A Tale of the Swan Lake [On Hold]

1.4

You woke up the next day with a sore back. 

And you had overslept through the morning alarm. 

You sit up on your bed and processed the events that passed. With what happened last night, it's not a surprise that muscle pain quickly got to you. You hop off the bed after the headache passed. 

The familiar smell of the baked loaves and melted chocolate wafts up your nose. You listen for the gentle care your father puts into his work and the clumsy rackets of metal bowls clashing against each other. 

Ambling to the kitchen, you are now aware of the floury mess in the kitchen. 

"Papa," you announce your presence. 

He accidentally drops the empty metal bowl, started by your sudden appearance. You take note of the flour on his hair. 

"Freya!" he squeals.

You hurriedly bend to take the bowl before he could do so. 

"You're up early," he comments. 

"No, Papa. I overslept,"

"I can see that. You're still in your hunting clothes," 

You take a better look at your garment and realize he's correct. Your cape is probably in your room, but your cool, dried garment no longer sticks on your skin.

"I'll quickly change, Papa," 

You checked the time properly. It is currently 11 AM. You have a few hours before evening to bring something different for SeokJin, and continue to listen to his explanation. 

However, with the orders today, would you be able to make it on time? Would you be able to witness a miracle?

You're unsure. 

Once you've cleaned up and changed into a fresh set of clothes, you check the calendar. The date is reserved for orders. Your heart almost drops at the quantity and the clients.

"Today, we're delivering to two families; the Luminous and Umbra family," your father announces.

You stifle an inward groan. Both families live on opposite corners and you don't like the Umbra family, especially the egotistic and prideful sons. You know you cannot neglect your duty as a baker. You swore to help SeokJin, but he didn't say when to come back. 

"Ah, right. Let's get to work, then," you remark.

The day starts by washing your hands and putting on your apron. You are used to the small crowd watching you and your father knead the dough from the slightly ajar window. It's become a habit for you to tune out the crowd. With the set of doughs in bowls available, you work in silence.

"So, how was your hunting last night?" 

Your heart flutters and almost drops, whilst your stomach forms a knot. You could not tell him of the incident, not even your encounter with the self-proclaimed prince. 

As usual, you reply with your response with a little change.

"It was alright, papa. I didn't manage to catch anything, but it was still a nice walk to the woods,"

"You saw anyone else in the woods? Or is it just you?"

You transfer the risen dough onto the dining table that's already covered with bits of flour. Shaking your head, you start cutting the dough into smaller pieces. 

"If I saw anyone, I would hide either way,"

Your father simply chuckles. 

For a moment there, you ponder if you should bring juniper berries for SeokJin. They're not sweet and instead are piney, quite fruity and peppery. You're not sure if they're his favorites. You didn't have enough time to ask or get to know about the prince earlier on before he went missing.