“Prince Elliott is just too stupid.”
If you boiled it down, that might be all it would come to. No matter how the prince attacked Rachel, it always came to nothing. Rachel might have become complacent, thinking no one could disrupt her peaceful prison, but just as the people of the palace began speaking hopefully of the king’s return...a storm struck in the dungeon.
News of Wolanski’s arrest shocked those present in Elliott’s office.
“Wolanski was what?” Elliott cried. The color drained from his face. He’d just lost his third closest associate after George and Sykes. The impact of that was immeasurable.
Even the count’s son who’d brought the report couldn’t fully hide his distress. “Those who saw the incident say that, after the chief lady-in-waiting released him, he got drunk on the way to the gate and started shouting strange things that made the guards take him into custody.”
“He wouldn’t have! I can understand his wanting a drink after that tongue-lashing, but still... Wolanski would never do anything that could get him arrested! We need to protest this at once!”
“I heard he appeared in front of the gate wearing a lady’s undergarment on his head and declaring ‘Little girls are the best,’” explained a hanger-on.
“Oh, I see...” Elliott said, nodding. “Well, I hope he gets out soon.”
Elliott collapsed into his chair. That fact that he didn’t object to the accusation demonstrated that not even he could understand Wolanski’s distinction between flat chests and underage ones.
It seemed Wolanski still had some preaching to do. You would think Elliott, at least, would’ve trusted in his friend’s innocence.
Looking worried, Margaret ran over to Elliott. Now wasn’t the time to bask in the afterglow of the sublime experience she’d had the night before.
“Prince Elliott, cheer up!” Margaret said in a chipper tone.
Elliott sighed. “Margaret, I don’t even know what to do anymore.”
“I know! Take this. It’ll pick your spirits up!” Margaret pulled a vibrant purple piece of fabric out of her pocket. “This is humanity’s greatest treasure, filled with dreams and hope!”
“Oh? What are they?”
“Adam’s swim briefs! I won them in the scramble after he threw them into the crowd at the end!”
At least she hadn’t torn them off of him directly.
“They’re his?! Uh, no?! I don’t want them!” Elliott declared, incredulous.
“Huh? Why not?” Margaret looked at Elliott, confused as to why he was backing away.
Just then, one of Elliott’s hangers-on rushed into the room, bringing the fun to a full stop.
“Sorry to interrupt, but Miss Rachel is...”
Elliott’s eyes bulged. “What?! I don’t have time right now! Did she do something again?!”
“No, the thing is...she’s wailing about what her guests are doing to her!”
“Huh?!”
In the dungeon, where she’d shut herself away, Rachel was hiding behind the curtains of the shower room. That was the situation when Elliott and the others rushed to the scene. Her prior guests took no notice of them, however, and continued to yell at Rachel.
“Rachel! Every day you rest puts two days of hard work to waste! Come out here this instant!”
“Yes, that’s right! Persistence is power, they say. Do you realize it’s going to take half a year to make up for all the time you’ve wasted?!”
“Nooo!” Rachel whined. “I’m not engaged to His Highness anymore, so I don’t have to take your lessons to become queen!”
“Enough of this nonsense! Come out!”
Rachel had clearly been outmaneuvered.
When Elliott saw the two ladies standing with their arms crossed and shouting toward the prison, Elliott cringed.
“It’s Duchess Somerset and Countess Marlborough...”
Duchess Somerset was tasked with educating the future queen. She was like a living encyclopedia of palace life. She was the elder sister of Grand Duke Vivaldi, and although she’d been given the title of duchess, she had no husband.
The other woman, Countess Marlborough, was a retainer—not a noble like Duchess Somerset—but she’d been born and raised in the palace, where she had an unusual career. She was in charge of teaching etiquette. Her father and husband were both protocol officers, so she was fiendishly strict when it came to manners.
Not only were these two women calling Rachel out for neglecting her lessons, they were reprimanding her on all aspects of her manners. It was a double assault.
“I’ve sent numerous letters to Their Majesties,” Countess Marlborough said, “appealing for your release and asking for their directions on our policy going forward. And, finally, I received a response from Her Majesty indicating that we will be continuing with your education. We were at a loss for what to do when the prince took leave of his senses, but now that the policy has been decided, we intend to work harder than ever to make up for lost time!”
Countess Marlborough clenched her fist as she yelled. It wasn’t very good manners.
Duchess Somerset’s brow was furrowed. “Honestly... It took more than two months of writing letters to get a response. Their Majesties are too indecisive. I’ll be having a word with them when they return.”
The king hadn’t wanted to touch any of the letters from these nags, so he’d had a chamberlain verify their contents and then ignored them. He was in for a talking-to.
“I! Can’t! Come! Out! I’m locked up inside here! I can’t possibly leave and take lessons!” Rachel insisted.
“Then you can take them here!” Duchess Somerset countered. “The only thing you can’t do in there is dance practice!”
“Why should I have to study here, in my home away from home?!”
“Because you’ve not been studying at all!”