Chapter Thirty-Four
Isabella was more than a good head smaller than me. Outside on the balcony, the afternoon sun was already moving beyond the horizon, tinging the sky in vivid colors of crimson. Her dress was without a doubt a thing of beauty, worthy of a future queen, but her expression was kind of worried all the same. "So your name is Isabella?" I asked as I gazed at her with a smile on my lips.
"Yes," Isabella answered. "I made a fool of myself before," she said as fast as she could, "I spent weeks memorizing the lines, but-" her eyes looked up at me with quite the earnest look, "I made a mess in the end."
"Rather than a mess, I think it was just a mishap along the road," I pointed out. "Nothing worth remembering after just a few more steps down the way."
Isabella nodded, and then took a deep breath. "I-May I call you Henry?" she asked.
"Of course you can," I answered in turn. "What do you think of the royal palace of Tristain? Does it compare to Grand Troyes, or to Petit Troyes?"
"It doesn't," Isabella said firmly, shaking her head. "The rooms even if they're big, they're barely passable. The gardens are nice, but not as beautiful as those of Lutece, why-the whole palace of Grand Troyes has a garden that spans all around it with beautiful flower beds, and one can spend the entire evening just walking in circles around it-"
It took fifteen minutes for me to realize that Isabella wouldn't stop talking about her favorite flowers unless prompted to, but I didn't need her to stop. It suited me just fine to let her guide the conversation, interjecting only sometimes in it with some remarks. By the time the sun had fully settled and the moons had begun to show themselves, Isabella was finally done with describing her favorite gown.
"It's getting chilly," Isabella said, "In Gallia, the weather is milder." She turned as if to head back inside, only to stop midway. "They're going to treat me like a fool, aren't they?" she muttered.
"If they do, then I will challenge them to a duel to the death in your defense," I answered quite primly. "But they won't be so rude, not in the presence of royalty."
"They don't have such respect in Gallia's court," Isabella murmured. "Not for my father, at least. They always speak awfully of him when they think nobody hears them," she mumbled. "They prefer my uncle, rather than him."
"But you are not your father," I pointed out. "And I am sure he has his good points," I acquiesced. "Also, I am sure he would make for a good king," I nodded. "If he brought into this world someone as charming as you, then he most definitely cannot be so horrible."
Isabella giggled softly, "You're too kind, Henry," she whispered. "I don't understand why your name has vicious in it," she looked up at me with a bright smile, "I'm hungry. As my knight for the night, please make sure we are served the very best."
I lightly bowed my head, "Of course, I will endeavor to make it so."
The servants by the buffet were elegantly dressed and served us with such precise finesse that it was hard to believe they were anything but machines, even though they breathed like everyone else. As there was nothing but wine, I had one cup brought with three quarters of it made of water -it might have been blasphemy to me, but a kid was a kid, and giving wine to kids was a big no-no in my books.
We stopped linking arms, since it made for quite the awkward eating, and as the gathered nobles began to gain courage to approach, the first to come congratulate us on our betrothal agreement were the Duke D'Orleans and his wife.
"Auntie," Isabella said with a smile, "Uncle," she added towards the man known as Charles. I bowed since, while I was the son of a Duke, I wasn't really a Duke myself until my father's passing. Also, they were foreign nobles, directly related with the betrothed and yadda-yadda stuff that I couldn't care to remember.
"You did well little Isabella," the duchess of D'Orleans said with a charming warm smile. She then turned to look at me with the critical eye of a mother ensuring the boyfriend is fit for the duty of escorting her most precious daughter around town, only with less glaring, and more playfulness in her eyes. "It is nice to meet with you too, lord Henry," she said. "I hope you are finding your betrothed quite the charming young lady?"
"That she is," I said with a nod and a smile. "Quite endearing too, if I may add so."
"But where are our manners, dear?" the Duke said suddenly, his eyes crinkling with mirth, "We have not yet presented ourselves-I am Charles De Gallia, Duke D'Orleans, and this is my lady wife, the Duchess Marie D'Orleans."
"Once more, an honor to meet you," I said repeating the bow. "I am Henry de la Blois de la Valliere, son of the Duke and Duchess de la Valliere."
The chat went on smoothly, even as my eyes trailed off every now and then in the direction where I saw my family being neared by other nobles, congratulating my parents. I had the distinct impression that Karin's eyes were filled with nothing but contempt for some of the nobles, but I couldn't place my finger on what it was -and she and the rest of my family were on the other side of the ballroom anyway.
Joseph was instead drinking wine by a nearby window, egregiously chatting up some of the prettiest ladies in the room. I really had an inkling that he was a womanizer, but...again, there was something lacking to him.
"I apologize," I said when I felt the chat enter a lull, "but perhaps I should at the very least exchange a few words with the father of my betrothed before the night ends," I bowed once more, even as Charles grimaced slightly, but not because he was offended, no, because he was probably feeling sorry for what his older brother would say or do.
"Of course," he said. He wanted to add more, it was clearly written on his face, and yet he didn't and let me go face the lion alone.
Joseph de Gallia was tall and had a pretty face, with a small goatee that screamed evil in the making. The ladies he was talking to seemed to enjoy his charms, but the lords that had come with said ladies weren't impressed, not one bit. "Your royal highness," I spoke, catching his attention, "might I speak with you for a moment?"
"Uh? Sure, whatever," Joseph replied with a snort, even as he waved rudely away the two ladies, who huffed and returned to their knights with due haste. "I guess I should say congratulations," he added, "But she's no good, that daughter of mine," he shook his head, downing the whole content of his goblet and then looking straight into my eyes. "What? Did you expect some wise counsel on how to handle my daughter?"
"No," I replied quite honestly, "I was wondering how many goblets of wine you drank, and if it's possible for me to challenge you to who can drink more of them," I smiled gently, "But I would need to know how many you have already drank. It wouldn't do to give me an unfair advantage."
"Oh?" Joseph laughed, and his laughter was rich, but also terribly rude in such a setting. He didn't seem to care though. "Is that so? You're what? Fifteen? You think you can drink me under a table? What if I told you this was my seventh, or my eighth?"
"Then I'll have to only drink five or six more to reach you," I pointed out as I gestured for a servant to bring me another goblet, having downed the one I had in my hands.
"You think something as silly as this might earn you my respect? It's not worth it, there's nothing of me that's worth being respected for. I'm the foolish prince, don't you know?" he added quite dryly.
"Your royal highness," I said quite calmly, "Does it look like I have any idea of what I am doing right now?" I gulped down the goblet's content, gesturing for another which was swiftly brought to me. "If there's one thing I can trust into, it's my liver. That's something to be cheerful of. Good liver, good stomach-what else is there in the world to be thankful for?"
"Good women," Joseph said, and to that I chuckled and nodded.
"Exactly," I pointed out.
Behind me, I could feel glares.
I knew there were hundreds of swords pointed over my head, if metaphorically speaking, but I was already dancing, so I had no choice but to continue the dance.
"Honestly," I said as I swallowed another goblet's worth, moving on to one more, "Out of everyone present in this room, you look like the easiest to have a drink with."
"Oh? Do I?" Joseph said, "I'd think my brother to be better suited. I always pass off as rude at these gatherings," he remarked dryly, "People keep talking to me no matter what I tell them, so sometimes it's fun to see to what lengths they'll go to get my approval over something silly."
"That's quite funny unless you're the noble seeking out something, but then again, if you want something just come on out straight with it and then plead your reasons," I drawled back, downing another goblet. The next one came as swiftly as the one before, the servant having understood implicitly what was going on.
The murderous aura surrounding my mother was quite wonderful to behold, easily dwarfing the scandalized one of Eleonore.
"That's what I say myself," Joseph said with a surprisingly honest nod. "If you keep it simple, then even someone as stupid as I can understand it, and then it's easier to put into practice."
"Yeah," I drawled, "Why should anyone want to read a whole book about etiquette? Just write down one liners of what to do and what not to do. Who cares about the proper usage of forks? Simply swap the forks with the appropriate ones for each dish, so you don't have to remember them, only the servants need to."
"That's it!" Joseph grinned from ear to ear, "That's exactly what I keep thinking myself." By the time I downed my next goblet, I sighed and furrowed my brows. Though, to be honest, when I said goblets, I meant what would normally be considered half of an industrial-made glass, so it would take me two goblets to have a full glass.
Not to play into the stereotype, but I was thirteen when I managed to finish a bottle all by myself. I still remembered the aftermath the morning after.
It was not pleasant. It was not pleasant at all.
"Did you count them?" I asked, "Because I can't seem to remember the number-"
"I think that was the fifth," Joseph said, raising his own goblet for the first time since we began talking. "Though perhaps I should have pointed out before you began that I have been drinking watered down wine to prevent making a fool of myself."
I blinked, and then sniffed loudly. "For shame," I said. "You have my deepest condolences, your royal highness. The main reason I reached for you was because I kind of hoped to get my drinks in peace without anyone bothering me or daring to say no in your presence, and it has worked egregiously well till now. You are an excellent shield against overbearing parents, never let anyone tell you the opposite, your royal highness."
Joseph stared at me a bit harder, his mouth slightly agape, and then he chuckled, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. "I see then that you are not here to ask something of me, but simply out of your self-interest," he pointed out. "You should return to my daughter. She is looking towards us as if expecting me to make a fool out of myself, and by consequences, her."
I nodded slowly, "She resembles your royal highness a lot," and as I saw the lineaments of Joseph twitch, I smiled.
I smiled because I had him.
"She feels like a really earnest person," I continued, "and that kind of earnestness, it can't be taught, it has to be inherited." I looked up at the man in question, who didn't speak another word, though he did look surprised. "I bid you a good evening, your royal highness."
The truth of the matter was that Joseph hated himself.
He hated himself so much, in the end he went full circle and murdered his brother out of hatred for himself.
And then, due to all of the spite he felt for himself, he could not help but feel absolutely nothing else.
And yet, though he hated himself a lot, he was also a very earnest kid. He was a man who, once he realized the truth and lost in the moment of it, would have had no troubles renouncing the crown in the name of his younger brother, and that-
Wait.
Renounce the crown in the name of the younger brother?
...
Oh shit.
) from his ideals of freedom, changing the status quo of the world, and being hedonistic of course.
