To Seduce An Assassin (The Omaja Series Book 2)(9)

“Brother,” Yavi interrupted from behind them, “if you’re finished flirting with your wife, I’d like you two to join me in my study upstairs for a few moments before you retire for the evening.”

Jiandra cleared her throat and backed away from Yajna, hiding a smile.

Yajna rolled his eyes and turned to face Yavi. “For your information, I’m not finished flirting with my wife.”

“Yes he is, Yavi. For now at least.” Jiandra chuckled as she noted Yajna’s feigned-hurt look. “I’m headed upstairs to get out of this bedraggled dress and clean up. I’ll meet you two in Yavi’s wing in half an hour.” She gave her husband a wink and left the kitchen.

As she sat in a shallow tub of tepid water in her own quarters, scrubbing away the day’s grime, she thought about their predicament of losing their cook as well as two large bags of coin from the palace treasury. Traitor though he might be, Terijin had been skilled at producing three meals for the entire palace on a daily basis, with only minimal help from the other servants. After tonight’s experience with dinner, she wondered how they were going to manage the kitchen without him.

With the treasury extremely low after his apparent theft, they would have a hard time paying the salary of a new cook. That person would have room and board, of course, but it was going to be difficult to find someone with Terijin’s level of skill who would be willing to work for free until they could complete fall harvest and sell another crop or two. And that was assuming the summer crops were successful, which wasn’t guaranteed.

There was a light tap at the door, and then a soft female voice called out to her. “Your Highness, a letter has arrived for you.”

“Very good, Shinza; you may slide it under the door, please,” Jiandra replied loudly.

There was the sound of parchment brushing against granite, and then Shinza’s footsteps retreated. Jiandra rose from her tub, dried on a towel, and wrapped herself in her robe. She slid her feet into her slippers and went to retrieve the folded parchment from the floor.

It was a letter from her sister, Gracie.



Dearest Jia, I have missed you terribly during the last few weeks. I miss you always, but it has been harder lately because I’ve been cooped up inside with the chilly weather, with nothing to do but clean and bake. Spring is almost here, however, and you promised to have me come to Nandala for a visit when the weather is warmer up there. I have saved up enough coin to pay my own coach fare, so just say the word, and I’ll be on my way.



Jiandra stopped reading and looked up. Why not have Gracie come to stay with them at the palace for a few weeks and run the kitchen while they sort out what to do about finding the money to hire a new cook? She would have to make sure Gracie didn’t mind working while she was here, but knowing her good-hearted, energetic sister, Jiandra guessed she’d be more than willing to help out. And no one, no one made better porridges, stews, cakes, and breads than Graciella Stovy.

Jiandra quickly donned a clean muslin dress, braided her hair over her shoulder, grabbed a candle, and headed for Yavi’s wing in her slippers. Reaching his study, she rapped lightly on the door. “It’s me, Jiandra.”

A few seconds later, Yajna opened the door. “Hello, beautiful wife,” he grinned, escorting her inside and shutting the door behind her.

Yavi was standing at his sideboard pouring a glass of katsuri. “Care to join us in a drink, my lovely sister-in-law?”

“Yes, please.” She followed Yajna to the couch at the far end of Yavi’s study. Yajna picked up his half-empty glass of katsuri and sat down next to her, resting an arm along the back of the couch behind her.

Yavi brought her a drink, then retrieved his own glass from the low table and sank into the armchair facing her and Yajna. Jiandra noticed dark circles under his eyes, no doubt from a lack of sleep in the past forty-eight hours.

He sipped his drink, then set it down on the low table and leaned back in his chair. “Yajna and I plan to interrogate Terijin tomorrow, find out more about his connection with this ‘Uman’ fellow and where the stolen money went. And we’ve called an assembly of the nobles to decide Terijin’s punishment tomorrow night.”

Yajna caressed her shoulder. “We want you to read his mind with the Omaja while we’re talking to him, but out of sight, so he doesn’t know you’re there.”

“Yes, agreed,” she nodded. “I think that’s a good plan.”

“Another question for you, Jiandra,” Yavi said. “After the robbery, does the treasury have enough money to hire a new cook?”

“Well, not really. I wasn’t able to provide food and clothing to all the returning refugees who arrived last month without dipping into reserves. The only crop that came in strong enough to make any profit this winter was the burdock root, which we sold a caravan full of to Villeleia. With those two bags of coin gone—we’re close to broke.”

Yavi rubbed a hand over the shadow of a beard on his jaw. “Then we will have to make do without a cook until we either find the stolen money or find some new income.”

Jiandra sipped her katsuri, feeling the burn of the sweet alcohol in the back of her throat. “I have an idea for a temporary cook.”

The twins waited.

“My sister Gracie has been begging to come for a visit for some time, and I promised to invite her to come stay at the palace for a few weeks this summer. But I can send for her a little early, tell her we need help running our kitchen until we can afford another cook. I’m sure she’ll be more than glad to help.”