Empire of Dreams

*25*

Archduke Gerardo was a much nicer person now that I was getting to know him but he still held a bias towards females. He would treat us as if we were so gentle that we would crumble under the lightest of responsibilities.

Lady Conway was sweet and shy. She didn't speak much, but she had decorated her whole estate with pencil sketches of different views of the house or of Lord Conway and Archduke Gerardo with herself. She herself was very sensitive. The shortest time in the garden could tan her and a cold breeze was enough to rattle her. Perhaps it was her delicateness that had formed the Archduke's perspective on women.

She gave me a tour of the estate and then invited me for tea with her in her room. The festival would commence from the next morning. The first ball of the festival would be in the gardens of this huge estate. She promised me a tour of that too and left for her room.

Lord Conway was comparitively very reserved, he had just greeted me before retreating back to his office. Lastly I was left alone with the Archduke.

"Do you like the estate?" He asked with a confident but tired smile.

"Yes I do. It is beautiful, truly" I replied politely.

"I didn't expect the former queen to grace us with her presence to be honest" he confessed now that we were surely far away from the twins and Anne.

"She is like a mother to me. Having that kind of relation with two queens of England certainly is interesting for me. What are your plans for the festivities, please tell"

"You certainly are very close to the royal family, my lady" he commented, ignoring my other request.

"I told you this before and I am telling you again now. I don't know whether I will ever be the Queen or not. But I am certainly a princess and you would do better to understand. I have nothing against you, my lord and be assured that I am as interested in making this work as you, but I will not settle. This is to be a marriage and if you want things to proceed in that direction then you would do better to act a but less surprised." I said sternly and though he smirked, he was out of words.

"About the festivities, you might want to dress grandly, my lady. The minor nobles in this part of the country are particularly good at one thing- showing off. They may even take up unreasonable practices like painting their skin or filling their hair jewels. I hope you get what I mean"

I nodded and we reamined silent until we reached my room. The twins had also led Anne to the room apparently beside my own.

"Well, I think I will see you at the ball?" He said hopefully.

"You might want to brush up on your mannerisms by then, my lord" I taunted before curtsying mockingly.

He just chuckled lightly and retreated with the twins.

"Impolite" mouthed Anne before walking into her room. I too decided to look at mine. It was a beautiful room. It was practically in the middle of the estate so I could see both the little ponds and fountains and the overgrown forest parts in distance. I had also been assigned a maid of my own. Her name was Lavendar and she smelled like the flower too. She was clearly a country girl.

I changed from the travel robes to a simple gown. I then asked for directions to the library and left first for Lady Conway's chambers. She smiled welcomingly and poured us both tea herself.

"I wanted to invite the Dowager too you know, but I didn't know whether it was appropriate. My husband is obsessed with the appropriate, you know"

She was clearly flustered.

"We are all here to celebrate, you don't have to worry about offending anyone. Don't worry. It will all be fine. I love your room" I tried to put her at ease.

"Thank you, my lady." She looked grateful.

We politely chatted for about an hour before she decided to turn in for the night and I was eager to go to the library anyway so I agreed to leave then.

The libraries were my favourite part of any house. It revealed the interests of the family. I wanted to see what the Conways were like. I passed Lord Conway's office on my way. I wondered if the Archduke was buried in papers in his office too.

I reminded myself to ask Sia to prepare new gowns for me as the plans had changed. Where I first wished to show the people what kind of queen I was, expecting the typical patterns of such festivities, I had been surprised by the unique preparation of the Conways. The morning was to be spent fishing by the men and the ladies were going to have their own special outdoor games. I would demand for something more suitable for these activities and ask something for Anne too, after all she was my invited guest here.

I entered the library quietly and closed the door behind me. It was a huge room with sculpted bookcases and chandeliers. It was still mildly lit, meaning it had the warmth of a library still. I walked up to the poetry books and picked out a small green one. It's cover was beautifully painted and the pages inside looked well read. Atleast this family reads, I thought. My parents thought books were just distractions. I settled on a small couch in the far corner and was still appreciating it's beauty when a voice came from behind,

"I didn't expect you to be here so late"