Royal Heartstrings

Chapter 4- Knitting

Valerie's POV:

As I entered the dining hall, I scanned the room for Alia, trying to blend in and avoid drawing attention from the dignitaries enjoying their meal. I noticed Mr. Flynn and Mrs. Flynn leaving the room.

Alia stood in the background, poised and alert, ready to attend to any needs that might arise. Her eyes met mine, and she raised an eyebrow, concerned. "Valerie, where have you been?" she asked, then paused as her gaze fell on my bandaged hand. "What happened?" she asked, her expression worried.

I downplayed the incident, not wanting to make a fuss. "I cut my hand while doing the dishes, but it's okay. I barely feel any pain." I tried to ignore the slight throbbing in my hand.

Alia looked unconvinced but decided to drop it. "Maybe you should rest for the day," she suggested.

I declined, reassuring her. "I'm fine, really."

She asked again, "Are you sure?" and I nodded emphatically.

She glanced around the room, seemingly searching for someone.

I asked, "What's wrong?"

"I was looking for a waiter to serve the wine, but I think they're all busy in the kitchen," She explained.

Without thinking, I offered, "I can serve the wine."

Alia's expression turned skeptical. "Are you sure about that, Valerie?"

I nodded, determination in my voice. "Yes, I'll just use my left hand. I'm sure they won't complain." I was going to use Prince Nova's kindness as a benchmark to judge the others.

Alia nodded, understanding. In Calonia, it was perfectly acceptable to serve anyone, regardless of rank, with your left hand. She wasn't sure about other countries, but here, it was a non-issue.

With that, I took a deep breath and made my way to the wine table.

I began serving the wine, starting with the King, who barely acknowledged me. Next was Prince Nova, whose smile made my heart skip a beat. I moved on to Prince Cadoc, then Mr. and Mrs. Weldon. Mira smiled nervously at me, when I served her, I made a mental note to comfort her later.

But just as I was about to pour wine for Princess Evie, she spoke up, her voice dripping with disdain. "What are you doing?" she asked, as if I was committing a grave offense.

I stuttered, feeling panic rise in my throat. "I... um... I'm serving wine, Your Highness."

Princess Evie's eyes narrowed. "How dare you use your left hand to serve the Princess of Calonia?"

My heart sank. "I'm sorry, but my right hand is injured," I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.

The room fell silent, all eyes on us. Prince Nova intervened, "Forget it, we'll get another waiter to serve you."

But Princess Evie refused, her voice rising. "No, I want this one."

I summoned up the courage to speak, despite the fear gripping my heart. "I'll do it," my voice shook, but I forced it to remain steady.

Princess Evie murmured maliciously, "As if you have a choice."

I could feel the tension in the room, the weight of everyone's gaze upon me. My hand trembled as I poured the wine, the pain from my injured hand almost unbearable. But I bit my lip, determined to complete the task.

Just as I was about to finish, disaster struck. The wine bottle slipped from my injured hand and crashed onto the table, shattering into a million pieces. Princess Evie jumped back, as if the glass had touched her, but when I inspected her, she wasn't hurt, just a large wine stain on her silver dress.