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1531 Words
Camille rushes forward, "What happened to you?"
I stand, wiping the blood away with the edge of my sleeve, "Nothing."
Camille pulls my hand away, observing the cut along my collarbone, "This isn't nothing. Was that a knife she had?"
Alexanne will only be angrier if I tell my lady in waiting the truth. If Camille knows, I might have more than a slice by my collarbone.
I brush past her, "It's nothing. I fell."
Camille laughs incredulously, "You fell? I'm supposed to believe that?"
I push through the door and survey the outside room. I don't see Alexanne inside, trying to eavesdrop. Antonin marches through the door. When he sees the blood running down my chest, he closes the door tightly behind him and runs up to me. He looks at the wound, "Did Alexanne do this?" He hisses.
I glance between him and Camille. Camille stands with her arms crossed, an impatient, expectant look on her face.
I shake my head, "No, I fell."
Antonin raises an eyebrow, "You fell? Please, Admira, try to come up with a better lie than that."
I sigh, thinking of how often it is Grace who creates the perfect lie for me. If only she was at my side.
Camille steps forward to address Antonin, "I do believe that Alexanne had a knife, sir. I don't mean to say anything against the Queen, but it is my job to keep Admira safe."
Antonin mutters, "It is both of our jobs. However, we cannot openly defy the Queen when she asks us to leave. How will we protect her?"
Camille frowns, "Surely the Queen didn't mean to hurt her? I mean, they are sisters..."
I clear my throat, "I can hear this entire conversation, just so both of you know. Alexanne did not hurt me. Like Camille said, she's my sister. She and I were just talking."
I glare at Antonin, hoping he understands. He can't argue this in front of Camille, she'll only grow more suspicious. I'm afraid of what Alexanne will do, once Camille learns the truth.
Antonin bows, "As you wish, my lady."
He marches away to his post along the wall.
Camille's mouth falls open, "You are going to let this go, ignore the truth? Admira is bleeding, and clearly not because she fell. I saw Alexanne with the knife. We can't allow Admira to go unprotected."
Antonin says, "She isn't unprotected. You and I are both here. I'm sure it would be in your best interest that you keep quiet about what you saw. Otherwise, Admira might not be the only one being hurt by Alexanne."
Camille pales, but nods. She turns back to me, "I'm sorry, Admira. Would it be okay if I cleaned the cut?"
I say, "It's no problem. It's really not deep at all, I promise."
She disappears into a room within my quarters. She returns with a bag of medical supplies. "I've also been trained in some basic first aid. I'll be able to take care of this. The last thing you need is an infection or a scar."
She forces me on to a stool. She pulls a rag out of the bag and pours alcohol on it. Tears spring into my eye as she presses it to my cut. She wipes the blood away from my skin.
She says, "It's not deep enough to need stitches. However, we need to watch it in case of an infection. We'll have to hide that beneath a high neckline dress."
Her words send me back to what Alexanne said about my courter. He was here at the dance. Who could he be? I've never met him before. Surely, if he and I were to be married, shouldn't he have mentioned it? Shouldn't I remember the face of the man I'm supposed to marry?
Instead I remember Claudio, the way his touch sent electricity over my skin. What did my courter think when I danced with him repeatedly?
Camille finishes cleaning my wound. Her voice is chilled as she mutters, "It must have been quite the fall."
I swallow and nod. She sighs, and fills her voice with lightness, "I suppose we better get you into a nicer dress. After all, you do have tea with those noblewomen today."
I sigh, I had completely forgotten.
The noblemen and women aren't leaving until late tonight. Yet another joyful festivity that Alexanne is forcing me to participate in, I am having an afternoon tea with some of the elite noblewomen. We'll giggle and gossip and eat sweet desserts and sip sugary tea and it will be torture.
I ask, "How many hours do I have until I must go?"
Camille winces, "One. But, I'm sure you will be overjoyed to know that we will spend that hour preparing you for the tea."
"It will take that long?"
"You are meeting with the richest women in the kingdom. Surely you don't want to go in your nightgown?"
"Actually? I do." I grumble, but allow Camille to help me prepare. I'm too exhausted to fight the corset and the hoops. Camille has to change the dress five times before she finds a neckline high enough to cover the slice along my collarbone. She doesn't mention it again. I can't tell if she has let it go or if she is quietly stewing about my secrets.
Once my hair is curled and braided around my royal crown, Camille brushes on my makeup. She steps away, and nods, "You look lovely, my lady."
"It's Admira, remember?" I smile.
"Why did you want me to call you Admira?"
I frown, "Because I don't want to be all stiff and formal with my lady in waiting. You follow me around every day. I want us to be close."
She tilts her head to the side, "That's funny, because when people are close, they don't normally keep secrets from each other."
My shoulders slump, "Please don't do this to me." Tears gather at my eyelids. I don't need to lose another person thanks to Alexanne.
She softens, but doesn't say anything more. Instead she nods to Antonin, my escort, "She's ready."
I turn back to face her, "Please, Camille, believe me."
"Believe your lies? I'd rather not."
I open my mouth to plead, but she holds up a hand, "I'm sorry, my lady. You better hurry or you may be late." She leaves the room before I can say anything more.
I have no choice but to follow after Antonin. Though it is late afternoon, I woke up only a few hours ago. It seems much too early for any forced socialization.
We reach the grand dining room much too soon. The doormen open the grand doors and announce, "Please welcome, the Princess Admira."
Twenty or so ladies within the dining room burst to their feet and curtsy in almost perfect synchronization. I curtsy in return and stride towards the head of the table.
All twenty of these ladies are seated around the grand table. They will spend the entire tea trying to gain my attention while gossiping with the ladies next to them. I'm sure that the ladies near my end of the table will be bragging for years about how close they sat to me. I want to scream at the triviality.
Instead I smile and sip my tea. I eat the cute finger sandwiches and brightly colored desserts. I giggle along with the gossip and whisper my thanks to all their compliments on my hair, my dress, my crown, and every other thing they can find to compliment me on. I would happily endure it all without the sickening comments about how lovely Alexanne and I are, how perfect our friendship is, how glad I must be to be home.
I smile and nod, my hand constantly returning to the invisible cut along my collarbone.
The meal passes once I've had enough tea to drown and enough desserts to burst. I murmur my thanks for all the women and wish them safe travels home. I cannot wait until tomorrow, when Alexanne and I are alone in the castle again. I won't have to worry about her forcing me into any ceremonies or celebrations. I'll be able to hide in my room and wait for the opportunity to attack.
Antonin leads me back down the hall to my quarters. We walk through the corridors and soft footsteps meet my ears. I glance up to see Claudio walking down the hall towards us. When he realizes that it is I, he bows.
Heat rises to my cheeks.
I curtsy, "Sir Claudio."
He says, "I enjoyed my dances with you last night."
"I did as well. I'm glad you could come to our ball. I wish you a safe trip home."
He smiles and we walk past him. I can't talk to him. My courter is here. I can't think about his green eyes or light smile. Impurity is undesirable.
He'll leave tonight and I won't see him again. I can forget about him. I will be safe.
"Goodbye, Princess Admira."
"Goodbye." I say, knowing he can't see my smile or my heart's fast beat.
- Writer
