“...your fiancé?” Brigette unknowingly finished Ami’s thought. 

Ami was too shocked to answer. Her sisters’ heads swiveled from Ami’s face to the approaching man, mouths agape. Ami didn’t have much time to react as the two men came within a few paces of the Rhineton sisters.

The sound of their father clearing his throat brought the young ladies to their senses. Giselle tactfully curtsied and bid her younger sisters to leave with her. Brigette, reluctant to miss the enfolding drama, pouted as she stomped away. Celeste never managed to close her mouth nor stop staring at the man accompanying their father. 

Now face to face, Ami felt a chill at the man’s appearance. Tall and thin, appearing rather weather-beaten, his unblemished military uniform looked out of place on him. His face was finely lined, and haggard, a shock as Ami guessed him to be no more than thirty. His cold eyes reminded Ami of a wounded predator ready to pounce. That suspicion was directed towards her.

Too slowly, her father introduced him. “Amoret, this is Lieutenant Merrin, the right hand man of Captain Everick. He is here on behalf of your fiancé.” 

So it isn’t him. Ami relaxed. She wasn’t expecting her fiancé to give attention to her debut. So why did he send his subordinate? If he wasn’t here personally, perhaps it meant he wasn’t free to move as he pleased. 

Lieutenant Merrin bowed stiffly and spoke with a Belland accent. “I bring my captain’s congratulations to Lady Amoret on her coming of age celebration.”

 I doubt that very much. Ami assumed Captain Everick was no more eager to marry her than she him, especially judging by the sour look on his subordinate’s face. But he gave no explanation as to why her fiance didn’t come personally.

Suddenly Ami felt nervous. This man would give his own impression of Ami to her future husband. She would do well not to offend a trusted advisor of her fiancé.

Ami politely greeted him with a curtsy, “Thank you, Lieutenant Merrin. I hope your travels brought you here safely.” Ami didn’t want to reveal that she had no idea where her fiancé was or what he might be doing. Did Merrin journey far to get here? DId he come from confinement? By the state of his gaunt cheeks and haunted eyes, it wasn’t hard to guess he might have come from a prison camp. Even the military uniform looked new and ill fitting. 

Merrin nodded curtly but made no move to continue the conversation. Ami groaned inside. Did she really have to play the part of a hostess at the party she was reluctant to have?

“Please thank your captain for thinking of me and sending someone on such short notice. I hope your return to him finds him well,” she said graciously. 

The soldier’s mouth twitched. Oho! The captain did not have any such intentions to send his greetings, then. Ami wasn’t surprised. 

Her father seemed satisfied with the exchange and brought the stale conversation to an end. “That’s enough, then, Amoret. I have things to discuss with Lieutenant Merrin.” Her father grabbed Merrin’s shoulder to steer him away. Merrin flinched. 

So that’s why he’s really here. Father needed to discuss the upcoming military campaign. That made more sense than Captain Everick personally sending his subordinate with well wishes. 

Ami bowed her head, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Merrin.” And with that, they left.

The party gradually ended after that. Nothing else of note happened, besides her stepmother ignoring her. Well, this was hardly my celebration, after all. More like an excuse for Father’s military colleagues to gather and prepare for the campaign. 

Ami didn’t see Lieutenant Merrin agan that day. She considered what she’d learned about her fiancé. It didn’t look like his subordinate was treated well in captivity. Maybe that’s why the captain agreed to fight under the Empire. She imagined the proud man watching his men starve and be beaten until he finally caved in to his enemy’s demands.

Her father must be eager to acquire Everick’s military talent to not only make him his son in-law, but to even invite a former enemy soldier into his home. Ami wondered if Everick was still being confined, truly was busy preparing his troops, or if he had flat-out refused to come meet her father. Or her.

A maid led Ami to her new bed chambers located in the same wing where the main family members slept. I guess only bastards sleep in lonely towers. Ami observed the finery of her room with disinterest. Several times larger than her old room, with furnishings to satisfy any young lady. A wardrobe that would look ridiculously empty with her meager belongings. A vanity and mirror much too ornate for her tastes. Rigid chairs that were too fine to be inviting. And a bed so large and high she would have to practically crawl out of. 

Ami awkwardly sent the maid away. She was used to dressing herself and preparing her own bath. Of course, heated water straight from the taps was a new luxury for her. No need to boil water over a fire and wait for it to cool enough to wash in.

Later, she rested her head on the silk pillow in the softest bed she’d ever laid in her life. She didn’t even consider trying to run this time. But sleep didn’t come to Ami until deep, deep in the night.

.......

Ami woke to knocking on her door. Puzzled until she saw a crack of blinding light from the window, she realized she slept in later than was her habit. 

“Miss, we will prepare you for breakfast,” the voice on the other side said. Before Ami could protest, two maids entered. Both likely around her age, of similar builds, light haired and blue eyed, the only distinguishing trait was the sprinkle of freckles across one’s nose.

“Breakfast will be served soon in the dining hall,” the freckled one said to her. Ami was not pleased. Was it normal for the staff to barge into a room without permission? 

The other maid went to the wardrobe as Ami asked, “Am I expected at breakfast?” The first maid hid her frown quickly. “Of course, Miss. All family members eat together for meals when they are able.” Ami held back a laugh. Right.

The other maid was quietly flipping through the few dresses hanging in the wardrobe. “Miss...what would you like to wear today?” She was having a hard time holding back her shock at the style of dresses Ami owned. 

Of course, they were in fashion decades ago, Ami thought as she finally pulled herself out of bed. Their uniforms were in better style than her gowns.

“It doesn’t matter. No...I’ll wear the brown frock.” Ami referred to the fraying dress with one too many stains. She decided to visit her garden later in the morning, so she chose a dress she didn’t mind getting dirty.

The maid grimaced. “This..?” 

Annoyed, Ami walked over and took the dress from her. “Yes, and I don’t need help dressing, so you may leave.” The maids' polite bows didn’t mask their contempt.

Ami groaned. This is going to take some getting used to.

Not long after, Ami entered the dining room. In fact, this would be the first time eating with her family like this. She might have lost her way if the maids hadn’t escorted her. 

Upon entering, she quickly saw she was the last to arrive as everyone had begun eating from the feast on the long table they all sat at. Apparently she had slept later than she thought. All the ladies looked up at her in surprise. 

“Sister?” Brigette was incredulous right away. Ami walked to the only empty seat next to her as a servant set a plate in front of her. Celeste’s eyes big as moons stared at her like she was a mythical creature. 

As per usual, after a mere glance her stepmother ignored her. Her father looked up from the paper he was reading. “Ah, you’re here, Amoret.” He did a double take. “What are you wearing?” He scowled at the stained dress. Brigette gave an unladylike snort. Giselle, who hadn’t acknowledged her yet either, held a napkin primly to her lips, likely hiding a smile.

“A dress,” she retorted with impertinence. He wrinkled his nose and sniffed. “I’m going out to the garden later,” Ami continued, unperturbed. She grabbed a flaky croissant from a tray of pastries on the table. 

“No, you’re not.” Her father answered firmly. Ami frowned but didn’t argue. He won’t make any effort to stop me like he never has. I’ll still go out.  She scooped some jam onto the roll. 

Fruits, meats, and pastries topped the table. Even a simple breakfast overflowed with decadence in the main manor. Ami thought of her breakfast just yesterday. Bread she’d made from scratch and some leftover soup. Did she not have to think about making her own meals ever again? She bit into the rich pastry with relish. I guess eating here isn’t all that bad.

Her family picked at their food silently. Ami wondered if it was always this quiet or if everyone lost their appetite and words since she arrived. Knowing her talkative sisters, she guessed the latter. A wistful part of her wondered what it was normally like around the table. Did her sisters laugh brightly? Did her stepmother smile with warmth while her father comfortably listened to his family chatter? 

Lord Rhineton handed his papers to his secretary Martins who appeared out of nowhere at his side. “Amoret, come to my office later to sign some documents.” He rose and as an afterthought addressed Martins. “And arrange for appropriate dresses for her.” At that, he nodded to his family and strode out of the dining hall. 

The door had barely closed behind him when her stepmother rose abruptly and left without a backward glance. The youngest sisters watched her leave in surprise. Then, Giselle elegantly stood. “Sisters,” she murmured farewell, and left after her mother. Brigette nearly knocked back her chair in her haste to catch up. “Wait, Giselle!” Celeste had the decency to look a little torn, but soon said, “Goodbye, Sister Amoret,” and hurried after her older sisters. 

The servants around her bustled to clear the food and plates. Instead of feeling rejected, Amoret decided to enjoy the empty table. She sipped some refreshing tea, and addressed the servant cleaning up a tray of sausages, “Oh, you can just leave that there.” She stuck a fork in a plump sausage and happily chewed away.

...........

After eating far too much than she was used to, Amoret wandered the halls with no destination in mind. The main living area of the manor was opulently decorated. A stark contrast to the old tower in one of the distant wings of the manor, her old home. As footmen and maids bustled with morning chores, Ami thought she preferred the quiet of that old tower. She attracted various looks from the help, from bewilderment to disgust at her appearance. 

At least it’s easy to see who to avoid, Ami sighed as yet another maid gasped at the sight of her.

Better to get out of the sight of gossiping servants. Time to find a place where she wouldn’t run into any of her family members, too. 

She stopped a passing footman. “Excuse me, is there a library I can use?” 

The startled footman gestured to a door down the hall. “You can use that room, Miss.” She thanked him before he slunk over to his whispering companions. 

The room she entered had the clean smell of books she was used to. This library was well maintained, unlike the forgotten books stored away in the tower. Ami grinned. Promising. If she had to be stuck in the main mansion, she could at least learn from the latest texts. She perused the shelves, looking for anything related to medicine or gardening, when she came upon a recently published military almanac. It likely had information about last year’s battles in Belland.

She considered ignoring it. No reason to look into a man who has no interest in me. I’ll just find out what he’s like on our wedding day. Why ruin the surprise?

Various scenarios of their first meeting that didn’t end well for her ran through her mind. On second thought, better to be prepared for battle. She flipped through the pages til she found something of interest. 

Infantry troops led by Captain Bridgman clash with Belland rebels, led by Tom Everick. Empire’s loss.

Colonel Tibolt’s supply line through the Menchen Pass ambushed by a guerilla squad led by Everick, cutting off supplies to 10,000 troops at main Belland base. 

Military outpost with 5,000 soldiers and officers taken captive by Everick’s 500 men.

This went on for several paragraphs spanning months as Tom Everick countered every attempt by the Empire to gain footing in Belland. It all came to an end, though.

Commander General Rhineton’s 30,000 troops battle Everick’s men for three days. Rhineton captures 1000 Belland citizens and rebel soldier family members. Three day siege ends in Everick’s surrender.

Ami couldn’t believe what she was reading. How underhanded of Father! To think he’d use innocent civilians against his enemy. She didn’t know that her father was the one who brought her fiancé’s rebellion to an end. Rhineton must have been impressed by the man who held out against him for so long. That explained why he wanted Everick to fight as an ally this time.

Ugh. Ami groaned and plopped into an armchair. No wonder Everick’s subordinate glared at her and her father. She was the daughter of the man who took their home and families from them! Is Father trying to off me?? Now her worries went beyond an awkward wedding night-she might not survive it!!