x
“So, he told me he would pick me up in a carriage, right? But then he shows up at the palace front gate with a wagon. A wagon! Pulled by a couple of stinky draft horses who look like they haven’t seen a brush in their entire lives. And he’s sitting there, holding the reins, wearing a suit and top hat like he thinks he’s the king or something!”
I nodded absentmindedly as Theresa prattled on about her date, still mulling over our conversation in the bathroom. It didn’t sit well with me. But Clavis and Nokto had said something similar the day before, and if everybody was saying the same thing, it was probably true. People were expecting me to be a beautiful, well-mannered princess at the coronation ceremony, and nothing more.
“Hello, Ivetta,” Theresa called, waving a hand in front of my face. I looked over at her and gave her a small smile.
“Sorry. You were saying he was wearing a suit and top hat.”
She frowned at me. “Normally, that would get a laugh from you, or at least a giggle. Are you still stuck on what we talked about earlier?”
I sighed heavily. “Yes.”
She sighed, too, although hers had a note of exasperation in it. “Stop worrying. So what if everybody’s just looking for a show? It’s your debut, not your farewell. There will be plenty of other opportunities to prove that you’re more than just a pretty face.”
Sometimes, she knew exactly what to say.
“You’re right,” I said, exhaling deeply. “Sariel is already talking about all the tea parties and socials I’ll be attending after the coronation ceremony.”
That didn’t make her smile.
“Is he ever going to give you a break?” she asked sourly.
“After the ceremony,” I replied. “I don’t know how many days I’ll have off, but that means I’ll have more time to socialize with the guests.”
“So, not a break. Especially since Gilbert will be here.”
My stomach twisted. I knew royalty from Rhodolite’s allied countries were coming to the ceremony, along with monarchs from more distant countries, so, of course, Gilbert would be here. That was something I had been trying very hard not to think about.
“Prince Gilbert,” I corrected her, keeping my voice calm and even to hide my inner turmoil. “Just because you get a break from using titles with Chevalier and his brothers doesn’t mean you can stop using them with everybody else.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” she said dismissively. “I played the part of a perfect maid for three years before you got here, and I realized I could get away with so much more. When the guests arrive, I won’t give anybody anything to complain about. Unless Gilbert tries messing with you again.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem this time.”
“It better not be,” she said darkly.
I’m sure she had more to say on the subject, but the door to the round table room was just up ahead, and she fell silent, which was a relief. Gilbert wasn’t a subject I wanted to dwell on.
“Well, I guess you’ll have to find something to do until you can tidy up my room this afternoon,” I said lightly. Her green eyes brightened with mischief immediately.
“You think Chevalier will sleep that late?”
“I don’t know how late he’ll sleep,” I replied, a blush creeping into my cheeks. “But I don't know how late he was up last night, and I don’t want anybody bothering him.”
“Like I’m going anywhere near him without you as a buffer,” she laughed. “Enjoy breakfast and tell Sariel you need a day off.”
I returned her parting wave and opened the door to the round table room. It was a room I’d only seen once before, and that was when I had lunch with Leon’s faction. When someone from the royal family called a round table meeting, only members of the royal family could attend, with few exceptions. But there was no round table meeting today. The three large windows framed in heavy drapes lit up a relaxed scene very similar to the lunch I had in here a few days ago: Jin, Leon, Yves, and Licht sitting around the table, eating, talking, and laughing as they polished off the many platters of food that crowded a pair of candelabras and a vase of roses into a tiny space at the center of the table.
Well, Licht was sitting there and eating, anyway.
Luke was present this time to fill in any gaps in the conversation and highlight the glaring differences between commoner and upper-class manners. He talked with his mouth full, ate with his fingers, didn’t hold his silverware properly, scattered crumbs on his lap and the rug below the table, and, overall, looked to be having a wonderful time. The other four princes, following proper etiquette, were having just as much fun.
Except Licht, of course.
“Hey, Ivetta,” Luke said, his leaf-green eyes lighting up when he and the other princes looked over at me in the doorway. He leaped to his feet and pulled the chair out beside him. “Sit over here.”
“Thank you, Luke,” I said politely, taking the offered seat. Jin chuckled across the table.
“Look at that. Luke can learn some manners,” he commented.
“Well, if she’s gonna work so hard on learning all this stuff, I guess I can try a little harder,” Luke said, plopping down in his chair without a trace of elegance. “Whatcha want?”
Yves sighed heavily. “The proper way to say that would be, ‘What would you like?’”
“Give him a break,” Leon said with a broad smile. “He’s just getting started.”
“He’s been here longer than Ivetta has,” Yves retorted.
“Yeah, but she came in better trained,” Jin replied. “So, what brings you here this morning, Ivetta?”
“Just practicing my etiquette,” I said, dishing some scrambled eggs onto my plate. In a more formal setting, I knew I’d wait for servants to bring me a plate of food, but the princes preferred to keep things casual. And I appreciated that. It was easier to relax in this setting, where the rules weren’t rigid and the corrections to my technique came as gentle reminders instead of sharp rebukes.
Although I appreciated Sariel’s sharp rebukes, too. I’d asked him to be hard on me from the start.
“Did ya get some sleep last night?” Luke asked.
That was the question I had been dreading. I didn’t know if anybody other than my guards saw Chevalier enter my room last night, and although we'd done nothing wrong, I knew the princes’ teasing would be relentless if they found out we spent the night together.
“Yes, I did, thank you,” I said, hoping he would accept that and move on.
“Is something wrong?” Leon asked.
Of course, there was the curiosity of the other princes around the table to consider.
“No,” I said. “I was just tired last night when I was studying in the library, that’s all.”
“She fell asleep three times,” Luke volunteered.
“You’re not staying up too late studying, are you?” Jin asked, giving me a knowing smile.
I shook my head, unable to reply with a mouthful of food. Leon chuckled.
“It’s okay to take a break, Ivetta.”
I swallowed my food and hastily replied, “I haven’t been staying up late studying.”
“So, why were ya so tired?” Luke asked, studying me dubiously. I glanced past him to Licht, whose crimson eyes met mine briefly in understanding. If the others pushed too hard, at least I knew Licht would confirm my story about nightmares.
“I just didn’t sleep well the night before last,” I said, shrugging dismissively.
“Probably ‘cause you’re studyin’ too hard,” Luke concluded.
Yves sighed again, his brow furrowed in irritation. “Studying isn’t intrinsically bad.”
“Yeah, but he has a point,” Jin said. “Every time I see her, she’s studying or in a lesson.”
“Well, the coronation ceremony is coming up soon,” I said, wondering why this was a problem.
“And you’re ready for it. So, wanna come to town with me today?” Leon offered.
“You’re skipping out on work?” Yves asked reproachfully.
Leon shrugged sheepishly. “She needs a break.”
“Do Licht and I have to do everything around here?” Yves muttered under his breath.
“Don’t worry, Yves,” I said, smiling at his typical haughty display. “He can’t use me as an excuse today. I have to leave for a test soon.”
“Well, that won’t take all day,” Leon said.
“You’re only sayin’ that ‘cause ya don’t know what’s on the test. Go on, tell ‘em, Ivetta,” Luke prompted me.
I looked down at my plate and bit my lip nervously. If they thought I was studying too hard, they wouldn’t like this.
“A comprehensive overview of the territories within Rhodolite, including important names and political, economic, and cultural differences.”
The sudden silence was deafening. Even Licht’s impassive expression morphed into one of surprise.
“How long have you been a princess again?” Jin asked.
“Three weeks. But I couldn’t do anything except bookwork when I was stuck in bed,” I reminded them.
“I gotta talk to Sariel,” Leon muttered.
“Please don’t,” I said earnestly. “I asked him to be hard on me.”
“Why?” Luke asked, incredulous.
“So I’m ready for the coronation ceremony.”
Leon shook his head, chuckling. “Let me explain something to you, Ivetta. Your background is public knowledge. Everybody knows you were a commoner until three weeks ago, and nobody’s expecting you to be the perfect princess at your first ball. You’re already gonna blow them away.”
“What do you mean, everybody knows my background?” I asked, my stomach tying itself in knots at the thought.
“That wasn’t the part you were supposed to focus on,” Jin said with a sigh.
“We didn’t even know you were a princess before Belle’s big announcement,” Leon explained patiently. “Only Chevalier, Sariel, and Belle knew, and I’m sure Chevalier didn’t let them in on it until he had to. But there were already rumors circulating about you and Chevalier, and when he and Clavis raised up a small army to deal with Flandre, the rumors kinda took off. You can’t really hide something like that. I’m sure it’s been a real headache for Sariel to manage. It just seemed like there wasn’t much point in hiding anything when the truth came out.”
Suddenly, I lost my appetite. I knew being a princess meant being in the public eye, but I didn’t realize my entire life story would become public knowledge. All of Rhodolite, and many of its neighbors, knew what I only learned three weeks ago. Paired with the lingering rumors that had tormented Mother and me as long as I could remember, there were sure to be people who thought it was all made up, that I was just a prostitute who seduced Chevalier.
Which meant I had to work even harder to prove them wrong.
I pursed my lips and pushed my chair back. “Thank you for letting me join you, but I have a test to take.”
“Ivetta-” Yves started, but I cut him off.
“If you’ll excuse me.”
Nobody else tried to stop me from leaving. I stepped into the hallway and curled my hands into fists within the folds of my skirt as I headed for Sariel’s office. After this test, I needed to have a talk with him about the release of my personal information without my permission. I needed to talk to Chevalier about that, too. ‘Handling everything’ didn’t mean he could decide what to tell the world about me without my knowledge or input.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
