?”
“A dangerous bunny?” Arseniy asks, his face full of innocence. I narrow my eyes.
“Sorry if I’m the only one who paid attention when both Igor and Yasha gave us specific lessons on the kind of creatures that live in these woods. If I’m not mistaken, the greater the evil that rules the land of Skazka, the more dangerous the creatures therein. Or is that not why I’ve been training with the sword for the last ten years?”
“You are correct,” Igor says, “but Ivanka seems to need this, so I’m letting it go for now.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” I missed something, clearly. I glance back to the cottage, but I can’t figure it out.
“Our Ivanka doesn’t talk about her past, and she doesn’t talk about her future. Something happened that has her living exclusively in the now. And right now, that little animal has brought more joy to her than anything I’ve seen her experience in the last two weeks she’s been with us. So I think it’s okay to take a risk—for now.”
Igor slaps me on the shoulder as I process his words. I guess maybe I’m not as observant as I thought I was.
“You really should be nicer to her,” Kostya comments, coming up beside me as we turn to head inside the cottage. “You’ll be sleeping next to her for the foreseeable future.”
“What?” I think I’ve got one word left in my vocabulary at this point as I follow the others into the cottage. And that’s when I realize what they mean. On the table are all of our mushroom baskets. Ivanka’s and mine barely have any mushrooms in them, while the others are filled to the brim. Ivanka, not surprisingly, has already dumped out what little was in her basket and grabbed one of the towels to create a little sleeping spot for the bunny.
“I can’t believe it. And after all that,” I mumble, staring at the ladder that leads up to the loft where our two beds are waiting for us. I send Ivanka a glare, and she immediately straightens.
“Don’t look at me. This is not my fault.”
“How is it not your fault?” I turn to her and then point at the bunny she’s holding in her arms. “You are carrying physical evidence of it being your fault.”
“You didn’t have to go along with me.”
“Right, like I would just leave you to wander the forest unsupervised.”
“I can take care of myself!”
“Sure. Of course. Which is why I’ve been taking care of you ever since you showed up.”
“What? How is that even true?”
“Admit it, Highness, you’ve got no survival skills. All you do is cause trouble.”
We’re not alone in the room, but we might as well be. Our emotions are running high after those moments in the forest, I’m not the only one feeling it. I watch her place the bunny gently in the basket. Then she turns to glare at me once more.
“Why are you always fighting me on everything? You’re such a brute!”
“Sorry I’m not some Prince Charming who just falls at your feet, smitten beyond belief,” I snap back, pushing a hand through my hair. I have no idea where this is coming from, but the moment I start, I can’t stop.
“Don’t worry, I would never expect you to be anything nearly as sophisticated and polished as a prince.”
“Oh, do you know one? He must be ‘just lovely’!” I make sure to place a hand on my heart and pretend to swoon. Maybe I’m acting like a child, but for some reason I can’t help it. And Ivanka isn’t backing down.
“As a matter a fact, I do. He’s great. Considerate, well-spoken—” She moves closer. The rise and fall of her chest matches my own. We’re both worked up, but as the distance disappears between us, there’s nothing childish about it.
“What wonderful qualities!”
“He appreciates me and what I think—”
“Wow, what a catch! Sign me up immediately—”
“—and he’s my fiancé!”
We’re barely inches apart now and that last word takes all the air out of my lungs. I don’t think anyone else moves either, as I stare at her, fired up and gorgeous. And deadly. Because looking like she does now, wild hair and wild eyes, I feel it in every fiber of my being—she could be my undoing. Which is probably why I say what I say next.
“If you have a fiancé, then why are you here?” I ask, my voice low and rough. My whole body feels like it’s on fire, and she jerks back as if I’ve slapped her.
“Honestly, I don’t know anymore,” she replies. She turns and picks up the basket with the bunny in it. Then, she looks at the rest of the room, giving the men a small smile. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go up and rest.”
Hooking her arm through the handle of the basket, she doesn’t look at me again as she moves past me toward the ladder. No one says a word as she disappears upstairs, and I don’t feel like dealing with their judgmental stares. I head for the front door, needing the midday air to cool me, as the word fiancé echoes in my head.
IVANKA
“Can you believe him?” I whisper to Kroshka as she burrows into the blanket next to me. I picked a bed and crawled under the covers, and she jumped right up to snuggle at my side. I think she knows I need a little bit of comfort.
He makes me so mad I can spit. But that is unacceptable for a princess, so clearly, it’s the evidence of how crazy he makes me. Anytime I think we’ve reached some kind of understanding, he completely blows it to pieces. And I have no idea why I brought up the prince. Now they’re all going to have questions, which I am not ready to answer. I’m constantly surprised they don’t ask me more questions, but I think it’s because they have their own secrets they don’t want to share. I would be blind not to notice how they don’t quite fit into the typical category of traveling merchants, which is what they said they were. Granted, I haven’t met many—or any—but something about them tells me there’s more to them than meets the eye. If nothing else, their table etiquette is fit for the royal court, even when they’re screaming to each other about random conversation topics. It makes me curious, but not curious enough to ask questions. A good queen would ask questions, but she would also be truthful in answering them. I’m not brave enough for that yet. We’re in a bit of a stalemate, just coexisting together.
But Dimitri…he’s not coexisting. He’s pushing my buttons, and it makes me want to scream. Which is something I would never do. I am a princess after all. Except I’m not right now. I’m a girl who escaped a tough situation, living with seven men who have taken pity on her. Which is why I can’t just stay in bed all day. I can hear movement downstairs and the opening and closing of doors. Sighing, I sit up, being careful not to bump my head on the slanted ceiling.
There’s literally nothing in the loft but the two beds and a small bedside table between them. The roof peaks in the middle, and the beds are pushed to the side of the triangle it creates. If I’m not careful, I’ll bump into it when I get up. But it is cozy up here, even though someone else will be sleeping in the bed opposite mine. There’s a possibility that if I ask nicely someone will trade with me so I can stay downstairs, but the whole point of this was that we’d play for it, and I lost, so I have to accept it.
I place my hand over my thigh, where the letter from the prince has been hidden. I want to pull it out and read it again, just to be reminded that there is a nice man out there, who hasn’t spent all his time arguing with me. But I don’t. I take comfort in knowing the letter is close. Kroshka jumps into my lap, and I glance down at her with a smile.
“Okay, so maybe I didn’t lose that badly,” I say, giving her head a little rub. I can hear the men moving downstairs. There isn’t a door or a wall separating us, just the floor beneath my feet. The little balcony overlooks the living space and the kitchen. I get off the bed and walk over to the railing, glancing down at Pavel who is starting to prepare lunch.
I definitely can’t stay up here while he cooks. I know he won’t mind, but I’ve been helping him as much as I can since I arrived and I’m not about to stop now. Picking up Kroshka, I place her in the little basket, then hook my arm through the handle before descending the ladder carefully.
“Oh, Ivanka.” Pavel greets me, turning around. “I thought you were going to rest.”
“That’s the coward’s way out,” I reply, placing the basket in the corner of the kitchen so it’s out of the way. Kroshka hops out immediately and begins exploring, her little hops taking her across the kitchen and into the living room. “I’m here to help.”
Pavel gives me a kind smile and shakes his head. “No one would blame you for getting some distance.”
From Dimitri. He doesn’t have to say it, but I catch on. He’s the only one I would need distance from right now. I glance over at the living room and find only Kostya is there. He’s at the kitchen table, writing something.
“I sent them outside to clean the mushrooms,” Pavel says, and I turn back to him. “Everyone grabbed sandwiches for lunch, but I’m making dinner and dessert for tonight. Would you like to help?”
“Absolutely.”
I wash my hands and then stand eagerly beside Pavel, awaiting my instructions. I definitely haven’t become an amazing cook since my arrival, but I enjoy the time I spend in the kitchen learning and creating.
“What are we making today?” I ask.
“Beef stroganoff,” Pavel replies. “I already pulled out the beef from the cooler and put it in warm water to thaw. We need to chop onions, mushrooms, and potatoes.”
“I’ll grab the mushrooms!” I’m out of the kitchen and through the front door before I realize that means I’ll have to face Dimitri. The men are sitting around the firepit with mushroom baskets between them and other buckets nearby, as they check the mushrooms for bugs and clean them off.
Arseniy sees me first. Or maybe, he’s just the first to glance up.
“Ivanka!”
“Could I have some mushrooms for Pavel, please? We’re making beef stroganoff.”
“Oh, da. One of my favorites.” Arseniy jumps up, grabbing a bowl full of clean mushrooms and handing it to me. “I’ll peel some potatoes from the garden.”
“You don’t have to—” I begin, but Dimitri suddenly stands and heads toward the garden without a word. Arseniy and I both watch him for a moment, then Arseniy turns back to me.
“I think Dimitri just volunteered.”
I open my mouth, but he shakes his head. He puts his hands on my shoulders and spins me back toward the cottage.
“We’ll bring them in when they’re ready.”
I have no choice but to return back to the cottage. Pavel shows me how to cut the mushrooms and the onion he picked from the garden earlier. Then he shows me how to cut the meat, and we fry it in strips before moving on to the sauce.
Onion is cooked first, in butter on low heat, before we add the mushrooms. Once Pavel seems satisfied with how well they’re cooked, he assembles the sauce. I don’t think I’ve ever had beef stroganoff quite like this. It feels far more authentic than whatever the queen orders at the castle. I don’t remember us having mushrooms in the sauce, and when I ask Pavel, he agrees that this is the more traditional recipe.
Pavel adds beef stock to the pan, letting it simmer. After it’s cooked down a little, he stirs in sour cream, mustard, and spices. Finally, he adds the beef strips and lets the mixture simmer for a few minutes longer.
Meanwhile, Arseniy brings in the potatoes, and Pavel directs me to put them in another pot to boil.
“Ivanka, do you like apples?” Pavel asks. I turn to see him pulling a few out of the basket on the counter.
“I do! I love apples. What are we doing with them?” My mind immediately goes to the orchard in the castle, one of the few places I was allowed to wander. Autumn apples will be ready to harvest soon. I’ll be missing it and for a moment, I feel sad. Tetia Alla always comes out to pick the best ones for her pies. I hope she’s doing okay.
“We’re making a little apple cake.”
I clap my hands together, shaking away the melancholy, and Pavel chuckles.
“You really don’t require much, do you?” he asks. I laugh.
“I tried making a baked apple desert once, and let’s just say it didn’t turn out all that well.” I smile and Pavel chuckles. The back of my mind prickles, and I glance over my shoulder to find Dimitri watching me from the doorway. The awareness I feel when it comes to him is something I’ve never experienced before, and I have no idea how to handle it.
He’s watching me with a new look in his eyes, and I don’t know how to decipher it. I thought we had reached a new place in our relationship back in the woods, but now we’re back in our corners. I turn away before he sees just how much I don’t want that to be true for us and focus on Pavel as he explains the apple cake recipe to me.
That’s when it dawns on me for the first time that I have no way to escape Dimitri now, because we both lost the mushroom competition and we’re sharing the same sleeping quarters tonight. I have no idea how I’m going to handle that. Not when my body becomes so alive when he’s near, and he makes me feel like I’ll never be able to sleep again.