Jasmin's recovery was indeed quite rapid. Sarah liked to think it was because she was under her care; she was able to see to her comfort more effectively and prepare far better meals. Much of this was thanks to her lessons at the palace.
Jasmin expressed sincere admiration of her work, which made Sarah proud. She tried to spend as much time as she could with her mother, but it was difficult, because Rayan kept wanting to be included. Her mother was happy to have him present. Sarah observed them as they interacted. He would come to her to discuss what was needed around the house; and if she asked him to do too much, he would groan like a little child and refuse. But he would do them anyway.
It was the three of them again. The footman had returned to the palace with a message for the Emperor.
Thankfully, it had started to become less awkward being around the human Rayan. His personality had not changed drastically. Though he was still quick to be irritated, his expression of irritability did not extend beyond a scowl, and he had certainly learned to rein in his words. He also showed greater courtesy to Sarah, which she had to admit she appreciated.
Her mother spoke very fondly of him, and especially of how he had cared for her when she fell ill.
"He tried his best, bless his heart," she said. "But he was quite at a loss and I think he wrote to you in panic."
He hadn't sounded all that panicked in his letters. But then again, writing had never been his weakness.
"He is very changed," she observed to her mother.
"Oh but he had improved greatly even before you left," her mother reminded her. "The Emperor went about it all wrong. He kept sending servants who waited on him hand and foot. I don't believe anyone had ever taught him to respect his inferiors, and living among only those who served him, he grew worse. You and I showing up was indeed the best thing that happened to him."
"He did not treat me with a shred of courtesy when I first arrived."
Jasmin chuckled. "I suppose he didn't remember how. He wasn't courteous to me either at first. But I could tell he was trying to be, and I tried to gently encourage him in the right direction. What he had needed all along was to be part of a family. He needed to be around people who could love him."
"So do you think it was your love that broke the curse?" Sarah asked.
Jasmin smiled. "It may have been. He could barely remember what the fairy had told him. Perhaps a mother's love fulfilled the condition of earning a woman's love. But perhaps he needed to learn to care for someone and learn to take care of them. I do think his sincere attempt to look after me was what did it in the end."
"So is he the son you never had?" Sarah asked glumly.
Jasmin looked at her incredulously. "Sarah, my love, are you feeling jealous of Rayan?" When her daughter didn't respond, she held out our arms so she could fall into them.
"You know you're my only and most beloved child. Yes, I have come to love Rayan as a son, but he will never replace you."
Sarah didn't say anything and hugged her mother.
"I don't have to start thinking of him as a brother, do I?" she asked after she came out of the embrace. Her mother laughed as if she thought this was a rather funny joke.
"No, of course not. Not unless you want to."
Sarah found herself laughing too, and she shook her head. She had never wanted a brother, and even if she had, it would certainly not be him.
Author's Note: I made a few minor edits to Chapters 10 and 11. No need to go back and read. Basically, I added some information about Rayan's father (he was basically a worthless kind of a guy and didn't raise his son well) and added a line about how hiding his identity from Sarah had been kind of pointless, since she had no recollection of whether she knew his father. (She probably met him at court when she was very little, but she wasn't paying attention.)
One point I wanted to comment on is that both Sarah and Jasmin are pretty class conscious, and this is despite the fact that Jasmin wasn't born into nobility. You'll notice how she thinks servant girls were inherently incompatible with Rayan, although this has more to do with the fact that the sense of class consciousness is very strong with him as well. I'd like to think that their time in the mansion helped them overcome this sense of divide, and help them to appreciate how fortunate they are to have been born privileged.
Dear readers, please do leave your thoughts on the "twist" in this story. Did you at least like the idea of mother's love breaking the curse? If you liked the idea, but thought the execution of it wasn't done well, I am very open to feedback on what you would have liked to see be different. But I'm most interested in if you at least liked the idea of what I was trying to do here.