A Royal Ruse

Chapter 23

The Sleepover

"Good morning, Your Highness" The queen greeted Zita warmly as she set down her cup of tea. "We're delighted you could join us."

The dining room was eerily silent despite the presence of the king and both princes. The princess sank into the chair next to Oziakel. She didn't say a word.

After the queen's behaviour the previous night, at the Annual Coronation Ball, Zita had been fermenting in outrage. Queen Tatiana had dismissed the princess to her room like a servant. And if that wasn't bad enough, she summoned her to breakfast the next day. The princess found it tempting to decline the 'invitation' but she thought better than to defy the person who was housing and feeding her. Needless to say, Zita felt less like a "royal guest" and more like a "royal hostage" with every passing day.

The princess grabbed the nearest confection from the table, eager to wash away the vile taste that the queen's actions had left in her mouth from the night before.

She had counted on her attitude to sour breakfast, what she hadn't counted on was for the wintry atmosphere in the room. Apparently, Zita wasn't the only one housing a hotbed of emotions. The silence in the room was weighty and was only punctuated by the sound of metal scraping against porcelain.

The princess looked over to Oziakel. He was her barometer to gauge how things were going behind the royal veil. He stared down at his plate and ate bread in complete silence. His lack of verbal contribution to the table truly alerted Zita that something was incredibly amiss.

"I apologize but I can't stay, Your Highness. I have some urgent business to attend to." The king said, rising from his seat with a disjointed smile gracing his weary-looking face. The king exited the room and left a slightly peeved queen behind him. Zita couldn't know what beasts were being gutted in the royal quadrant of the palace but their entrails were bleeding tension all over the dining room floor.

The queen's annoyance, however, didn't linger on her face for long. "I trust you rested well after all the excitement of last night." Queen Tatiana said, a pleasant and graceful lilt in her voice.

Zita seethed. She speared her fork into a piece of melon before launching it into her mouth. She offered the queen a blank look.

"I've noticed you growing quite close to Harita Alinafe." The queen carried on, refusing to acknowledge the princess's slight or the odd energy at the table.

"We've known the Alinafes for years. She and Adair were quite close during their younger years, bonded over their shared interest in natural philosophy."

Zita glanced over at the elder crown prince who was ladling spoonfuls of yoghurt into his mouth. She wasn't even sure if he had noticed that his mother was talking about him. His mind seemed like it was worlds away.

Zita scrunched her face in disbelief. She found it hard to picture Adair bonding with Harita over anything.

"She's a brilliant girl. I'm glad you've managed to make friends during your stay. Even Joia Manu. Her mother is a dear friend." The queen continued to prattle off about all the respectable noblewoman Zita had befriended and their accomplishments.

An incredulous chuckle escaped the princess's mouth. There was a very significant person that Queen Tatiana was making a point of omitting from her list of suitable companions for Zita.

News of her and Gadrian had spread through the kingdom's courts like pox. There was no way that Queen Tatiana didn't know that they were courting. And yet, she was determined to sidestep the topic.

"You should invite them over."

"Pardon?" Zita asked as Queen Tatiana looked at her expectantly. She had stopped paying attention to the queen's ramblings and therefore realized too late that she was being called upon to give the queen some sort of reply.