Chapter 176 - The Festival In Town (2)
I walked towards the woman and caught her arm at the last mont.
She turned, and I didn't recognise her. I opened my mouth to apologise and flee. However, she did know .
?Your highness,? she exclaid, opening her eyes wide. She grinned and turned to completely.
Wonderful. I had to carry out a conversation with soone I didn't care about. And all of that after stupidly mistaking a stranger girl with my Queen.
Oh, that was bad. If I couldn't discern my own wife from the rest of the won, it ant I wasn't ready to et her yet.
?It has been a long ti,? she continued. ?I didn't think you would rember .?
No, in fact, I didn't have a clue about her identity.
?I was just a child when you visited our residence... I played that song for you, and you were so kind as to praise my terrible skills.?
Oh, there was a single child that played for . Except for Martia, but she insisted on showing that she didn't learn how to play the piano.
Was it a piano, by the way?
?You've grown up,? I mumbled. Elisabeth Grahm had been only eleven, maybe just ten, when I t her for the first ti.
The girl in front of , though, was a splendid fifteen-year-old. She was pretty, elegant, and apparently composed.
She didn't have many points in common with my Queen, apart from her hair. Which, by the way, was a shade darker than Theodora's. I had been a fool.
And what would my Thea be doing in the capital, by the way?
?Father told how you helped us,? she said. ?Thanks to your highness, my brother can stay in the Empire and succeed my father and, one day, my grandfather. Our family was saved by a few words from your highness.?
?It was my duty,? I mumbled, trying to find a way to leave. I couldn't just turn and walk away; there were social conventions that needed to be followed.
?Oh, regardless of that, I'll forever be in your highness's debt!?
?Why?? I shook my head.
If there was soone that would have been indebted, it was that Samuel. And if one wanted to be generous, Count Grahm could feel glad about it. If he was left without a successor, his future as Duke Grahm would have been questioned.
?You don't owe anything.?
Her eyes started shining for so unknown reason.
?I will be grateful to your highness's help despite your selfless declarations,? she giggled. ?But we've talked enough about . How has your highness been lately? I hope you've passed the coronation unscathed.
?Pretty much.? Except for irrational desires to kill, failed plans to get to my wife, and clouded mories that were starting to resurface.
?His majesty was so stunning, wasn't he? I hope we'll have a new era of prosperity. Oh, I'm sure we will if your highness is a close counsellor to his majesty!?
Was she trying to flatter ? Or was she just teasing?
I couldn't be sure, and I wasn't too worried about that. After all, she was just a teenager in search of attention.
Oh, my Queen was a teenager as well at that ti. I should find a way to stop thinking of every girl younger than as a child. It would have beco awkward when eting my Queen. I rembered her charisma as a full-grown woman, but how was she as a young maiden?
I wouldn't have found out, so I pushed those thoughts to the side.
?His majesty will guide us in the best direction,? I replied chanically. I had to rember where I was at that mont and act accordingly.
I was still a citizen of the Empire.
?I was wondering...? she started, probing my expression with her keen eyes. ?Is your highness free tomorrow evening??
?I have an appointnt with his majesty.?
?And the day after??
?I've promised Martia to stay with her. We won't be able to et for a while after I leave,? I shrugged. I didn't have ti to ddle with the Grahms. Our cooperation lasted until I freed their heir and prevented him from marrying my wife. Once that was done, we weren't friends anymore.
Not to ntion that the girl was starting to get on my nerves for so reason. I had passed the evening by trying cocktails of different colours, so I wasn't in the best shape for a conversation.
?Oh, what do we have here?? a man inquired, walking to us and smirking as if we were having a private, secret conversation. ?Has our Elisabeth caught the Archduke's attention??
Who dared to call Archduke so freely? Only mbers of the royal family had the privilege to call Archduke instead of royal highness.
After a whole minute of thinking, I realised who that man was. The Marquise, none other than the landlord!
?Marquise Lindell,? I replied. ?Don't be so frank with a lady. You might cause misunderstandings...?
?Oh, my,? Elisabeth chuckled. ?George is always like that, don't take it to heart, your highness.?
What use did I have in getting annoyed? I was going to leave that place regardless.
?No worries,? I muttered.
After talking with them for a few more minutes, I looked for Bertha. Wilhelm was probably already dancing with a pretty lady or drinking with strangers. He was like that: he had no issues in finding new friends.
?I want to go ho,? I inford her with a gloomy tone. She just nodded, and we left together, leaving that moron to have fun on his own.
?Parties are boring,? Bertha sighed. ?At least I won't be asked to attend sothing like this after marriage. It will be tough, though, to live far from you and Martia.?
?We're family,? I shrugged. ?We'll stay a family even if we're not in the sa place.?
I had been preparing for it my whole life, so I wasn't as hit by the future as she was. I had already lived it once. It's difficult in the beginning, but you get used to it sooner or later.
The night was warm, but a fresh breeze cooled down our excitent. I was sure I would co back soon, so I organised my departure to Kyre the day after. I spent the evening with his majesty, and I brought Martia on an outing in the capital.
When it was finally ti to go, I was delayed by an unexpected occurrence.
?Your highness!? Soone called .
It was from George Lindell. He had used the term Archduke so freely just two days before. Within the Palace's walls, he followed the etiquette flawlessly.
?Are you already leaving? Won't you stay for the hunt??
?I have commitnts,? I said; my voice was plain and uninterested. ?Kyre is a complex duchy. I have to go there soon. I haven't been for months, and I can't delay anymore.?
Also, I had to talk with the Countess about the future. I would have masked it as concern for my survival, and I would have designed a plan for after my final departure for another country.
?You left a deep impression on Elisabeth, your highness,? he grinned. ?She was stunned by your appearance at the party. You were so focused on talking that we others wondered what you were discussing. It's rare to find a young lady with such dialectic skills, isn't it??
What dialectic skills? She just greeted and rembered the old ti when we t for a day and never saw each other again.
Her mories might have been influenced by her mood, as children don't always rember what happens but how they felt about it.
?Not to ntion that she's the most beautiful among the ladies... Well, except her highness, Princess Lyland.?
Ah, that was sothing else that annoyed . Martia was given a secondary na, so she stopped being the young lady of Kyre and beca Princess Lyland. It was just sothing the old geezers thought to split her from our family na, to move us farther apart.
I hadn't accepted that change yet. I would have continued to call my sister Martia till the end of ti. I was allowed to do so, even if my position was slightly lower than hers in the Palace. I was her older brother: it must have counted for sothing!
However, the rest of the court was forced to call her Princess and bow to her as they do to his majesty.
A part of suspected that she used what I told her to beco more relevant. She befriended our cousin to manipulate him for her gain.
In our gain, most probably.
Too bad that, knowing her, she had probably fallen in her own trap and started loving our cousin with sincerity. She had beco the older sister in the Palace, and she seed to quite like it.
She might have grown attached to the Palace, understanding how to use the intrigues in her favour. She might have even started liking it. Taking her away to make her Lord of Kyre didn't seem enjoyable.
But I had my destiny to fulfil.
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