The living room that was used for today's gathering was the Emerald Hall. Famous for its malachite wall ornaments, panoramic windows, and green velvet sofa upholstery, it always made Cornelia anticipate another questionable announcement. Carlos the Second liked the Emerald Hall for serious family discussions. She never thought deeply about the reasons behind it, and sometimes the conversation didn't concern her. But after the gun incident, she tried to avoid family gatherings like a cat avoiding swimming. The shame was still vivid. Yet an invitation arrived this morning, and on paper it did not tolerate refusal.

The dark chocolate brownies, the lemon pie with crumbly dough, a variety of tartlets with pineapple, raspberries and wild strawberries - the coffee table was full of desserts. The maid served tea, and when she began to pour the liquid into cups, Cornelia felt the malty aroma filling the air. It didn't take long for the queen to give a barely visible signal to the servant, and the maid added a portion of rum to her cup from a crystal decanter. The addition to 5 o'clock tea, which would confuse any other noble family, wasn't a big deal for the Castro family. Cornelia took a sip of her cup. The sight of the sumptuous dessert was very tempting, so to fight it she concentrated on enjoying the rich and slightly bitter taste of Assam. Eating was always an easy way to relieve stress, and she had no doubts about the royal chef's abilities. Still if the need arises, the princess would prefer to eat one of those delicious desserts alone in her room. She looked at César, who sat straight in the presence of the king, but at the same time, he had no problem with his appetite. The plate of meringues in front of the prince was already halfway empty.

The porcelain cup, clinking as it was returned to the table, announced the start of the conversation. The servants were dismissed, and the royal family remained alone in the Emerald Hall. Cornelia tightened her grip on the cup handle - the anticipation of the announcement had made it difficult even to drink black tea.

"I've given some thought to the issue we discussed recently," the king said, placing a small picture on the coffee table. Everyone's eyes were drawn to it immediately. The picture depicted a portrait of a young and beautiful woman with greyish blue eyes, curly blonde hair, a Roman nose, and perfect white skin. Although the woman was unfamiliar to Cornelia, her appearance was enough to guess what would happen next. "This is Cesar's future wife, Lady Olive Beaton, who is currently known as Lady Nolden."

Relieved by not being the cause of this discussion, Cornelia returned to her tea. The name sounded familiar, but it was Queen who raised the question.

"Currently? Do you mean the Margrave Nolden by Nolden?"

The king simply nodded. One gesture was enough to satisfy his wife's curiosity. Cornelia turned her gaze away from the malted liquid in the half-empty cup and looked at her father. He noticed a change in her expression. The princess was determined to keep low during this conversation, but the king's words were clearly delirious. The name of Margrave Wenzel Nolden was known to every respectable man in Castro's kingdom. He was a stern warrior who had been in charge of the walls for over a decade and had protected the border from the nymphs. He was the only margrave in the country, and it simply made no sense how his wife could suddenly become the prince's bride.

The king didn't even blink an eye at this, but just looked intently back at his daughter. It was too much to look into his eyes, so Cornelia stared instead at his interlocked hands. The king always wore a large ring on his right thumb. A veszelyite crystal edged with platinum – the accessory that the father never took off became, in her memory, a part of his image, just like cigar smoke.

"Lady Nolden arrived in the capital a week ago. Apart from other business, she visited the palace. Her marriage was proving to be challenging, so she hoped we could find a solution to her predicament. To be precise, if I could allow the annulment. I must say, she has grown up into a charming and elegant woman. It would be a shame to confine such a lady to the barren frontier with only soldiers and their wives for company."

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The direction of his speech made Cornelia feel nauseous. Despite the past events, she raised her eyes again. "Tell me you are not seriously considering how to steal another man's wife while he's fighting at the frontier."

César, who had been silently checking the portrait all this time, winced.

"Why use something so vulgar as 'stealing'? Rather isn't it saving from an unhappy marriage? And what's wrong with an annulment if the wife agrees?"

"Since when have you been fascinated by the idea of marriage? You never wanted it before. Not so long ago, the prince was down in the dumps, taking it out on everyone for being left by his lover. The sudden acceptance of the marriage arranged by the king took Cornelia by surprise. It would be understandable if he had caused a scene or at least complied with gritted teeth, but César was looking at the picture with clear interest.

Without turning around to see the king's reaction, her brother shrugged. "She is beautiful. I will need a wife anyway. Pissing off this crude margrave in the process will serve as icing on the cake."

"It's margrave Wenzel's duty to protect the wall border," finally the king interrupted them. "Lady Olive's family also agreed to this. César will gain new supporters who control the pharmaceutical industry. And I arranged margrave's marriage in the first place. I have the right to call it off."

"Isn't it all the more reason for things to stay the way they are?" Cornelia tried one last time to dissuade her father, even though she knew it was futile. What about public image? Surely, by such an act César could lose supporters too."

"There is no need to worry about it."

The king's confidence was unshakeable. His daughter had given up, returning all her attention to black tea. After all, her protest had no support or persuasive arguments. One of Carlos's closest allies, Earl Rivera, controlled most of the papers in the kingdom. They would gladly write their version of events, and the margrave living on the outskirts of the country, separated from most nobles and with no influence on journalists, wouldn't have a chance. Cornelia tried to remember what she knew about Lord Nolden. He had rarely visited the capital in the past, and even his own wedding had been small and simple, with only relatives invited. The princess struggled to remember the last time she saw him. Was it four years ago at César's coming-of-age banquet? 'Yes, probably that was the only time.' She remembered the margrave as a taciturn man who smoked a lot but avoided alcohol. Even at that event, he didn't stay long.

While Cornelia was deep in thought, the conversation continued. The parents discussed details; the queen was not thrilled about the late announcement. 'Late?' the princess wondered absently as she listened to the talk. She raised her head and asked about the date. She had expected the ceremony to take place next year, but the king's response was a shock. "We have already begun preparations. The ceremony will take place on November 21."

"Just two months? But..." The surprise turned to suspicion. The two dates would overlap. In the end, it concerned her too - "Wait. Do you plan to hold one banquet for two occasions?"

Tiny hope was instantly crushed by the king's reply. "That would be too wasteful and put the royal family in a difficult position. We can't let the general public criticize us for the treasury's embezzlement. You are an adult, Cornelia."

"Well, yes, but shouldn't my coming of age..."

"Cornelia, stop acting like an egoist," the queen, who was mostly focused on her grog interjected. Her strict tone made the girl clench her fists. "The crown prince's wedding is an event of immense importance to our nation."

The princess looked at her brother. Cesar was holding a picture of his future wife in one hand and terminating the sweets in front of him with the other. The prince was not interested in his sister's struggle. "There was no mention of embezzlement at his coming-of-age banquet. It's not like I needed a grand one, but none?" Cornelia put the cup down on the coffee table. Rage boiling within her had no outlet, but she didn't want to break tableware, causing servants a lot of trouble cleaning. Arguing without any support was useless.

The only way out of this mess was through the letter she had received that morning. Cornelia was unsure whether she should even mention it to the king, but she took it anyway, just in case. And it turned out to be a wise decision.

"Fine, I will do as you wish, father, mother. But in return, I hope you will grant me permission, as a humble birthday gift. She took out the letter and placed it on the coffee table. The wax seal was stamped with the grand duke's crest of Fuego del Tierra."