The Crowned (h.s)

VI

Hi everyone!

First off, I want to thank everybody who has been reading this story. It really means a lot to me to know people are enjoying what I'm putting out. Although my updates can be sporadic, I am writing whenever I can despite being busy with college and other things. I hope that at this point in the story things will start to pick up just a bit and I'm excited to start writing some of the scenes I've been thinking of since I first started writing this fic.

Please feel free to leave any comments, thoughts, or other things you'd like to see happen in this story and I'll try my best to include them if I can!  Also, I'd like to mention that I have added a board of images that inspire me to write this story in the description. Please check the link out if you're interested! I hope it can help further to show an image of the fashions and time period that this story takes place in.

Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

- Evie

The next day, Augusta and I found ourselves seated together in my family's box at the Lucilla Opera House, glasses of a deep red wine in our hands as we watched the performers through our opera glasses. A light chatter persisted through the room, but my attention was deeply ingrained on the stage, at the actors in a café. My mother was absolutely itching to show our guests everything the city had to offer, and I had listened to her the evening before listing off every sight and attraction, every museum, every park she could name for nearly an hour.

Although we ourselves hadn't been out to an opera in at least three months, the fact that Queen Dorothea had shown an interest in seeing one during her visit had inspired my mother to instantly have the event arranged. It was set into motion immediately that we would view La Bohème the next day and the two women had even conspired together to having both of their husbands attend as well. They had been ever so busy the last few days, tucked away in my father's offices. Sometimes I could hear the raise of a voice if I was nearby, or the guffaw of loud, masculine laughter. What went on behind those closed doors, however, was strictly kept hushed and not even my brothers had admitted to knowing exactly what was being spoken about.

Augusta, never one to grant her attention to others as much as she demanded it on herself, was nearly about to fall asleep next to me. I caught her eyes fluttering as she struggled to appear awake. The point that she didn't speak as fluent of Italian as I did wasn't helping her keep interest in the show before us.

I touched her gently on her arm as her lashes closed again and whispered, "You must keep alert. People may be watching."

She looked at me with dull eyes, "I don't think we need to worry about that, Addy. It seems that even your dear father has left us. I can't blame him, because either the compositions are putting us all to sleep or the wine has made its way to our heads. I do believe in a few short moments we will all find ourselves in one of those deep sleeps the great writers are so fond about."

Turning to my left, my eyes widened at the sight of my father, his head back in his chair as he very clearly had fallen asleep sometime during the last act. I looked towards my mother, who appeared to be shaking in her seat, she'd never looked so perturbed in her life. She must have felt my gaze on her, because she turned and mouthed the words, "Simply dreadful" to me. Though referencing my father or the opera, I didn't know.

I turned back to Augusta, "Oh, it's not so bad. You speak too harshly. Imagine you yourself were on that grand stage and had to deal with such an audience. You wouldn't like very much for the King himself to be sleeping during your asides, so let them at least enjoy the attention of a lady-in-waiting. Let them not feel so uninspiring."