-Alfonse-
“Alfonse, my darling!” As expected, my mother was delighted to see me, her voice ringing through the hall as she beckoned me close. I was, in some ways, surprised she had noticed my absence enough to welcome me back so warmly. As the middle child of seven, I was accustomed to going overlooked. Nevertheless, she drew me into an embrace where she sat and kissed both my cheeks. “Sit beside me, my sweet, and tell me where you’ve been.”
“I visited Belfort, Mother.” I took a seat at her left side, between her and my younger sister, Nicolette, who also greeted me with a slight smile. “Did I not tell you so before I left?”
“You said little at all before you left, in fact,” my older brother, Dominie, pointed out, eyeing me warily. He had more of our father’s look than I could boast, down to his frown and his very imposing glare. “Even Dame Magdalene couldn’t tell us where you’d gone. But I suppose by this point, we should hardly expect to be kept abreast of your dealings.”
“Our dealings, dear brother,” I answered with a pleasant smile. “I was there on behalf of our family, after all. You’ll be pleased to know, Mother, that Uncle Similien’s transition to power has progressed smoothly. The people trusted him as a marquess and are pleased to have him as their duke.” I knew this based on information gathered by my Raptors, but it was true nevertheless. No sense in giving myself unnecessary falsehoods to keep track of.
“How kind of you to see to him, my love,” she answered, not willing to question me in the slightest. Rife though our kingdom might be with secrecy, she would never have suspected her own children of deceiving her.
“Tell me of Belfort, Brother,” Nicolette whispered, waving a hand lightly for my attention, gazing up at me with wide eyes that gleamed like polished jet. “Are the lambs about yet? I’ve missed them.”
“More still than on our last visit,” I replied, matching her volume to keep the conversation between the two of us. “Long-tailed little ones in every field. I gave them your love, of course.” She grinned back at me, dark eyes disappearing into a squint of delight as she pressed her knuckles to her mouth.
“Ah, so you have chosen to join us,” Dominie called across the dining hall, and I turned over my shoulder to find my older sister, Caterine, gliding into the room with her head held high as always. “It’s because you heard Alfonse had returned, isn’t it? Why else bother attending breakfast for the first time in days?”
“Concern yourself less with my attendance and more with your own unfastened cuffs,” she answered blithely, tossing a black curl back over her shoulder as she seated herself at the table. Dominie visibly flushed and buttoned his cuffs, carefully straightening them both. Our appearances were a matter of pride, from the highest noble to the lowest commoner, so it was only right that he be duly embarrassed. That being said, Caterine was the only one of us who would have so brazenly pointed out his untidiness.
As the kitchen staff swept in to serve our meal—spicy wheat noodles, thin scallion pancakes, and sweet steamed buns—I tried to keep the conversation neutral, asking, “Where is Gilbert? Could the country’s governing not wait until after breakfast?”
“It certainly can’t, to hear him say it,” Mother sighed, picking delicately at her plate. “Why, I think he would spend his every waking moment studying at your father’s side if he could.”
“The title of king is not something one can set aside when it suits him,” Dominie said quietly. No one bothered disrupting him, no matter how irritating his condescension was. Caterine blew on a bite of pancake caught in her kuàizi, while Nicolette silently nibbled a custard bun. “Even a future king. Though I don’t suppose you’d know anything of that, Alfonse.” It took all my willpower to resist rolling my eyes at him. If only you knew.
“I’m more concerned with where we might find the twins,” Caterine said mildly. “For them to skip a meal, they must be getting into some very interesting mischief.”
“Let the boys have their fun,” Mother told her, obviously unconcerned. “It’s harmless, I’m sure.”
The meal progressed in usual fashion, with my brother and sister sniping at each other—and occasionally me, until I set them both straight, then Mother very regretfully leaving us for the vast amounts of obligatory socializing required of her. Eventually, Dominie slunk off to whatever advisory duties awaited him, and Caterine flounced away to pursue whatever held her interest for the moment.
When I tried to leave for my office, predictably, Nicolette followed along behind me. Stopping just outside the dining hall, I turned to her with an apologetic smile. “I have business to see to with Dame Magdalene,” I told her. “But I’ll spend the evening with you, all right?” I started away again, and she continued to follow. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I tried to explain, “I have to go, mouse. My trip cost me valuable time, so I need to see Magdalene to make it up. Later, I promise you.”
“But you’ve been away for so long,” she reminded me, quiet as ever despite her insistence, fidgeting hands lost in the wide sleeves of her gown. The sadness in her eyes wrenched at my heart even as I tried to combat it. “Don’t you want to know about Lydia’s confrontation with the minister?” I needed a moment to realize she was talking about the main character of the book we’d been reading together recently. “I’ve waited all this time to read it with you.”
“I’m sorry. But I don’t intend to leave again any time soon, so we’ll find out what happens to Lydia tonight,” I told her, remaining firm despite my reluctance to dismiss her. She received far too much of that from every other member of our family. “In the meantime, why not find Roselyn and ask her to read something else with you? I’m sure she would be happy to.”
“I suppose,” my sister agreed with a sad sigh, lowering her eyes toward the ground. “But don’t forget! You’ve promised.” I crossed my heart as she left for her own room, where she spent much of her time, allowing me to hurry through the corridors toward my own destination.
On my way up the winding tower stairs that led to the office from which Magdalene and I had always managed the Garden, I noted a quiet scuffling somewhere against the outer wall and paused in my tracks for a moment. At any other time, I might have been gracious about this, but at this moment, I was already impatient. I continued upward, ignoring the fact that I was being stalked. Even as I was unlocking the door, there was a sound of scratching stone outside the window at my back. Child’s play.
When I opened the door and began to step inside, my assailant pounced—and I easily dodged her attack, seizing her arm to throw her to the ground and planting my boot between her shoulder blades. “Am I wrong, or was this attempt worse than the last?” I mused, glancing at Magdalene, who was seated at her desk and didn’t look up at the commotion.
“It was quite clumsy,” she agreed. The young woman trapped under my foot wriggled and cursed under her breath, eventually managing to roll away. But she knew she was beaten and didn’t bother with a second attack, sitting still on the floor and blowing a loose lock of orange hair away from her eyes.
“I almost had you,” Roselyn said with a pout, crossing her arms.
“Hardly. You’ll need surer footing and more stability if you’re ever to work as a Viper,” I told her. She was an adept Raptor (for the most part), a spy for the Garden, one of few who knew of my connection to it—and my younger sister’s handmaiden. “But now isn’t the time for a lesson in stealth. Nicolette is downstairs alone, yet you’re here wasting your time on fruitless ambush tactics.”
She must have heard the sharp edge to my voice, as she arranged herself into a more respectful posture and bowed her head. “Forgive me, highness. I’d hoped to impress you on your return.”
“You failed,” I answered coolly. “And I haven’t the time to correct your performance at the moment. Back to your duties, and I’ll call for you when I have need of a clumsy fledgling.” Roselyn winced slightly at my words but knew better than to argue, bowing out of the room as gracefully as possible and, I hoped, going back to my sister’s side so that she wouldn’t remain lonely.
“‘A clumsy fledgling’?” Magdalene repeated, finally raising her eyes toward mine. “That’s a bit harsh. You must be very eager to return to work if you’ve gotten so irritable.”
Eager to prove how wrong my brother was, perhaps; his jabs regarding how useless I was to the kingdom normally missed their mark, as I knew otherwise, but when I’d already been chastised for irresponsibility that morning, I was a bit more sensitive to them. “Never mind,” I said, shutting the door behind me to seat myself on the opposite side of her desk, posture straight, hands folded in my lap. “Tell me what I’ve missed.”
Much of what she had to report was more or less expected. Surveillance of the Garden’s opponents went smoothly, tensions in the city were being held in check, and our borders were calm. All was well for the most part, but there was still a great deal of managerial work to be done, and I was happy to do it.
“There is one more thing that may interest you,” my mentor added as I was beginning to sort through the many written reports and schedules piled onto my desk. “Evidently, we’re to be visited by agents of the Empire sometime soon.”
The papers in my hands dropped noisily to the floor, scattering across the thick rugs while I remained frozen in shock. “What?” I managed to force out.
“A prince, I’m told, part of the emperes’ recent ventures into diplomacy,” she explained, eyeing me curiously.
“When did this happen? How is it I’m only just hearing of it?”
Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “Who’s to blame for your being distanced from royal dealings for a week’s time, highness? You would have known, had you been here. Is this a problem? I supposed you would be intrigued. Isn’t elvin society a subject of interest for you?”
I let out what could almost have been mistaken for a laugh, but there was no genuine mirth in the sound. There was no possible way this was a coincidence. Elain had been right: Jaonah and his cousin were on their way to Aurilême to visit my father. Meaning they would likely be staying within the palace itself. Meaning it would be all but impossible for me to avoid seeing him. I typically only employed Oleander far from the capital where I was certain no one would recognize me, and the strategy had always served me well. Until now. Of all the cruel tricks the gods might have played…
“Yes,” I told Magdalene quietly, pinching the bridge of my nose, “it is a problem. There’s something I should tell you of my time in Vallerie.”
Damn you, Oleander!
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