Thank you for your love and support. Don't forget to send 💎💎💎💎💎💎💎 to support Mira and share your thoughts via comments. I would love to hear from you. Enjoy reading 💕💕💕 Ciao 😉
Jack and Mira got up at the break of dawn. It was still dark outside when Jack went out to milk. Mira went to the hutch with the cages and under the cover of the dark, she entered space and called out to the rabbits. She picked 30 of the plumpest ones in each cage and walked out. She placed one cage on the ground and dragged the other to the place where Jack usually skinned them. Jack placed the milk on the kitchen table and came out wearing the apron that Mira had stitched for him earlier. The bell chimed just as Jack was about to sit to skin. Mira had placed the milk on the fire to boil. She walked over with Jack to open the door. Both Oden and Martin had arrived. Although Oden didn’t know how to skin, he could dislocate their necks. He wanted to help with whatever he could do. Soon they brothers started to work in synchrony. Oden dislocated the necks and handed the rabbits to Jack and Martin while they concentrated on skinning the rabbit neatly. Once the rabbits were skinned, Mir
“Love, how did you know they were married? How did you get that parchment?” Jack asked curiously after walking far away from vicious couple. “Almera gave it to me.” Mira gave him a sly look “It was more of a hunch once I knew Jason got his entry into the selection at court through Alina’s mom.” “Her mom is …” Mira paused “Let’s just say very shrewd.” When they came across a shop that had carpentry stuff, Jack got a box of nails for 1 gold coin. Mira got 2 leather gloves that were up to their elbows for 2 gold coin each. They strolled around for a while longer and decided to go back to the shop and wait for Almera. Mira saw a shop that had similar items to the supply shop and decided to take a look. Both of them realized that the prize for some things were much cheaper here than Joe’s shop. For instance, the lavender soaps were much bigger in size and for 50 silver pieces, they could get 5; alum cost only 5 silver pieces. They decided to get their regular stuff from this shop on th
Back in the shop, they sat and gossiped while Jack and Thomas discussed business and economic issues. Jack was well-read. His job at the Sleghs gave him access to update and maintain his world view. Thomas soon realized that Jack was not like your average educated free man. He had a sharp brain and clarity of thought that was perhaps even superior to his… He enjoyed the conversation and even discussed issues of his estate that he was hesitating on. Jack was open and frank with his opinion as he too liked Thomas’s straight forward personality and he didn’t want his wife to be angry. Mira told Almera about their encounter with Alina and Jason. “Shameless bitch!” Almera so angry, she really wanted to hit someone. “Do you think they will give up?” Mira looked at Almera with knitted brows. “Don’t worry about the bitch” Almera smiled “She won’t be able to escape the net we drew out for her.” “Um” “That fellow is a puzzle.” Almera pursed her lips. Jack and Thomas’s attention was drawn t
Mira got up after Jack fell into a deep sleep and entered space taking the oil she had bought for conditioning the furs. She worked the oil meticulously on each fur before leaving them to dry in the shade. She left space and snuggled in her husband’s warmth and fell asleep; a blissful smile hung on both their faces. Mira and Jack spent the early part of the morning cleaning the barn. They swept under the hutch and piled the rabbit droppings in one place and the manure of cow, sheep and pig in separate piles. The radishes, turnips and spinach were ready to harvest. Jack got the spade and Mira carried the empty baskets. Jack and Mira were pulling out the radishes and turnips when the bell chimed at the end. “I will go.” Jack headed to the side door. Mira continued collecting the turnips. Martin, Oden and Anne-Marie were waiting near the side door. They somehow knew the couple would be outside. “Come … come…” Jack smiled at Anne-Marie “Mira has been asking after you.” “Really?” Anne
In Alina’s cottage- “What did you find out?” Jason asked anxiously. “Jack leaves the house around 5 in the morning and only comes back after 2 in the afternoon. Mira stays in the house all day.” Alina spoke in a bored tone. “Um” Jason nodded as he calculated in his head. Alina thought of Mira’s last words and wondered if they should let go of these stupid schemes and live their lives happily. She was no more in between them. Was there a need for these schemes? “Jas, why don’t we let go and live our lives? She will no longer come between us.” Alina asked hesitantly. Hope filling her heart. ‘Maybe they could …’ “What do you mean?” Jason narrowed his eyes in anger “You don’t understand, do you?” “Do you want to live like this?” Jason snarled “Waiting for handouts from your mom and that …. That… man?” “Is this even a life??” Jason sneered, his eyes rolling with disgust. “Jas, don’t be angry…. I ….I…” Alina bit her lower lip “Forget I said anything.” “Alina, dearest…” Jason sat ne
“Oh.. no…!” Mira frowned “What’s wrong?” Jack tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ears. “We have to get home.” Mira looked anxiously at the door “We can’t get out…. That cunning fox is going to send someone over to our place to see if you are home.” “If we go out now… the door is guarded and the estate gates closed.” “Oh Jack…. I have made things a hundred times worse for you.” Mira’s eyes filled with tears… “Oh… how could I be so selfish??” “I didn’t want to give Lotta a chance to squeeze into our lives.” She sobbed “I wanted to save you…” “I….” Mira was feeling terrible. ‘Why did she have to be so selfish?’ “I would rather be stuck here with you than anywhere else.” Jack hugged her. “I am very happy to hear that you are selfish when it comes to me…...” Jack’s lips curled up “That tells me how important I am to you…” “Sweet talker.” Mira pouted even though her heart felt like it was smeared in honey. “What do we do?” Mira raised her head to look at Jack’s face. “Ho
“She has used up all her life force.” The healer had a nonchalant expression. “What does that mean?” Jack’s voice rose a few notches. By this time, the front room was no less than a theater. Firstly, Oden arrived with Mira’s parents and godparents, then Uncle John came with Aunt Beth and Anne-Marie… Lastly Almera arrived in her grand carriage. She didn’t want to cause a lot of noise, so she got the footman to stop a few yards away from Mira’s house and she walked into the house in a fluster. Almera was overwhelmed by the number of people crowded in the room; Their endless chatter didn’t help her nerves much either. She had just arrived in time to hear Jack’s outburst. Not just her, everyone heard; Their expressions became serious. Martin sat on the steps in a corner wallowing in guilt. To him, this was all his fault. If he had not told Mira about their situation, then she wouldn’t have worked herself into her grave. His cousin was so happy, and he spoiled all of it…. He grew up wit
While Mira was rushing out to meet Jack or rather rescue Jack, two people were heading towards her home. They missed running into each other by a few minutes. They decided to be wiser this time and came together. They were going to use the pretense of reconciling with her to get her to open the door. Once inside…hehe…hehe…. They stood at door ringing the bell and knocking on the door. Only silence greeted them. Jason wondered if he should use the side gate like last time but gave up on the idea as they heard voices coming from the road. Three men who were dressed roughly knitted their brows as they looked at the sneaky people outside the house. “This is my friend’s house” Alina smiled sweetly at the peasant that were looking suspiciously at them. “I am here to pay her a visit with my husband.” Alina held on to Jason’s hand affectionately. “You are friends with the lady of the manor?” One of them scratched his head. “Um” “The lady left a few minutes ago.” Another pointed in the d
Once the king and the supreme rulers had taken the seats in the chamber of secrets, the chiefs of each governing body in the country entered for their private meeting with the king once their names were called out by the royal messenger. This solemn ceremony was the rite of passage where the new king is entrusted as the keeper of ancient secrets of the country from its inception, things that were for the king’s ears only. The other curious thing was no two chiefs entered at the same time. Each had only knowledge of the matter they were entrusted with. The only living person in the entire kingdom who had knowledge of all the secrets was the king and the supreme rulers.The rite passage ceremony went on till late through the night. No matter how anxious Cornelius was to get to his godson and blast the hell out of the household of Southamberston, he had to wait for the next day.The next day, Jack called everyone to the study very early in the morning. No one thought much of it till they
“What wrong?” Jack asked as he smoothed the frown adorning his wife’s beautiful face as they sat in the carriage on their way back to the Southamberston estate.Mira shook her head to indicate it was nothing although the confusion on her face didn’t disappear.“What is it that troubles my wife?” Jack tilted her chin to face him “Something is bothering you from the time of the crowning ceremony.”Mira raised her eyebrows in surprise. She never expected Jack to notice. She thought he was distracted by everything around them and that she had covered it well.“Nothing can distract me from you.” Jack chuckled looking at his wife’s silly expression.“Smooth talker.” Mira pouted as she rested back in his embrace although her heart felt it was dipped in honey. It was a blissful feeling to know that the person you loved also had only you in their eyes.“What is it?” Jack wasn’t going to give up without an answer.“Nothing… it’s just…” Mira bit her lips hesitating whether to speak but decided to
Thomas and Jack looked at their wives who were giggling foolishly and shook their heads helplessly. Thomas introduced Jack to the other gentry helping him build connections while the ladies gossiped. The hot topic for the ladies was of course, the fabulous gown that Mira and Almera were wearing. Everyone wanted to know where the materials were purchased and how long it would take to get them made.Matthew and Harry mingled with old acquaintances introducing their wives and John. Martin and Oden stood politely by their side. Both felt extremely awkward and overwhelmed as they had never attended such an affair in their lifetime although Oden kept a calm façade given his training at Slegh’s.Joan stood in the periphery of the hall with Emma staring viciously at their family that was dressed like the nobles, enjoying everyone’s admiration. Joan couldn’t understand why she had to stand in a corner forgotten even though she carefully planned for herself to rise to prominence. She couldn’t st
Cornelius’s eyes narrowed as he spotted Harrison behind Jack before sighing in a whisper “Kids! Didn’t we tell them to keep it quiet?”He turned to signal Parker as he realized that there was only Harrison following Jack. Of course, he knew Harrison represented the Hariebot’s and thereby Jack’s maternal home.“Wasn’t the edict awarding the dukedom passed on to Southamberston?”“Yes, your royal supreme majesty.” Parker bowed respectfully.“Then why isn’t the butler here to receive and guide the lord?” Cornelius’s temper rose “I need an explanation for this arrogance. I will visit the duchy after the feast. I want to see who dares?”“There…. There….” Aglaya gently tapped on Cornelius hand “Let’s deal with it later. Don’t spoil the festivities with your temper.”“Haiiii” Cornelius sighed before sitting back.Orseus hooked his eyebrows towards Bernard as he noted the change in his parents’ expression. Bernard shrugged before turning to look at his father for an explanation. Parker blinked
Similar to the sacred hall, everyone gathered in the grand hall according to their status. However, unlike the ceremony in the sacred hall not everyone attended. It was attended only by those who had an invitation among the freemen and servants.Jack and his entourage walked into the hall under the lead of Harrison and Lazarus to the section reserved for the Southamberston. Joan and Emma watched as they saw their family walking through the crowd unhindered under the protection of the Southamberston guards first with wide open mouths and then slowly gritted their teeth in resentment as they thought of their plight where they were waiting in the crowd.Emma clenched her fists as she threw a resentful glare at Joan whom she decided was the cause of all her misery; if it were not for Joan, she would be the one wearing that beautiful gown and walking through the crowd with her head held high, attracting the envy of the crowd. Joan did not notice the resentment in Emma’s gaze as she wasn’t i
“By this holy oil and the power bestowed on me by the ancestors and your Royal father, I anoint you as king of Hal from this moment forth” The chief of the elder priests poured the holy oil using the ceremonial spoon on Orseus’s head.The elders of each adorned him with golden spurs and armills. The grand dukes along with Knight commander Parker Hemmington knelt on the ground raising the four swords above the heads pledging their allegiance once the Elders finished and stepped aside. Each of the elders, blessed the sword and passed it finally to the chief elder; each time the chief elder would raise the sword and present it to Orseus who was seated on the high throne proclaiming-“With the swords of righteousness, do justice, protect the faith of the ancestors, help and defend widows and orphans, restore the things that are perishing due to our negligence, maintain that which have been restored by the life force of your ancestors, punish and reform what is unjust all the while upholdin
Jack and his team made their way to their position in the procession. Everyone was excited. This was their first time participating in the procession. Anne-Marie could help but keep looking at the bear within the sun printed on the smock. This was the only differentiating factor in the smocks. Every smock had the insignia of the duchy printed within the country flag which was painted on the front and back of the smock. Not even Matthew and Harry had attended one of these events.The previous king didn’t have a coronation, he upsurged the throne in anger. The coronation before that was more than 50 years ago and the ones who could remember the event could be counted on fingers as the event was not open to everyone. In the past, the coronation was only attended by the nobility. This was one of Cornelius’s reforms even though he never had a coronation; Everyone citizen, noble, freeman or slave could attend the coronation.In line with the past traditions, the bells at the clock tower rang
The arrangement for the coronation ceremony was slightly different from previous years to increase efficiency. In the previous years, the elite of the society met in the palace hall and joined the procession after breakfast. This year, the palace guards formed 20 parking stations and associated tents for the nobility and 20 parking stations with tents for commoners although the facilities in the tent were not comparable to that of nobility; Each carriage that would park at any one of these stations where the palace guards would provide the smocks in the color identifying their social status.The concept of wearing this head-to-toe smock was to represent the flag which was the rising sun. The royal family and their household would be wearing golden smocks; similarly, the grand dukes and their household would be wearing orange, the dukes and their household would be amber, the lords would be yellow mixed with amber, nobles, scholars, merchants of high status in bright yellow, commoners i
“I am afraid I have to disappoint you.” Thomas’s lips curled up as he remembered his banter with Mira. “Your Grace is being modest.” Ecky shook his head in denial as he thought ‘No one would be able to match his master’. Thomas chuckled as he let Ecky help him dress. Although he was no longer in a panic to rush to Almera’s side, he still got ready hurriedly. He had figured out the reason for her scream, now it was more out of curiosity… curious what shock Mira had given his wife. Almera had just finished dressing and walked into the main lounge when she saw Thomas staring at her in a daze like a fool. “Who stole my husband’s soul?” Almera giggled as she walked up to him. Who didn’t like to see undisguised admiration and infatuation in their lover’s eye? “The enchantress is before me…” Thomas whispered as he hugged Almera’s waist claiming sovereignty “But I will be gladly held captive by her for all eternity.” “Someone’s got their mouth in the honey jar... Tsk…. tsk…” Almera feign