Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 253: Violet: In the Banquet Hall

The fist dinner as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Celia was a blur. A stressful, overwhelming blur of faces, music and an abundance of rich food.

Violet sat at the ladies’ specially assigned table and tried not to look overawed, but it was impossible. The splendour of her surroundings was impossible to understand. It wasn’t even a special night or a celebration, yet so many courtiers dripped in gems and the amount of food and wine was staggering. Was this really how the court dined every single night?

She looked over at the royal high table where the king dined on a gilded chair, his queen on one side and brother on the other. The rest of the young princes sat with them.

Violet watched Prince Johan quietly, who seemed to be in high spirits. It was as if his earlier burst of rage at the pavilion had been but a fleeting storm cloud in an otherwise clear sky. He ate and drank with enjoyment, regularly leaning over to whisper in his brother’s ear. King Edward would laugh heartily every time. In fact, the two brothers were so busy laughing and talking, it was as if they sat alone at the table. The queen barely got a word in edgewise.

Violet ate and drank only small amounts. Part of her didn’t want the courtiers to see her eating hungrily and assume it was because she’d been sent to court half starved. Prince Leo’s callous words still echoed in her mind.

The other part of her was too embarrassed to admit she didn’t know what half of the food being served was. There were so many different types of meat under a variety of rich sauces. Some tasted very strong, some salted, others were highly spiced. There was even one dish dusted with what looked like flecks of gold. Did one eat it or were you supposed to pick all the gold out before you took a bite?

She didn’t want to look like an unrefined country wench in front of the queen’s other ladies. She’d been introduced to them all before they all trailed into the banquet hall together behind Queen Celia and there had been a range of expressions on the dozen or so faces.

Some were friendly, some merely polite and some curious. There had been a couple of ladies though, who stared at the Thierre sisters with suspicion and outright hostility.

It was in Ilse’s nature to beam a wide smile at everyone she met, she was naive in that way. Violet was always less open and more watchful. She knew she’d have to pay careful attention to their surroundings on Ilse’s behalf.

There was one young lady in particular that Violet sensed she needed to keep an eye on, who seemed to be the unofficial leader of the queen’s unmarried ladies. She was a tall, buxom girl with rich dark hair named Margaret Setterten, though everyone called her Maisie. She was the daughter of a mere viscount and while attractive, she wasn’t a peerless beauty. Violet wasn’t sure why every other girl seemed to listen devotedly to Lady Maisie’s every word. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

She’d seen, however, the look of outright challenge that Lady Maisie had aimed at the sisters when they’d been introduced. Ilse might’ve missed the look, given she was so busy smiling and chattering to all like a little bird.

Violet hadn’t missed the look at all. She’d let Lady Maisie know that by meeting her eyes boldly and raising her chin.

The endless platters of food were eventually removed from the tables, some of them barely touched. Violet wondered where all the leftover food went, thinking that one platter would’ve been enough to feed the entire Thierre family for two dinners. It would be a terrible waste to simply throw away so much food.

Was the King of Islia really so rich that he could throw away mountains of food every night without a second thought?

Once the tables were cleared, an army of servants brought out jugs full of sweet, spiced wine and platters of fruit dipped in honey. The sisters’ eyes met over a platter and Violet knew Ilse was thinking the same thing as her - for the first time in years, they wouldn’t be around to enjoy the crop of peas and raspberries that grew along the banks of the Marhyr River.

Hopefully the fruit at court would taste just as sweet.

As the courtiers grazed on fruit and wine, musicians started playing a lively tune at one end of the hall. The ladies-in-waiting all started a furious stream of conversation about who the various men would ask to dance first.

Prince Leo was front and centre of the discussion of course, though Prince James’ name also came up frequently. Violet half heard the names of other dukes, earls and noble sons mentioned but it was obvious the two elder princes were considered the greatest prizes. The were also several unflattering comments made about the looks and gowns of several ladies, presumably rivals for the princes’ gazes.

Violet wondered if that would be dinner every single night - an ongoing battle to see who could dance with the most eligible men and whispering mercilessly about your alleged competition.

How tedious, she sighed.

"All you girls are too silly to appreciate all the possibilities in front of you. You can either simp for Leo, who beds a different skirt every night. Or James, who seems determined to look at no one who isn’t his betrothed. But if you’re wise, you can widen your horizons." Maisie said in a lazy voice that nevertheless carried nicely around the table.

"Widen your horizons, how, Maisie?" asked a pale, insipid girl named Kathryn Danner, who seemed to hang on Maisie’s every word.

"There’s another very eligible prince at that table that none of you speak of." Maisie said.

"Um, you mean Rufus?"

"Don’t be so stupid! Rufus is nothing but a spot faced lad!" Maisie snapped. "I’m talking about His Majesty’s brother."

"You...but, you mean Prince Johan?"

"I wasn’t aware the king has any other brothers, are you?" Maisie sighed to Kathryn, sweet as poison. "Johan is still a very handsome and vigorous man, and he’s nearly as rich as the king himself. Besides, he already has a son so he won’t be clamouring for an heir from his new wife."

"His temper, though..." one of the other ladies whispered.

Maisie shrugged. "If you act docile to his face and stay out of his way unless he calls for you, it wouldn’t cause too much trouble. I wouldn’t even care if he kept bed wenches, so long as he paid for me to live like a queen."

"But he’s old enough to be your father!" The words tumbled out of Violet’s mouth before she had the chance to think better of it. "What a disgusting thought."

Maisie scowled. The other ladies, apart from Ilse, looked at Violet as if she’d blasphemed.

"I can think of worse things that to be the doted on young wife of such a man. Besides," Maisie gave a catty little smile. "I’m surprised you think you can afford to be so picky over men, Lady Violet. In your desperate circumstances, isn’t any man with two coins to rub together, worth your time? I mean, if one even glances your way."

Ilse’s pretty face went pale at the barb, while the other ladies gasped and giggled.

Violet eyes her coldly, not about to be humbled by some sharp tongued chit. "It’s true, ours wasn’t an opulent childhood. But as the daughters of a duke, we know our worth. We were never taught to try and sell what’s between our legs to the highest bidder. I’m sorry if that lesson was never passed on to you, Lady Maisie."

There was such a loud collective shocked gasp from the ladies-in-waiting, some nobles seated at nearby tables even turned around to look in their direction. Ilse stared at her twin in horrified silence.

Maisie’s face flushed an ugly shade of red. "Watch your tongue, Lady Violet. If you start your time here by making enemies, you never know what rumours might start and spoil your good name. Nothing befitting the daughter of a duke, I’m sure."

The next moment, Maisie’s expression quickly melted into a serene smile and her eyes flitted away. Violet followed the direction of her gaze, confused by the sudden change.

Prince James was headed towards their table. The ladies all turned their heads and preened like exotic birds. He nodded politely to all of them but then extended his hand to Ilse.

"Lady Ilse! Will you dance with me? I so enjoyed speaking with you earlier today." James flashed a warm smile.

Ilse smiled back and stood up, placing her hand in his and allowing herself to be led away.

Violet sat very still and calm, though she could feel Maisie Setterten and the other ladies staring at her with questions in their eyes. She wanted to bask in the glow of Ilse’s little triumph.

Let those spiteful cats think that Ilse and I have already made friends with the second prince of the kingdom, she thought.