"My lady, are you awake? Your father is calling for you", a voice from beyond the door broke her weak slumber.
"Wouldn't matter if I wasn't", she mumbled under her breath, removing the warm silk sheets from her snow white shoulders, "Tête!".
"Yes, my lady!", Tête waltzed in through the door and slightly bowed her head upon greeting the young lady.
"Bring my gown, Tête. How long has father been awaiting me? Is he in his study?"
"He was in the tea room with some guests. I don't think he went back to the study. Here", Tête handed over the velvet gown to the young lady.
"Guests, you say?", the young lady had moved to her dressing table, examining her bright silky-smooth face fitted with the brightest set of blue pearly eyes.
"Some foreigners of little importance, I'm sure", Tête arranged a fancy linen gown for her to get changed in.
"Then my father wouldn't have met them in the tea room. Tête, the water", the little beauty instructed. She had now began brushing her golden locks.
Soon she was presented, as beautiful as ever, in the study of her father.
The man seated in the recliner by the window was of extremely sharp but elegant features. He was in fact quite a sight to behold, even for his age.
"Your fettle is quite impressive", he began in a grave voice, "Your thoughts have the highest measure of intelligence and in no way are you something to displease any pair of eyes".
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This was daunting for the little princess as her father wasn't one to speak in such roundabout ways, especially not with her.
"You know of the reasons we are born and bred. Some might call us cattle but they simply lack the ambition befitting of the great family of Vlad. My daughter...you are the cornerstone that will fulfill the mission no one before us could have thought possible".
"What do you require of me, Lord?", she asked obediently with an unimpressed expression on her face.
"You are to be married into the Valentine family of Mercae, come next month. And you will bear their children, the real rulers of all of the world".
Tête, who had been standing a way back, near the door, gasped and looked at the little lady, worried and horrified.
"Yes, that shall be as you say then, father", she bowed her head and receiving nor expecting any response from her father, she began towards the door. Without looking at Tête, she strode off and went back to her chamber.
*************
"Not a single woman nor young girl in all of Wallach, no, in all of the world! None as beautiful and divine as my Lady Faye. At 16 only, she marries into a distant land and with an older man, no less. Oh, how my late Mistress must be turning in her grave. That poor girl, she says nothing at all! How it aches my heart! But my Lord knows all. His decision is final. She'll be married off by next week and the castle will be lonely, just like it was when Mistress died. Did you know Mistress asked me to look after Lady Faye when she was born? Mistress didn't make it but she left me as a mother to that poor girl. And now what'll I tell her?"
"What a noisy old hag you are! So they marry their little devil lady to a far off land to destroy the people like they did in Wallach. Isn't that the misery?! Oh when will we be rid of these fiends!"
"Old hag! Tête never grows, they say. What would you know, you bald geezer!"
"Bald!", the old lady shoved her head into Tête's face, "Have you gone blind?!"
"Oh, get off!", Tête freed herself and hurried out of her hut, waving her handkerchief like a young maiden and running off toward the castle.
A week later Faye was married and sailed off to Mercae.