Layle

What a total disaster lunch was yesterday. Surely, most of the men attending Season are not as selfish and demeaning as Lord Bigby?

A cool breeze wafts across me as I walk down the cobblestoned pathway at the Isolated Court, but I hardly notice.

I don’t really pay attention to the seasonal shops as I walk by, either. My thoughts are scattered, like leaves on the wind, as I try to figure out how best to navigate Season.

Lord Bigby had seemed so kind and solicitous when he’d confronted Tiernan outside the bathhouse.

But just a short three hours later, it was as if he was a completely different man. I get that everyone puts on a show here; it’s part of the process for attracting a good match.

But with him, it was the difference between night and day. Maybe I am lucky that Lord Bigby showed who he really is right up front, before I invested too much time on him.

And what is going on with Tiernan? Is what the ladies said, that he’s always watching me, true? A shiver of—I don’t know what—skitters across my skin. Irritation? Excitement?

I’d like to think that shiver was of displeasure, but if I’m being honest with myself, that’s not true. Tiernan is a very handsome man; however, his cocky attitude detracts from that.

I can see he needs that arrogance as a general in the royal military, but does he have to be that way with me, too?

He has proposed to me twice now. The first time was during our first Season, and this second time during my last Season.

With his status, money, and looks, why hasn’t he chosen a wife in all this time? Was he waiting for me to agree?

I shake my head in irritation. Tiernan had no way of knowing Father would put this ultimatum on me. If he needed a wife, he wouldn’t put all of his hopes on the unlikely chance I would someday accept his proposal.

No, it’s probably as he told me earlier, that he cares who is running the kingdom and wants to be a part of that rulership.

Which makes sense. Whoever I choose as my husband will one day be king, and every person in the kingdom will be affected.

The sound of feminine laughter draws my attention. Across the street is a small park where three young women sit on a stone bench.

A slight smile spreads across my face watching their easy interaction. They don’t look like they have the weight of a kingdom on their minds.

A beam of sunlight highlights their happy expressions as they laugh and talk comfortably with each other. That is something I’ve never had.

As a princess, I was always busy with lessons, and when I wasn’t learning, I was seeing to my duties. I never had time for friends. Or fun.

That is one of the reasons I’m here now, though. To socialize and find a husband, with the later being the most important, of course.

I am walking to the park before I realize what I’m doing. The women look up when I approach, but they quickly look away.

“Hi,” I say when I’m standing in front of them.

All three of them look up at me with a mixture of surprise and wariness. Then, as one, they get to their feet and bow their heads. “My Lady,” they mumble.

“Oh please, let’s not stand on formality,” I say and wait for them to look up. It takes a few seconds, but they finally do.

“Call me Layle,” I say, smiling with as much friendliness as I can.

The women look at each other, then at me.

The red head speaks first. She must be the bold one of the group. “I am Gerta. This”—she points at a tall, thin brown-haired woman—“is Janice. And this is Fellin,” she finishes, nodding her head to the smallest woman who has blonde hair and light blue eyes.

“We work at the bakery,” Janice adds, pointing across the street where a quaint little bakery sits between several other buildings.

“My lady—” Fellin begins, but I cut her off.

“Layle.”

Fellin nods, shoots a quick glance at her friends, and continues. “Layle. Were you waiting for us to open the bakery? It is our lunch hour, but we’d be happy to—”

“Nonsense,” I say with a dismissive wave of my hand. “I’m just out for a stroll.”

“It must get awfully tiring during Season,” Gerta says with a sympathetic nod, although there’s a gleam of excitement in her green eyes.

“Would you care to take a turn around the park?” I ask the women, then answer Gerta’s unasked question as they fall into step with me. “Yes, it is certainly exhausting.”

“But exciting, too,” Janice beams. “Just think, all those handsome, eligible men to choose from!”

A frown furrows my brow as I think of Lord Bigby. He is handsome, but he’s also a cad. I’m sure there are a lot of men at court who feel the same, that a wife is just an ornament or a pet to order around.

“It’s not as glamorous as you may think.” I couldn’t keep all the bitterness from my voice, and the women seem to pick up on it.

“But all those balls, My. . . Layle,” Janice says. “The ladies in their beautiful dresses and the men looking so sharp in their duds.”

She takes a moment to sigh dramatically, a hand fluttering over her chest. “The dancing, food, and all the other entertainment.”

“And getting courted by so many men,” Gerda says, her eyes nearly rolling to the back of her head as if she’s about ready to swoon.

We finish walking around the small park and stand in front of the bakery. Gerda opens the shop for the afternoon, and the women walk in with me following right behind.

“I don’t know,” Fellin says as she hangs her cloak on a hook in the back of the bakery. “I imagine there’s a lot of politics going on as well.”

Exactly. Season is romanticized, by both the gentry and the common folks. They all think it’s a big party where you’ll find your true love and live happily ever after.

But that’s just innocence and wishful thinking. On the outside, it may appear that way, but everyone there has an agenda. A goal. To find the perfect match.

It’s also a time to make good connections and befriend the powerful and wealthy. A kingdom can never have too many allies, plus, you never know when you may need a favor from someone you can trust.

“And intrigue,” Gerda exclaims with a wink.

She and Janice hang their cloaks, and the three women go about their chores. Gerda brings out a bowl of flour and begins grinding it with a stone while Janice pushes aside the window coverings to let in the breeze and sunlight from outside.

Meanwhile, Fellin stirs the coals in the brick oven and adds more fuel to bring the fire for baking back to an appropriate temperature.

I quirk an eyebrow at Gerda. “What kind of intrigue do you think is going on during Season?”

She pauses, holding the stone as she looks at me with wide eyes. “All kinds,” she says breathlessly. “Gossip about everyone there, and especially the kingdom.”

“Lorcia?” I ask with a bit of surprise. “Like what?”

Fellin finishes stoking the fire and comes to the table to help Gerda make dough. My gaze drops to Fellin’s hand, where she’s missing the third finger.

I wonder how that happened but quickly avert my gaze. I don’t want to make the girl feel uncomfortable.

Janice comes up to the other side of Gerda and starts pouring small amounts of water into the flour Gerda is kneading.

“Everything,” Janice answers instead of Gerda. “The palace is a mystery to us commoners. We have no idea what they’re doing up there, outside of the hints maids drop, and we should.”

She punctuates her words with a firm nod. “It’s our lives too, but we don’t get to know what kind of decisions are being made, much less have a say in things that affect us.”

“It’s true,” Fellin adds. “We really don’t care which poncy noble is on the throne. We just want someone who isn’t more worried about his coffers than the rest of the kingdom.”

Now this, this is what I want to hear. This is why I joined these women—to hear the truth about how they feel about Father and the way he runs the kingdom.

I love Father, but he’s not infallible. Royals have a tendency to ignore the common people, when they are the backbone of the kingdom.

Without them, who would grow and till the crops so that we have food to eat? Who would spin the fabric for our clothing?

My parents are typical royals who go about their business never really giving a thought to the rest of the people in the kingdom.

I, on the other hand, find it fascinating and informative to talk to the staff, much to Mother’s annoyance. She and Father constantly berate me for my unseemly habit of talking to those far beneath my class and sophistication.

Listening to Gerda, Janice, and Fellin today has given me a lot of insight into the way people think. They don’t really care who is running the kingdom, they just want a strong ruler who will protect and provide for them.

That is what I want, no need to be. I need to be the kind of ruler that defends and protects my people. Who listens to their needs and desires.

And I have to choose a husband with those same goals.