Chapter Fifty-One
Alicia's POV
Sophie assisted me in watching the servants cook. She stood on a little stool beside me, peering into pots and asking questions about every ingredient. It was sweet how curious she was about everything, how she wanted to be involved.
After that, we set the table together. She carefully placed each fork and knife, making sure everything was perfectly aligned. She took pride in small tasks like this, and I let her. It made her feel useful. Important.
Malachi arrived just as we were finishing. Sophie looked up at him with her bright eyes and immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Malachi! Why is your shirt stained?" she asked, pointing at the red spot near his collar.
Malachi didn't even hesitate. "It's ketchup. Spilled some at lunch."
Ketchup? I stared at him, trying to keep my face neutral. That was a lie. A blatant one.
