𝐒𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐓𝐘 ━ 𝚠𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚙.

Chapter 25.

"Is dinner not to your liking Princess?" Said the subject of her thoughts, gentle eyes looking at her worriedly.

She shook her head to chase away her musings, or simply in denial to the question proposed. "Mm. Just not much of an appetite."

Lily glaces at her, eyes concerned, but held her tongue and did not press her for answers. She was like that, Athanasia vaguely though一 gentle and kind, the optimal caretaker for a young child, but she was not particularly confrontational about her charge's feelings. Athy knew that her maid would fight tooth and nail to support her, but she wouldn't challenge her, wouldn't pressure her to be better, to strive for greatness. Had she not been her personal maid, the princess would have easily forgotten about her. It ashamed her to think like that, to think so little about the woman who sacrificed so much for her. But she couldn't help the realistic side of her mind from pushing forth those things.

She held back a sigh, eyes forlorn and heart heavy. She didn't belong in the light of this society in which she'd found herself. It would seem, that unless she was to change her circumstances, she was forever doomed to walk her life's path in her brother's shadow.

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HE STANDS OUTSIDE OF THE MILLING crowd, leaned against the back wall, hidden behind tall vases of blooming flowers with his sunshine eyes searching among the mass of people. He is ignorant of the flute of champagne in his hand, mind more preoccupied with analysing the actions and expressions of others. They are like rats, he thinks as he listens in on one particular conversation.

"Did you hear?"

"Of course I heard! It was kind of hard not to!"

"What do we do?"

"We do nothing. He won't... He won't be able to deal with this extremely."

"Are you sure?"

"... No. But what else can I do but hope for leniency?"

"..."

"At least my actions were not as outrageous as some of the others..."

"I'm... scared."

"... I know. I am too."

'It's rather pathetic.' The thought surfaces as he takes a sip of the alcoholic drink in his hand. There was a saying he'd heard once, a long time ago一 when the cat is not at home, the mice dance on the table. It was his father who said it regarding the people he worked with. Gregory rather thinks that this also applies to the nobles of high society.

It's no secret that the currently absent Crown Prince was the one pushing the chess pieces that were the most prominent figures of influence. There was a definitive line that separated the Prince's faction from the rest. It was in the way they would stare, eyes burning with jealousy and greed when faced with those loyal to the heir. Though, that was precisely the reasoning behind why they were not allowed within that particular circle.

"You're brooding again."

Sunshine eyes fly to the left, where an infuriating man stands. This one, in particular, was more annoying than the Acting Lord of House Saint. (Somewhere in the same room, a red headed middle aged man stifled a sneeze.) Dressed to the nines and clearly uncomfortable in the foreign clothes of Obelia, the man was looking at him teasingly, sunset orange eyes playful. Dark maroon-red hair that ended in blood red tips was slicked back and pushed out of a tanned face with avian-like sharp features.