23 Specters and Speculations (2/2)
***
Yes… yes – she knew it. Lothar was dead.
As Hilde forced herself into appearing calm and unconcerned about her small stumble and subsequent display of emotions, she threw all her remaining strength into preventing her eyes from sliding back to the spot where she'd seen a living apparition.
Living – yes – and this ghost was called Theodar. Theodar the Recluse, his brother Lothar used to call him, fond and exasperated in equal measures.
It was funny, the fact that no one ever bothered telling her how much the brothers resembled each other. That is, it would have been funny under any other circumstance. She would have laughed.
But finding that out in such a way, it was only brutal.
Nothing more could possibly be worse than having her greatest and most secret hope dashed – and by a much loathed voice of reality, no less. That was why Hilde no longer had any difficulty meeting her elder sister's gaze, which she knew had been on her since earlier. A pair of gray eyes met another, neither of their owners flinching.
Hilde stopped three steps before the Queen and sank into a deep curtsey.
”Queen Heloise,” she said neutrally, her voice only loud enough to be heard by the handful of people closest to them. Silence fell, perhaps so the rest may listen in. ”I have returned.”
”So you have,” the Queen replied. Her tone was just as colorless, but the volume allowed even those in the fringes to hear her. ”I was alarmed to hear of your accident on the road, Princess.” At this confirmation of what had merely been rumors before then, some in the crowd sucked in their breath in an audible collective hiss. To her listeners' mystification, her voice became softer when she continued, ”Yet despite your injuries, you have this day unknowingly helped me correct a lapse. The letter confirming the arrival of our Lysean guests was late in coming. I could not send people to greet and escort them. I thank you, Princess Hilde, for taking it upon yourself to do so when your paths have crossed.”
Though referred to indirectly, the Lyseans took this as their cue to step forward. Similarly, Hilde knew it was her cue to make way and step to the side. For the moment, she'd been dismissed.
Despite the other concerns crowding her mind, she couldn't help but wonder: did the Queen just neatly made sure others would understand? That is, that Hilde ”honored” the Lyseans of her own volition, not because anyone ordered her to. Certainly, the words had sounded like praise. Given who these guests were, however…
Hilde swallowed. She must still be scared, after all, to be reading deeply into plain statements and choosing the worse interpretation.
She was in the middle of dismissing the thought when she caught the confused look Lady Ilse was throwing the Queen – and this, while four Lysean Lords was standing before her, quite at striking distance.
Hilde did not doubt her aunt had told her sister the full account of what happened on the road. She would have had to explain Hilde's absence, after all. Had it been made known to the others that she'd been in Nelke these last few days? Or that she was traveling with her aunt and cousin half of the way?
That was the only reason she could think of for why Hilde's actions regarding the Lyseans would not need further explanation; Lady Ilse's hatred for the entire race was one of her defining traits. It might not be an exaggeration to say that no Arnican below the age of two had not heard of it.
Lady Ilse noticed Hilde looking at her and grimaced. There seemed to be an apology somewhere in that complicated expression, but mostly it was distaste – that was also the moment the Lyseans were making their bows to her. Before they raised their heads again, she fixed her face into a mask that was not quite a smile and, without meeting any of their eyes, tilted her head stiffly in acknowledgement.
After she had performed the absolute minimum required of her, the Lady took a single emphatic step back. Like water, the rulers whom the Queen chose to entertain the foreign guests for the duration of their stay smoothly closed the gap and got to work.
As she watched, Hilde slowly came to the most logical conclusion: Queen Heloise wanted to save her aunt's face as much as was humanly possible. Though the Lyseans already guessed what Lady Ilse had done to her younger niece, most of the Arnicans gathered probably had no idea. No matter the justifications, there was a high chance that the other rulers would persecute the Lady for it, royal status or no.
Coincidentally, this explanation was also the one that brought Hilde the greatest peace of mind. The other possibilities… they were too terrible to even contemplate.