Chapter 53 - Agree to Disagree (1/2)

The foreign visitors slowly dissipated over the following week but before they did Al and I still had to keep up appearances as 'important' members of the royal family.

We hardly had a moment to ourselves. The small talk was really starting to get to me.

The only somewhat interesting part of all this was seeing Mariela's reaction to the delegates from Shibatsu.

The king had sent over one of the warrior members of his royal cabinet, who apparently knew Mariela well, and the second prince Jondein. While she seemed very happy to see her brother, her reaction towards the cabinet member was odd.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say it looked like a meeting of exes after a relationship didn't end well.

Come to think of it, I didn't know much about Mariela's life before she became a princess of Annalaias. She typically used generalities when talking about the people she knew back in her homeland.

She claimed she had never had any notions of love but unless my eyes were deceiving me, this warrior class delegate was obviously in love with her.

And I wasn't the only one who noticed. Franz was in a VERY bad mood whenever the Shibatsu party was around.

I wanted to ask Al but he was pretending not to be bored while listening to the prime minister of Rowenhilde go on about exported chocolate.

Apparently cocoa beans couldn't grow here but they did grow in one of Rowenhilde's southern territories so all of Annalaias' chocolate came from them. Who knew?

The day before everyone left, I finally began mending my relationship with Mariela a little by saving her from an awkward encounter with that warrior from her country.

I was coming back from the ladies' room when I came upon the two of them in an empty hallway. I stayed back at first, not wanting to interrupt the conversation.

”…there is no way a man from this country could show you the respect that you deserve, Princess. The king misses you dearly. I am sure I could convince him to let you come home.”

”You know as well as I do that will never happen. Without me here the alliance between Shibatsu and Annalaias would collapse. There is no need to worry about me, Hansel. I am treated quite well here,” Mariela said softly.

She flushed slightly, no doubt thinking about Franz. As predicted, she had grown closer to her husband during our estrangement.

”You never should have been a bargaining chip to begin with,” Hansel disagreed angrily, banging his fist on the wall as he leaned over her.

Mariela shrunk against it, discomfort written all over her face.

I saw the need to step in then.

”Mariela! I've been looking for you everywhere. Mother wants us all to bid farewell to the chieftain of the Ruby Islands.”

Hansel the warrior reluctantly stepped away. Even as the unimportant third princess, right now I claimed to be speaking for the queen.

Mariela shot me a grateful smile as she said goodbye and even went so far as to link her arm through mine. That guy must have really unnerved her.

”Are you alri—”

”Shh! I will tell you about it later,” she said as her eyes darted around nervously. ”Not here.”

I held her to that. A few days after everybody left and Al and I were forgotten once more I met Mariela for tea in Franz's office.

I hadn't been in there since the day of our argument.

Franz was off meeting with less significant members of the court. The session was about to end for the year and most would be heading back to their country estates soon so he was busier than ever.

The court met biannually so everyone would be back in the spring. He planned to make his move then but first he had to gather enough allies to make it happen.

It would time almost perfectly with my escape plan. The country would be taken care of and a few weeks later I could leave on the Shibatsu trade ship.

She fidgeted nervously behind the desk, which was unlike her.

”I am sure you are thinking something untoward has occurred between Sir Hansel and me.”

I shook my head, surprised. It was pretty obvious that his interest was one-sided.

”I didn't think that at all. In fact, I only came over because you looked uncomfortable. If you were enjoying your conversation I would have left you to it.”

Mariela raised a delicate brow.

”Left me to it? People from your land have the strangest sense of morals.”