Amaryllis was summoned to her father’s office before the banquet. For once she was grateful to be left alone in the oppressive space. The dark garden outside was only faintly visible behind the reflection of the brightly lit office. The crystal windows were the perfect mirror now that the sun had set.

She twisted and turned, carefully studying her reflection. She knew she wouldn’t get to meet privately with Sir Vincent like this, but she at least wanted to dazzle him from afar. 

The bodice of her dress was a light blue, and the skirt was dyed in a gradient, turning into an inky almost black color towards the hem. The skirt was dotted with diamonds that sparkled like stars with every step she took.

Tiny diamond encrusted pins were mixed into her hair to create a similar effect. A few pins kept her curls from her face, but the rest fell freely down her back. They’d been tamed with a generous amount of rose scented oil. She couldn’t help but smile. Even the sticky rouge on her lips didn’t seem all that bad. The reddish tint was light, not garish. Almost alluring.

“You did well with the preparations.”

Amaryllis jumped. She’d been so focused on her reflection that she hadn’t noticed her father enter. He didn’t seem to mind her distraction. Instead, he moved to stand beside her and checked his own reflection in the window.

He was immaculate as always. His own indigo curls were neatly brushed back. A dark velvet coat matched the darker portions of her skirt, and he even wore one of the diamond brooches she’d picked out earlier in the week.

“Thank you, Father,” she grasped her skirts and gave a light curtsy, angling herself to face both him and his reflection.

A light flush colored her cheeks as she processed his words. There hadn’t been the slightest hint of sarcasm or annoyance in his voice. He sounded almost pleased. 

Praise was rare from her father. He had either had exceptionally low expectations or was actually satisfied with her work. She assumed it was the latter. He would have never trusted her with the task if it was the former.

“While I am absent in the capital you will be in charge of receiving guests,” her father continued.

“I will?” Amaryllis stared at him with wide eyes.

To be allowed to welcome guests in his absence meant he trusted her to represent their house. Usually, his senior knights were given the duty when he left the castle. Excuses of ill health were always given to keep her tucked away in the annex, out of sight of guests.

The instances earlier in the week hardly felt like her father trusted her. The steward was always with her. Others, like the head maid and senior knights, had been discretely nearby too. She’d felt like a child playing house with all of their hovering. 

Plus, her father had still been present in the castle should something happen.

“My aides will still assist you,” he waved a hand dismissively. “Everyone will be at court so it’ll only be the usual merchants. Maybe a few knights passing through. You can handle that much.”

“Yes, Father,” Amaryllis bowed her head. “I will do my best.”

She supposed it made sense. They were about to enter the height of the social season. Everyone would already know that her father would be in the capital with the twins. Who would bother coming to the estate with them gone?

No one of consequence then. Were she to make a mistake, it wouldn’t matter much. A generous tip or purchase with minimal negotiations would smooth over relations with the merchants. 

Knights were even easier. Some compliments, good wine, and maybe a new dagger or sword would appease them. Much easier than dealing with other nobles.

“Good, now that’s settled,” he offered his arm. “Let’s go greet these knights. They’ve done their job rather quickly so I suppose the wine won’t be wasted.”

“I ordered extra from the mid-tier winery you prefer,” Amaryllis replied, gently taking his arm.

“I saw. It may run a little short with this group so check the cellar in three days,” he instructed. “You’ll be able to plan better next time.”

“Yes, Father.”

She cast a nervous glance at him. Rather than a rebuke it had sounded like actual advice. Advice and increased responsibility? He was wearing an accessory she had chosen too. Was he trying to placate her in case she was jealous of the twins? Or was he actually in a good mood?

Either way, she wasn’t unhappy with his remarks. She knew her father’s expectations of her were rather low. He rarely tasked her with anything extra. When he did it was out of necessity, not a desire to help her grow.

To be recognized as having done well and being allowed to continue made her feel better than she thought. Was this why the twins were always so confident? 

Buoyed by his praise and small show of faith, Amaryllis walked into the banquet with head held high.

Lively music and boisterous voices filled the banquet hall. The guests milled about with harried servants bustling about between them. Elegantly adorned women fluttered about like butterflies. The knights, for their part, were much more at ease than they had been last time. Without the threat of battle looming over them their tension had dissipated. Their attire was a bit more casual and their smiles were easy, posture relaxed.

It took her no time at all to find Sir Vincent in the crowded space. Her eyes were drawn to him like a moth to a flame. He was near the head table with Lord Atwater, a slight smirk on his face while he spoke with some of the royal knights. His golden-brown hair was ruffled as if he’d run a hand through it. Instead of looking untidy it was charming, softening his usually stern countenance.

Lord Atwater must have provided his clothing because they matched. Both had forest green silk shirts on and ash grey vests. The knight commander’s adornments were more lavish with bejeweled buttons and embroidered gold thread on his shirt compared to Vincent’s polished silver buttons.  

Amaryllis was not the only woman staring at the handsome pair. Sir Vincent, while a commoner, was a landed knight and set to take over as knight commander in a few years. He was handsome and accomplished. His unrefined speech and humble background were easy enough to overlook if a life in the countryside held appeal. 

It was even easier to look past if all one wanted was a dance with a famous knight.

Lord Atwater was still quite the handsome man. He was around the same age as her father, but he looked years younger. Perhaps because of his active lifestyle as a knight commander. He was also courteous with a good reputation. She doubted any of the women here, even the younger ones like herself, would object to the match should he finally accept a new wife.

She hoped the women openly staring were directing their gazes at Lord Atwater. An uncomfortable feeling settled into her chest when she noticed a few trying to get Vincent’s attention. Eyelashes were being fluttered, fans waved, and at least one handkerchief was dropped in the brief time Amaryllis watched.

She felt a bit embarrassed at how pleased she was when Vincent only responded after a sharp elbow from Lord Atwater. The stiff smile on his lips made his annoyance clear. Clear enough for the woman with the handkerchief to leave in a huff.

Their eyes met briefly as her father’s entrance drew the attention of those in the room. Vincent’s emerald eyes almost sparkled as they looked at her. 

A smile tugged at Amaryllis’s lips and she barely managed to keep it to a modest size. She didn’t want to disappoint her father with inappropriate behavior so soon after being praised.

 A slight twitch of the lips was the only sign of Sir Vincent’s responding to her smile. She didn’t dare to study him further and instead focused on greeting the small group that surrounded her father. The weight of his gaze kept tempting her to glance up though, in spite of her efforts to stay focused.

The duke made his way to the head table to greet the commanders and vice-commanders to officially start the celebrations. The room fell quiet as all eyes turned to watch. The knights bowed their heads respectfully to the duke who merely inclined his head to them in response. 

No matter how great a feat they committed to protect the duchy, his pride would never allow him to bow to them. For her part, Amaryllis offered a curtsy and dipped her head as far as she was permitted to offer her respects.

“You have all done a great service for the Duchy of Lavalham. For that you have my deepest gratitude,” her father gestured to the tables full of food and drink along the walls. “In honor of your bravery and selfless defense of Tesslands’ borders, please rest and enjoy yourselves as much as you can before you move on to aid the fortunate souls who will receive your protection next. I hope that your next visit holds no dangers, only joyous reunions.”

Applause filled the room and the knights respectfully bowed their heads once more. Amaryllis felt her father’s hand on her shoulder and his warm breath near her ear as he bent down slightly.

“You may stay for one hour,” she could barely hear him above the applause. “I have business to attend to. Enjoy the feast you have prepared and then excuse yourself.”

“Yes, Father. Thank you.”

She doubted he heard her reply, but it didn’t matter. That was the only possible response she could give.

He moved into the crowd, leading the knight commanders to a few high-ranking nobles to begin introductions. Amaryllis took a few steps to her seat, nodding her thanks to the servant that pulled out her chair.

She settled in and gratefully accepted the wine and food placed before her. The table was empty as those permitted to sit at the high table were currently with her father. No doubt an effort on his part to minimize her unsupervised interactions.

Not that she minded. She rarely got the chance to rest comfortably at a banquet. She almost always followed her father through the crowd until she was dismissed. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d been allowed to enjoy the meal.

The hours it took to get ready also meant she missed lunch so she was usually starving by the time she got back to her room. With the potential for a late night, she was happy to enjoy the fruits of her labor while watching the crowd.

She did her best to keep her eyes from trailing after Sir Vincent. Too much attention on any one guest could get her into trouble. Thankfully his handsome face and prestige made him the object of many attendees’ gaze. Not just the women.

As the vice-commanders broke away from her father other groups formed around them. She was fascinated, watching the groups shrink and grow as those lurking managed to quickly squeeze their way in the second someone else took a step back.

Elbows and fans were used in equal parts to subtly push someone aside. A few flinching men made her think a heel had been dug into a foot and stumbles from women suggested skirts being stepped on for the same reason.

Sir Vincent and the other knights who were surrounded couldn’t keep the annoyance off their faces. A few managed to escape to the dance floor, but that only offered a brief reprieve.

Amaryllis chuckled as she watched one knight look between his current dance partner to the women lurking at the edges of the dance floor and the men just behind them. Was it better to deal with one clingy woman or talk politics with men? The song was ending and he didn’t have much time to decide. His dance partner must have been a bit too much because he opted for the men. The waiting women scowled at his retreating back and moved on to another target.

Amaryllis studied the rest of the room, noting the amounts of food and wine left. The servants were coming with new plates regularly and she hoped they would last. Her early dismissal made it hard to know if she prepared enough, but the steward and head cook would have said something if she’d been lacking. Time would tell if she’d been wasteful and prepared too much.

Sir Vincent had not returned to the head table since her father’s departure. As the undisputed hero of the campaign, he was the most popular knight in the room. She wondered if he would be able to make their meeting. If he still wanted to that is.

She bit her lip and tried to catch his eye once more. She did not want to appear desperate for his attention, but she also didn’t want to feel foolish waiting in the dark for someone who wouldn’t come.

After a few moments he finally glanced up at her. His eyes flickered back to the person he was talking to, some baron’s son if she recalled correctly, before looking back to her when the man turned to gesture to someone else. 

She tilted her head to one side and bit her lip in what she hoped was an obvious question. There was a moment of hesitation before he nodded, timing it to line up with his conversation.

Amaryllis hid her smile by taking a final sip of wine before excusing herself for the night.