A Queen Redestined

Chapter 9

The king and queen had their apartments in the next wing, so it was yet another long walk to them. 

The courtiers were already up, of course. Marie could see them walking along, tittering behind their fans and sleeves as they peered openly at her. Elizaveta informed her that if one were to count all the minor nobles and courtiers, Marimiers housed a few thousand courtiers at any given time. Marie couldn’t keep from gasping.

”A few thousand!”

”Yes. If we add all the servants, that will probably take the number up to seven thousand, I believe. The palace census is due to be updated in the beginning of next year.”

Marie had known Marimiers was gigantic, but she hadn’t really thought about the exact number of people living there before. It felt entirely overwhelming. 

”They’re usually on their way to the king and queen by now. I suppose they’ve heard the orders that their majesties wish to receive you alone after the morning ceremony.”

”Is that unusual? For their majesties to send away courtiers?”

”Quite, yes. The king likes to keep the nobles around him most of the time, keeps them on their toes trying to gain royal favour.”

That explained the ogling. Marie glanced at some of them out of the corner of her eye, but didn’t quite dare to look at them outright. Instead she focused on the long carpeted hallway before her, as she followed Elizaveta to the audience room. Behind them, a servant boy trailed after with the sabre and sword Marie had carried with her from Vifort.

The royal suite took up half of the top floor of the east wing alone. They were received into the lesser audience room, and asked to wait there.

Looking around at the room, Marie wondered what the larger audience room would look like, if the lesser audience room already looked like the throne room in Castle Vifort. 

It took no time at all for the king and queen to come out of some small side room, and Marie was able to return their warm embraces this time around, rather than being utterly shocked by the contact.

”Did you sleep well?” the queen inquired, stepping back to admire Marie’s dress, patting her arm approvingly. ”Mm, I did think this blue would suit you, from the portrait they sent us. I’m glad I was right.”

”I slept well, Your Majesty.” She glanced down at the dress. ”I wasn’t aware that you had a hand in my wardrobe.”

”Oh yes. I’m very excited for a daughter-in-law, you see.” Marie decided she rather liked the queen, with her sparkling eyes and her ready, warm smile. ”So once the betrothal was agreed upon, I instantly ordered for rooms and clothes to be made ready early.”

”My queen has always been very kind,” the king said fondly, and redirected his gaze at Marie. ”Well, are you ready for the wolves, my dear? We’ve sent the courtiers away for the morning, but I wager they’re chomping at the bit to see who the new princess consort is.”

”Castle Vifort has many wolf pelts from our hunting sessions,” Marie replied, to the king’s chortle. ”I think this will be an interesting morning.”

”I’ve always admired the House of Vifort for their strength and presence,” the queen said. ”I must say I was very pleased when Alfons chose your portrait, out of all the dozens of noble houses who sent their own candidates.”

Marie wished she could say the same.

”My lady mother has told me that House Vifort and the royal house have tried to unite several times, but that the timing had always been missed. I’m glad that I am able to fulfil this long-awaited wish of both our houses.”

The door creaked open behind her then, and Marie turned, just as the king boomed, ”There you are, Alfons! We’ve been waiting on you.” 

Alfons stood in the door, the same pallid and entirely unassuming presence he had been the day before. Even with all the finery of court dress on him, somehow he gave off a feeling of being able to disappear entirely if he so chose, at any moment.

Marie curtsied as he entered the room and crossed the room in languid strides to his parents. 

”Mother, father,” he greeted, and then, reluctantly, ”Lady Marie.”

”Prince Alfons.”

Almost like an inversion of their meeting in the garden last night. 

”You didn’t have a chance to talk to each other yesterday,” the queen said, ”so I thought we might give you a chance to have a private word, as a couple to be wed, before the circus descends upon you.”

”Oh, we met in the west inner garden last night,” Alfons said, to the raised eyebrows of his parents. ”Lady Marie and I happened to be taking a walk at the same time.”

”Ah, then you must have a little understanding of each other already. That’s good to know.”

If only that were true. But since Alfons didn’t say anything to the contrary, Marie couldn’t open her mouth to do so either. She simply pasted a smile on her face as Alfons answered his parents’ inquiry into his well-being with a closed-off, faint courtesy. At least she wasn’t the only one he put up that demeanour too.

Elizaveta had been right, she thought, throwing a glance over to her lady in waiting. Alfons really was a sleepwalker, seemingly drifting through life, even in the harsh brightness of the summer sunlight already filtering in through the massive glass windows.

After some more inquiries about her own family’s health and well-being, and some pointless chit-chat, the king and queen decided it was time to begin morning court, while Alfons and Marie had some time together.

”All right, we’ll have our breakfast first,” the king said. ”Don’t take too long, but don’t feel that you should hurry either. There will be food for you, and the court will wait as long as they need to.”

”Your Majesties.” Marie sank into a curtsey, hands folded in the shape of a fan, and didn’t rise until they were properly gone, Elizaveta throwing her a wink before she followed the king and queen out of the room.

Alfons glanced at her.

”I was told Vifort women bowed, not curtsied.”

Marie looked up at him, surprised. 

”Only in times of battle, Your Highness. We do have a much simpler curtsey for daily life.”

”Oh? Show me.”

It felt almost nostalgic, to revert to her simple curtsey, even though it had just been two weeks since she left her home. Alfons nodded.

”I see. It’s much more practical, for certain.”

”We’re a practical household.”

If there was any implicit criticism of the way Marimiers was run, Marie made sure to hide her frustration.

Alfons sighed then, looking around the room, clearly wishing he wasn’t stuck in here for an appropriate amount of time with Marie. 

If the sleepwalker insisted on dreaming even before her eyes, then maybe it was time to shock him awake, if she could.

”Your Highness?”

”Mm-hmm?”

”Why did you choose me? You clearly seem very disinterested in marrying me.”

Instead of being offended however, Alfons seemed to have expected the question. How aggravating.

”I am disinterested in marrying anyone.” 

Marie’s mouth dropped. She would have expected someone of Vifort to say this maybe, or even an Anguzon to be so blunt, but after all she’d heard about Marimiers, she certainly did not expect Alfons to give her the truth so baldly.

”Then why-”

”Because I have to. And my parents were not subtle about the fact that you, being of House Vifort, would be the best candidate. I had reports that you were of good character, and your portrait was pleasant enough. Therefore- you.”

It almost felt insulting, to be assessed like this, like a piece of meat at some market stall. With difficulty, Marie cast her eyes down, so she wouldn’t be tempted to glare hotly at the prince. 

Good character indeed!

And what was with that inexplicably low expectation of the person he was expected to live with for the rest of his life? The person he would be the most intimate with for years and years to come?

Marie could not understand such a person.

It rankled even more that at least Alfons had a choice. For Marie, there had been little choice, unless she wanted to be the one person to bring disrepute and massive political disadvantage to her own family.

”Was... Was the House of Anguzon ever in consideration as well?”

Alfons regarded her with a new measure of wariness. ”Going to gloat over them?”

”No. I was... I was simply told that they were fighting with Vifort for this.”

Alfons hummed low. ”Every other noble house was fighting to place their daughter where you are right now. But... Yes. House Anguzon was another prime candidate. If you had rejected the proposal, then I would have gone to them. My royal father seems to believe that without securing the southern houses in some fashion or other, we’ll see a revolt within the next fifty years.”

The revelation about the king’s foresight was startling. Never having really been involved in the politics between her house and Vemae, Marie had never really know what the ruling family of her country was like. But after all, Gadilida was currently at one of its most prosperous periods, thriving, with a glowing future ahead of it. 

Such a country was not ruled by a weak-minded, short-sighted monarch.

Marie rather thought she would be impressed, if she didn’t feel so much like a pawn right now. 

Alfons seemed to have tired of their conversation as well, and he looked over to the main door.

”Well, the court is waiting. Shall we go, my lady?”

At least he held his arm out for her this time, she thought. He would not disgrace his bride-to-be on the very first day of her introduction to the Vermillion Court.