Anna fretted as she made her way to breakfast. Chenzhou had returned late, angry and unwilling to talk about it. It was the first ti in a while that Anna hadn't been allowed to attend dinner with him, and while she understood, she resented not being able to support him at such an important mont.
The shy, gentle man she'd fallen in love with all those years ago was slowly changing. Coming out of the shell that he'd always used to protect himself. It was like watching him be reborn as he started to stand straighter, walk with more confidence, and grow more comfortable arguing with his court.
He was getting more excited about it all, too.
Anna was excited too, but she was also scared. Chenzhou had been the sa every day for the last ten years, and now suddenly he was changing.
Understanding that it was necessary and even good didn't change the fact that it was terrifying.
Chenzhou had already been dressed by the ti she woke up this morning, and he'd been out the door so fast he'd only had ti to kiss her on the cheek before he'd been gone.
She'd hurried to get dressed, hoping to catch up to him at breakfast, but when she entered, the only people sitting at the table were Lord and Lady Soliel.
Their small son was in a basket on a chair next to his mother.
Anna froze in the doorway, her earlier confidence gone. She hadn't even put on her best robes, having only expected Chenzhou and possibly Eirian at breakfast. She hadn't bothered with makeup and only twisted her hair into a simple bun.
She was not fit to et Lord and Lady Soliel, the highest nobility in the kingdom, except for the King and Queen themselves.
Eirian's parents.
Her lover's wife's parents.
She couldn't even bring herself to talk to her own parents about Eirian; she'd never imagined having to see Eirian's.
Before she could turn around and leave, both of the table's occupants turned to her.
Lord Soliel frowned, "Who are you?"
"My-My apologies, my lord." Anna bowed deeply. "I was supposed to have bre-breakfast with Ch-Lord Ye."
Lord Soliel raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't answer my question."
Marian burst in as Anna stumbled over her answer. "Miss Anna is one of the senior educators at the Calia. She frequently advises Lord Ye on the schooling children of the estate receive."
Lord Soliel started looking bored halfway through Marian's explanation, but Lady Soliel put down her tea and turned to Anna. "Oh, do you follow traditional education practices or the newer student-led practice? It's beco much more common in Aontacht, but these outlying areas are struggling with it."
"We use a hybrid thod, my lady." Anna clasped her hands in front of her to hide her nerves. "We've found the combination works best for our students, as most of them transition into the early training program for the Crimson Army."
Lady Soliel gave her a condescending smile. "Perhaps it hasn't worked because you haven't tried. All of the schools in Aontacht that adapted it managed to switch their entire curriculum in the first year."
Unsure what to say, Anna glanced at Marian for help.
A flash of annoyance crossed the older woman's face as she waved in several kitchenmaids carrying serving platters. "It's possible that is what Lord Ye planned to discuss that very thing this morning. Unfortunately, Lord and Lady Ye were called away to deal with an ergency early this morning, and they were not sure when they would return. They instructed to ensure you didn't have to wait for them."
The kitchenmaids deposited platters of eggs and sliced ats, toast with an abundance of jams, and bowls of broth and vegetables. Carafes of tea and coffee followed, but none of it seed to please Lord Soliel.
"I wanted to have breakfast with my daughter."
Marian smiled apologetically. "I'll send soone to request an update, Lord Soliel."
"It must be quite an ergency if they were both needed." Lady Soliel motioned at a kitchenmaid to pour her more tea.
Marian pursed her lips. "I couldn't say, my lady. Lord Ye prefers to involve Lady Ye in all aspects of leading the Calia."
Lord Soliel snorted. "A bit beneath her, isn't it?"
Anna had known Marian long enough to realize she was restraining herself from saying sothing inappropriate.
The older woman had taken to Eirian as soon as she'd arrived. Another one of Eirian's fans. Anna had long considered her a confidant, even a friend, and she trusted her judgnt, so she did her best to step in. "You have a beautiful child."
Lady Soliel bead.
"Does he have a na yet?"
"No, still a few more months. He's already big for his age, though." She nudged the basket, making it rock. Baby Soliel cooed at the motion.
"Such a handso thing." Anna cooed right back.
Lord Soliel had turned his attention to his food. Lady Soliel must have decided Anna was a friendly face because she leaned closer and whispered. "He's going to be king."
Despite her surprise, Anna managed to smile. While it was a bold statent, even dangerous, Lady Soliel was far from the first mother she'd t with…extre dreams for their children.
Marian interrupted. "Miss Anna, please forgive the last-minute change of plans." She took a wrapped box from one of the maids. "I'll remind Lord Ye that you stopped by. I'm sure he'll reschedule as soon as possible. Please take this to go."
Anna accepted the box with a bow. "Thank you, Marian. I'm sorry for the trouble."
Marian gave her a small, reassuring smile. "No trouble."
Anna bowed again to Lord and Lady Soliel and quickly left. Chenzhou hadn't ntioned anything about breakfast with the Soliel's, and she wondered if Lord Soliel had been exerting his power again, showing up without warning and expecting everyone to scramble. Even when Chenzhou had been at his sickest, he hadn't been the type to do that.
And nothing Anna had seen of Eirian suggested she would accept being treated that way.
It was interesting to consider the father and daughter and how wildly different they seed to be.
Maybe there was so truth to the rumors that Eirian wasn't his.
~ tbc
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