The King coughed softly, as if he was trying to hide his discomfort. Amelie finally took her eyes away from Lionel and, for the first time since they got there, she looked at the others' faces. All of them looked confused and upset, and she could imagine why. They surely wanted to tell her many things ⸻not nice ones, of course⸻ but were unable to in front of Lionel. They probably couldn't believe either that someone wanted to marry her and were itching to tease her about it.

The King took a sip of wine and then said, his blonde mustache moving as he did so: "There's nothing to thank, Good Sir. You know you deserve it all." He threw a side glance at Amelie, and added with a serious voice, "At first, I was worried, but it seems that you were able to communicate with each other fairly well. I assume you're certain about your decision?" He looked at Lionel questioningly and the way he expressed himself made Amelie think he was insinuating something to him. Maybe he had tried to persuade him before not to marry her? If he was such an important warrior, it would make sense if the King wanted to keep him happy and make sure he was always loyal. Offering a good woman as a wife was a good way to do so but instead, Lionel had chosen his bastard daughter. The King was surely not pleased about that and was hoping Lionel would regret it and cancel the wedding after spending some time with her.

However, contrary to the King's expectations, Lionel beamed and nodded respectfully, "That is right, Your Majesty. I am grateful for your concern, but you needn't worry. I have no doubts nor regrets about my decision" he stated firmly. Then, he looked at her, his eyes soft. "We get along very well and are ready to get married, isn't that right?"

Everyone's eyes turned in her direction, and she could only nod shyly as she felt her cheeks growing hotter. It was especially embarrassing because his smile was kind of coquettish. As a result, the royals at the table looked at him as if they were wondering if the long war had driven the poor man crazy.

The Queen cleared her throat and tried to conceal her annoyance as she spoke. "So, Sir Lionel, have you decided the date of the... wedding?"

"Not yet. We want to marry soon, but I want to let Amelie decide the exact date," he replied calmly, drinking some more of his wine.

The Queen smiled falsely, "Oh, that's wonderful!" Then she looked at her, and her smile was no longer nice. "Then, dear, when do you wish to marry?"

Amelie froze when an open question was thrown at her, together with everyone's eyes. The Queen was very childish to ask her something as specific as that knowing she had no way of answering at that moment. Mary and Alice were not there, and there was nothing to write on. She told herself it wasn't her fault, but she still felt upset about humiliating herself in front of everyone for being unable to answer such a simple question.

While she was considering what to do, she heard Lionel's voice, "Amy, let me help you. Judging by our conversation earlier, you wish to marry within this year, correct?"

Amelie let scape a small sigh of relief. She was grateful he was so considerate, so kind. Smiling a bit, she nodded. She felt like she was still a child every time she had to communicate solely through head gestures, but there was no other way right now. At least she would leave soon.

"How many months from now?" He asked then. Amelie didn't even think about it. The sooner, the better.

She lifted two fingers. It was a bit rushed, but they were in spring now, so the weather would be nice by the date of the wedding.

"You want to marry in two months' time?" He asked to confirm. He seemed a bit surprised, not as much as the other, but still, she hoped he wouldn't oppose it. Thankfully, as soon as he wrapped his head around the new information, he smiled, apparently content.

"It's a bit soon, but two months is more than enough to prepare the ceremony. I hope we can count on Their Majesty's approval and support," he said, bowing politely.

The Queen and the King exchanged glances, and then the latter said awkwardly, "Of course. You can count on us for anything you may need"

"Thank you very much, Your Majesties."

Thankfully, just after that, some maids came into the room carrying the first course, breaking the uncomfortable conversation. The starter dish served was a bowl of hot thick cabbage pottage. During dinner, the King tried to keep the topic of conversation unrelated to the wedding, and thus he started talking about politics and the war so that the two Princes could join.

The women, on the other hand, continued having dinner silently ⸻or rather, whispering among themselves so quietly that no one else could hear what they were saying⸻ Amelie didn't care about their gossip and put her full attention on the yummy soup. Thankfully, Mary had taught her everything she needed to know about etiquette so she didn't further embarrass herself in front of everyone.

She had just grabbed a piece of bread when she felt a sharp pain in her left foot. She flinched and squeezed her eyes shut, dragging the chair a bit by accident. Hearing the sound the chair produced, the Queen looked at her severely, reprimanding her for doing something so rude. The King interrupted the conversation to see what was happening, but his wife urged him to go on.

Amelie bit her bottom lip in an attempt to distract herself from the pain in her foot. She looked at her side and found Elise's light brown eyes looking at her with cruel satisfaction. If Amelie weren't in pain, she would have rolled her eyes in annoyance. Wasn't she old enough to stop being a bully?

Careful not to move her chair or produce any sound, Amelie glanced under the table. Elise was stepping on the base of her toes ⸻where her shoes didn't protect the skin⸻ using her short but pointy heels. When Amelie tried to get her foot away, Elise dug it harder. Amelie let out a small gasp, gripping her aquamarine dress.

 What Elise was doing could appear insignificant and small, but it hurt like hell! Even so, she couldn't tell her to stop, she couldn't do anything. She wondered why things always had to be like that, what she had done to be so hated. Even though she was already an adult, everything was the same as always. She was pathetic. She was alone.

She was in pain.

"Amy, are you okay?"