Blood Brothers

Breakfast

Breakfast was being set as we arrived in the spacious dining room. King Le'Roy settled his wife in next to his seat at the head of the table. I helped Liesel into the seat on his left and took the one next to her for myself. I eyed the servants bustling about as they set out all manner of food and drink for consumption.

Did no one sleep at a usual time around here? Was this a French thing? My musings abruptly halted when the chair to my left suddenly became occupied. The eight year old grinned at me, dressed in a stunning gown this time, rather than night clothes. A giggle drew my attention across the table and my eyes went wide in shock.

The six year old, also dressed appropriately this time, was being hefted into her seat across from her sister by the ten year old. The ten year old had undergone an even more drastic transformation. Gone were the trousers. Instead, she wore a beautiful gown that hinted at the woman she would become. Her grey eyes flicked up to meet mine as she finished settling her littlest sister and took her place at the breakfast table, next to her mother and across from me.

I was suddenly very glad I had stopped Liesel from slapping this girl. Laying hands on the Crown Princess seemed like a better way to lose a head than get ahead. Next to me, Liesel had recognized just how close she had come to ruining any and all chances at her envisioned perfect life and gone stiff. Or perhaps she was watching everything she had hoped and dreamed flitting away as she waited for the girl to open her mouth and tell her father what had almost transpired.

The girl seemed to realize she held that power too. Her lips slowly curled into a smirk as she locked eyes with Liesel. I thought Liesel stopped breathing. I blurted out the first word I had yet to speak in front of these Royals to the young Princess.

"Bonjour."

My pronunciation was probably atrocious and it was all the French I knew, but it served to draw the girls attention. Her grey gaze, so sharp and cold like her fathers, bored into me in interest. "Bonjour." She spoke something else, precise and overly enunciated, yet whatever she had asked was not what her eyes were searching me for. She wanted to know why I had drawn her attention in the first place. I could only give her a look of pleading.

Please don't. Don't drag my lover through the mud. Not when she was so happy only moments ago. Please.

"My daughter wishes to know your name."

My eyes jerked up the table to where King Le'Roy was watching me. I swallowed, giving him a grateful nod for the translation in rough, but quite conversational, German. I turned back to the girl. "Kasimir."

The girl's throat worked, like she was trying my name on her tongue without letting it past her lips. She abruptly smiled and gave a slight incline of her head with a humorous look in her eyes. "Katherine." Her gaze skipped to her sisters. "Antoinette. Tabitha."

Her smile turned into a smirk. She would keep the near disaster in the audience chamber to herself. I wasn't sure how I knew she would, but I knew it was only because I had silently asked her. I slowly smirked back, thankful to her, even if she did have leverage over Liesel for the rest of our lives now. Hopefully, Liesel could mend the rocky start and they would become friends, then the whole incident could be forgotten.

The rest of breakfast passed in little excitement. I was too tired to eat much, but I managed to get enough down I wouldn't appear ungrateful. With the full belly, I was certainly ready for bed. I was starting to doze in my seat again. The feeling of eyes on me had me blinking awake and looking up, to where Katherine was watching me with amusement. I quirked a smile in return, somehow feeling more at ease with her amusement on me than her mothers.