Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 257: Violet: Garden of Shadows

The banquet hall was only slightly less crowded with dancers when Violet eventually made her way back in. She moved stealthily along the fringes of the crowd and then approached the high table from the direction of the dancers.

"May I be of any service, Your Majesty?" she asked the queen. The older woman glanced over her shoulder.

"Ah, Lady Violet. I didn’t see you return to your table. Enjoying the music and dancing, then?"

Violet nodded politely, praying she wasn’t asked who she’d been dancing with.

Queen Celia pressed her fingertips to her temple. "I think I will retire soon. I don’t have the energy of my younger days for these kinds of evenings. Have you seen Lady Kathryn Danner? I’ll get her to accompany me back to my chambers."

Violet flattened her lips to avoid a smirk from twisting them. Actually I have just seen her, she said to herself. The queen would be absolutely horrified to hear the truth. A truth that involved her precious firstborn, no less. Everyone knew the queen believed the sun rose and set on her eldest boy.

"No, Your Majesty. I haven’t seen Lady Kathryn since she stepped out of the hall a while back. Perhaps she went to the garden for some fresh air?" Violet made her eyes wide and guileless, as if she were completely innocent of what went on in the shadows.

Queen Celia’s scanty dark brows pulled together into a deep frown. She obviously didn’t like what Violet’s words insinuated. "Well, where’s Lady Maisie? She’ll know where Lady Kathryn is. The two are always together."

"I’m not exactly sure but I believe Lady Maisie is also outside, Your Majesty." Violet’s smile was sweeter than a Madonna’s. "My sister and I would be happy to go look for them though, if you need us to."

The queen aimed a hard stare at her, as if unsure whether to believe her words. She then swung her gaze at the ladies’ table where Ilse sat, smiling broadly while she talked with another lady.

Violet could almost hear the thoughts in the queen’s head, judging by her stolid face. The Thierre sisters are within view, chaste as angels. Meanwhile, two of her favourite ladies are missing, doing lord knows what.

"Oh look, Your Majesty! Lady Kathryn is back again!" Sweet as ever, Violet pointed cheerfully across the hall.

Kathryn couldn’t have timed her entrance to the banquet better if she’d tried, in Violet’s humble opinion. She was slinking through the hall, clearly trying to make herself as small and inconspicuous as possible. Her flushed face and wrinkled satin skirt, however, looked suspicious. Kathryn froze in shock when she noticed Violet was pointing at her and the queen was following the direction of her pointed finger.

Face turning red, Kathryn hurried to the high table and bowed to the queen. "My apologies, Your Majesty, if you needed me. I was at the privy."

Queen Celia’s nod was curt and her eyes were pinched. "Indeed." was all she said as she reached over and pulled something snagged in Kathryn’s veil. She quietly placed a small twig and leaf on the table before her.

Kathryn brought a trembling hand to her mouth, looking as though she wanted to cry. Her nervous gaze flicked from the queen to Violet at her side. Violet kept her expression confused and completely innocent.

"If you please, my lady. I’d like to speak to my sister for a moment." Violet said.

Queen Celia dismissed her with a careless wave, eyes still boring into Kathryn’s the way a farmer stares at a pest caught in a trap.

Violet slipped away, not wanting to be around if the queen’s temper flared. At the same time, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the budding confrontation. Did she feel guilty or triumphant over what had just happened?

She was so busy glancing over her shoulder that she collided with something warm and solid. Opening her mouth to murmur a careless apology, Violet looked up and realised she’d crashed headlong into Prince Johan.

Oh no, she thought, petrified. The last thing she needed was to have that man berate her in front of a crowd.

"My deepest apologies, Your Grace!" Her voice was a high pitched squeak as she hurriedly bowed. "I should’ve watched my steps more carefully."

No response.

Violet stood up straight as the silence dragged on and peeped at him. The prince was swaying on his feet and his eyes were bloodshot. He was clearly drunk.

Does that make him more or less likely to shout at me, she wondered?

His deep voice finally replied, surprisingly mellow. "You’re one of the queen’s ladies, aren’t you?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Violet quickly nodded, barely daring to breathe.

"What’s your name?"

"Violet." Why did her voice have to sound so thin and scared?

"Violet what? I assume you aren’t some nameless orphan?"

"Violet Thierre, my lord."

"Thierre...huh!" the prince muttered. "Does that wastrel you call Father still gamble from sunup to sundown?"

"No, my lord. But that’s only because there’s nothing left for him to gamble with. He’s lost almost everything but the shirt on his back."

There was a loud bellow of sound that made Violet’s heart pound with anxiety. She looked up again and was shocked to find Prince Johan laughing heartily.

"Perhaps you’re not like the rest of the insipid little bitches that surround my brother’s wife." Johan sat down at the table and patted the seat next to him. "Sit for a while. I would like a little company."

Violet looked around nervously. Would she get in trouble if someone saw her sitting at the royal high table? Then again, if the prince was ordering her-

"Sit down." Johan interrupted her inner monologue, an impatient edge in his voice. This was a man who probably didn’t like being made to repeat himself.

She did as he asked and quickly sat down. When the prince handed her a goblet, Violet quickly took it and hesitantly clinked the edge against his own. She drew a tiny sip.

By contrast, Johan drained his goblet with a couple of large swigs and looked at Violet expectantly.

She obediently took a gulp and then another. She didn’t really like the sticky, sweet taste. Masking her displeasure, she drank until the goblet was empty. Her belly started to lurch slightly.

"You’ve been here a few weeks now, haven’t you? How are you finding life at court so far?" he asked.

"Complicated, my lord."

"And why’s that?"

"Because it’s impossible to know the truth here. When someone smiles at me, I don’t know if they mean it or they see me as a threat and are secretly plotting to bring me down." Violet blurted, then wished she could claw back her words. Would the prince think she was pathetic for thinking that way?

Prince Johan smiled down at her, though there was no real warmth in his eyes. "An astute observation. You want to know the trick to surviving here? It is to assume the latter - base all your decisions on the assumption that everyone around you sees you as a threat."

"Well, that’s depressing."

Johan gave a harsh laugh. "Ignore my advice if you like. Just know it has served me well."

"You really don’t trust anyone, my lord?"

"Besides Edward? No, not really."

"But how can you be sure that your brother trusts you back the same way, instead of working behind your back to discredit you-?" Violet shut her mouth abruptly. Was she really questioning out loud the loyalty of this man’s brother, who also happened to be one of the most powerful kings on the continent? The wine must’ve loosened her tongue.

The prince looked more amused than insulted by her question. "Edward and I are loyal to the bone towards each other. Always have been. Ever since the nursery, we were raised essentially as twins."

"I have a twin too." she said, pointing to Ilse at the ladies’ table.

Johan scanned her sister with narrowed eyes. "I see. Is she struggling with the same doubts you are?"

"Well, no. She seems to be enjoying herself. I think she’s actually quite happy here, my lord." Violet replied bitterly.

Johan smirked at her sour tone. "I see. And why do you think that is? Surely you have a theory. Two girls with the same upbringing, same opportunity, same surroundings. One is happy and one is not. Why?"

The ugly words slipped out, unstoppable, even while she felt her face burn hot. "Because Ilse is number one! She has been all of our lives! Why should it be any different here?"

Johan chuckled and winked at her. Violet looked at him in mute shock. He didn’t look at all surprised by her confession. In fact, there was a gleam of understanding in his eyes.

Violet was stupefied. Then she wondered if she was perhaps speaking to the only person in the entire castle who might actually understand her situation.