Dagena was positively confused.
She had just been told to sit, dressed in the clothes of a commoner-itchy and irritating as it was-and have tea with the hundreds of commoners certain to 'visit' her in the strange room with no doors.
"Rainald! What if I am attacked? What then? You'll just tell father the 'revenue' was worth it?" Dagena, distressed by the part she had to play in the scheming of her half-brother voiced her concerns out loud.
Hearing this, Herbert who had long stood far away and in the shadows came up to her and held her hand tight, reassuring her and attempting to assuage her fears "Don't think about such a thing, I am right here, I'll protect you. I promise I swear it."
Dagena appreciated the attempt but did not give Herbert much mind other than a squeezing his hand and nodding, still she stared accusingly at Rainald.
Rainald only rolled his eyes, not bothering to hide that he thought her paranoia ridiculous, "That's not going to happen, every person in here that is not a soldier or a part of our family has been stripped of everything that could be used as a weapon." He let out a soft chuckle and said, "No one is going to come running after you, Dagena."
At what Dagena thought flippant, she growled out unsatisfied, ripping her hand away from Herbert she gestured her words, "They all still have their hands, they can strangle me or beat me, Rainald I'm not doing any of this without protection."
At this Herbert meant to speak up and once again offer his services but Rainald let out an annoyed groan, giving in to her demands, "Fine, I'll arrange for each of you to have a guard by your side during the event is that alright?"
Seeing two nods and a shrug, Rainald went on with the briefing.
"Oteri, you also have a part to play, I had Desmond gather up your friends, yes, the ones father ban." said Rainald, delivering what seemed like the best news Oteri had ever gotten.
He trotted around singing praises in Rainald's name, "Does this mean-?"
Anticipating his train of thought, Rainald quickly interjected, "No, it doesn't mean they are absolved, we're just using as much influence as we can to make your act successful."
At this Oteri's spry mood visibly deflated. "You'll be portraying and practicing one of many menial tasks the commoners carry out often; churning butter."
"What! You'd have me work the kitchen?" Oteri spared no haste in letting his disapproval known, quite loudly at that.
Rainald rubbed the sides of his temples, combing his fingers through his already quite messing dark hair, he let out a sigh staring quite blankly at Oteri, his green eyes shone his disappointment in his older brother.
"Oteri, you'll have a maid teach you, as far as I've seen its fairly simple, take her lessons seriously and reproduce them in the room, we need you to work with us Oteri, your friends will help as well, have fun with them but include the commoner as well." Rainald's words were firm and decisive, the decisions had already been made for them and they really didn't have much of a say in it any longer. No one wanted to be the weak link on the night they could actually prove useful to their father.
"You don't even have to churn the butter to the fullest, just know how to properly do it, and look like you're doing it from the outside; you'll be visible to the commoners as an attraction." Rainald took a seat a let out another exhausted sigh at the outraged and defiant faces Oteri had been making, "Also, there'll be bread, freshly baked prepared alongside some butter professionally churned, take a break once in a while with the commoner present and offer them some bread and butter, if they refuse to, make it seem like you've taken offense."
"And make sure to charge them for it." Edward nervously said, as if in fear of the monetary gains being left out of the briefing.
In his seat Rainald glanced questioningly at Edward, the scrawny man smiled nervously, sputtering a bit on his words. Tired, Rainald set his attention on Orson, who had been quiet the whole time, patiently waiting for his instructions like any soldier.
"Orson, yours will be the easiest to handle, your main target is the aspiring soldiers of the Duchy. You get to do some recruitment. You'll have the biggest room; the plain fields, it'll be equipped with some standard training and sparring equipment, you can thank Mathilda for that."
Rainald stood to his feet, the briefing was about coming to a close, "Your task is simple, Orson, display some of the standard military drills and bait some of the burlier men into a sparring session, Mathilda says you can also use this as an opportunity to recruit for the military. Got it?" Not waiting for an answer he nodded and handed Edward the book he'd been reading from and promptly left.
With Rainald having left without much of a last word of dismissal, everyone began moving to begin their designated assignments. And finally, Herbert had an opportunity to have a word with Dagena without fear of interruption or being rebuked.
"Dagena," he caught her by the wrists and slid his hand into hers, "I don't think your family very much likes the sight of me." It was a tense subject he was bringing up, he knew that well enough and smiled lightly trying to ease the possible tension that may arise.
Dagena sighed, looking quite downcast as she struggled to find the words to explain, assuage, or even relate with what Herbert had spoken to her, "I…they will…I mean…"
Seeing her struggle to conjure a response only meant she had thought along the same lines as well, and for all her noble etiquette couldn't find a reason why Herbert's assumptions were baseless or simply untrue. Naturally, Herbert despaired.
Meekly he said, "You don't have to defend me, I knew there was quite little of a chance, to begin with. I told you I wouldn't have hope, and it wouldn't mean anything, but it seems that I lied."
"Oh, Herbert my love," seeing him look miserable had her cry out her love for him, she caressed his cheek and whispered softly to him, "My brothers don't matter, only Orson has quite a say in anything really and I know how to handle my brother, and Rainald doesn't matter, he's a bastard, he has no right to judge you."
Shockingly, despite her attempt to soothe him, Herbert pulled away and cried out, "He's a bastard yet he judges me, right or no! Orson? Orson has no sway over anything as I've seen and heard within the borders of Aville, if anything, your bastard brother is the one most esteemed in your family, as little as he is, he commands the Steward!"
Dagena had her lips pursed together, his words got had her tensed and confused. He spoke quite a bit of the truth, through some way or form, Rainald had acquired an embarrassing amount of power and word within the Duchy's true ruling classes namely her father and his council. And Rainald was amongst that council, holding the highest position at that.
"Rainald wouldn't get in our way, Herbert." Was the most she could say to convince herself and Herbert. It wasn't enough.
"Sure he won't," he nodded, not buying any of what she was saying, "You'd better get going, I'm going to get a drink, I'll be back."
Giving a nod Dagena could only wring her hands as she watched the man she loved begin to slip away, it hurt.
As noble, powerful and beautiful as she was, she couldn't yet save herself from the thought of heartbreak. She turned away, Herbert's form had finally gone out of view and she chanced upon her reflection, her smooth skin the desire of women, her plump red lips the desire of men, yet her nobility, sought by all, is the bane of her existence.
She blinked and wiped away the tears welled up in the eye, and filled them up instead with determination. If her nobility was the only tool she had left, she would use it to its fullest potential. Something good could yet come of this.