Speeches and Conversations

Second Prince Alberic arrived at exactly seven o' clock. The young man was dressed in the colors of the royal family, his light hair was carefully and intricately woven back, and he wore a bright formal smile that refused to reach his eyes. He was accompanied by a chubby young lady who was holding onto his arm. Her face was hidden away with a veil, but Rosamund easily recognized the Second Prince's fiancee. Another young man accompanied them with a genuine look of enjoyment on his haughty face. It seemed the Third Prince Sinjon decided to grace them with his presence. Hopefully Alberic would keep him under control.

The servants closed the door after their arrival. No latecomers were permitted once the royalty showed up, after all. Rosamund greeted them formally and led the way through the parting crowd of people. He had set up a small podium for the musicians by the wall and it was the perfect place for all their announcements before they had to start the music. Alberic climbed first, helping his fiancee with open care and affection. Sinjon could get up on his own, but Rosamund offered Dorotea a hand when it was their turn, and she accepted. Adanita and Teodolit climbed on their own. The small group was all in place, standing behind Alberic and waiting for his announcement as the people gathered around them.

"Lords and Ladies of Bretonia," Alberic started. "Dignitaries from Franac Republic, Mletak Republic, Karpathian Empire, Eastern Empire, Tenoch Empire, Kingdom of Sachbe, The Floating City of Madol, Port Khonsu... and Hannau Cove. It is my great honor to welcome you all to this celebration of our newly appointed Lord Governor Rosamund Alsop en la Dale, Governor of Bretonian Teuta." The woman representing Tenoch gave Rosamund a sly look. Some two hundred years ago, these lands belonged to them. Since those times, there were many wars fought over the archipelago between the nations of Bretonia, Karpathia, Franac, and Tenoch who still held a few ports and islands. There were many people here today who wished to gauge his strengths and weaknesses, exploit him for the interests of their countries.

They were dead wrong if they thought he would allow it.

Alberic continued. "I've not seen many of you since the previous Lord Governor held a celebration of his retirement. I see this as both a personal and professional failure. The nations of this world are stronger when we are working together, our ships sail safer when we rely on each other, and our trade is better when the powers that be shake their hands instead of calling to arms. Captain Verlice, currently present among us, proved this better than anyone."

The public politely clapped for her as she raised her glass in gratitude. Next to him, Sinjon openly yawned.

"Lord Governor Alsop en la Dale," Alberic said, "is the Kingdom's answer to this error. An established diplomat, the mind behind the very idea that led to Verlice Experiment, who tirelessly worked day and night for over a year in hope to unite us all, well known for his constant peacekeeping efforts between our nations, and the first son of the Earl Alsop en la Dale, has arrived here mere five months ago. And what do we have to show for it?" He raised his hand towards Adanita, who stepped forward. "Finally, a peace between Bretonia and the pirates that have plagued this area for generations. Lord Governor is the diplomat with no equal."

Rosamund politely bowed as the public clapped again and stepped forward. Alberic nodded, giving him the word.

"Ladies and Lords," he said. "I am deeply grateful for your attendance today and for the faith the Royal Family has in me. I will continue to loyally serve the Bretonian Crown for as long as I am here, work in the interest of my people and my country, and lead this land to a better tomorrow. I am thankful for the opportunity I was given. I hope to live up to your expectations." There were people here who knew him and Mislav since Verlice Experiment. There were people here who had never heard of him before he became the Governor. Alberic demanded he step out of the shadows in full, but he didn't expect him to drag him out himself. After that speech, what more could a man say? His servant brought over a glass of wine.

"For peace and for prosperity!" he said, raising it high. The nobility joined him for a toast and he quietly faded back as Alberic took over again.

"We have mentioned before that Lord Governor established peace with the pirates. With us here today we have the self-proclaimed Pirate Queen of Hannau Cove, Captain of Vivienne, Adanita Vervain. She has joined our festivities as a representative of the pirates, and Bretonia has chosen to welcome her back as one of our own. Our prodigal daughter has returned and our present to her is a land and a title. I invite the Royal Magician, Duchess Dorotea Almukantarat, to speak on this matter as the Queen's advisor."

Rosamund noticed Adanita clenching her fists on her back. She was keeping it together, although barely. The black makeup around her eyes was hiding her expression, but he could tell she was unwell. He caught her glance, but he couldn't do anything for her in this company. His expression remained calm and unchanged. A corner of her lip slightly twitched in return.

Dorotea stepped forward, perfectly expressionless.

"As the Royal Magician, here in the name of the Queen of Bretonia, it is my honor to bestow Captain Adanita Vervain with the title of a Baroness, and the city of Hannau Cove. For her exceptional feats of bravery at sea, slaying a sea monster that threatened Bretonian routes, rescuing Lord Governor from perishing in a terrible hurricane, rescuing Lord Governor from assassins, and stopping the acts of piracy against Bretonian ships, I hereby declare Captain Vervain a member of the Bretonian nobility. Captain Vervain, please come here."

Adanita walked up to her side and turned to her before getting down on one knee. She was holding her breath as Dorotea continued.

Her cold and uncaring expression remained, but it was as if she took a second too long to speak.

"I present you with this signet ring, your land and your title, and the sigil for your family," she said as the servant walked to her with a ring and two scrolls carefully tied together with fabric. Adanita carefully accepted them. "I congratulate you on your achievements and recognize you as a member of Bretonian nobility. You may look at me now."

Adanita raised her head to meet her gaze before standing up. Dorotea looked at her for a moment longer before turning back to the people before her.

"I hereby declare the pirates of Hannau Cove have received a full Royal Pardon from Her Majesty the Queen," she continued. "Her Majesty is most pleased with Lord Governor and his incredible achievement that brought peace to this region. Lord Governor, we await your next success."

The public clapped again, clearly pleased with how the speeches were going. Meanwhile Rosamund didn't plan to stay on this podium for a moment longer. Adanita looked like she was getting physically sick, it was only a matter of time before the people below noticed. He looked at Alberic, who gave him a nod. He stepped forward once again.

"I once again thank all the guests for coming. With this, our speeches are concluded and His Highness, the Second Prince Alberic and I will lead the opening dance. Duchess Almukantarat, will you do me the honor of dancing with me?"
"Yes, Lord Governor."

It's not as if either of them had someone to dance with. He helped her down from the podium, glancing back at Adanita one last time. She was a shade paler than usual, but nothing that the people would notice. Teodolit was there for her. She will be fine.

For now, he had Dorotea to focus on.

With her hand gently resting on his, he led the delicate woman to the dance floor. The nobles parted for them, clearing the area for them to dance. She was freezing him through the gloves, but he kept himself perfectly expressionless. If her bare arms made her this cool to the touch, perhaps he should see to her getting a coat. He heard the barest of whispers from Alberic as they walked.

"You're doing great, my love."

At least one of them was happy with their dance partner. Dorotea's hand slid off of his as they arrived to the center of the dance floor. She picked up the fabric of her ruffled dress and gave him a curtsy, while he gave her a deep bow. The musicians made their way to the podium and waited for them to prepare themselves. Rosamund took Dorotea's hand in his as she came closer. They left enough space between themselves for their bodies not to touch, neither interested in their partner in the slightest.

"Under my shoulder, Rosamund. I need some support for this dress," she quietly said as he made a move towards her waist. He didn't plan to touch her at all, but he wasn't going to let her make a fool of herself on his event. He placed his wrist on her back with his hand relaxed and away from her skin. She accepted his full arm of support as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

The music filled the room, echoing off the marble walls. The rhythm of the waltz carried the four dancers through the room. The fire from the chandelier and the last rays of the setting sun that were coming through the windows made Dorotea glow. Her skin was turned to gold, her beautiful blue tattoos turned black, and the pearls and diamonds shone like stars in her inky black hair. The floor reflected her light like the calm sea as they glided through the room. Her expression as they danced made it look effortless, but Rosamund knew exactly how much she was leaning on him as her wide dress fluttered around her.

"I am so happy to see you again, Rosamund," she quietly said. "When we heard the news of the storm, I thought you had died. You can't imagine how I felt when I heard of your return."

Why... was this the truth?

"I had assumed you've felt something similar as Vice Admiral Khamil, Dorja. What caused your little outburst? I don't remember doing anything worthy of getting killed for it."
"Outburst? Whatever are you talking about?"
"I have letters you sent to Khamil, Dorja. Stop playing me for a fool."
"Oh? How embarrassing. Did you get fooled with some forgeries?"
"This is not a game. He hired assassins to come after me."
"You know I'd never do that to you, Rosamund. I never wished for your death."

Truth? Truth?! Was there a short circuit somewhere in his head?

"Speak openly," he quietly said. "If I wanted to use the letters against you, I already would have. What did you want Khamil to do?"
"To embarrass you a little. Let the world see you failing. You could say I am a little jealous, I suppose. Nobody should have more recognition than me."
"You almost killed me. There are men in prison because of you."
"Yes, what a shame. Khamil is such a useless toy. The only things he could do was killing you or elevating you to even greater heights. And now you're here, dancing as my equal. And my enemy. Lovely party, by the by. I love what you did with the ballroom."
"Thank you," he said. "Why am I your enemy, Dorja? You don't need to do this. I'll let it go if you do."
"Oh, please. We both know I cannot stop now. I almost killed you, and you... you are standing in my way. Why would you do that? What did I ever do to you?"
"Before you tried to kill me, you mean?"
"Hmph. I should've known better. You have a way of always coming back from the dead. I will be more careful next time."
Rude. Although accurate, even if by accident. "So you plan to try again?"
"Rosamund... I am so, so happy to see you again. You don't even know it. I've missed you dearly. I even went so far to match my dress with you today. And look how beautiful we are together."

They were certainly overshadowing Alberic and his fiancee. Dorotea said she wanted attention more than anything and by the Gods, they were getting it.

"Why must we fight? We could achieve so much together," she said.
"I don't recall fighting you, Dorja."
"Fighting over me, then. I am not blind, you know."
"What?"
"I understand what it's like, Rosamund. You were born with a blessing of the gods, the first son in a prestigious noble family. And then your younger brother comes along, and it is him who should get the family name, title, land... everything. Even me," she said. "I love him, Rosamund. Truly. Can't you let it go?"
"Dorja... what in the world are you saying?"
"You think I'm beautiful, don't you? You want me, just like everybody else. I can see it in your eyes."
"I don't want children, Dorotea."
"Children?! I am thirty!"
"Then act your age," he said, deeply pleased he got a reaction out of her. He let her do a twirl before catching her in his arms again.

"Lilac doesn't love you, Dorja. He is afraid of you. Let him go."
"You are lying. He loves me, he said so himself." Somebody was delusional here and it wasn't him. "You are just jealous of him. Stop getting in my way. I don't want to hurt you, I never did. I was hoping to become a part of your family, Rosamund. I hoped you'd be there on my wedding day and call me your sister... why must you be so stubborn? Just give up and let me have my Lily. In return, I will help you with whatever project you dream up for the sake of your peasants. I could even stop Alberic from meddling in the future. Let us work together."
"Dorotea, he hates you. He runs when he sees you. Stop this while you still can, before you force my hand."


"Oh, Rosamund... you have no idea how far I've come already. It is too late."


He felt his stomach tie into a knot. She left him speechless. What did- what-

"I waited for so long," she quietly said. "The people are already talking about the poor, beautiful, loveless Duchess. All because I was waiting for the love of my life to get free from his family's shackles. I hate it, Rosamund. There is no coming back now. I will have my Lily and if you decide to stand in my way, I won't stop at only trying to frighten you. You have your cute little land here now, a fancy little position, and that poor, poor little man who can't help but love you for no reason. Stay here, enjoy yourself far away from my eyes, and we will dance again at the wedding. I may even let you kiss my hand."
"Dorja, what did you do?" he quietly asked.
"You can't even tell, can you? You don't see a thing." She flashed him a bright smile that disappeared as quickly as it came. "Good. That means I can enjoy myself a little bit, too." He released her as she did another twirl and felt something heavy fall on his shoulders. But there was... nothing there. The weight felt as if it was sliding down, pulling on him, but he continued standing straight as she returned to him.

"Tell me, Rosamund," she said. "How do I look? Am I not beautiful?"
"You are," he said, entertaining her as he tried to carefully look around to see what it was. Why couldn't he see it?
"My hair," she continued. "Does it not match my crown?"
"Why is your crown overheating, Dorja. What did you do?"

"Everything I did," she quietly said, "I did for love."

The weight around him slid itself around his neck and suddenly tightened, choking him. He gasped for breath, trying to hide the pain from the people as the invisible force dug itself into his throat.

"You could say I take your breath away," she said. "If, well, you could speak."
"D-dor-"
"Still not tight enough? Don't worry, I can fix that."
He clenched his jaw as she led them in a spin. He involuntarily tightened the grip on her hand and she frowned at him, looking him directly into his eyes.

"That hurts, Rosamund," she sadly said.

The burning cold from the force around his neck felt as if she could lop his head off clean if she wanted to. It spread through his veins, the chill making his head hurt and heart race. He couldn't breathe. Her eyes were sucking him into the void, the world was fading as if he was falling into a black hole- no, he was drowning...

And then it stopped.

He gasped for breath, trying to clear his head as she looked away from him. By now, enough people have joined in to the dance. Nobody noticed.

"Don't you dare cough on me," she quietly said, noticing he was fighting the urge.
"Dorotea," he whispered hoarsely. "What did you do?"
"Nothing. You saw nothing, did you not?" She gave him another smile. "I've left no mark on you and nobody noticed a thing. Nothing happened, Rosamund. But something could, and nobody would ever know. So please consider your next move carefully. I don't want to hurt you, you know. Don't force my hand."

He could shoot her. He could pick her up and carry her to the attic, and throw her out of the window. Or slap her. Tie her beautiful hair to a horse's saddle and let it drag her on the ground until all of her skin is gone. But people would know, so he needed to keep his anger buried deep. Until this very moment, he hoped there would have been a way for them to work something out. He hoped Lilac and Adanita were wrong. But they weren't.

And he, too, began to fear her.

She sighed. "That is a good look. I want you like this. Be afraid and stay out of my way. Look, there he is. My Lily is worrying about me."
He followed her gaze. Across the room, Lilac's face was pale as a sheet as he was looking at the two of them.
"Stop calling him that," he said.
"Why should I? I plan to marry him."
He couldn't argue with someone this delusional. He needed to get rid of her, to find a way to keep her preoccupied during the evening. Lilac needed to be kept far away from her. He noticed Ekliptik nearby, looking at him with deep concern, and carefully motioned towards the gardens outside. He needed to speak to them the moment he lets go of this woman.

"And there it is, too. Why did you have to bring that disgusting thing here, Rosamund?"
"What?"
"The Pirate Queen."

Damn it, Adanita was on her way out. He needed to go with her- no. Lilac was Dorotea's target, right? Prioritize.

"She will hurt you, you know. She is dangerous," she said. "And she wants to hurt my Lily, too. Get rid of her, or else I will."

?!

"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"It's not like you'd know. Best not to worry about it, Rosamund. I grow bored of you, so let's end with this dance. I want to speak to my Lily."
"Of course," he said. "It was a pleasure to see you again, Duchess. I hope we will have a chance to speak again, because I find myself very interested in the information you have on Captain Vervain."
"Baroness Vervain, thanks to you. Even in your ignorance, you meddle. Whatever shall I do with you..."

She let him go and gave him another curtsy. He bowed to her in return and quickly scanned the ballroom as he straightened up. Lilac was gone. Hopefully he wasn't hiding by chatting with some nobility, because Dorotea's status and rank were more than enough to chase everybody away. Adanita- no. Ekliptik first. He followed Dorotea away from the dance floor and they split and went their separate ways.

Ekliptik, he needed to find them- ah, there they were. Waiting right outside in the garden. He led them away from the crowd and placed a hand on their shoulder.
"You have your people overseeing this, don't you?" he asked quietly.
"A-aye. Rosamund, this hurts..."
He immediately let them go. "I- sorry. I'm sorry. I... did not expect the conversation I had." She completely dropped all pretense she had around him. For decades. His hands were shaking and he was barely keeping it together. That- that absolute psychopath! He took a deep breath, intent on not scaring Ekliptik further. "Dorotea seems to have some knowledge of the previous time," he quietly said. "I want someone from your group to find Lilac immediately and take him to Hannau Cove. Tell him he has five minutes to pack, and to bring a weapon. And tell him to get to work there."
"But- won't the people notice he's missing?" they asked.
"I'll take care of it. Just get him out of here, right now."
Ekliptik nodded. They lifted their dress as they hurried away.

Rosamund took a deep breath.

In. And out.

Safe and well. And calm. Adanita- can wait, damn it all. He'll find her. But first he needed to handle this.

He took a glass of wine and put on his most refined neutral face before returning inside.

His mother, Baroness Mayberry, and Viscountess Kuplung were all in one place, chatting and gossiping in a corner away from the dance floor. All the people he needed were together. He confidently walked up to them.

"Ladies, mother..." he greeted politely. "I hope you are enjoying yourselves tonight."

They murmured some polite pleasantries in return. Rosamund barely registered what they were saying. Instead, he leaned closer to them.


"How do you feel about playing a small prank on Duchess Almukantarat?"

Three pairs of highly mischievous eyes lit up.