"Again?" The first Queen asks her Lady-in-waiting.
"The gentlemen were all quite disappointed. They say the number today was more than that of yesterday. They all got sent away after hours of waiting for her. It made some Mamas angry because their daughters got no callers, yet she was treating all the men that had called on her wrongly."
"He must be furious, Vaughn I mean. After all, I made it a command for him to visit her."
"He hasn't said anything about it. More than that, I am worried people will start condemning your choice of her as Diamond if this continues."
"Hmmmmmm. Maybe it's time I and the Diamond had a little talk. Get me my stationeries, and have my letter delivered to the Diamond at House Erskine as soon as am done."
~
She pushed down the entire tray, breaking every plate and cup inside it and screaming along as she broke them.
"You have to calm down, My Lady." Her maid pleads.
"Calm down! Who? Me? Why should I? Tell me why?" She yells about to throw a vase at her maid but her mother gets hold of her hand in time.
"Margery! Get a hold of yourself." Her mother warns.
"How can I when not a single caller came here today, but what? They all went over to House Erskine who turned them all away again. That was supposed to be me, Mama. I should be the one doing that and all the bachelors groveling at my feet to have me as their bride. This season was supposed to be mine."
"And it will be. I will make sure you get the best marriage this season. Even your Papa is working on it."
"But... " She begins to cry. "But they all keep going to Lady Erskine's house. Not a single caller today, Mama. The other Mamas will talk and laugh."
"I have long been making sure that you get the best marriage offer the marriage market will have whenever you get out in society, and nobody will steal that from you. I promise you."
~
"Your Majesty." Kidaya says curtsying to the Queen. She had received a letter and a carriage from the Queen asking her to come to the Palace. Anxious, her Aunt Agnes had wanted to follow her, but she had finally convinced her Aunt to let her go with just her maid as Chaperone.
The Queen smiles at her. "You are ever the beauty." The Queen says to her. They were in the Queen's Drawing, the same one they had used the day she was presented to Her Majesty.
"Not at all, Your Majesty. Seeing you today, I believe I have some competition. You."
The Queen laughs. "And you're quite the charmer, so why then are you giving the men a cold shoulder?" The Queen asks taking a sip of tea.
Kidaya raises her teacup to her mouth and takes a sip. "It's not a cold shoulder, Your Majesty, I am just trying to make sure they work hard for what they want."
The Queen looks at her and scoffs. "You want them to work for you?"
"Isn't that what a Diamond is supposed to do? Make the Season interesting? Especially one as rare as myself like you call me."
The Queen stifles a laugh. "You have a peculiar way of making the Season interesting."
"I have to, it's the only way I can make the Season as rare as myself."
"I know diamonds are made from extreme pressure. But too much pressure and you may get coal or ashes out of it."
"I -"
"Do not send the men away tomorrow without seeing them." Kidaya looks up at the Queen, to see her firm eyes on her. "You do not want your name in the marriage market being dragged down for the wrong reason. Tomorrow, give them the attention they need."
"Isn't that-
"To be a true Rare Diamond, you must learn the ability to push and pull things to your favor. You have pushed the gentlemen away for days now, now it is time you pull them to yourself so you can push them again when needed."
Kidaya widens her eyes at the Queen's words.
"Diamonds entice people. Trick them into doing things they shouldn't just to get hold of it. You should be like that too."
Kidaya observes the Queen and her every movement as she spoke.
"I heard my son was there today too. Did you see him?" The Queen asks with a smile.
"Ahh!" Kidaya exclaims. "I was hoping he wasn't yours, but I guess he is. That pompous -" Kidaya gasps when the realization of her words hits her. She was in front of the Queen, the mother of the - "I am sorry Your Majesty, I completely forgot my place and manners."
The Queen laughs, like she has never in a long time. Even her Lady-in-waiting had been about to scold the Diamond but when she saw the Queen laugh so heartily, she stopped.
"I was about to ask you your opinion of him, but I guess you were in a hurry to express yourself about him."
Kidaya bowed her head. "I apologize, Your Majesty."
Still laughing. "I guess he has even that effect on you." She scoffs. "I am glad I am not the only one who feels that way about him. Feel free to come and badmouth him to me anytime you feel the need to. I would gladly listen."
Kidaya kept her head bowed, even her maid did so.
"There's a ball tonight, I hope you are attending." The Queen says.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I am."
"You may not realize it now, but the marriage market will soon become very strenuous on you, after all, you are at the center of it. Have fun now, My Diamond, and try not to miss any events or parties, or walks. At the end of the season, they all will be part of the memories you had."
~
"It's beautiful, isn't it." Margery says coming to stand in front of the Diamond with two glasses in her hands.
"What?" Kidaya asks looking at Margery.
"The Ball of course. I hear it is better than the one they hosted last year. What do you think?" Margery asks stretching the glass on her left to Kidaya who took it.
"Thank you. Unfortunately, I wasn't here last year to tell you which is better. Did you hear anything, Eddna? Joan?" Kidaya asks her cousins.
"Not at all, but I am sure Margery would know." At Joan's words, Margery smiled in self-appraisal. "After all, she is always at the center of every gossip in the ton."
"Joan!" Margery exclaims with a fake smile. "Surely you do not mean that."
"I mean it just as much as you meant pushing me into the pit last year," Joan says.
Still faking a smile. "That was a year ago."
"Yet, I still remember, because it became a horror to me."
"Joan! I am-"
"Lord Wade is here." One of the Mamas announced and the entire hall went into a frenzy.
Using that opportunity, Kidaya steps out of the hall before her Aunt will try to pair her up with a Lord. She breathes in the air and smiles. She was about to step back inside when she heard voices and slowly, she saw herself following the voice until she saw the group of men who were talking. She wanted to turn back and leave but she heard them mention her, the Diamond.