“I want Otto and Felix to advance.”

Fleur was taken aback by the sudden development in the marriage interview process.

“Do you have a specific reason for choosing them, if you don’t mind my asking?”

I did have a reason. Their mothers were named on the postmaster’s note as two of the people who issued missives to the office in the past week. I couldn’t tell him about that, so I came up with a vague justification that scared him away from asking any more questions.

“I enjoyed our discussions the most. Not to insist that they are both perfect, nobody is, but I feel that they are the best options available to me. Perhaps it’s easiest to call it a hunch. Ultimately how I feel about them is the most important factor, given the disbalance in our respective positions.”

Fleur nodded, “Very well. Although I struggle to imagine what more there is to see from them.”

“I would like to meet my potential mother-in-law before making my final choice.”

Fleur wanted so badly to question why I needed to meet them – but he was already pushing his luck by asking me to explain my choices. That same power imbalance meant that I was not going to be dealing with them once the deal was sealed and their sons left the palace to become a member of my family.

In the greater pantheon of strange and esoteric noble behaviour however, the request was no so odd as to be refused at first blush. Fleur had probably dealt with even worse requests than this before; far, far worse. Being a high-level servant meant seeing a lot from your host family, especially if you were assigned to look after an elderly member who needed constant care.

“I will relay your wishes to the good ladies and see to it that the meetings are arranged post-haste. Would you like to deliver the news to the others?”

“I may as well.”

We headed back into the reception room where they were waiting like a pack of overeager puppies. They had no idea that I was about to pull the rug from under four of them. I stood at the head of the circle and put my hands together apologetically.

“I’ve come to a decision about who will be proceeding from here. I hope that there are no hard feelings, regardless of what choice I make.”

The tension in the room was immediately ratcheted to the maximum. They leaned forward in their chairs and silently prayed to the Goddess that they would not be eliminated from the competition. The harsh reality was that four of them never had a chance in the first place. They wouldn’t be happier knowing that the entire process was a sham either.

“Conrad, Louis, Anton, Ludwig. I’m afraid that I must deliver the news you may not wish to hear. Felix and Otto will precede to the last stage.”

Each name was an audible gunshot that struck them down into their seats, grimaces, frowns and quivering upper lips in matching array. They would ruminate on what went wrong and perhaps harbour harsh attitudes towards the two finalists, but that was not my problem to solve.

The four evictees were asked to stand by Fleur and bow out of respect.

“Thank you for your consideration, Lady Maria,” Louis muttered.

“Ah! I knew I was screwed!” Conrad groaned.

“Thank you,” Anton said simply.

Ludwig was last, “Otto won over me?”

Not so gracious in defeat as the other boys – but to be frank he was correct in his assessment about how rotten this process was. There was no universe in which a sore winner like Otto would win given everything I’d seen from him. He was a boorish loudmouth with too many personality deficiencies to name.

Fleur escorted the losers out of the room so that he could have a brief man-to-man chat about not getting discouraged. Felix was practically bouncing up and down in his seat as all of his wildest fantasies about our destined romance creeped every closer to becoming reality. Otto’s reaction was more smug satisfaction over eliminating more of his competition. To him the real prize was getting one over on the others, and not marrying me.

“Lady Maria, I knew that I was right!” Felix crooned, “You and I were simply meant to be! Why not discard with these silly games and declare me the victor – as we all understand is the inevitable course.”

Otto scowled, “You always count your eggs before they hatch. The fact that she didn’t chose you alone means that she still wants to see more from us. You’re still capable of losing, so this overconfidence of yours is entirely unbecoming.”

“Hmph. I fail to see how you stand any chance at this point. You have a voice like a bag of the finest gravel and a face like a slapped bottom!” Felix taunted.

Otto laughed it off, “And there you go again, slinging insults without seeming to notice that Lady Maria is here in the room with us. I hope she’s paying close attention – because this type of petulant behaviour is your most defining trait.”

Felix was furious. He got to his feet and pointed an accusatory digit in his direction.

“Maria and I have a connection! Our nighttime meeting was an accident, but it’s those types of incidents wherein you see the true measure of a man.”

“Would you two stop this meaningless squabble?” I asked, “You both have a chance to earn my affection. I would advise that you take that seriously and refrain from making assertive declarations about your upcoming victory.”

The two hot-headed boys snapped back to attention like they were being barked at by a drill sergeant. The sudden switch from petulant teenagers to well-behave nobles demonstrated finely just how worthless initial impressions could be. Everyone in this class of Walserian society were wearing masks. It was all a well-prepared piece of collectivized theatre.

“There is one important factor to consider before I make my final choice. As the arrangement involves both of our families, I would like to introduce myself to your mothers before the end.”

Otto was not overly excited about the prospect; “There is little need to meet her and gain her approval. She would be willing to approve any marriage at this point.”

That was a gross exaggeration to say the least. Even if they were the lower-rung members of the royal family, their pride was still as big as the people on the upper steps. Why marry off their sons and daughters if they got nothing out of the deal? In my case I was an extremely wealthy heiress in one of the most prolific families around.

Felix was more on point than Otto, “It’s not merely their approval. If Maria chooses one of us, then she will become her mother-in-law. As much as we may with to retain our independence, she will remain a consistent fixture in our day-to-day lives beyond this.”

“It hardly seems fair to decide between us based on the way our mothers behave. I cannot control what she elects to do.”

Otto’s rhetoric was leading Felix into a metaphorical brick wall. Felix liked to imagine that we were fated lovers, and that there was some kind of true romance hidden beneath the surface of an otherwise normal interview process. Even he had to acknowledge that his family had an outsized effect on the final decision of any prospective partner.

They were a pack of meddlers. We all knew it. Felix wanted so badly to be the ‘correct’ one in this discussion, but doing so would undercut his bullshit about a destined romance and that chance meeting in the upper floor’s hallway when I was looking for the smuggled packages.

The worst-case scenario was the extended family moving into our manor instead of remaining at the palace. That was a good enough reason to vet their parents at the very least before making a choice. I’d be chaining myself to dealing with them for decades to come with no say in the matter.

“A-Anyway, we should strive to create a harmonious relationship between Maria and our close family. If Maria requests a discussion – then I am duty bound to deliver!”

Otto wasn’t going to back down after coming so far.

“As will I. Please allow me some time to arrange a time and place.”

“I’ve already informed Fleur – so hopefully he will have gotten a head start,” I revealed.

Both boys looked hesitant about this plan. They didn’t have a choice though.

----------------------------------------

It took a few hours for Felix to wrangle his mother into a meeting with me, and only under the provision that it would be a brief introduction and expression of intent. There would be no time for socializing or asking questions.

We stood outside the door to one of the rooms assigned to her side of the family. Felix was already starting to look nervous about the meeting. Meanwhile I felt no tension at all. I was only here to give the false impression that he was in with a shot and get my measure of the women behind the curtain.

“Please remember your manners at all times. I know that you are exceptional on that front, but mother takes it all very seriously.”

“Yes, yes – there’s no need to worry.”

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

The doors swung open and he loudly gulped in response. Was his mother really so much of a battle-axe that it deserved this type of overreaction? I was about to find out first-hand. We walked through and towards the seating area where Mila was waiting for us. The servant who opened the door stepped outside and closed it behind them to secure our privacy.

Mila Van Walser was very image of a shrewish noblewoman. Her face was square, with a brow that seemed perpetually twisted into a stern frown no matter her mood. It was almost impossible for me to gauge how she was feeling when I first laid eyes on her, and it wasn’t about to get any easier.

I curtsied, “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me, Lady Mila.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Lady Maria. It is an honour to meet a girl who has curried such a fearsome reputation.”

“If I may, fearsome is not the impression I intend to deliver.”

“We are not always in control of how others see us,” she replied sharply, “In my eyes – a fearsome reputation for your good breeding, intelligence and excellent manners are things to wear proudly. Only a very special person can accrue a repute like that.”

She must have heard rumours about me through the old noble grapevine. Gossiping about the available singles was the one universal topic of discussion at all parties and balls. Noble women in the royal family were still firmly entrenched in the concept that they existed to do little more than look pretty and pump out babies for their rich husbands.

Not that all of them enjoyed it – but speaking about a desire for more was ill-advised.

Oddly there were many female leaders, family heads and business owners in the noble class. Male succession was not a given in Walser. Patriarchal approaches were reserved almost exclusively for the Van Walser family and their offshoots. In one sense they believed that they did hold huge amounts of sway through matchmaking and child-rearing.

That may have been the case a few decades ago; but massive amount of money and influence were flowing into the hands of a new class of robber baron. There was a rapid and brutal realignment to the power of capital, a power that did not rely on birth right to project itself to every corner of the continent.

She stared at me, “I must say, stories about your beauty are simply a disservice compared to seeing you in the flesh. It is no wonder that all of the boys are infatuated with you.”

“I can only hope that I age gracefully, as my mother did.”

I meant it. Looking like a doll sitting mournfully in the front window of a high-street toy shop was going to drive me insane sooner or later. Veronica had grown out of it, so I hoped her genetic predication would pass on to me and liberate me from the infuriating parade of objectifying comparisons I endured every single day.

“I believe that Felix is the best choice available to you. I will not tar and feather Matilda without reason, she and I are close friends. I implore you to approach this matter objectively, with an eye towards what benefits you will gain from marrying into our branch of the tree.”

“Such as?”

Mila’s mouth thinned, “Forgive me for saying this – but recent events mean that our branch is closer to the throne than ever before.”

Felix groaned, “Mother...”

She glanced at him and sighed, “It will do us no good to ignore the issue here. Thersyn has my respect and my confidence, but I’m afraid that those two things are not what determines who is in control of the family. Ekkehard is the King - and he has control over the levers of power. It’s only a matter of time before this uneasy peace comes to an end.”

It didn’t feel good to admit to that, but she was correct in her observation. Thersyn had little authority to wield in the current situation. His continued safety was only guaranteed by Welt’s hesitation to kill him in light of his popularity with the monarchists whom he wished to curry support from.

Sloan was clearly not in a similar state of mind. He wanted him dead to lock Ekkehard into place by removing the ‘best’ option in the world of public opinion. Thersyn refusing to consent to being their puppet was an unwanted development that changed their plans drastically.

“The point is, against Otto and Matilda we are much better positioned to benefit should Ekkehard become the head of house. We are more closely related to him than they are, and are thus higher in the order of royal succession.”

This was all a meaningless exercise in making herself feel better. Even with that change to the line of inheritance, she would still be a long, long way away from enshrining any of her direct descendants onto the throne. It would require a genuinely cataclysmic family tragedy to demand that of her children.

In past years that may well have been a threat. A lack of understanding about childbirth, genetics and the human body posed an eminent risk to the mothers and ensured that an infertile monarch left no direct descendants to take their place. Medical science had advanced well beyond that now – and the size and scale of the Van Walser family was much greater than in the preceding centuries.

All in all, I was not impressed with her. She was one of those dime-a-dozen nobles who wanted to climb the ranks but didn’t have the smarts or grit to do it the proper way. Nothing much defined her as a personality beyond her peerless ability to frown. If she wasn’t careful she would wrinkle very quickly in her older years.

Just as I was about to move on to the next topic, that same damn smell wafted through a crack in the door and touched my already punished nostrils. I almost gagged on reflex before pinching my nose and keeping the foul odour away as best I could.

“What in the Goddess’ name is that horrible smell?” I said, playing up my reaction as best I could.

It was brief but I noticed it. Mila tensed up and glanced at her own body, as if to check if the smell was not originating from her. I could imagine what she was thinking in that moment. ‘Did I screw up and spill it on myself?’ Those were the eyes of a woman who had experienced a skipped beat in her chest.

The smell was actually coming through the door behind me. The servant from before pushed it open, holding a napkin to his nose in an attempt to ward it away.

“Ma’am, might I suggest we move to another chamber? This intolerable aroma is not the ideal atmosphere for an important meeting.”

She leapt on the opportunity to distract me, “Ah. Yes! Let’s move right away!”

There was no smell when we entered the room. Someone must have deployed one of the vials after we left the corridor. I gritted my teeth and cursed my luck. I couldn’t break away from the meeting and go chasing down the culprit without arousing too much suspicion.

Regardless, it seemed that Mila was hiding something from me. Her reaction to my comment about the stink was telling. I had to pry the truth out of her subtly and efficiently. We were whisked away from the splash zone and into another, more isolated room that wasn’t being infested with the stink bombs.

“Mother, may I go to the washroom for a moment. I feel rather unwell after that...”

“Of course.”

Felix bowed and quickly marched to the nearest wash closet to try and keep himself from vomiting, and maybe find a drink to wash it down as well. We moved through the door and into the second room – which possessed a lovely view of the back gardens through tall, arched windows.

“Honestly, what is that smell? I hope a sewerage pipe didn’t burst.”

Mila tried to keep her cool; “The pipes in the palace have been installed relatively recently. I hope they have not been damaged for whatever reason, the damage they could cause to the building is rather significant.”

I remained silent after that. Mila shuffled in her chair and cleared her throat. She was thinking a lot of different things, but the prevailing thought was that Felix sure was taking a long time to get back from the bathroom.

“I take it that the guards spoke with you...”

“What?”

“About that incident? My servant found an intruder unconscious in one of the ground floor lounges. He told me that he’d knocked himself out using a shattered vase somehow.”

“I hardly see what that has to do with me,” she blustered.

“I’m merely curious about the security arrangements at the palace. We live in very dangerous times. I would hate for anyone to get hurt because of this squabble over the Compromise.”

“I’m not at liberty to share,” she snapped coldly, “I know that you have a stellar reputation – but to even offer a modicum of information about those preparations would land me in some hot water.”

As I considered my next approach to the problem, another loud screech filled the air, rattling the windows and distracting us from our conversation. My eyes snapped to the outside. At first there was nothing to see, but a moment afterwards the entire room shook as something landed on top of the roof.

“W-What is that?” Mila cried.

I approached the window and looked outwards. There were gardeners and soldiers pointing towards the palace from further down the way. I saw nothing of note when I followed their gaze thanks to the intricate stonework that surrounded every pore and porthole of the building.

But I needn’t have attempted to see the source of the noise myself. I staggered back as a large feathered blob swung down from above and parked itself in front of the glass pane. It twisted from left to right – revealing a long yellow beak and piercing slit eyes. A pair of wings flapped lazily in the breeze, with powerful talons digging into the stone to hold its heavy body in place.

It spotted me.

Time stopped for an agonizing moment, my mind scrambling for an answer to the impossible situation I’d been put in by Durandia and the conspirators. There was a Walserian half-hawk dangling from the roof of the palace, and it was very much in a bad mood. The glowing orbs focused on me, and I was the sole target of the griffon’s fury.

I scrambled back as one clawed hand crashed through the window in an attempt to slash me into ribbons. The hawk readjusted and twisted back down so it could shove its head through the gap to try and eat us instead. Mila was already rushing to unlock the door before I reached her.

“You moron! Did you smuggle half-hawk pheromones into the palace grounds?”

“Why are you accusing me?”

I pushed her aside and unlocked the door properly, before grabbing her by the back of her dress and tugging her through with me.

“That was that the damnable smell we just encountered! And you looked as guilty as a child caught in the pantry with chocolate around their mouth!”

“I did no such thing!”

She tried to wrestle free from my hold – but soon discovered that I was much too strong to beat in a physical confrontation. I pulled her to a private nook away from the room and kept her held against the wall. The screeching was getting louder, and there was more than one half-hawk in the area. Each one threatened to shatter the windows that surrounded us. They vibrated ominously with each proclamation.

“The postmaster put your name down as one of the suspects. This is a cute little diversion so that your hitman can kill Thersyn, is it not?”

They were crawling all over the place! Those powerful talons cut through the stonework like a knife through butter. I kept a close eye on what was going on around us in case one of them found a way inside. This was the type of chaos that they needed to break into the secured section of the palace.

“S-Such unfounded accusations! Do you forget your place?”

“You are going to get us all killed - although I suppose they didn’t tell you about what that stuff really was before they made you smuggle it into here. You were the perfect mule. Too stupid to ask questions and too greedy to tell them to bugger off!”

I wasn’t going to get a confession out of her without some force. She tried to struggle free again while I wrapped my arm around her neck and started to guide her back towards the room where the hawk was waiting.

“Unhand me this instant! What are you doing?”

“Giving the half-hawk a meal, since you don’t feel it essential to be honest about what’s going on here.”

Mila desperately pushed her arms and legs against the edge of the doorway to keep us from moving any deeper. She knew that she’d be turned into bird food if she so much as stepped back inside of there.

“I-I don’t know who else is responsible for this!” she pleaded, “They said that Ekkehard would do anything for us if we did as they planned!”

“Who told you?”

“The head chef!”

The chef? What the hell was going on around here?

I released her.

“The chef? The one who I heard complaining about his menu being modified earlier?”

That was a pretty drastic escalation from complaining to Fleur about it, but people killed notable figures for less...

“I... I don’t know everything. He started working here a year ago.”

A year ago. That was in the middle of Welt putting all his piece into place for the grand plan. He must have had people on the inside of the palace ready for every eventuality. If he couldn’t use his position to poison Thersyn because of their security methods, then he would instead be a convenient point of contact to arrange a new plan.

I’d need to deal with that later. If the ‘distraction’ was this flock of half-hawks tearing the palace to shreds because of the musk some lackey was dousing the building with, then they real gears were turning elsewhere. It would be a direct assault on the secure areas of the palace’s inner sanctum.

I left Mila to cower in the corner and set off to put a stop to it.