" My lady."
Lady Hestia's voice brought Eudora back to her senses. She looked up to see all her ladies-in-waiting gathered around her. They looked worried.
Eudora has been distracted since she woke up.
She tried putting butter in her tea instead of sugar, kept trying to cut the imaginary omelet on her plate, and kept staring outside the window into the garden and seemed to be lost in thought.
" Are you alright, my lady?"
" Yes."
In reality, she wasn't.
She kept thinking about what happened last night.
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
I'm all yours, my love
His words wouldn't stop echoing through her mind.
" In that case…these are letters you received. All the noble ladies want to invite you to their gatherings. It seems that you are quite popular, my lady!"
Lady Iris excitedly handed the stack of letters to Eudora and sat next to her opening them one by one.
" And this one is from the governess of West Qisun."
Eudora frowned.
She had not heard that name before.
" Who is that?"
" Oh, she the newly elected governess of West Qisun. My lady, you must be unfamiliar with Qisun. Qisun is located near the capital Boulevard. It's split into two, West Qisun and East Qisun."
" Why is that?"
" At the start of the Tatum Dynasty, the ruler, King Phillipe Tatum had extreme views about women to put it nicely. This for centuries shaped how women were treated in Tatum. Things got better for women eventually with rulers like King Aasmir II and King Remus I but most Qisun men still held onto King Phillipe's ways and mistreated women. Most of the women had enough and fled to the West side of Qisun which was just bare land back then and claimed it as theirs. The men tried to protest but it wasn't fruitful and out of spite, they banished any men that sided with the women. Now West Qisun is ruled by women and East Qisun is ruled by men."
" Mhm.." Eudora nodded.
" Then, should we accept the invitation..?"
" Accept them all!" Eudora stood up with her motivation streaming through her veins once more." I must work on gaining a better reputation in Tatum!"
Madam Maxime looked proud.
—--
On the other side of the palace.
Arthur was hard at work. He could barely be seen behind the towers of papers and files. His assistant, Lord Caspian was drowning in paperwork that needed to be done by the end of the day.
The two sit in silence and do their work until there was a knock at the door.
Caspian eagerly turned to the door to see someone that could save him from his misery.
However, it was just Arthur's messenger, Soren. Which probably meant one thing.
" More work…" Caspian thought as he cried in his head.
" Soren."
" Greetings, your highness." Soren knelt and greeted Arthur.
"Do you have what I want?"
Soren stood up and handed a letter to Arthur.
" Lord Erix and his mother, Noble Consort Cersei have been in contact with the Einar family. They also requested an audience with Duke Zephyr a few days back. They tried to lure Duke Zephyr to join them with promises of returning West Zephyr's coal mine to him. You will be pleased to hear that Duke Zephyr declined and has expressed solidary with you your Highness."
The corners of Arthur's mouth lifted into a smug smirk. He checked the letter and put it down. He clasped his fingers and looked up at Soren.
" Good. Anything else?"
" A lot of noblewomen have invited Her Highness. Their intentions are unclear. Please, warn the Crown Princess Consort not to let her guard down."
"Mhmm… Those noblewomen are more cunning than foxes and their tongues are more venomous than snakes," said Lord Caspian.
" If they dare to upset my wife, I will make them regret it for the rest of their life."
Arthur didn't want to be known as a pushover rather, he wanted to go down in history as a wise king who wasn't to be trifled with but most importantly, a loving husband.
He would do anything to ensure that Eudora's smile was never erased even if it meant erasing a few people off the census.
" Woah, you called her your wife. You must adore her."
Arthur side-eyed Lord Caspian.
" Is she not my wife? Why wouldn't I adore her?" Arthur turned to Soren and said, " Send some suitable attire for all the events Her Highness was invited to."
Lord Caspian was speechless.
" Yes, Your Highness." Soren bowed and then left.
—
Back in Eudora's bedroom.
Eudora was looking through her closet to find suitable outfits for the events.
Arthur arranged a new wardrobe for Eudora before she set foot in Tatum.
" This must have cost a fortune, right..?"
Eudora muttered to herself.
" Are you working on what I told you last night?"
It was just Madame Maxime and Eudora in the room.
Eudora was startled by the question.
" We…"