Chapter 8 THE SCENT OF CINNAMON
From the corner of the room, Tilly floated down anxiously, clutching at her dress as she looked at Nora’s pale expression.
“Nora... are you all right? You look so pale.”
“They weren’t just given what they wanted, Tilly,” Nora whispered bitterly, her hand still gripping the edge of the notebook tightly. “The cake took away their emotional future.”
The shop’s front door suddenly burst open, startling Nora so badly that she nearly dropped the book in her hands. The copper bell rang loudly, shattering the silence of the afternoon.
Kael Draven stepped inside, breathing heavily, his silver armor creaking softly as though he had just run from the other side of the city.
The man’s sharp gaze immediately fell upon the notebook in Nora’s hands, his eyes locking onto the open page.
“You’re still investigating that recipe, Miss Finch?” Kael’s voice was sharp and filled with warning.
Nora slammed the book onto the table, the sound of paper striking wood louder than she had intended.
The anger she had been holding back finally erupted.
“Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning, Kael? You know exactly what this cake does!”
Kael stopped directly in front of the counter, his body still slightly tense from his hurried journey. His expression softened for a moment before turning cold again.
“I know some of the victims from the past. But I don’t know exactly how the recipe works inside your grandmother’s kitchen.”
Nora stared straight into the knight’s gray eyes, trying to find honesty behind his words.
“Then why do you keep watching over me? Do you just want to make sure I don’t destroy the world?”
“I want to make sure you stay alive,” Kael answered quietly.
His voice was so close that it pierced through Nora’s defenses, making her anger waver instantly beneath something she could not name.
“That recipe isn’t just a sweet treat. It’s a curse.”
Before Nora could respond, the sound of another set of hurried footsteps came from the doorway, rushed and far less composed than usual.
Aurelius stepped inside, slightly out of breath, his cloak billowing as though he had run all the way there.
The fae prince immediately caught the tension between Nora and Kael before shifting his gaze toward the notebook lying open on the table. His expression changed the moment he realized what they were discussing.
“You already know the truth, Nora?” Aurelius asked cautiously, his voice stripped of the confidence that usually accompanied it.
Disappointment and suspicion churned inside Nora’s chest until they became almost suffocating.
“You intend to sacrifice the souls of your own people to save your throne! That cake takes away the most important part of the person who eats it!”
Aurelius took a step forward, reaching for Nora’s hand, but stopped with his hand suspended in the air, as though he himself doubted whether he had the right to touch her now.
“My people are in chaos, Nora! Without that cake, Valoria will vanish from the map of the world.”
Kael immediately stepped between Nora and Aurelius, moving quickly and protectively without a second thought. His silver armor gave a soft chime, ready to draw his sword if necessary.
“How many more victims have to lose their souls for your kingdom, Aurelius?” Kael demanded coldly, every word carrying the weight of an accusation he had kept buried for far too long.
Tilly hid behind the nearest glass jar, her wings fluttering anxiously as she watched the tension between the two men escalate.
Master Crumb in the corner of the kitchen suddenly gave a heavy creak, releasing a stream of cold vapor that made the room feel even more ominous, as though the old oven itself could feel the weight of the argument unfolding before it.
Aurelius clenched his fists, his shoulders sinking slightly as though the burden he carried had finally become too heavy to keep hidden.
He looked at Nora with an expression of utter desperation, so different from the composed image of a prince he always presented.
“If my kingdom falls,” he said softly, “it won’t be only the fae who suffer.”
Aurelius’s words about his kingdom falling remained in Nora’s mind long after both men had left.
The sentence continued to circle endlessly through her thoughts, accompanied by the image of the prince’s desperate expression.
“Lock the back door right now, Tilly,” Nora finally said, trying to redirect her own thoughts before everything became too heavy to bear alone.
Tilly quickly floated toward the iron latch and pushed it until it clicked into place, her wings fluttering tiredly as though she could feel how long the day had been as well.
Nora stared at the flour that remained on the table.
She needed something to drive away everything that had just happened.
Something simple, something that had nothing to do with curses or a dying kingdom.
Her hands began kneading the bread dough, slowly finding their own rhythm as she sprinkled cinnamon evenly over the soft rolls.
A sweet aroma gradually filled the entire room, overpowering the remnants of tension that had been constricting her chest ever since Aurelius and Kael had both left the shop.
Tilly sat on top of the bowl of dough, swinging her little legs as she helped spread melted butter over the surface of the bread, occasionally sneaking a tiny taste of the raw dough when she thought Nora wasn’t looking.
“This smells much better than the scent of all that burning ash,” Tilly murmured, her tiny nose sniffing contentedly.
“We need some peace tonight,” Nora said with a faint smile as she carefully placed the baking tray inside Master Crumb.
The stone oven gave a friendly creak, its flames burning steadily and warmly, as though it too were happy to welcome the raw dough after spending the entire day holding dark secrets.
Several hours later, the shop was securely closed.
The oil lamps dimmed the corners of the room, casting soft shadows that danced across the wooden walls.
Nora and Tilly sat at the counter, enjoying their first bite of the warm cinnamon rolls, thin wisps of steam still rising from their surfaces, which glistened with melted sugar.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful, as though the world outside had never threatened them at all.
