Chapter 27 - Bridal Lessons (1/2)

Bridal lessons started the next day under the direction of a very strict tutor the queen had chosen for me called Madame Chalaise. She was a tall, painfully thin woman whose appearance reminded me of a hawk.

Apparently she had tutored Mariela and the unnamed princesses of Annalaias who had been shipped off to marry foreigners as well.

When we met the royal ladies for tea, Mariela flinched at the sight of her. That made my impression of the rigid woman even worse.

I needed to gain Mariela's trust. She and her husband were meant to become the benevolent king and queen of this nation with Alpheus' and Marcy's help.

I still needed to find a way to get Marcy back in the picture but in the meantime, the least I could do was get this particular plot point back on track.

”Mariela, once my lessons are complete for the day, shall we take a walk together in the gardens?”

”What a splendid idea,” the queen agreed. ”Rosenia and I are far too busy for such things. Dear Mariela has plenty of time to fill and could use the company.”

This lady really knew how to play favorites. I saw nothing wrong with Mariela. Was it simply because she was the wife of the second prince?

The book focused primarily on Alpheus and Marcy…to him, it looked like his brothers both lived the high life but maybe that wasn't quite true. Prince Franz clearly wasn't discriminated against as harshly as his younger brother but there appeared to be more to this business than met the eye.

Mariela looked surprisingly pleased at the invitation. ”I would be delighted to accompany you, Catherine.”

Catherine this, Catherine that! I wouldn't survive in this place being Catherined to death.

”Alpheus calls me Katie. I would be honored if the rest of the family would do the same.”

”I see the two of you are quite intimate already,” the queen said disapprovingly as she sipped her tea.

”Not at all, Your Ma—Mother. When we met, I was with my brother. My family has always called me Katie and Alpheus overheard it,” I lied easily.

Not one person I had met thus far in this place referred to Al by his nickname so it was safe to assume I was the only one who called him that.

If this very proper monarch knew her already-disliked youngest son had been so informal at a first meeting, Al would be in trouble. He didn't need any more of that.

Believing my fib, the queen was appeased. ”Ah, that makes sense. I did wonder…that boy has no sense of decorum.”

I frowned. Maybe around me he didn't but from what little I had seen of his interactions with other people in this castle he knew how to act his part.

What had he done to earn the queen's ire? Or did she just hate him for no reason? My curiosity burned but it was a sensitive subject for him; I couldn't just ask.

”I believe we have intruded on Her Highness' hospitality long enough,” Madame Chalaise said sternly. ”Please excuse us; we have lessons to attend to.”

The queen nodded loftily and Rosenia smirked at me, suspecting what tortures were in store for the lowly daughter of an earl. Mariela gave me a soft, sympathetic smile as I stiffly followed my teacher.

Bridal lessons were every bit as terrible as I expected. I had to walk like a princess, talk like a princess, eat and drink like a princess. I thought learning etiquette from the countess was bad.