The Twisted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 3)

Chapter 6.4

"I, too," Miosch said, giving her a quizzical look. But she thought he understood her.

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The dinner went better than Sabrina expected it to. She thought she had managed to call a truce with Imari and made her position fairly clear to Miosch, so, having achieved her objectives for the evening, she was able to relax a little. And when did my days become these endless lists of objectives? she wondered. It seemed she had an agenda with everybody, or everybody had an agenda with her, these days.

Her next agenda was with Sehaèri, the next morning. Aliza had arranged for Sehaèri to come half an hour earlier than the other ladies-in-waiting, and provided them with a plate of beignet-like pastries and some hot cocoa before discreetly retiring.

"Thank you for coming, your highness," Sabrina began. "I know your time off had barely begun."

Sehaèri tapped her fingernails on the side of her cup for a moment, then said, "I'm glad you asked me to come. I wanted to see you too. My lady...I'd like to resign."

Sabrina dropped the beignet she had just picked up. "Oh! Oh, no, Sehaèri, please don't do that. There's no need."

The princess' eyes flashed. "How could you know what my needs are?" she demanded.

Sabrina frowned, wiping her sugar-coated fingers on her napkin. "Let's speak plainly," she said. "I think we both know what the problem is here."

"Yes!" Sehaèri retorted. "And I will do the honorable thing, but there is no need for me to stay here to be tortured merely so you can gloat!"

She had sprung to her feet and started for the door. Sabrina called out, "Sehaèri!" in exactly the same tone she used to quell Mara's tantrums. It brought the princess to a halt, but she just stood there with her back to Sabrina.

"Whatever you think, there is no call for this sort of behavior," Sabrina continued sternly. "Come back and sit down." When Sehaèri did not move, Sabrina lowered her voice another notch and said, "You may be a princess, but right now you are still in my employ, and you will come here and sit down and listen to what I have to say. Afterward you may flounce out of here as petulantly as you like."

Sehaèri paused, then stiffly returned to her chair and sat down, ignoring her unfinished beignet like an offended statue.

"Thank you," Sabrina said. It seems to be my lot in life to deal with crotchety old ladies, closed-minded politicians, and spoiled princesses! Well, I'm certainly getting my practice in for if I ever have children. "Now. I have told my father, and Lady Imari, and just about everyone else who will listen that I have no intention of considering marriage while I am Regent. In fact I don't feel ready for marriage in any case, and if I do marry, it will not be for tradition, or social reasons, or any reason at all except that I love the man in question and want to spend my life with him. I don't feel like that toward anyone. I've made this clear to my father, who understands perfectly, and I tried to say as much to Miosch last night at dinner. In short, I've no designs on Miosch whatsoever, and the two of you have my blessing, whatever that's worth."

Sehaèri stared at her with wide, startled eyes, and Sabrina wondered if her unusually blunt speech had sent the Miahn into shock. Then the princess blinked and said softly, "I am sorry. I had no right to speak to you like that. I misjudged you."

Sabrina smiled sympathetically. "I do know what it's like, Sehaèri. Even the most level-headed people get irrational when they're jealous."

Sehaèri blushed, bending forward to finish her beignet. "Now that we've cleared that up," Sabrina said briskly, "the real reason I wanted to see you is that, as you're aware, I need a Mistress of the Household. I'd like you to take the post, if you want it."

Sehaèri's brown eyes got even wider. She finished chewing, swallowed, and bit her lip. "I... Are you sure, my lady?"

"I wouldn't be asking you otherwise," Sabrina replied, smothering a grin.

"But..." Sehaèri hesitated, then said, "But as time goes on and you get to know him better...Miosch, I mean..." She blushed as she said his name, then hurried on. "How do you know you won't change your mind?"

"Good question," Sabrina said. She felt relieved; from the way this conversation was going, she'd begun to be afraid she'd asked a spoiled child to take charge of her household. "But I've seen a lot of him already, you know, at family dinners and such, and he's advised me on military matters when Rayland isn't available. He's just not my type, Sehaèri. I mean," she added as Sehaèri began to bristle slightly at what she perceived as criticism, "he's a wonderful man, but just not the one for me. I'm quite certain of that. And he's not the least attracted to me either. Marriage would be a sentence of irritation and boredom for both of us, I'm afraid. I won't change my mind. I can promise you that."

"Then...if you can forgive my behavior earlier, I would very much like to be Mistress of the Household."

"Wonderful," Sabrina said, smiling in relief. "Everything is forgiven and forgotten. Now, let's invite the others in and have a real breakfast while we talk about who's going to replace you as lady-in-waiting."

Sehaèri smiled back.