Anne walked through the brightly lit halls with servants at her tail. Lilian wasn’t there by her side this time, so she felt reasonable anxiety. Earlier that morning, after breakfast, she was sent an invitation to a tea party. Anne had never been to a small social gathering such as this filled with respectable women, so she spent more time than she’d anticipated finding a dress she could wear. On arrival at the central back gardens, she stood by the entrance, calming her beating heart. She glanced down at her bright yellow dress with flowers sewn on around the skirt’s perimeter, listening to the cute light laughter from the ladies all standing near the round tea tables with fans in their hands and their servants standing to the side. Lifting up the front of her skirt, she straightened her back and sucked in her stomach, making sure her shoulders were relaxed. She put on a bright smile and walked in.
Multiple scrutinising eyes watched as she walked through the gardens up to Lucia, who sat at the end with her teacup up to her lips. Anne kept herself on guard for any sudden stunts Lucia would try. She knew she wasn’t wanted here, but part of her felt hope that maybe she would be able to join the tea party; this was her first tea party with other girls her age, and even someone like her wanted them to welcome her to their circle.
“Thank you for inviting me, Lucia,” she said with grateful eyes. Lucia looked up from her teacup, seeing the girl’s long red braids flowing freely behind her. Her mood soured, but she put on a beautiful smile, unwilling to look like a bad guy. “I’m glad you could come; please have a seat.” She said this, referencing the empty chair across from her.
“You know, we probably looked like a laughing stock during the banquet; if it happens again, your reputation will struggle to recover,” Anne said lightly with a smile. Her voice was so quiet that the only ones who could hear her were Lucia and the servant standing next to her with a teapot. She didn’t wait to see Lucia’s ugly expression and instead steeled her resolve to sit down on the chair. She had no idea if her inkling was correct, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Seeing her about to sit, Lucia promptly stood up, dropping her empty teacup loudly on the table, drawing the attention of all the girls. Anne stopped her movement to look at her sister, who tried her best to hide her livid expression. “Lucia-”
“I’d like us to take a walk,” Lucia said, interrupting her. Anne nodded and followed her as they walked through the archway into the well-kept flower garden behind them. Seeing the guards spotted at safe distances, Anne let her anxieties vanish as she felt confident in her ability to turn the tables on whatever Lucia planned to do; after all, she was only a child.
“Why exactly are you so against me?” The first to break the silence was Anne. She knew Lucia had reasons to dislike her, but it didn’t make sense at this point to keep throwing a tantrum. She knew Lucia could never be with Aiden, even if she wanted to. “Would you like me if you were in my position?” Lucia replied spitefully. She knew it was meaningless, but she felt her pride had been crushed by a practical stranger of such low birth. How could she swallow such injustice? “That is true, but Lucia, I do not dislike you; I hoped we would be the best of friends.” Anne’s sentence struck her; she didn’t know how she should react. In her shock, Anne walked up to a large willow tree next to a small stream. She sat down and looked at Lucia expectantly. Lucia sat down next to her as a gentle breeze passed by. “I was born unloved by our Imperial father; despite knowing I had a little sister that grew up with his love and affection, I never hated you, my mother always told me—our positions are not our fault. It is not my fault I was given a marriage I didn’t ask for, and it is not your fault you cannot pursue Aiden.”
“Then who should I blame?” She said it with an unsure tone. She knew Anne was right, but then who could she be angry at? Anne smiled at her upset face; she was indeed a child. “You know who it was—the man that caused all this.”
Lucia knew who Anne was referencing too, but she had never dreamed of being angry at a man who seemingly cared for her and loved her.
But Anne was right.
“I do not hate you.” Lucia finally said, after a moment of contemplation. Immediately after saying that she stood up promptly and left like she was running away from her guilt, Anne watched the young girl leave and felt happy that she wasn’t unreasonable.
‘I’m glad I could reach out to her before I left; I can’t blame her for the sins of her father, after all—she is only 15.’ At that moment, she felt bittersweet; if she had more time, she would be able to foster their relationship a bit more. Anne had decided against going back to the tea party, and instead, she sat for a while by the stream and walked back to her quarters in order to have a quiet lunch.
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Anne had the tailor show up in her room once more with the prototype for her wedding dress. Madame Allaire walked in quickly with rosy cheeks; her brown hair framed her face as she heaved quietly, trying to contain what seemed like excitement. She looked at Anne, who had been waiting for her, with bright eyes as she set out her materials. A few ladies walked in with a plain, heavy, dark wood chest, dropping it on the floor before leaving with a bow. Madame was quick to chatter away as she watched the princess strip down to her undergarments before she brought out the heavy ivory dress. Seeing the dress, Anne’s eyes widened in shock. The skirt was huge, with metres of fabric layered, making it look impossible to put on. She put on the bodice, then the skirt, then the sleeves, and then she looked at the dress in the mirror in front of her. The dress looked unreal. She looked at her red braids falling down her sides and released how much she hated the colour red. She wondered if it would be alright to use her real hair on that day; at least she wouldn’t feel so out of place.
“What do you think!?” Madame Allaire asked with a bright smile, almost jumping off the walls. She was proud of her work and the vision that had been given to her. She originally wanted to make a cooler dress with light and baby blues since Anne seemed to love the colour, but ivory was the right choice after all; she could imagine the gold crown that would be placed on her head, and she felt herself brim with excitement. “Is it possible to hire you as my personal tailor going forward? I understand that travelling across the continent with your family is not ideal, but I would love to have you close to me. This dress is so beautiful, it exceeds my expectations.”
It took the tailor everything in her not to interrupt and agree; to become the personal maid of a queen, now that exceeded her wildest dream.
“It would be my pleasure, your highness.” Anne smiled, looking at the girl who quickly bowed in front of her, and then she looked again in the mirror. She wondered why she was suddenly so excited. As Madame Allaire watched Anne’s soft smile, she decided to take the initiative.
“Your Highness, I heard something funny today.”
“Oh? What is it?” Anne asked shortly, tearing her eyes away from the mirror. “Last night at the Imperial Casino, there was an incident; I heard there was a rat infestation!” Anne’s smile froze as she held back her laughter. She didn’t think she’d hear about last night so soon.
“I heard the Baron of Wilkes left furious, cursing and screaming; I heard that his thing got bitten by a rat.”
The sound of stifled laughter filled the room as Anne couldn’t help but burst out laughing. She felt rather bad for the baron, who got such a fright.
She continued, “To make matters worse, the baroness refuses to leave the house out of embarrassment!”
‘If my husband’s manhood got bitten off due to his gambling habits, I would also die of embarrassment.’
Anne sighed, trying to calm herself before she laughed herself into a violent cough. “It is indeed better to listen to your wife; if he stayed home with her, he wouldn’t have to suffer through such an ordeal,” she said, trying to regain her composure. Her maids, unfortunately, were unable to do so, and so the guards outside wondered why the sound of laughter echoed through the halls.
The sun set on a rather peaceful day, bringing a rainy, thunderous storm to overwhelm the night. Lucia watched from her window as the rain beat harshly against the castle’s stone walls with the occasional lightening flash followed by thunder; her hair was lifted behind her and oiled before being brushed gently; she watched the hardens below her as a hooded figure walked through the rain walking into the wing where the princes lived; she felt her heart being stabbed as she saw the candlelight from her brother’s room; despite being engaged to her, he had never refused a whore; her mind wandered to Aiden, who had clearly avoided her since his engagement to her sister. Despite wanting to be angry, all she felt was self-pity, tears dripping down her face silently as she mourned the loss of her marriage. As it stood, she could never love him; even if he stopped sleeping with anything that walked, she would forever feel foul sleeping next to him.
“My lady, don’t cry.” A soothing voice came from behind her. '
"But, nanny, it’s not fair.”
The elderly woman sighed as she placed the brush down.
“Not every match is a love match. It’s ok to mourn the loss of your dreams.”
Lucia sobbed.
