After the nobles had paid their respect to the entering royal family, the mingling and conversations continued. At the same time musicians started to play music, especially dance music like estampies and saltarellos. Many debutantes and other ball participants sought to win prestige with showing off their dancing abilities.

Violant preferred to stay aside and engage in conversation rather than dancing. Although very nimble thanks to her martial arts training, she simply had no talent for dances. She might be at least mediocre in dancing thanks to Lady Alse’s lessons but out of respect for the health of her prospective dancing partner’s feet she rather completely refrained from it. Additionally, neither her brothers nor Uncle Ally’s son Hubert asked her for a dance, knowing just too well about the redhead’s dancing skills.

“Lady Violant, I presume?” a dignified woman’s voice sounded out. It belonged to a strict looking woman in the early fifties wearing a married woman’s white veil while clad in a black dress obviously revealing her status as a widow. Her violet eyes shone with wit. She was accompanied by three other people.

One was a black-haired slender man of average height with a thin mustache and blue-grey eyes. He was dressed in courtly festive clothing and wore a heavy golden livery collar sporting the crest of Kingsborough.

Next to him stood an obviously heavily pregnant woman in a wide light blue dress. Her chestnut brown hair was covered with an almost transparent veil of a married woman and her blue eyes radiated a gentle goodwill.

The third person was Sybil. That meant that the middle-aged woman was no other than Duchess Adelaide of Sulia who was further accompanied by her son, the chief minister Jocelyn, and her daughter-in-law Princess Mable respectively.

“That is me.” Violant confirmed “Greetings Your Grace Duchess Adelaide, Your Excellency Chief Minister Jocelyn, and Your Royal Highness Princess Mabel. We meet again, Lady Sybil.” She made sure not to lack in courtesy and curtsied.

“Very courteous.” the duchess commented “I have come to use this occasion for me to express my gratitude to you for fending off the monsters which attacked my dearest daughter Sybil. My gratitude naturally also extends to you, Lord Mortimer, who you have used your magic to shield my child from harm. Words cannot sufficiently express how thankful I am to the both of you and I am deeply in your debt.”

“I wish to concur with my esteemed mother’s words.” Jocelyn of Sulia continued. His pleasant voice was one of the factors leading to him being the current chief minister “I cannot say how very grateful I am that my dear sister’s life could be saved from impending doom. You have my eternal gratitude for your good deed. Additionally, Lady Violant, I have to thank you for preserving the life of my dear brother-in-law Wynkin. His death because of berserk syndrome would have hit us hard, especially my dearest wife who is very susceptible to stress these months and days.”

“It is true. My dear brother’s rescue is nothing short of a miracle.” Princess Mabel joined in “I was unfortunately tied up with business the very day my esteemed royal mother had invited you to the palace but please allow me to use this chance to express my eternal gratitude for saving Wynkin, albeit belated.”

Violant and Mortimer were awash with gratitude. Particularly the girl felt it to be quite excessive.

“It was just a matter of course, especially as an Avallach.” the margravial debutante said “I would be unable to forgive myself should I abandon lives I could have saved, the more so when the other march is involved in one or the other way. I accept your gratitude. Your thankful words and the view of your families being happily reunited after facing the danger of eternal parting is already enough to fill my heart with joy.”

Especially the duchess regarded Violant with a newfound respect. This girl truly knew how to conduct herself as a noble.

“It was a matter of course, as my dear sister has already said.” Mortimer concurred “I will readily accept your feelings of gratitude, Your Grace, Your Excellency, and only your feelings. Apart from that, Your Grace, I dare to have the audacity to ask you for your daughter’s hand in marriage. I believe that Lady Sybil will be a formidable future margravine. Although Lady Sybil was shaking with fear when faced with terrifying man-eating monsters – a completely natural reaction, if I may say so – she nonetheless afterwards recovered her composure unusually quickly. This can be said to be a major prerequisite when dealing with matters of the other march on a regular basis. Of course you can be assured that I will shield your precious daughter so that no harm may come to her, Your Grace. I would rather only allow her contact with harmless denizens of the other march when she is assisting me. But enough about fief management for now. The most important should be that the sylphlike stature and unparalleled beauty of Lady Sybil as well as her modest and charming personality have stolen my heart. For all those reasons I humbly request of you to grant me your peerless daughter’s hand in marriage, Your Grace.”

Mortimer’s sudden proposal took all people present by surprise, save only for his father who appeared completely unfazed. It was quite obvious that Mortimer and Orderic had discussed about the former’s plan prior to this event.

The reactions were as diverse as the people witnessing the event. Parcie, who had not a spark of any romantic feelings in him, appeared as cool as a cucumber.

Violant was honestly surprised by Mortimer’s bold action although she had witnessed the romantic mood and constant flirting between her bother and Sybil before already.

The Wuldingtons considerately stepped back since it was now a matter for the houses of Avallach and Sulia to solve.

Chief Minister Jocelyn and Princess Mabel smiled at each other because they were reminded of their own marriage proposal on Mabel’s debut ball ten years ago.

Duchess Adelaide scrutinized her daughter’s suitor with discerning eyes. Only the best of the best was good enough for her frail little angel, first and foremost also applying to her future spouse.

Sybil, the party concerned the most, was overjoyed internally but outwardly she desperately tried to hide her completely reddened bashful face behind her hands.

Euphemia had the bad luck of approaching the Avallachs together with her parents when she came to witness this scene. Tears in her eyes, she stormed away broken-hearted without taking any consideration of her surroundings. Marquis Nussex and his wife followed their daughter, flustered from the development and aiming to guide her back on the venue. Both Barnabas and Georgina knew about their only child’s crush on Mortimer but there was nothing they could do save for consoling her.

“Well, I guess I will accept your proposal, Lord Mortimer.” the duchess declared dry as ever after a long time of contemplation. It was fairly obvious to see that her daughter for her part was more than just delighted with the prospect of marrying the future margrave. Additionally, she did have quite the favorable impression of the suitor.

“Seeing as my dear daughter Sybil also doesn’t appear to be averse to your proposal and we have to owe it to the house of Avallach that she can still marry at all, I agree. Marrying a future margrave might be below the rank of a ducal daughter but I believe it to be preferable compared to marrying into the snake pit full of scheming that is the royal family, with all due respect. In particular the neutrality of the house of Avallach is crucial for me, assuring that my dear child will not be wiped out from inevitably participating in factional disputes.”

Both Mortimer and Sybil were rejoicing over the duchess’s approval. Orderic also signaled his consent with warm words. Violant, Parcie, Jocelyn, and Mable congratulated the future spouses to their engagement, although the finalization and announcement of the same was still a future matter.

The merriment was disrupted though when a pleasant-sounding voice remarked: “The royal family is not nearly as dangerous a place as you seem to believe, honorable duchess. But I won’t hold it against you because rumors always contain a germ of truth after all. There have been treacherous occurrences in the royal palace. Think about the late Lady Rosamund, mother of my dear late eldest brother Rowland. Anyway, allow me to express my heartfelt congratulations to the two betrothed.”

Rosamund of Doocaster was Duchess Adelaide’s cousin from a count’s family. Both the duchess and the royal concubine had been quite close. Together with their good friend Queen Beregaria, the noble ladies had been called the three roses of Yteland in their youth. Although Rosamund in particular had been ridiculed for not knowing her standing when associating with two ducal ladies when she herself only hailed from a count’s house, but that didn’t impact their friendship in the least.

They also continued to be best friends when two of the girls had married Baldwin. This lasted until Lady Rosamund’s sudden death fifteen years ago when her son Rowland had only been eight years old. The loss of their dear friend continued to be a deep wound in their hearts for both Berengaria and Adelaide.

The seemingly accidental mention of the deceased Rosamund was clearly intentioned to hurt Duchess Adelaide who continued to stand at the queen’s side. As the mighty duchess of Sulia who ruled over the rich and powerful duchy even as a widow – well, she was the penultimate Duke Sulia’s only child, leading to her late husband marrying into her family to succeed as duke – she was an insufferable thorn in the side of all other princely and noble factions.

Hearing those seemingly pleasant but deeply venomous words, Violant couldn’t help but stiffen involuntarily. She knew the voice just too well. Only that she once had been too blind or rather too deaf to understand the endless malice and boundless ambition deeply hidden beneath the friendly and mellifluous words.

Slowly moving her head in the direction of the speaker, the young lady’s eyes were met with the sight of the last person she wanted to meet this evening. The smiling prince with golden blond hair and blue eyes coming into her view was no one else but Gervase, the treacherous husband of her previous lifetime.