Lady Tessi was surprised by her question. It was clear that it amused the other mbers of the family too.
"We may have our disagreents..." Lord Badol started off.
"I can’t say I supported it at the start either..." Lord Finnian confessed.
"But the head of the house’s decisions are absolute," Lady Tessi added, "We will not defy them."
Sierra sighed in relief.
"I guess if you didn’t, you would likely have had killed at the gates. Why drag in here?" She mused.
Lady Tessi chuckled, "That much is true. We wouldn’t want to ruin the carpets, now would we? In that case, let us make hasty preparations for the appointnt ceremony..."
"No."
"No?"
Sierra shook her head, "There’s no ti for that I’m afraid. I respect the Bancroft Family’s traditions but we don’t have ti for that now. We can worry about it when the Kingdom is at peace and my father is safely back with us. You said he was in the Capital?"
"According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, yes," Marques Preston gave more information, "From when we’ve heard last, which would be a day ago, he’s still been placed on house arrest in the castle."
"That’s where I shall be headed then," Sierra declared.
~
Sierra adamantly refused a night’s rest at the Bancroft Estate, but eventually, she obliged.
"You need all the energy you can get, Sierra," Lady Tessi chided her as a mother did to a child.
Oddly enough, Sierra felt out of place amongst the Bancrofts. Ever since her father adopted her, she had for the most part kept to herself and out of sight. The Bancrofts were a proud and old family in Cair.
Adopted children were often seen as second-class mbers of the family. Lord Badol’s clear disdain for her was on display for all to see. Even as she’s to be head of the family.
But she paid him no mind.
It was all for just a night.
Sierra was asked to join them at the Dining Hall for dinner. An elaborate feast was to be prepared for her and even a nu was arranged for her to supervise but she would have none of it.
"We’re in the middle of a crisis, I’m afraid I have no appetite for an eight-course al," Sierra told Lady Tessi when she brought it up.
It was clear that the elderly lady was unhappy with her disregard for traditions. But could she really bla her? Dinner as a family was usually compulsory for all mbers of the family. But Sierra had chosen to make it voluntary.
It ca as no surprise when she arrived at the Dining Hall to find it mostly empty. She was however happy to see Marques Preston there to greet her. Shortly after, Duchess Maisy joined them too.
Amongst the children of the Bancroft siblings, they were the younger bunch, around the sa age as Sierra.
"Spare all formalities, Marques Preston, Duchess Maisy. I have no love for them," Sierra chuckled as they took their seats at the table.
Even seating at the head of the table made Sierra feel uneasy. Maisy and Preston chuckled at her unease.
"This might end up being the most delightful al I’ve had in a decade," Preston teased.
"Heck, I almost feel like having dessert first," Maisy added.
Sierra laughed along with them, "Why not? Do as you please."
As the first course of soup was served, they were all having a pleasant chat at the table. Though they had not socialized much before, their shared disdain for traditions helped them to bond quickly.
Towards the end of the al, each of them had a few glasses of wine to drink. Sierra only kept it to one. After all, she had a long journey ahead of her starting from tomorrow.
"You know, they aren’t all bad. Give them so ti, they’ll co around," Maisy reasoned about the older mbers of the family.
Preston agreed, "They’re just stubborn. A classic family trait, you know?"
Sierra chuckled, "Oh I’m well aware, don’t worry. I don’t take it to heart much, not anymore."
In the past, she knew how much she stood out. Not just from the other young won, but also from the other Bancroft children. Though she was taught pretty much the sa values, she’s had more training in being a knightess. She was taught to be obedient but in the soldier sort of way.
As the trio moved on to dessert, Maisy began asking Sierra about her ti in Drakin.
"So is it true that the King of Drakin is a devil in human skin? Or that he charms won with his sultry voice, making them swoon? Which is it?" Maisy asked eagerly.
Sierra almost spat out the wine she had just sipped when she heard what Maisy had to ask. She couldn’t help but wonder what he would think of such rumors.
"I think the latter is likely true, no? He’s successfully chard Sierra after all," Preston laughed as he glanced over to Sierra.
Sierra grinned, "He’s quite the charr, that’s for sure. I’m amused that the rumors here are so different."
"Different? How so?" Maisy asked.
"Most of the ones I’ve heard wonder if I’m a siren of sorts, luring the King with my songs."
All of them shared a good long laugh at the last one.
"He’s no devil, that’s for certain. But he is a good King," Sierra sighed with a smile on her lips.
She had not realized just how much she missed him until that very mont.
’I wonder what he’s doing now,’ she thought to herself.
That night, the question plagued her thoughts and dreams. She could barely catch a wink. Ida was asleep in the next room, prepared for them by Lady Tessi. As she sat up in bed, Sierra let out a sigh.
’Can’t sleep?’ Opal hissed, her voice chiming softly in her mind.
Her little snake was curled up by her side.
’It is evading ,’ she replied with a sigh.
’Perhaps a walk in the gardens below might help? It is a beautiful and quiet night,’ Opal suggested.
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