In the end, the meeting took all day.
Two dukes were having a dispute regarding some land and artefacts, and others were complaining about personal grudges or rivalries with each other that had spilt over into the political realm.
One of these grudges was that Grand Duke Alexander's eldest son was the one that had been promised a princess. Every single one of them believed that their sons were more capable.
The sun fell with nothing much being said or done, and Mio grimly thought about the court banquet being held in honour of the visiting duke. He hoped it wouldn't go on for too long.
As guests arrive at the courtyard, they are greeted by the sight of a long table adorned with elegant tablecloths, exquisite floral arrangements, and flickering candlelight. Soft music played in the background, creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere.
The menu was filled with delectable spring dishes, such as grilled asparagus, fresh salads with strawberries and cheese, and succulent lamb chops. Desserts included a variety of fruit tarts and delicate pastries, all made with the freshest ingredients by their chefs.
The dukes mingled and conversed with one another as they sampled the delicious food and drinks.
Laughter and chatter filled the air as everyone enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. Soon, maids escorted a row of scantily dressed concubines into the garden. The cuffs on the ladies' ankles clicked soundly on top of the orchestra playing their symphonies.
Under the starry night, the dancers became even more enchanting, with the warm glow of colourful lanterns and twinkling fairy lights reflecting onto their jewellery and oiled hair.
As the concubines start their dance, they gracefully move around the room, the sound of their bells jingling in tune with their movements. All eyes are fixed on them, and the guests watching with rapt attention.
Suddenly, one of the concubines misstepped, and her ankle twisted painfully, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. Gasps and murmurs of concern filled the garden as the other concubines rushed to help her up.
Senior maid Nancy quickly comes forward to take the injured concubine away for treatment. The music started again, but the mood in the room had shifted. The guests were no longer as focused on the dance as they were before, and the king had a dangerous glint in his eyes.
Mio and Juno were standing further away from the event in silence. Mio had the option to mingle with the advisors, but he didn't feel like it.
"You know, there is an old man with many daughters that used to sell us dairy at my orphanage," Juno started, eyes following Vivianne attentively. Mio hummed, wondering where Juno was going with this, but Juno never finished his sentence.
"Do you trust that Vivianne will stop her brother," Mio asked, gauging his reaction; Juno slightly nodded, turning to the blond boy next to him with a complicated expression.
Mio stared back with a blank look on his face.
"You have people you care for, right?" Mio asked quietly, trying to figure out Juno's motivation.
"I do. Everyone back home," Juno muttered slightly. Every one of the children he had watched over and grown up among, Mrs Reeves and the villagers. His entire life, up until this week, his very universe. He cared for them all because they were him, and he was them.
All those words he couldn't say to them as he suddenly left. He held onto them until he could speak them into existence. He hoped he could see them one day.
Mio remained silent, not commenting on Juno's misty eyes; he watched as Vivianne danced with Cesar, her gown flowing at her feet. His question was answered.
The marquess dancing with Vivianne was leading the dance at an exhilarating pace. Vivianne looked paler than usual, her steps shaky.
"Don't forget whose faith is lying in these people's hands," Mio simply said with an insidious smile on his face.
...
The music swelled, and the other dancers moved gracefully around her. Vivianne felt her head spin and her vision blur.
She stumbled, nearly falling to the ground, but was caught by her young guard, who had been watching her closely. He held her steady, one hand supporting her back and the other holding hers tightly.
The princess took a few deep breaths to regain her composure while the other dancers continued their routine around her. She looked up at her Juno, grateful for his quick reflexes and concerned expression.
"Are you alright, Your Highness?" he asked softly, his voice full of worry. Mio quickly arrived at her side, carrying some water.
The splitting headache lessened slightly as the cold beverage travelled down her throat.
The princess nodded, taking another deep breath. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for catching me, Juniper," she said, her voice still slightly shaky.
She couldn't tell if her heart was racing because of the dance or something else.
Her guard held her for a moment longer, ensuring she was steady on her feet before letting go. The princess straightened her dress and tried to compose herself, feeling embarrassed by her moment of weakness.
Juno leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Just wave at us if you want to get out of here," he said before he released her gently.
Mio glared down at the marquess before stepping away as well; Vivianne had a hard time reading his expression when he looked at her.
"Let's finish the dance," she said, determined to carry on and not let her fainting spells ruin the evening's festivities. Cesar grabbed her stretched hand, and Juno returned to his post, still observing her.
While dancing, she recalled something her mother used to drill into her head. A good princess remains pure-hearted in the presence of evil. Her thought got interrupted by the tall marquess's endless chatting. He complimented her clothing and praised her beauty.
"It's an honour to have your first dance, princess," He smiled.
She hummed in thought before she spoke, "Thank you, I am thankful for your company "
"Why so formal? You wound me," he said; as the dance came to an end, the princess felt Cesar's hand linger on her waist, making her skin crawl.
His breath ghosted her nap, and his words were carefully cherry-picked as he tried to flatter her more. Suddenly, the room feels like it's spinning, and the princess's head grows heavy.
She stumbled slightly and grasped her dance partner's arm to stop it from travelling further down, hoping to avoid any unwanted advances. "I'm sorry," she says, her voice shaking, eyes flickering over to her subordinates.
"Again?" Mio groaned, sick of running the entire ordeal already. They walked into the dancefloor once again, both annoyed.
"I'm feeling quite dizzy. I need to sit down." She tried to pull away, but her partner only tightened his grip, making her feel trapped; his breath was fanning her neck.
Suddenly, Juno placed a protective arm around her and led her away from the dance floor, despite the marquess's complaints. Mio blocked the drunk man from following them, pinning him down with a disgusted glare, grumbling something under his breath.
"Rest, my princess," He said with a slimy smile; his hair had gotten unruly from his quick steps and spins.
Goosebumps travelled up her spine at his predatory stare, she unconsciously leaned into Juno's chest, but she straightened her back when she noticed. She was gently led to a table close to the maids, and Mio ordered her some warm coffee to combat her lethargic state.
She was surprised to see the pair working so hard to fulfil their duties. She sank into the plush chair and watched their retreating backs as they left her to socialize again.
From a distance, she could see that Peony had approached Juno and Mio, her doe eyes sparkling in excitement at something. They listened to her eager blubbering, her twin braids flopping around, something she said must've been amusing as Juno laughed and put his hand on her shoulder.
She continued to observe the trio, but mostly Juno and Peony, as he had poked one of her dimples teasingly, his dark eyes twinkling, amused at her protests. Vivianne recalled Peony's frightened face that morning, feeling an odd sense of remorse.
Vivianne suddenly lost hold of her teacup; it splashed into her sheer dress, seeping into her skin and the tablecloth.
"Princess, be careful!" Nancy exclaimed; the trio rushed over in a hurry at the shout. Vivianne allowed tears to swell up in her eyes, fighting back a sob. Hair covered her face from the forming crowd.
"Ow.." She whined pitifully, her face flushing a similar colour to the blood dripping down her palm. Peony frowned, worried, gently clutching the princess's injured hand and lifting her gently onto her feet.
"Princess, let me take you to the physician," she said, but Vivianne was staring at Juno whilst sniffing, her plump lips twisted into a distressed pout. She tilted her head slightly, looking up at him through her long lashes. A tear rolled down her plump cheek, dripping down her chin.
"Don't worry, I'll take her to the infirmary," he said, lending her his arm.
....
They left Peony and Mio at the table, looking a little dazed at Vivianne's sudden injury.
"I hope it doesn't leave a mark," Peony signed, helping Nancy clean up the mess. The pair sat down at the table, and the maids returned to their duty.
Nancy had given Peony an hour-long break since she wasn't yet used to the high-paced job, especially when she had learned that she had sent the maid to a closed part of the building.
"How was your day," Mio asked, with his chin in the palm of his gloved hand. Peony signed deeply; the hair Mio had so carefully slicked back was back to its unruly state, a ribbon missing on one of her braids but he didn't bother informing her.
"You won't believe what I discovered," Peony began before she retold her day in a whisper. Mio listened to her, wondering about the study beyond the yett.
If what Peony was telling him was true, then the answer for why the Southern Empire of Sol and the Maritime State of Caspia were on good terms could be in that hidden study.
They had a hundred-year-old bloody war that had ended only twenty years ago. Mio felt a weird sensation in his stomach. They were treading on thin ice.
"So, you need us to cause a big enough ruckus for you to stamp the key with your mould?" Mio confirmed. It was crazy that her plan seemed plausible, considering that the head maid was so forgetful; she most likely hung the key in her office instead of carrying it around all day so she would not misplace it somewhere.
"Why would you do that?" he asked. If whoever was hiding documents discovered her, she and everybody she knew would get killed.
"The head maid dropped a very familiar-looking powder pouch before entering the pathway," she said, shaking her head.
"It was banned from the capital after many women fell ill; the princess and her mother both are being poisoned." Peony gritted out.
"We need to do something about this," she said.
"No, we don't," Mio said.
"What?"
"If royals are being poisoned, what makes you think us breaking the story will resolve this?" He asked.
"But...a pregnant woman is getting poisoned!" Peony protested.
"If she's as deluded as you say, it's too late for her anyway. Just warn Vivianne so she can get prescribed chelating medicine." Mio said, face blank.
Peony looked at him with shaky eyes; she hadn't expected him to be so nonchalant about the ordeal.
"How could we live with ourselves?"
"You won't live at all if the situation turns on you. Don't you know your disposable?"
Everyone was on standby as they were hosting all of the dukes of the country. Among the thousands of people attending, nobody paid attention to them or what they were discussing, still they silently agreed to end the conversation for now.
They sat there in silence for a while; Vivianne and Juno had yet to return from the infirmary. A small appetizer rolled out and got served to the hungry guests that had been dancing eagerly.
They moved further away to sit under a tree to avoid the growing crowd near their table. Mio thought long and hard about what Peony had said.
Truly, they also ran a risk of being harmed, especially since they took her stance during the meeting.
"I guess we have to wait for Juno to return," Peony muttered.
"Well, I think he'll agree with me", Mio whispered. Peony looked at him with a deadpan look.
"By the way, if people getting close to Vivianne is getting poisoned, how do you know we won't be next." Peony had asked the one question he didn't have an answer to.
"Because we have no status and aren't close to her! Who would spend time on us?" Mio said, pinching his nose bridge; it was all a hypothetical question, to an unlikely situation. Everything would be fine if they minded their businesses.
"You're her advisor, and I am her lady-in-waiting! Not to mention, Juniper is her personal guard!" Peony argued.
The other three attendants would also return at the end of the week, putting them in danger as well. Anyone on her side was in danger, regardless of class.
"We don't have any proof, and what if the king kills us, it's obvious that he was the one that got her pregnant!" Mio whispered back, exasperated.
"I get what you mean, but any jury would charge the head maid with treason or conspiracy, at least for the makeup. " Peony said, chewing on her lip nervously.
"Guards saw you hold up her schedule as a permission slip to enter the premises. Easily, she can say that a traitorous commoner poisoned the consort" Mio's words shook Peony deeply. She hadn't realized that she could be framed.
"And that cloaked figure will plot our demise if we interfere", Mio signed. Whoever is assisting the head maid won't go down without a fight, that's for sure.
"I'll find a way," Peony said, fire burning in her deep brown eyes.
"Look!" somebody said, pointing at the sky in horror; a bright red flare was illuminating the starry sky, and the guests were startled and confused, wondering what was happening.
The banquet was suddenly thrown into chaos as knights rushed to their posts, and the king and queen were quickly surrounded by the royal knights. The sound of screaming servants echoed to the banquet, filled with terror and pleas.
"Baraccade the entrance! Protect the royal family at all costs!" Captain Tungsten roared out, lighting his own flare, a bright red one, to order backup from the fortress. The concubines were trembling on stage, hurdled together.
"Where's Coco?" one of them wailed in distress. The young concubine hadn't returned after her injury, and neither had the maid Nancy who had escorted her out.
The same could be said regarding Princess Vivianne and Juno.