The Heir of Red and White

Chapter Thirteen: Aiyana

     "Do you have two left feet!?" Duchess Chartreuse asked exasperatedly. I swallowed my retort and pressed my lips into a firm line.

     Duchess Chartreuse stood at the edge of the room, watching me attempt—and fail—at learning the Royal Ensemble. Cameron, my self-proclaimed dance instructor, chuckled as the duchess reprimanded me and I contemplated stomping on his toes.

      I had only been training for a few days and I already wanted to pull my teeth out. Duchess Chartreuse was ruthless with her training regimen, and each day I was forced to endure a new kind of torture. On the first day, I had been instructed to listen to a two-hour recording explaining the formal vocal inflections, tones, and volumes to use at court. Then, I had been forced to practice proper posture and mannerisms while eating, standing, sitting, and even breathing. Her newest form of torture had been learning the Royal Ensemble while wearing a corset that predated the dinosaurs and shoes that threatened to disrupt my circulation. In theory, none of the tasks seemed too daunting, especially since I had learned most of it as a child, but according to the duchess, I had been taught by a blind, spatially impaired gorilla and therefore, my prior education was forfeit.

     It didn't help that after every morning lesson, I was granted only an hour to rest before Master Sykes worked me to the bone. Nia and I had been forced to run a mile each day, spar with a wooden prop, and then fight each other, sometimes with weapons, other times with our fists. My only reprieve was the nightly piano lessons I had with Greyson.

      We had fallen into a comfortable routine of idle conversation and piano playing and after our initial confrontation, neither of us mentioned the village visit or anything associated with it. It made it easier to talk normally with him, almost like I wasn't the princess, and he wasn't a vermin; like we were just two strangers bonding over our mutual love for music.

     "Make sure to spin on the tip of your toes! Higher!" Duchess Chartreuse demanded. Begrudgingly, I followed her instructions, lifting myself as high as I could manage.

     "Don't worry. If you accidentally break your ankles, I'll hold you up and allow you to dance on my feet at the Etiquette Ball tomorrow night." Cameron smirked as he pulled me toward his chest and placed his hand on the small of my back. I quirked an eyebrow in response.

     "I could never allow such a thing. Dancing with you for the entirety of the night would be akin to drawing a target on my back." I gestured toward the group of women at the far end of the ballroom who didn't even bother to hide their interest as they watched Cameron intently. He chuckled in response.

     "Don't worry about them, they're harmless." His eyes danced with mischief, "besides, am I not worth an arrow to the back?" he asked before leaning forward and dipping me at the waist.

     "That depends, do you still cry when it rains?" I asked when I was returned to my upright position. "Because I'd take an arrow for that boy any day." A look of surprise flashed across his face, before being replaced by a sly grin.

     "Are you still afraid of spiders? Because I'll be sure to present you with one in the event you decide to tell anyone about that." We both took a step back and bowed, signaling the end of the dance. I rolled my eyes at his false threat.

     "If you two are done cuddling, we have more important matters to discuss." The duchess said from behind us with her arms crossed and a sour expression on her face and I wondered for the millionth time what had happened to make her so miserable.

     Cameron and I both groaned before walking toward her.

     "I wish to quickly review our plans for tomorrow night." The duchess unfolded her arms and dragged her eyes along the planes of my body. I resisted the urge to squirm under her gaze. "The royal seamstress and I have decided that a gold, slim-fitted dress would suit you nicely. We think having a color scheme for the remainder of the Royale will help you seem more memorable," she looked down her nose at me, "seeing as you haven't necessarily excelled at the other things that I've tried to teach you."