Parting Cake

Valine stood in the spacious, warmly lit kitchen. She absentmindedly turned to where Martin used to learn while watching his staff work. Her heart aches for the man. He was buried two days ago and no one knew aside from a few people how he was a traitor. Servants and others still attended his funeral, and so did she and Dimitri. She shakes her head and focuses on what she is doing. The scent of freshly baked chocolate cake filled the air and the events that would later weigh on her heart. No kitchen staff visited today. She is curious but she realized that maybe they were preparing their things to leave as well. She had spent the afternoon meticulously preparing the cake for Dimitri. She wanted to ask him to spend the whole day with him but his tired eyes made her hold back her tongue. He was so busy taking care of his pack on their departure. She carefully removed the cake from the oven, its rich, moist layers perfectly baked. Her fingers traced the edges of the cake, ensuring its fla