Chapter 167: A Woman’s Company
After returning to the palace, the prince was praised and thanked profusely by King Osian for collecting his daughter while glaring at Evanna the whole time. Her mother was also present, and she too was not amused by her sudden departure, and once Conrad egressed to rest in the comforts of his usual chambers, the princess was swiftly reprimanded. It was not a stunt she pulled a lot but recently, it had become more frequent after the suffocating atmosphere of palace life was becoming too much.
The princess returned to her chambers with her mother walking by her side in frosty silence. Her father always commented on Loraven’s wild and spirited persona, which Evanna knew had to be true of her mother from her collection of rare items, and stories she was told of faraway places and adventures, but Loraven was also still her mother and walking back to her quarters, Evanna couldn’t help but hunch over slightly. Her mother kept giving her cold side glances even though the princess was already given severe punishment; she had an extra embroidery lesson each day for the next month.
Okay, so it wasn’t a ’severe punishment’ as such, but to the young fourteen year old who escaped the palace walls due to its pressurising and stifling atmosphere, this punishment would most likely make her leave the walls much sooner. At least, she would not be in the lessons with her sister and her little posse, and it would be a one to one, though it might be worse because no matter how much she tried, her embroidery just wasn’t pretty.
Evanna stopped just before her doors, and she glanced sheepishly at her mother. "Evanna, I hope you realise why I am so angry about this." She clasped Evanna’s hands in hers as she peered down at her daughter’s face, a stern expression on her own. "I understand your need to escape, but at a time like this when the north is unstable and Hatherland bringing their wars to the south.. The streets are never safe, but I fear it is at its worst, especially with soldiers and travellers passing through."
Evanna nodded glumly before she turned away, resting until the sun went down and a knock at her door told the princess she was needed at dinner. Upon opening the doors in her evening gown, Evanna was surprised to find Conrad dressed up handsomely, his hair still falling around his face, but he appeared well-rested and bathed. The princess placed her hand atop his arm, and they made the walk back to the grand hall.
After being escorted by her fiancé, the princess found herself seated between her father and Conrad, and Queen Eleanor and Lady Loraven on her father’s right side. Evanna glanced warily in her mother’s direction and was always surprised when she saw the two women conversing. She always wondered what the estranged pair talked about; the tight-lipped smile on Eleanor’s face was the only indication that their conversation was not as pleasant as her mother’s stunning smile made it appear to be.
Evanna and Conrad continued to explore each other’s minds after being apart for so long, conversing over new subjects; the prince’s stories were both startling and exciting to listen to. The one where he cut a man’s head off was swiftly shortened after her father cleared his throat not so subtly, Evanna was enjoying the gory tale, but it appeared Osian did not wish for his daughter to listen to such things. She had to refrain from rolling her eyes because, at her young age, she had already been to two executions.
Her father was a strict ruler, and sometimes his punishments were deemed harsh, but when compared to the north, Osian seemed like a kitten playing in a lion’s den. But her people were ignorant to the ways of the north and merely thought Dunhurst was the same as Hatherland.
Once their bellies were full and the entertainment finished, Evanna sat quietly for a while as she assessed her surroundings. Unlike their usual family dinners, tonight’s was hosted with last minute invitations to the nobles staying at court, and the grand hall had been decorated for the prince’s return. His men who were staying in the guest chambers were seated at the two long tables by the sides of the head table, and they were rowdy in their merriment. It made her wonder if that was how Conrad acted when royal etiquette was not holding him back. It also had not escaped her notice of how the woman flaunted themselves at the men and, in particular, gave Conrad sultry glances.
Evanna felt her chest tighten and her hands fist in her lap on more than a few occasions when he returned their stares with a predatory gaze of his own. The princess turned her head away, ignoring the fire simmering in her being, when a lady of long blond curly locks, a curvy hourglass figure with rather large breasts and bright blue eyes, leaned her hand against the table, her other placed lazily on Conrad’s chest. Evanna hoped to save herself the embarrassment by pretending to pay attention to her father’s words to a jester before their table than to reveal to Conrad just how little power she still held. It was highly disrespectful that a lady would approach her fiancé whilst she was still there and do so in front of a princess.
Evanna’s ears pricked when she realised Conrad had not sent her away. While she placed a smile on her face at the jester’s attempt at making the King laugh, she could hear the conversation between the stunning woman and Conrad.
"You must be exhausted from constantly being at war."