Chapter 6

Silver platters laden with flavorful delicacies eventually make their way to the table, where I and a few other maids are left to serve portions. By the time I find my way back to the wall, my cheeks are burning again, and I avoid making eye contact with any of my sisters. 

I take my time watching the competitors as they eat. I decide that the girl from Nirnsich is the most attractive, and that's why Althea was chatting with her. She has also identified her as her biggest opponent, therefore I assume she abides by the adage "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."

But when I look at each face more closely, I realize how unique they are all. Who is descended from which lineage and who is not a sister are readily apparent.

There are six noble bloodlines in Raelia. The Houses of Agnarys, Water, and Steel; Cliffgard, Earth, and Moon; Ounsli, Earth, and Moon; and Fragor, Storm, are the Houses of Agnarys, Water, and Moon, respectively.

And there's the line of Gahndor. Everything has been improved by them.

I watch until Prince Kohl gets up to address the table because I know he hasn't done so yet. I have a feeling that everyone else is waiting too. But even when he finishes his dinner and anxiously motions for a maid to take his plates away, the man does not budge from his seat.

I find his apathy irritating. Although it's customary for hosts to stand and address the table, it's possible that gahndors don't follow this protocol. Ultimately, it appears that the monarch is unconcerned about his son's absence of an address. He simply shrugs her off and responds, even though the queen whispers a few quick words in his ear. She bites her lip and looks back at the girls, and I swear, there's regret in her eyes. Prince Kohl gives her a startled little slap on the shoulder and says something else, and I can't help but notice that he suddenly smiles. Though it's brief and clearly meant exclusively for his mother's eyes, I can't help but note how it brightened his face. For an instant, he did not appear to be a cold, ruthless prince. For an instant, he appeared to be normal. Pleasant, even.

After that, he gets up. As Kohl circles the table and approaches their side, the girls at the table straighten and get giddy with excitement. He walks by the girls, and I watch as their faces droop one by one. As he approaches Althea, I notice a smug look flash up on her face, which disappears when he stops behind the Lunous girl who is seated next to her. He stoops to whisper something to her, and even though I can't hear what he's saying, I can tell by Althea's bitter expression that it's not good.

The girl from Lunous offers him a flirtatious glance. She accepts his hand as he extends it while standing. They stroll around the Dining Room's length together. 

In the direction of the exit, in full view of a minimum of one hundred observers, I glanced across at the table. All the girls display identical facial expressions, which range from jealousy to disappointment to pure dejection, as would be expected.

For a second time, I am grateful that I am not participating in the Queenstrials. After only twenty minutes of getting to know them, Prince Kohl made the decision to put the most attractive one to bed. Lord, I can't believe I was expected to compete for such a shallow, uninteresting man, even if I know that my goal in competing was never to win his heart.

The remainder of the meal goes downhill. The girls follow the king and queen in dismissing themselves, and soon we are the only maids left wiping the table. After we finish, we are dismissed by a cleaner at a higher level, and I return to the hallways. My only task now would be to locate Gertrude's room and ideally meet Macy there.

I let out a long sigh as I approach the base of the opulent staircase. I have quite the evening ahead of me.