Lesley Castle in Aquitian~
As Maid Naomi wiped her devastation away to replace it with a vengeful spite as she blinked away her humiliation. Gathering herself together she was brushing her hair neatly aside when she collided into the young countess, Parmalis, and the Cardinal Pitti's third son, Prince Aracelis of Turin as the countess was on her way of being the tour guide to the similarly aged prince. They were on their way to the Lesley's Portrait Gallery, which housed the vast art collection owned by the family, in the east wing and were just en route to passing the library as they caught the disheveled Maid Naomi.
Aracelis immediately understood the nature of her dishevelment, as he was used to seeing the flustered Handmaidens in the Capitol; he was used to his own father's Handmaiden, Maid Landoline, look similarly undone if he and his brothers were unexpectedly early to greet their father. Maid Landoline, who was fairly young as she was but a handful of years older than Aris, would emerge similarly flushed and disheveled as Maid Naomi was now. And witnessing this, Aracelis was immediately struck with questioning the validity of those claims that the Lesley men were monogamously faithful to their brides only. Maid Naomi's dress implied the illicit nature of the activities that had most certainly ensued and Aracelis knew what those activities meant as Aneislis had found it humorous to educate the young boy. Aracelis tersely smiled at the flushed Maid Naomi who stiffly bowed to acknowledge the children's presence before she shuffled away, and he silently accepted the notion that all men, despite their words, were essentially the same. And this saddened the young prince for it marginally dimmed the glitter on the glass he had viewed Aquitian with but equally it gave him some pleasure that the Aquitians were in some ways like his own family in Turin.
Parmalis on the other hand had failed to understand the surprise in seeing Maid Naomi and was instead naively happy at catching the Maid, for Parmalis truly did see Naomi as her sister, a sister that she never had. But as Maid Naomi shuffled away wordlessly with a lack of the friendliness that she normally smiled upon Parmalis with, the young countess was slightly hurt. And as she hung her head down with the sudden brush of dejection that she felt over the supposed rejection, a breeze happened to flutter the Countess's heavy hair.
Naomi had sensed the sadness that had befallen the Countess and felt a pang in her chest for in many ways she did care for the young girl. The Countess really did love Naomi and the Handmaiden sensed that it was one of sincerity which had in turn softened Naomi's affection for the Countess to mimic her feelings of sisterly love. So Maid Naomi did not wish to inflict any sort of rejection to the young girl she cared for, and turned to apologize for her coldness when she froze. The moment she turned back, the wind had momentarily shifted the Countess's hair and in the manner that the light sifted through the windows of the long hall, it shone brightly like a concentrated spotlight on the Countess's high nape of her neck. And Naomi saw that which now made everything so clear. It was an instantaneous moment for her hair fell like a curtain back, covering the secret but Naomi had seen it, that which the Duke had seen as well. The 'Star', the Lord's mark, the indication of a member of the Hall of Shadows, it shown brightly, however brief, unmistakable. Naomi remained frozen even after the children disappeared for it flooded to her, all the seeming oddities of the young Countess and it rang a clear answer.
Naomi fluttered her hands to her face as she was suddenly overcome with a multitude of emotions. To discover one with the star, there was great promises of wealth and power to those who were essentially the discoverers. But Naomi knew the Hall of Shadows. In her trainings as a Handmaiden, she had on many occasions crossed paths with the Oracles and the highest of their kind, the Madeleine, and she recalled how all in the Sisterhood and even the Brotherhood would brush aside to the sides to bow in reverence to those women. It was a position of power, Naomi knew, but she knew even better that it was essentially a prison as well, as those women, all of noble heritage were forced to abandon all of their previous histories to emerge as these heavenly heralds of sorts, only ever half on earth with the rest of the world.
Naomi gasped a breathe by herself as she understood the leverage she now possessed with this knowledge but she also looked towards the Countess's last position as a tear fell down her left cheek. To impress upon the bright and happy Countess the fate of being a member of the Hall of Shadows, Naomi was unsure that the young girl deserved such a fate.
Meanwhile still hurt by Naomi's rebuff, the Countess struggled to smile brightly as she looked towards the timid young prince in front of her. Parmalis had decided that she would be his tour guide of sorts as she felt a stirring insistence that she was to guide him for some reason, not merely in the paths to the palace, but beyond. However that was likely unsettling to express to the Prince Aracelis in its entirety so Parmalis concluded that she would begin with being his docent at Lesley Castle.
"This is the Hall of Portraits. It is not my favorite, but I do enjoy looking at faces of my ancestors occasionally. It's fascinating how fashion has changed, is it not? I cannot imagine wearing such a wide lace collar," Parmalis laughed as she reflected upon an earlier Archduchess's portrait.
"The tiaras remain rather consistent though," the Pitti Prince interjected with a smile.
"The jewelry rarely differs. There are new additions quite often, as the Archduchesses, who were princesses from different provinces, introduce their native pieces. The inherited pieces never change though…like the Lesley locket. Do you see how every single person in the portraits possesses the same locket?" the Countess pointed at the glittering circular piece with a looping 'L' present on the portrait sitter's neck, waist, or wrist.
"I see. It is magnificent. Is it an heirloom?"
"Oui. It is likely the only piece I will be allowed to take with me after I marry the Duke of Gascone's son," Parmalis spoke woefully as her fingers fluttered to touch her spectacularly extravagant diamond, sapphire, and pearl encrusted tiara. As large as a headpiece, it looked very much like a sparkling disc or halo that encircled her head from ear to ear.
"I shan't even receive one heirloom, Countess, so please don't look so forlorn," he smiled as he feigned greater disappointment.
"C'est triste! How sad…ah!" she lighted up as she suddenly unclasped a long golden chain from her neck. As she lifted it up from her bodice, she revealed her own Lesley locket, "Voila! I shall give you one of mine."
"Vous êtes sûr? Are you sure? Can you really give it away to me?" Aracelis looked at her wide eyed as she clasped it around his neck.
"Bien sûr! Of course! It is a tradition for the Lesley family to gift it to friends. Nous sommes meilleurs amis, n'est-ce pas? We are friends, aren't we?" she smiled widely as she tilted her head.
"Well, yes..." Aracelis looked wide-eyed as a smile crept upon his face that struggled to maintain composure, "If you don't mind Countess, I would be honored to be your friend."
"Mind? Tu es drôle…you are funny. Mais oui, cela m'est égal…I don't mind. I am glad you accept," she laughed.
"Avec plaisir…with great pleasure, Countess." Aracelis, though stunned at her generosity, smiled at her.
"Parmalis," she reminded him.
"Yes, Parmalis," Aracelis bit his lip as he was suddenly moved to tears, "I will treasure it forever."
Parmalis merely laughed as she was charmed at his wave of emotion but somewhere in the back of her mind, deep in her subconscious she suddenly felt something that most closely resembled doubt and fear. She was startled at herself for possessing such feelings upon looking at the young amiable prince in front of her that she crushed it and embraced the prince with a radiant smile.
"I am so glad," she whispered in his ear.
"I am too," he breathed with nervous happiness.
The prince was about to reveal his affection for the Comtesse when Maid Naomi entered the Hall of Portraits. He immediately saw her unhappy disposition and her bitter, contorted expression. Parmalis however dismissed such readings and smiled widely at her brother's handmaiden. Naomi received Parmalis's enthusiasm coldly before she directed her to Nuit. The Countess blissfully remained ignorant and waved to Aracelis before she disappeared with Nuit to pay a visit to her ill sister-in-law, the Marquise Téresitte.