The next morning, Conrad had returned to more formal behavior, treating Anya as an employee rather than a woman he sought to marry. Anya felt a weight lift from her shoulders. It seemed the cream was making Conrad behave in the way she wanted him to. She would need to ask Lucille for the recipe, particularly as the jar was beginning to run low.
After breakfast, Conrad left to run errands in the nearby town of Runnerton. Mary was assisting the goat and cow girls with their tasks, as one of the goats was giving birth. Anya was left alone in the house with the four children she now supervised. Jess toddled around, following Anya as she tidied things here and there. The former Prince disappeared briefly, but Anya didn’t worry about it. Despite the cream affecting her behavior, Jess still did the same thing she did before. Whenever she knew she was about to soil herself, she would hide somewhere to do so in private.
Sure enough, Jess returned to her soon, her diaper now sagging under her and smelling. Anya smiled at her.
“Did you poo-poo?” she asked sweetly. Jess nodded. She was sucking on her pacifier, something she did almost constantly since Anya began to use the cream on her. Anya wondered if it was because she wanted Jess to be quiet. It certainly accomplished that task. Anya picked Jess up. She removed the pacifier. “Did you pee-pee as well?”
“No, mama.”
“Please pee-pee for mama too.”
“Okay, mama.” Jess scrunched her face up in concentration. After a moment, there was a soft hiss. “I pee-pee.”
“Thank you, Jess.”
“Mama,” Jess said suddenly. Anya looked at her. Jess’s tone was strangely urgent in a way she hadn’t heard since the cream began to work on her. “Big man hide.”
“Big man hide?” Anya asked softly. For once, she wished that Jess could use proper sentences. But she thought she understood what the former Prince meant. “Where?”
“Bed time room.” Jess must be referring to the nursery. Anya was a bit surprised. Maybe Jess was beginning to build up some more control, if she could hold it long enough to go all the way upstairs to mess herself. Anya might be able to begin work on potty training the former Prince soon.
“Where in there?”
“Under bed.”
“Understood.” Anya went upstairs slowly and quietly. In her mind, she lined up a spell she could use, should the “big man” be a threat. She set Jess down outside the nursery door and held her finger to her lips to indicate the girl be silent. Jess nodded and sat down. Anya walked into the nursery. She cautiously peered under the bed. To her surprise, the man hiding there was no dangerous stranger. She recognized him. He was...