Wicked Steps

Chapter 27

There was less than a week to Méabh's coronation celebration and Emberlee had met the Sovereign once. And thus far the ruler of Adaba had lived up to both expectations and her promise that the alliance between Xutia and Adaba wasn't tied to the woman's interest in Cinderella directly. It was a relief, that Emberlee didn't have to endure the fate of a hostage to buy peace, but it was also concerning because she had no idea what Méabh in isolation could plot. There would be peace, for the Nations at least, but by all implications, Méabh may NEED Cinderella in a manner less intimate and more primal than originally anticipated.

But as with every other went in Emberlee's life the past year, she had almost no time to even process as she prepared to attend an Adaban three-day festival with uncertain allies. Logistically, as Envoy, Emberlee could bring Sir Ludwig to watch her back, but she would be bound by the etiquette of the guest to host. Meaning she could have her Knight but was forbidden a weapon in her hand; meaning her innocence would be entirely up to interpretation unless there was overwhelming force welded against her. Considering that her maid Helene had already tried to kill her, Emberlee couldn't dismiss the possibility of violence being threatened, promised, or likely wielded against her. Méabh wanted Cinderella, so Titania and Oberon the Pretty were firmly on her side; insofar as that meant that they wouldn't tolerate attacks on her. Oberon the Monolith would thank her murderer with a bouquet, except that it would upset Méabh if she were killed, so Emberlee could rely on him not letting her die right in front of him but he wouldn't watch her back. Oberon the Pretty was the one stuck in a truly unpleasant position; he loved Méabh as a dedicated husband, he cherished Cinderella as a dear friend, and he had to regain the social power he'd lost in his long absence. That left him trying to appease or please all sides, and as far as Emberlee had ever experienced that simply wasn't possible. Somehow it was impossible to make everyone happy, but it was absurdly easy to piss everyone off. He would warn her if he heard of a threat, if nothing else Emberlee could trust in that. Whether or not he could help her in a perilous situation would remain to be seen.

As Emberlee prepared to be Hosted at Titania's palace for an evening, it occurred to her that she never had to question Prince Damien. Despite her cautious nature, he'd somehow slipped through the cracks of her cynicism to become someone she trusted. It wasn't like Oberon the Pretty, where his affection for her would mean he'd warn her of a threat. If Damien heard she had an enemy, he'd strike first; like he'd taken care of her during her illness, and resolved the alliance on her behalf. It still bothered her greatly that she'd failed in her duty as Envoy by being unable to attend to the signing herself; Emperor Andrion had granted her the authority to sign on behalf of Xutia, however Imperial Prince Damien Lindquist could sign with the authority granted as his birthright. The alliance was considered a success regardless of which one of them had signed it on behalf of the Empire, but regardless of accomplishment she couldn't stop ruminating about it. She'd rectify as much of the failure as she could both tonight at Titania's and for the rest of the visit.

To that end, she chose her attire with diligent care; she was saving the dramatics of red for the tea party so for Titania she decided to wear one of the Adaban style dresses she'd been given, this time in the deep blue like Titania's aura. Oberon the Pretty had gotten grief from Titania and the Monolith for doing so, and now it was going to look like Titania had done the same thing; Oberon the Monolith was going to be irritated. Titania liked being liked, both her actions and her words had proven that to be a basic truth, Emberlee wasn't trying to drive a wedge between the spouses but she did enjoy seeing the rare flashes of who Titania was when she wasn't trying to make people like her. By setting the stage to look like she was not only in Méabh's and Oberon the Pretty's favours, but also Titania's, she was isolating Oberon the Monolith to see how he'd react, and how Titania would attempt to soothe.

It wasn't subtle but it wasn't meant to be, she had very limited time left before the coronation and even if the alliance terms had been set she still had to resolve the issue of her place as Cinderella. She'd made it very clear that she wasn't staying in Adaba, not as Méabh's lover at least. But although she'd assumed that Méabh's favour would require it, Emberlee had learned that she'd been wrong about her motivations. Yes, she would have gladly taken Cinderella as a lover as well, but Méabh had wanted her to be a counterbalance more than a temptation. It still meant that Méabh, and thus her spouses, wanted her to stay.