Reinald was not in attendance at the party. He’d attended the ceremony beforehand, but upon its conclusion he had taken his leave, citing work responsibilities. The truth, however, was that we still hadn’t found a solution to the drowsiness I felt when he was nearby. After a discussion, we’d both agreed that my falling asleep—or even looking sleepy—in a place where I was expected to entertain guests would be an incredibly bad look. Reinald thus opted to keep his distance.
“Sir Bertrando,” I said. “Given your concern for my well-being, might I ask you to act as my escort?”
“I’m not the type to refuse a request from girls who are sure to grow into stunning ladies, but it might not reflect well on your person.”
“I’ll take the rumors over more pointless conversation,” I stated. “And your relationship with Lord Gerhard means I can expect the party attendees to keep their distance and mind their manners.”
“Well, the Bahre family is nothing if not distinguished. The mere mention of the name has the power to back a man down. Oh, and before I forget... Will you be celebrating privately at the Conrad abode? If so, the old man has said he’d like to send you a discreet gift for the occasion.”
“I was asked the same thing by a few others, but alas, we’ve no such plans. Our home simply isn’t big enough to host any meaningful parties, and we’re just so busy at present.”
“Such a pity,” said Bertrando sarcastically. “For the others, I mean. Not me.”
He was deriding the attempts that others were making to ingratiate themselves with me and the Conrad family. Osti, for his part, was surprised by the conversation taking place between his captain and the man’s daughter. Bertrando was arrogant, haughty, and full of confidence—one misstep or wrong comment would see him offend somebody, but he knew who he was, and he refused to be anybody else. I had to imagine it made for all sorts of trouble for those who worked under his command...
“I will ask for your assistance, Sir Bertrando, but first, there are a few others I’d like to speak with. Would you mind waiting while I do? I really should have greeted her first, but the opportunity eluded me.”
It was strange to think that from the outside, we would have looked like any other happy family chatting away. The reality, and irony, of course, was that neither of us particularly wanted that connection.
As for the party, I could essentially leave whenever I pleased. Naturally, it wouldn’t do to leave without saying a word, but as long as I spoke to everybody of importance, nobody would bat an eyelid—after all, neither the crown prince nor the emperor were in attendance.
The emperor was apparently feeling “under the weather,” so he was not really in the mood for festivities. I’d looked him in the eyes earlier and could attest to the fact that he was clearly not in a particularly good mood. So, given that I had no idea what he might have said if we’d happened to bump into each other at this party, him sitting things out was more than fine by me. If anything, I welcomed his absence.
All of which was to say that I still had to see to certain responsibilities before taking my leave. For everybody else in attendance, the party was essentially a networking event, so few would have truly cared whether I was there or not.
Fortunately, I found the person I needed to talk to without any issue.
“Princess Wilhelmina,” I said, getting her attention.
She was in attendance with my brother, Arno.
“I don’t suppose you’ve been waiting on me, have you?” she replied. “If so, I do apologize.”
“You have your own responsibilities to attend to, and so I am simply grateful to have the chance to speak with you again.”
“You have done a great deed for our nation, and I would not be so rude as to ignore your achievements. Unlike my brother.”
“Sir Reinald is...busy with other matters.”
I mean, let’s be honest: I wasn’t about to tell her that hanging out with the guy made me sleepy. Wilhelmina chuckled.
“I wonder what those could be? I heard that you are to receive a portion of Duke Tuna’s domain. It’s a...unique location, to be sure, very much of its own. Should you find overseeing it difficult, do not hesitate to get in touch. I’ll aid you where I can.”
“Thank you ever so much for the kind words. Should such a time come, I will be sure to heed your advice.”
“You look as healthy as always, brother,” I said.
“I don’t have things nearly as hard as you,” he said. “You weren’t in a state to hold a conversation when I last saw you, so I’m relieved to see that you’ve recovered.”
“Thank you, both of you, for coming to visit me. I never expected you to send a gift afterward, Your Highness,” I said.
“It struck me that life would only be harder for you without enough light,” said Arno, speaking for both of them. “I do hope they’re helpful.”
Their joint gift of glass lamps told me that Wilhelmina knew what had been confiscated from our house.
“Think nothing of it,” said Wilhelmina. “I daresay it might not have been enough. In any case, would you care to dance? I’ll take the lead, if you like.”
I giggled, but a bead of cold sweat ran down my spine as I panicked internally in search for a believable excuse.
“While I’m delighted by the invitation,” I said, “my dress was tailored in quite the hasty fashion, and I regret to admit that it’s not particularly easy to move around in. I’d only disgrace you when I tumbled and fell, so I do hope you’ll forgive me for declining today.”
“A pity,” said the princess, offering a cool smile.
Wilhelmina was dressed in a manner not unlike Bertrando—formal military attire. She spoke and held herself like one of grandiose standing, but she was also elegance personified.
“This is an excellent chance for you to meet Helmut,” she continued. “He, too, was impressed by your recent feat.”
It was my first time meeting Marquis Helmut in person. He was in his fifties and a little on the plump side. The princess boasted a number of distinguished families in her faction, but few—if any—matched the Helmut family. It was no exaggeration to call the man her right hand, and he had done a lot to build the faction. He seemed friendly and amicable on the face of it, but few in his position were the same inside as they were out.
“Your name is the talk of the town of late,” he said. “You’ve only just moved to the capital, and yet you’ve managed great things here in Arrendle. I wish my own ventures proved half as fruitful.”
“I’m humbled to receive such praise from a marquis,” I replied.
I tried to show a certain naivety in my answer. I’d heard that Helmut was the polar opposite of the more moderate Count Baillard, and so it was a mistake to simply take his words at face value. We shared the usual meaningless introductory chatter, but it wasn’t long before I noticed the marquis’s smiling face piercing me with a much colder gaze. And he was not alone—there were many others observing me with searching stares. I had known in advance what to expect, however, so I wasn’t particularly surprised. I spoke a little longer with the princess, then opted to take my leave.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to excuse myself for another engagement,” I said. “Perhaps when you next have a little time you’ll allow me the chance to treat you to a cup of tea? I received some wonderfully rare tea leaves from the lord of the Bahre family recently.”
“Intriguing,” replied Wilhelmina. “I’m glad to see another woman reaching new heights, and seeing as you take good care of my fool of a brother, I’d be only more than happy to invite you for tea at your next convenience.”
“Oh my, even if you’re joking, you’ve just sent my heart aflutter,” I replied.
“I say nothing to women in jest. So here’s what we’ll do—I will send an official invitation in the next few days. Do keep your schedule open.”
“That’s a promise, I assume? I’ll be waiting.”
I had intended to be the one doing the inviting, but the princess had turned the tables on me. Arno couldn’t hide his surprise, perhaps because when we’d talked in the past, I’d refused to meet with Wilhelmina. There was no end to the people clamoring to speak with her, but our own conversation had gone quite well, I thought.
There was one more person I wanted to speak with, but it was at that point that Arno said he would see me to them.
“It’s not that far,” I said. “And it’s right here in the same event space, so I don’t need an escort.”
Still, I couldn’t help but smile. I hadn’t had much of a chance to speak with my brother at all, and he was looking healthy. In the past, he would have been too worried about the eyes of those around us to take my hand, but now he stood tall and cared not for what others might think.