The Secret of the Seven Princesses

Secrets Chapter 7

Something was wrong. Very wrong. Gustave could sense it, could feel it in his gut. His daughters were sitting at the table, quietly eating their dinners in the same way that they had for the last few weeks. There were no food fights, no arguments. The food remained in its rightful place, as did the plates, the silverware and even the princesses. In the course of several days, his daughters had undergone a complete behavioral transformation. They were acting like ladies.

Yes, something was very wrong, indeed.

He should probably be thankful that his daughters were finally acting like the princesses they were born to be. But Gustave was, in fact, one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Yes, the princesses were behaving as he'd always hoped they would, but he wanted to know why. Why the sudden change?

His eyes narrowed suspiciously as—for the second time that night—the hissing of whispered conversation drifted to his end of the table. He wasn't able to trace the origin of this exchange, but he suspected the whisper to have started with either Cliodne or Raia. Gustave had never been a self-conscious man; he was not one to immediately assume that a comment made in undertones was about him in any way. However, he was a bit uncomfortable at the idea that he was being left out of a discussion that seemed to be so riveting to all of his daughters. The princesses had never before been disposed to keeping secrets, particularly from their father. On the contrary, they were almost too eager to speak their minds at the dinner table. Gustave prided himself on the open and honest relationship he held with all of his daughters. Perhaps that was why he found this dubious silence to be so unnatural.

Thunk.

Gustave was jolted from his reverie by a sudden clatter resulting from his youngest taking a nosedive into her plate of bangers and mash. Or at least, she would have landed in her plate had it not been for the quick thinking—and even quicker reflexes—of her sister Petra. With not enough time to actually move the plate from beneath her now-sleeping sister, Petra had instead provided her hand as a cushion, catching Eurielle's cheek in her palm and consequently sandwiching her hand between Eurielle and her dinner. Petra's face reflected shock, disgust and a hint of regret.

"Oh, for goodness' sake!"

Gustave was not the only one to notice this feat, as the dinner table rang with a variety of audible reactions.

"Oh, Eurielle!"

"Careful, her hair's dragging in the gravy."

"Should we wake her?"

"Nice catch, Pet."

Petra's voice indicated frustration. "Will someone get her off me?"

Raia rose from her seat and made her way to Eurielle's side, gently shaking her shoulders to rouse her. Petra took advantage of her freedom to remove her hand and painstakingly wipe it clean of food.

Raia's voice was low and soothing as she held Eurielle's head up, stroking her hair while the youngest princess fought her way back to consciousness.

"I know, Elle. I know you're tired."

"And why is she so tired that she's falling asleep in the gravy?" Gustave's voice rang through the dining room. Thaleia and Cliodne jumped slightly in their seats; the king realized that his presence had been forgotten in their preoccupation with their sister's narcolepsy.