Emilie of the Royal Heart

Chapter 30: The Prince is Very Busy... but The Tailor Might Be Free

Looking in the mirror, Emilie confirmed Zuli's assertions. She did look wild. Her hair was half bound and half unbound in its coiffure and there was streaks of mud and flecks of mystery peppering across her skin. All to say nothing of the dress she destroyed. She blushed to think how Cedric would mourn.

Her attendants were woken up to help her get cleaned and into bed (though Emilie had begged the palace servant who noticed her sneaking in after midnight to let the women sleep). They didn't ask her where she'd been, only if she was okay, if she needed a bath, if she needed medical assistance. As Minnie ran the bath and glanced back at her, Emilie realized this didn't look good.

Minnie was convinced she was having an affair with the Emperor and, in all fairness, she was. The love bite was especially garish in this matter, but Emilie hadn't even thought about how it looked for to go missing from the palace after having recently parted from Elias only to show up after midnight as an absolute nervous wreck with tear streaks down her dirty face.

Tonight wasn't about him, but she realized that it looked like it was. At least to Minnie and perhaps the other two attendants. She only hoped no one else was drawing the same conclusions. Like Tiago. Like Aurora.

Emilie went to bed that night and was shocked to wake up in the morning having gotten to sleep and avoided any nightmares. Her attendants returned and they dressed her in a peach colored dress with a hoopskirt underneath. Emilie was a little irritated to have it on today, but Ester picked out her wardrobe and she didn't want to offend her.

Almost the second her attendants left, Aurora slipped in before the door even closed. Emilie peered at him sidelong.

"You come to my bedroom a lot for a man that doesn't want to be caught in my bedroom," she observed.

Aurora tugged at his waistcoat and he cleared his throat. He sounded a bit of out breath before he stood by her vanity where she sat and rested his hand there.

"This is the only time I can see you. My day is bursting at the seams with meetings and I can't move them, but I was worried about you after you ran out last night, so I slipped away from my valet to come here. He certainly will not appreciate it the gesture when he finds me again, but I felt it was important," he explained.

"I see," she nodded. Now it was she who couldn't meet his eyes.

"So..." he began, clearly uncomfortable swimming in these waters, but he managed, "did -did something happen to you? Do you feel better now? Surely if there is something troubling you, I can arrange a way to fix it."

Emilie smiled. She rose and brought a hand to his cheek. With a great deal of effort, she met his eyes and said, "I'm well now, thank you." before leaving and closing the door behind her.

The next week went by like boiling water cooling off to a calm pot. Nothing strange or out of the ordinary happened. Aurora was frequently inundated with work, so there wasn't much time to talk with him. Though, Emilie spent much of her time with him in his study. She had taken to falling asleep instead of reading the legal codes however, and often times, she woke up covered in a blanket while Aurora still worked at his desk and the times she woke up and he wasn't still working, she found herself tucked into her bed. She had only caught him carrying her through the dimmed hallways once, but her eyes were heavy and the arms under her and the chest she curled into might have belonged to someone else.

Halfway through the following week, Emilie felt exasperated.

"Why!" she groaned to Agatha, "why must I go to these ridiculous lessons?"

"They are not ridiculous, they will teach you how to carry out meaningful Fellen ceremonies," Agatha explained to her in a level tone.

"Are there not books in the library? Can I not learn the ceremonial procedures from them?"

"It might be possible, my lady, but I believe Lady Rebecca volunteered to teach you herself because the courtiers wish to know their future Princess."

"They know me. I spoke with them... before the proposal... and... bits here and there after..." Emilie waved a hand through air, though her defense fell apart quickly under Agatha's weighty gaze.

"Bless the nobles with your presence. They want to love you, but you are too distant. Go not to learn the ceremonies, go to be a Princess among your people," Agatha advised.

"If you think I should..." Emilie conceded, "I do trust your judgment, Agatha."

"Then I will call the Tailor to prepare a proper dress for the first ceremony Lady Rebecca wishes to teach you to perform," she said, standing up from the couch and curtseying before she made for the door.

Emilie shot up to her feet, "wait!"

Agatha looked back, quite startled, "yes, my lady?"

Her courage died down a bit then. She hadn't seen Cedric since before the Southern Tour and she had been waiting for a real excuse to see him. Ideas of ordering a new set of Zuhian style dresses was the best one she had come up with, but it certainly felt like it came directly from her desire to see her friend again. Her friend who had said, and who Aurora knew, wanted something a little different from her than friendship.

Even so, a request for this special dress was not a flimsy excuse. It was a real one. And if Agatha went to Cedric to request it, then it would be poorly wasted.

"Let me go to him," she insisted, striding for the door, "I have not had the chance to put in a request for my Zuhian wardrobe and I would like to see to that personally as well."

"Oh, of course, my lady," Agatha replied. She opened the door and said, "after you."

"Thank you."

The two parted and Emilie made her way through the corridors with a light excitement in her fingers. She hoped Cedric would find her a pleasant surprise, if anything. She didn't want to cause him any stress, but she missed being able to talk to someone who hadn't been raised for the palace. Her hand absently touched the top of her bodice before she spotted the door to his workshop.

With a hard swallow, she approached the door and raised her hand to knock.

"Ah, Lady Emilie," came a familiar voice, "I was wondering if you were ever going to apologize for ruining that fine dress of mine."