Talia woke late in the morning. The bed was empty, though it was still warm. She sat up at once, but Prince Mikhail had gone.
Talia stretched and rubbed her eyes. Almost immediately she remembered that she would soon meet the woman her sister had made her successor in Unaria. She wanted to dress well.
At some point during the morning, her trunks from Bludston had been delivered. They were left conspicuously in the center of the room, and she went to them at once, throwing each open and sifting through the contents eagerly.
It was a terrible shame that she had taken no interest in gowns before. Each dress seemed more drab than the last. Fioria had tried to convince her to choose elegant styles and luxurious fabrics, but she had refused the girl at every turn.
How she wished she had Fioria's opinion now! Prince Mikhail had assured her that her former maid was recovering and under the care of a physician within the palace. Perhaps she would be allowed to speak with her soon.
Talia selected a simple blue-grey gown that seemed to have a sleeker form than the others, and found a few gold pins at the bottom of the trunk for her hair.
She resolved to visit Judice and Mahet as soon as possible. Ora had been viewed by the Unarian court as highly fashionable. It had won her many friends. She did not want to be known as Queen Ora's plain and boring sister.
Talia was braiding her hair when the servant arrived with her breakfast-- or perhaps it was lunch.
The girl curtseyed and set the tray on the table before slowly approaching.
"Begging your pardon, my lady, but I've been asked to deliver a message," she said nervously.
"A message from Prince Mikhail?" Talia asked, setting her pin down to give the girl her full attention.
"No, ma'am. From an errand girl who came from outside the palace. She's waiting in the hall right now, and has asked to speak with you. The guards won't allow her to enter," the girl explained.
Talia smirked. She wasn't entirely sure that she would be allowed to leave the room. Her curiosity would, at least, cause her to try. Perhaps it was a message from Judice and Mahet.
"Thank you, you may go," Talia dismissed the girl, and continued braiding her hair.
After pinning her braids up in a simple knot, she stood and went to the door. She straightened her back and lifted her chin before going out.
Although the guards did not stop her, she did hear the creak of leather as they immediately tensed.
Talia paused to glance around, and noticed the errand girl waiting patiently for the Princess to acknowledge her. Talia recognized her at once. It was the girl Judice had pointed out the day before, the errand girl that ran between Grieta's brothel and the palace.
Talia began to walk toward her, but stopped when she realized that one of the guards had advanced at her side. She turned to glare at him.
"What are you doing right now?" She demanded.
"Our Prince has requested that the Princess of Vezda be escorted at all times. It is for the Princess's protection, of course."
"Of course it is," Talia frowned. "I do not mean to leave the hallway. I will speak with the girl, and not leave your sight. It is entirely presumptuous of you to think it necessary to remain directly by my side. I am sure the Prince did not mean that."
"Forgive me, Princess, but I am sure he did mean it in that way. With your recent illness, we are to take no chances," the guard answered quickly.
Talia did her best to keep the annoyance she felt from her face. She drew a deep breath and did her best to smile pleasantly.
"Very well," she said.
She turned her head to see that the girl was approaching her. She waited while the young woman curtseyed and held out a sealed envelope.
"I was sent to bring greetings from my lady to the Princess of Vezda. Please forgive my lady if by sending me, she has caused you any discomfort or unease. She means only to send her highest regards as a former citizen of Vezda," the girl said and curtseyed again.
"Of course," Talia nodded graciously. She turned to face the guard at her side.
"I suppose you'll have to search through my private correspondence as well?" She smirked.
"No, Princess, but I will have to inform the Prince of it," he answered bluntly.
"Yes, well... if you'll excuse me then." She gave a stiff nod and returned to the room.
Once inside, she ripped open the envelope and hastily opened the letter:
To our beloved Princess Talia of Vezda, daughter of House Eosin, former ruler of Vezda,
Greetings. I am Lady Grieta, formerly of Fronov in Vezda, and now citizen of Unaria. I was a former royal concubine to Emperor Alexsi, and am now a noble lady invested in many businesses.
I apologize for sending a communication without a proper introduction, and hope that my greeting will not offend our Princess.
This morning, I received word that the Princess would visit one of my homes accompanied by our Prince, and I am very honored.
I write to inform you that an early dinner will be served. That formal attire is not required, and it is my hope that we will have a pleasant chat, for there are many things I remember with fondness about Vezda.
It may interest you to know that I keep many Vezdan traditions in my home, as well as works by Vezdan artists, all of which I hope to hear your opinion on. Of special note is an antique Vezun harp said to be made by the hand of Quadi of Eosin himself, as well as a painting of the wedding of Princess Alula of which Queen Ora herself was quite fond.
I look forward to meeting you in person.
Your humble servant,
Lady Grieta Kend
Talia read and reread the letter before folding it and sliding it back into the envelope.
There were several ways she could view such a missive. It was indeed very forward of Grieta to begin a correspondence with anyone from House Eosin without first receiving a formal introduction.
It might have been a display of power, to show that she was now above the Princess in hierarchy, but Talia did not believe that a woman who was rumored to be intelligent and long-sighted, as well as being a former ally of her sister, would be foolish enough to want to make an enemy of her from the start.
No.
There was more to the letter than that. The woman knew Prince Mikhail quite well. She was his lover, after all-- or perhaps former lover... he had never quite cleared that up. There was something she was trying to convey only to the Princess, while knowing full well that Prince Mikhail would certainly read her letter also.
The marriage of Princess Alula... it would likely have something to do with that. Princess Alula was a legendary warrior in Vezdan stories-- a warrior who, quite famously, never married.
She might chalk it up to simple ignorance, of not knowing the country's history, but the woman's insistence that Queen Ora favored such a painting signaled that there was something she was trying to convey.
Talia again began to rummage through her trunks, searching for cosmetics. She had not given it much thought the night before, other than to be somewhat offended at how easily Mikhail had suggested introducing her to his lover, but it would certainly be an odd sort of visit. She had not realized that Prince Mikhail would join them for the discussion, and now she wondered if he truly did not feel the least bit uncomfortable. Perhaps if she watched them both carefully, she would learn something.
She had just found her powders when the door burst open and Prince Mikhail strode quickly into the room. He glanced her over before his eyes swept the rest of the room.
"You seem to be agitated, Prince Mikhail," she observed. "Is there something you would like to ask me?"
"Did Grieta deliver something to you-- a letter, or a package?" He asked.
"She did," Talia agreed, holding up a mirror as she carefully began applying powder.
In the silence that followed, she could feel Mikhail's eyes on her. He wanted to demand that she hand it over, but likely believed that she would taunt him and refuse. To be honest, even a day earlier, she would have.
"Would you like to see it?" She asked at last.
"Yes," he growled.
"I believe I must have tossed it in the trunk over there," she said lightly, glancing at it with her eyes.
He moved quickly, and found the letter at once. Talia heard the rustle of paper and then silence as he scanned the contents.
"Was there something else included with the letter?" He asked.
"Such as?" She frowned.
"A second letter, a secret message, anything... anything odd at all," he asked.
"No," she answered and shrugged.
"There is some code in this then... some message that she means only for you," he guessed.
"I suppose it's possible," Talia agreed readily, at last setting down her mirror and powder brush to turn and face him. "Why do you think that is the case?"
Mikhail scowled, but seemed to understand what she was saying without words-- honesty for honesty.
"Because she asked to speak with you in private and when I refused, she did not seem the least bit perturbed. It suggests to me that she has other ideas on how to communicate," he admitted.
"You seem very concerned of what she might say to me without your supervision," Talia observed.
"Yes. Grieta is something of a firebrand. The methods she uses to achieve her ends are, too often, dangerous and ill-concieved. I do not want her whispering any of her seditious and deadly plans in your ear. She will get herself exposed and executed eventually. I would prefer you had as little contact with her a possible," he explained.
Talia nodded.
"A harsh thing to say about one who you-"
"As I said before, there is no love lost between the two of us. We are sometimes allies by necessity, and we respect one another, but there is little trust on either side," he answered.
"It is possible there is something coded in her letter, but in all honesty, I am not certain of it. It is odd that she sent a letter of introduction, and there are a few phrases that strike me as unnecessary or awkward, but I cannot say for certain that it is anything other than a noble lady's power play... or perhaps a lover feeling threatened by-"
"I have already informed Grieta and my subordinates of our engagement. Because it seemed to me last night that the Princess was uncomfortable with my habit of associating with other women, I have also informed her that I intend to follow Vezdan customs on fidelity. At least until such time as I am required to take a second wife. In such case, even if Grieta felt jealousy-- which I assure you, she does not-- she does not need to fear a battle for my affection. There is no battle. To whatever degree I am capable of displaying my affection, the Princess is already victor," he murmured.
Talia fought the grin that was struggling to spread across her face.
"Very well," she said calmly. However, when she again lifted the mirror to finish her make-up, she noticed that she was was smiling ever so faintly.