Esme grabbed her bowl and slurpped the remaining soup in one go. This was her chance. Of course she had no established exit plan and she couldn't steal the prince away that morning but at least she could meet him and inform him.
She pushed her chair back ready to stand up and volunteer to serve his meal when Delphi's left foot crashed down harshly on her right foot under the table.
Esme went red in the face from holding in the string of swear words that fought to burst out of her. She looked to Delphi who looked completely casual chewing into her bread as if her leg hadn't just crushed Esme's.
Delphi didn't meet her eyes but she gave a very subtle almost unnoticeable shake of her head and her eye lashes flicked in the girls direction.
Esme me looked forward and her gaze settled on the girl who was now wiping her mouth with a napkin. There was still some beef soup in her bowl.
The girl turned to another girl seated beside her 'You can have the rest of my soup. I don't quite like the beef that settles at the bottom'. Then she fluffed her hair, wet her lips and stood.
Minutes had passed and nobody else had made a move to volunteer to serve the foreign prince.
The girl walked forward and then volunteered. She followed the other servant out and there seemed to be a collective sigh after she left.
Delphi's foot released Esme's and she offered her a sheepish smile.
'Sorry about that Ria'.
Esme managed to return her smile 'That's okay', she said in a strained voice. 'I figure you were saving my head just now'.
Delphi nodded then frowned.
'You can't be too forward in the palace Ria it's dangerous'.
'I really understand that', Esme said then quickly added 'I've been intensely forewarned. I just thought I was being warned concerning the nobles'.
'Not just them. Everyone. The greatest mistake one can make within the palace is not knowing their place'.
Esme nodded accepting the lecture.
'What's the deal tho with the foreign prince why can't anybody else serve him?'
Delphi sighed 'I'm only telling you this so you know how to keep yourself safe. That girl may wear the same uniform as us and eat at the same table as us but she isn't like us or one of us. That girl is Nalette Stunne'.
Esme narrowed her eyes in confusion.
'The Stunne family', Delphi echoed as if Esme should recognise it immediately.
Esme was well informed about the names and titles of the noble families that worked closely with North Chedii's king and none of them were Stunne. She had never heard that name.
Delphi sighed again and when she spoke again her voice was many decibels lower.
'I guess since you paid your way into the palace you probably didn't attend training school at all'.
Esme shook her head.
Delphi gasped a bit then composed herself.
'That's low. Usually people that pay their way in are people who attended training school but failed the exams', She looked closely at Esme 'So you don't even know the basics about serving royalty'.
Esme met her eyes, 'I've served several nobles and even a duke'
'I suppose that would do', Delphi remarked.
Now acquited of her fears Delphi launched into a lecture.
'You see the head matron?'
Esme turned and her eyes found the head matron for a split second before returned her focus to Delphi, nodding.
'That's Nalette's aunt. She is the One hundred and twenty-third Stunne who is matron of the imperial kitchen. Their family has managed to maintain that position regardless of the change in king or empire. It has somewhat become a monarchy of its own. The Stunne matrons work in the imperial kitchen and then retire to work at the training school. Their family is the most respected in all palace servants. Not many people fancy making a legacy out of being palace servants but one can't argue against the advantages it has provided the Stunnes who are just a working class family. They sit in a class of their own that is neither middle class or upper class but they can afford good things afterall the job of a matron is good money'.
Esme turned to study the head matron again. She was a petite woman just like Nalette but she executed her job with such an audacity that confirmed Delphi's story.
Delphi continued.
'Of course Nalette is next in line to be head matron but it seems the working class princess has higher ambitions that her family don't seem opposed to'.
'Like what?'
'Becoming foreign princess'.
Esme gaped
'But she's still a lowly working class girl'.
'That's why their target is the foreign prince and not the crown prince'.
The pieces of the puzzle were already forming a picture in Esme's head but it was still quite blurry.
'I still don't understand' she told Delphi doing her best to sound stupid.
Delphi harrumphed
'The foreign prince is Kechan from Sukech. He is a tribute prince. You know what happened at the last battle between Sukech and North Chedii right?'
Esme kept her face blank.
Delphi narrowed her eyes but went on 'When the Kechan forces were loosing the war they waved a white flag and offered a prince as a promise to not attack. Our King was merciful enough to accept their tribute and the foreign prince has been in this palace since he was a child. Everyone knows the kind of children who are given as tribute. He isn't exactly the best Kechan Prince in terms of connections I assume. But he is still a Prince. Within this palace he is accorded the recerence of a prince. He is tall and handsome and has a small fortune to his name. The Chedian princesses and noble ladies show much intrest in him but we all know they can't have him. He has been cut off from the connections of his fathers royal house, here in chedii he has no strong backing, he is not an heir and is without an army and his fortune is not the most impressive. No noble family would waste a marriage connection on him. Still the King has announced that he is willing to leave him some fortune if he marries a chedian woman. In that sense he can only look to the working class families for a wife and what most suitable working class family is there than the Stunne'.
The picture finally seemed clear enough and Esme nodded in understanding. It seemed the people of North Chedii had some distortion in their history.
They didn't know the tribute was an exchange or that the war was a truce on both sides. Royal propaganda was at play and now they believed the foreign prince was something of a charity case.
Except the foreign prince was well treated so that princess Juleka in Sukech could also be well treated. And what was this talk about marrying him to a chediian woman.