His wife was having tea with the King, and he didn’t even know about it.

His tools were laid out in front of him. A small hand saw, a knife – the small blade freshly sharpened on the whetstone, a chisel and a piece of sandpaper, to soften the edges. He could begin.

The scent of jasmine hung heavy in the air as a servant poured tea. Her face neutral, she picked up a cup and sipped. “He will never know?”. The kind nodded.

He carved away at the small piece of wood, the shape of a songbird emerging slowly. Whittling away the chaff to reveal the beauty contained within. Carefully sanding the edges, he smiled.

Prompt provided by https://www.eadeverell.com/flash-fiction-prompts/