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While we ran, I thought more about the possibility of war. I had a bad feeling that Rosworth really would come after Estone after they were done with our neighbor. They had always wanted our lands. As soon as they saw the opportunity to take them from us, they would seize it.
Still, I had no evidence yet that would definitely be the case.
One of our options would be to join the Rosworth-Athalis war as a third party, fighting in the name of defending Athalis.However, that action would mean dragging our people straight into a fresh war, and nobody in Estone would be too happy about the idea.
Another option would be for us to assassinate Rosworth’s commander. That plan would throw the enemy forces into disarray. However, I had no reason to believe that the King of Rosworth was the only one who wanted the war. What if another leader took his place and turned out to be even more bloodthirsty than his predecessor? Our efforts would turn out to be pointless then.
No, for now the best thing for us to do would be to wait to see what happened next. The war wasn’t public knowledge yet. I would reach out to the media to block any reports on the situation. I didn’t want the people of Estone to panic unnecessarily.
***
After running for a few hours, Luke and I arrived back at the palace. When we came through the main entrance, we saw a few human servants carrying a large garland into the throne room. Behind them came two others carrying huge boxes.
Luke and I shared a glance. I gestured for him to follow me into the grand hall.
Mom was in the middle of the room, her dark brown hair braided into a beautiful chignon. She wore an elegant black dress, almost befitting of a ball. With a bright smile on her face she commanded the servants to do her bidding – decorating the grand hall with what seemed to be garlands full of leaves and other items suggestive of an autumn theme.
“What’s going on here?” I approached her.
Mom smiled even more brightly when she saw me. “Oh, Silas. I’m preparing the great hall for the Autumn Ball I’m throwing in three days.” She beamed at me.
I arched my eyebrows. “The Autumn Ball? Do we have a tradition like that?”
A pout appeared on her lips. “Now we do.”
Uh-huh, so mom probably just wanted an excuse to throw a celebration. Sometimes she had these sorts of festive urges. She loved getting the nobles together, drinking blood wine and dancing all night. She was the jewel of Estone, and she loved all the attention.
Her balls always turned out great because she had decades of practice at organizing them. However, was now really the best time for a party, what with the war at our doorstep?
Mom didn’t know of the Rosworth-Athalis war yet, and I didn’t want to worry her. Perhaps I shouldn’t share the truth with her just yet.
“Is there any special occasion for this ball?” I asked, even though I didn’t think there had to be one.
Mom puffed out her cheeks even further. “Do you really have to ask?”
My eyes widened. Was there something I was missing?
When I said nothing, mom huffed. “Men are so hopeless. It’s your wife’s societal debut.”
“My… wife…” I did indeed have a wife; a wife I hadn’t even had the time to speak to lately.
“Yes, you do have a wife now, and you should be seen having a wife,” Mom stabbed my chest with her well-manicured finger.
“That’s… correct… I guess…” I said, still processing what was happening.
I heard a snicker from my right and sent Luke a glare. He looked away, suddenly busy looking at a nearby garland.
“Grace has been learning how to be a princess, but do you really think she’s ready for her debut in the noble society?” I asked.
It had been a week and a half since Grace had started taking her lessons. I had thought we would be giving her far more time to learn her new role.
“The nobility has been pressuring me to make it possible for them to meet the princess,” Mom bit her lower lip. “Grace’s debut has to happen, and it has to be soon.”
Ah, so the situation wasn’t just my mom wanting to throw a ball. If Grace had been from a Family, having her debut right away wouldn’t have been an issue; she would have already known all the things a princess had to know – etiquette, history, embroidery, music and dancing. The nobles had to realize she wasn’t familiar with all those subjects yet since she wasn’t from a prominent position. So why push for an immediate debut?
Did they just want to see her embarrass herself?
A shiver went down my spine. With how ruthless and rude the nobility could be regarding myself, I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn they wanted to direct their ire at Grace now too.
