One thing was in her mind, and it wasn’t Samir's little night trip or the fact his Father seemed to have chosen the biggest, brightest mansion in the neighborhood. No, it wasn’t even the death threat that was currently hidden in their luggage, thought now and then that did yank her thoughts back at it as the staff entered with their belongings in their new pompous home.

As for now, it was the placement of the mansion that didn’t allow her to relax. They were in the very heart of the Nobles district, she was told, two residences down Duke Edward’s own, and directly beside Sir Nathaneal Elliot the II, husband to Louise Eliott, first in line to receive the title of Countess after her Father. There were more mansions and undoubtedly more people from the court there, but just those two made Gabe lose her breath when she was informed of their location. Even worse, due to the aforementioned couple’s marriage, almost all the dukes were currently in the city, a marvelous coincidence considering the Prince’s affairs. Gabe was too dizzy-headed to think of what that meant, but even in her denial, the rush of adrenaline didn’t allow her to fake foreignness to what she unconsciously knew: Their dear Father had picked the worst spot imaginable, as they were the exact middle of the way towards the Castle or away to the selling district. They were within the direct road of almost everyone trying to move through the city, and Gabe was no fool to think all eyes would not be on them while they did.

She stared at the wide stone pathway that ended in an archway leading to the equally grand wooden door. The round motif seemed to continue through the mansion’s ornaments, made in either gold or marble stone. The walls themselves were made of vibrant red paint that must have cost a fortune enough to serve a family of eight for a couple of generations. There was a tower on the right side, also adorned with spiral-inspired architecture that resemble greatly the one of the Castle, and it took her but a quick look at it and at the Castle itself to recognize it as a miniature reproduction of the original, so close it was.

Gabe tried to breathe as staff moved past her and back to put all of their things inside, with the voice of their Mother ringing around on what should be where. Packing had been useless, they found out. The guards had just put everything up in several carts and bought them all here.

She leaned on one of the carriages, trying to go unnoticed as the storm unfolded in front of her. Manny ran around the garden with genuine joy, as it was the very first open space she had ever seen. And what a space it was. Hundreds of meters of shortcut grass and small vegetation surrounded the whole edifice. Bushes bigger than her were cut in the format of deer while the small ones looked like bunnies and foxes. Taller trees could be found around the perimeters of the area, but in the front, Gabe turned to look, there were only the open gates and the view of Sir Nathaneal’s place.

She tightened her grip on her chest as she tried to force the air in and out, and as her eyes ventured around aimlessly, she filled in the back of her mind the information that Samir and Lulu were already arguing on the second-floor balcony, undoubtedly about who was getting which room.

“No, Alani, don’t you dare lift this bag by yourself my darling. Go inside and tidy up, yes? You look rather tired, love, and we can’t have that here. What if the Prince makes us a welcome surprise?” she heard the exultant tone of her Father’s voice as she hid beyond their eyesight, further behind the carriage.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if he made them a surprise? That would have been just perfect.

Her knees were threatening to give out, and she kept thinking that maybe if she was closer to the ground she wouldn’t make a noise if she fell.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Are you okay, Miss?” she lifted her eyes to see the coachman offering her a helping hand, “A young girl like you shouldn’t put too much effort into the heavy-handed work, yes? If you are seeking a promotion or whatnot, it’s better to focus on the detailed tasks. Look at yourself now! Someone your figure can’t take more than that. Perhaps I should call someone?”

Not for the first time, Gabe seemed to have appeared unassumingly enough to pass by a servant. The burly man thought of her as a maid, she realized, and with that… Relief flooded her in a wave, enough to make her whole body relax.

“No,” she took her hand, forcibly calming down her breaths, “No need to call anyone, thank you. I am just catching my breath… I’m not used to such demanding work, as you say.”

“If you say so,” they went around it, staring at the new residence again. The man stared at the young one running around, “Poor things they are. This house is no good.”

“There’s something wrong with it?”

“Not with it, no, but the other side…” he whispered, “You know what they say about them,” he pointed to the other side of the street.

“What?” she whispered back, chest tightening again. He might suspect her ignorance, so she rushed to explain: “I’m new, so no one tells me much. You see, I don’t even know who lives where.”

The older man made a token of resistance, but gossip like that was hard to keep amongst the working class, especially when one was lucky enough to share it to someone clueless about the juicer parts.

“I mean Lady Eliott, of course,” He shook her head, as if bemused, “She’s being a troublemaker again. I heard she is preparing a gathering as we speak, to present the ‘possible new bride’ to the high society.”

“And when is this to be held?” she egged him on.

“As soon as possible, I heard. Maybe in the following week,” he looked at her, pleased to see her wide eyes, no doubt taking this as a sign of his good storytelling, “but that is not even the most aggravating… Because Sir Nathaneal has until the end of spring till he is demanded to go back to his post in the north border, he will be attending the party. You know what this means.”

“Paint me a picture.”

This earned her a strange look.

“You don’t know?” Seemed like that was basic enough for even a newcomer to know and she thought quickly about how to react to that.

“Oh, now I get it!” she pretended to understand, and the coachman nodded, “But that sure makes me wonder if our Highness the Prince is okay with it…”

Gabe had no idea where this would go and was fully prepared to lie her way out if necessary, but if there was a problem involving them being or going anywhere, this was now a problem the Prince would have to deal with too, hence her cover-up attempt.

“He’s ought to be. Sir Natheneal might be a bastard but he’s still Her Grace’s Twin after all. After the heights his family allowed him to be diminished from, the Royals must show them face for the time being.”

Oh, Gabe's eyes shone. So this Sir Nathaneal was the Natanheal. Gabe bit her lips for her stupidity of not connecting the dots earlier. He was one of the seven known King bastards, and the once more threatening one, as he was the son of a Duke. She sure remembered all talks about him slowly fading away into obscurity, almost as if… Well, as if he was dead. She supposed that was akin to being, since, if she understood it correctly, he married off two ranks below, not only taking his wife’s last name but being deployed to the borders.

God’s and goddess above, finally a little bit of luck! The maiden expected to listen very little to him after he went off, most likely with his wife under his wing… But only after that. She wondered the resentment one might harbor toward the Royals if all their prospects were stolen away from them like that, and her good mood dampened again.

“I imagine The Duchess will most certainly be there, perhaps even the Prince too. The tension of this reunion... Poor girls,” he repeated, and then a third time, “Poor girls.”