"Mamaaaaa!" Selene cried, standing up in her crib, holding on to the railings for support. She was most certainly not in a good mood. "Mamaaaaa!"
From across the hall, Levana bolted awake at her daughter's cry. It was rare that she would call for her like that, especially early in the morning. She supposed that all children would call for their parents like this, but Levana couldn't help but be worried. The hall her room was in had no other inhabitants other than her and her daughter, but she was afraid that her cries could reach up to the other parts of the palace as well.
Levana reacted as quick as lightning as she hastily put on her robe before walking barefooted towards Selene's room. Once she spotted her daughter's tear stained face, she made a beeline towards her before cradling her in her arms. Despite having turned three the month before, Selene was still quite light—enough so that Levana could pick her up with ease.
The princess hummed a little tune as she pacified her, rocking her slightly. Selene ceased her crying and started to relax in her arms. "Good morning to you too, Selene," Levana started, sitting down on the rocking chair by the dresser. She wiped the girl's tears away before setting her on her lap. "You gave me quite a scare."
Selene wrapped her arms around her mother's middle and rested her head on her chest, still pouting. Levana responded by wrapping her arms around her, kissing the crown of her head.
"Stay," Selene whimpered, slightly squeezing Levana's middle. "Stay toooo-night."
"You want me to sleep here later this evening?" Levana clarified. She felt Selene nod against her chest. "I don't think I will be able to. Your crib would not fit the both of us," she mused, poking at her daughter's stomach, making her giggle. "How about you sleep in my room for tonight, just this once?" She felt Selene nod against her chest again, more enthusiastically this time. Leaning back against the rocking chair, Levana brought her hand to Selene's back and started to rub little circles with her thumb.
"In the meantime, what should we do today?" Levana said, rocking back and forth on the chair.
"Cake!"
Levana looked down at Selene, quirking a slender eyebrow. "You want to bake a cake? I think I could make that work…"
"Cake! I want cake!" Selene giggled, clapping her hands together.
Levana smiled. "Cake it is, then."
Selene slipped off of her mother's lap, toddling along, lifting the skirt of her nightgown. "Get dressed first!"
Her mother followed as she laughed. "Of course."
An hour later, when both were dressed and had eaten breakfast, Levana and Selene made their way to the palace kitchens, walking hand in hand. Levana had requested the bakery for the morning, leaving the room free for them to make their cake.
Seating the child on the counter, Levana helped Selene into a frilly white apron, nearly identical to her own. The child giggled as she watched her mother take out the many ingredients—eggs, flour, oil, chocolate and the like.
"Don't forget da sprinkles!" Selene said, pointing at the excessively flamboyant rack of cake decorations, ranging from icing pipes to a rainbow of fondant.
"Can't forget those," Levana replied, skimming through the vast selection of sprinkles. "What colour would you like?"
"Purple! It's my favourite," Selene said.
Levana picked out a jar of violet vermicelli, smiling. "It's my favourite, too." She handed the jar to Selene, and, with a grunt, lifted up the heavy stand-mixer from the bottom shelf of the glass counter. The oven started to heat itself with a snap of her fingers.
Selene sang a little tune as Levana washed her hands and began to mix the ingredients, carefully separating the egg whites and yolks. With a flourish, she whipped the gooey whites until they formed a snowy foam, like bubble bath.
"Is dat stuff yummy?" Selene asked, peering into the bowl.
Levana dipped a finger into the foam, scooping up a little and bringing it to her daughter's mouth. "You tell me."
Selene licked off the white, making a face as she swallowed. "Ew."
"Don't worry; it'll taste much better in the batter."
Selene continued to watch intently as Levana scooped the foam into the larger bowl, folding it into the mix. She then poured in rich melted chocolate, the scent making both of their mouths water.
Humming under her breath, Levana turned away, grabbing two cake pans from beside the oven, hunched over. When she made her way back to the counter, she was surprised to see Selene standing with her hands behind her back, cake batter smeared across her face.
"Selene," Levana said, putting a hand on her hip, "did you go into the bowl?"
"No," Selene said, shaking her head.
Levana laughed, wiping Selene's cheeks with a napkin. "I think you're lying, sweetie."
"Nu-huh," Selene said again, grinning.
Levana rolled her eyes, throwing the napkin away in the garbage. "Just make sure those little hands of yours stay out," she giggled, poking at Selene's stomach. "We want enough batter to actually make the cake."
Selene nodded, wiping away the rest of the chocolate on her sleeve. Levana then began to pour the thick concoction into the greased pans, taking great care not to waste a drop. Selene volunte`ered to lick the spoon.
After the two pans were put in the oven, Levana began running water for the dishes. The servants would clean the kitchen afterwards, she knew, but she began to soak the bowl, spoons and mixer out of consideration. No need to give them more work. She wiped her hands dry on her apron as she watched Selene try to wipe the counter with a cloth, but ending up with most of the flour and batter on her clothes instead. Levana laughed. In that moment, she could see herself in Selene's shoes—Malissa would often bake cakes with her when she was little. And, just like Selene, she would look like an exploded candy factory every time.
The two continued to clean and mull over the decorations as the oven beeped. "Oh, it's done!"
"Cake!" Selene squealed, clapping her hands.
Levana smiled, slipping on thick oven mitts. She gently took out the two pans and left the cake to cool on a rack. Both Selene and Levana waited impatiently, mixing the icing and selecting their toppings. Once the cake was no longer scalding to the touch, Levana put the two layers together, connecting them with frothy pink icing. "Do you like this colour, Selene?" Levana asked as she put a dollop of the cream on the top of the cake, spreading it around with a butter knife.
"Ya," Selene said, gripping a jar of sprinkles in her hands. "Pretty with purple sprinkles."
Levana stood back once she was finished, mulling over the icing job. "Do you think I should put little flowers on it?"
Selene nodded frantically, grinning from ear to ear. Levana smiled in return, filling a piping bag with purple icing, screwing the nozzle on tight. Her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth as she narrowed her eyes in concentration, gently squeezing the bag. Little frosting blooms were placed around both of the cake's layers.
"Little flowers!" Selene said, opening the jar of sprinkles. "Now the purple!"
"Of course," Levana replied, pushing the cake closer to her daughter. "Here, you put them on."
Selene giggled as she shook the jar over the cake, sprinkles coming down in a shower of violet akin to fairy dust. Before long, the pastry was done, and Levana smiled, nodding in approval. "Good job, sweetie." She turned the cake around. "It's a masterpiece."
Selene laughed, putting the jar down beside her. "It's my patty cake that I baked for you."
"For me?" Levana put a hand to her chest. "Thank you so much!"
"Now it's time to eat!"
"No time like the present," Levana said, pulling a sharp knife out of a drawer, along with two forks and plates. "Do you want a big piece?"
"Ya!" Selene replied.
Levana cut the cake carefully, her metal hand covered in flour and cocoa. The scent of moist chocolate filled the air as she placed a piece on one of the plates, handing it over to the laughing child.
Selene quickly scooped up a chunk and shoved it in her mouth, getting it all over her hands and face. Levana laughed as she ate her own cake, watching her daughter get immersed into the magical world of sweets.
"Is it good?"
"Mmm…dewicious!" Selene said between chews, her voice muffled by the contents of her mouth.
Levana put a hand to her belly, taking another bite. "You're right; it's fantastic!"
Selene quickly finished, sucking the last remnants of chocolate from her fork. Levana wiped her face with care, gazing lovingly at her daughter's smile, her adorable little dimples. In a surge of affection, she gently kissed the child's nose.
She was just like the cake smeared on her cheeks—sweet as candy.
"Mama?"
Levana looked up from the book she was reading. "What is it, Selene?"
Selene held her hands behind her back, rocking back on her heels. "Do I…do I have a daddy?"
Levana blinked, the colour quickly draining from her face. Silence fell over the palace library, where they had been relaxing together for the better part of that afternoon. Selene had just started to learn how to read in her lessons, but hasn't really made much progress so far. She mostly just admired the books' pictures.
It took Levana a moment to gather her wits. "Why do you ask?" she croaked, clutching her book.
"All the other kids at the court meetings have a daddy; why don't I?"
Levana squeezed her eyes shut, her panic overstaying its welcome. She knew that this question would be asked eventually, but even with the endless nights of contemplating how she would answer, she wasn't at all prepared to tell Selene the truth. "You do," she finally said, biting her lip. "You just don't know him."
Selene cocked her head, her dark eyes open wide. "Why not?"
Levana sighed, blinking back tears. "He's a bad, bad man. Trust me, you don't want to know him."
"What did he do? Don't you love him?" Selene said, gripping the fabric of her skirt. The lacy dress that she wore complimented her tiny frame nicely, adding a lovely touch along with her pigtails.
Levana's heart began to flutter even faster, her cheeks flaming. "No. I could never, ever love him. He hurt me in an unforgivable way," she replied, her voice a harsh whisper.
"But…nanny told me that babies are made when mommies and daddies love each other. Very, very much."
Levana held her arms out wide. "Come here, sweetie," she beckoned, wrapping Selene in a warm embrace. The child buried her face in her mother's hair. "Nanny said that?"
"Yeah. Isn't it true?"
Levana sobbed, kissing the crown of her head. "Not all the time, Selene." She held the child tighter, gently rubbing her back. "It's not always like that."
Selene gripped the sleeves of Levana's dress, clinging onto her. She was clearly afraid, unable to comprehend what Levana meant in her four-year-old mind. "Do I hurt you?" she asked after a moment, her onyx eyes wide and glistening.
"No, of course not." Levana kissed her forehead. "I love you so much. You're my whole world," she said, cradling the child in her lap. "You're the only one who can make me smile."
Selene's mouth opened in a small 'o'. "What about Sybil? She makes you smile sometimes."
"I guess that's true…"
Selene smiled. "I like Sybil. Akiko, too."
"It's Akiho, sweetie," Levana corrected, brushing back Selene's bangs. "You know how upset she gets when you call her that."
"I'm sorry. It's just hard to say."
Levana stood, carrying her daughter in her arms. "No need to apologize."
Selene yawned, resting her head against Levana's breast. "I'm tired…" she trailed off, playing with Levana's fingers.
"Would you like to go down for a nap?" Levana felt Selene nod, and she planted another kiss on her head. "Nap time it is, then."
Levana hummed a soft melody in Selene's ear as they made their way to the nursery. "What's this?" Selene asked suddenly, slipping the ring off Levana's finger.
The princess' eyes widened. "That? My…your…" she sighed, "my fiancé gave it to me."
"Fianc—what? What's that?"
"A prince charming of sorts. It's the person that you're going to marry."
Selene gazed at the ring, entranced by the twinkling diamonds. "Do you love him?"
"Yes," Levana whispered, gently rubbing the child's back. "I love him nearly as much as I love you."