9 Her 1st day as Royalty
The next morning, Elizabeth woke up as soon as the sun rose. She was already used to waking up very early in the morning because she was trained to do so. Her ladies-in-waiting were surprised to see her already reading a book and drinking her morning tea.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry for barging in. We thought you were still asleep," Ruth said as she bowed apologetically to Elizabeth.
"Forgiven," Elizabeth said as she closed her book and stood up. "But I was already trained to wake up very early, so you don't have to worry," she said.
"Your Highness, you have etiquette lessons this morning," Isabel said as she handed a little booklet to Elizabeth.
"Yes, I know that, thank you for reminding. But I will have to pay my respect to the Empress first, excuse me," she said as she walked past the two girls.
The two girls were daughters of noble families. The families offered their own daughters to become the Crown Princess' ladies-in-waiting to have a chance of making their daughters as one of the Low Queens.
"Yes, Your Highness," Isabel said.
Cordelia arrived at the back garden where the Empress was having her morning tea, too.
"Oh, my dear, you're already dressed? I've thought you were still asleep," the Empress said as she gestured Elizabeth to sit beside her.
"Your grace, I was trained for proper etiquette and manners since I was born," Elizabeth smiled.
"Is that so? I am so glad Fredrick has prepared you," the Empress was delighted that Elizabeth was already knowledgeable about etiquette and manners inside the palace, unlike the wanna-be Low Queens.
"I have paid my respects, I will be going to my lessons now, Your grace," Elizabeth said as she stood up and bowed to the Empress.
"Yes, after your lessons, I need you to convince Edward to start choosing for candidates for Low Queens, I'm sure you already know the importance of the Low Queens," the Empress said as she sipped from her teacup.
"Yes, Your grace. I am well aware. I shall do my best to convince him," Elizabeth said as she turned to leave.
Both of them knew how hard-headed Edward is, and how stubborn he is when he makes up his mind. But Elizabeth knows it is important to build strong political relationships with the noble families.
As she was walking in the Grand Hallway, someone went up to her.
"Yes?" she asked as the man approached her.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects," the man said as he bowed to her.
"Please, raise your head, sir. Do you need something from me?" she asked.
"No, your Highness. I am here to talk with you about something," he said.
"Well, let's go to my studies. Isabel, tell my tutor I will be late for 30 minutes. If she isn't informed, I will hold you accountable," she said as she led the old man to her library.
"Yes, your Highness," Isabel said.
"Oh, so she's not a push-over princess, hmm, interesting," Isabel said to herself as she proceeded to do what the Crown Princess said.
Meanwhile, inside the studies, Elizabeth sat down behind her desk and motioned for the man to also sit down.
"Your Highness, let me first introduce myself, I am Arius Frostbone, a mage," he said.
A mage? A magician?
Magicians are powerful beings that don't like to mingle with the royal and noble families. They are very reserved people but once they pledge their alliance to someone, they are going to fulfill it even though it will mean their death.
"A mage? What does a Mage need from a low being like me?" Elizabeth asked.
"I would like to be straightforward with you, Your Highness. My clan and I would like to pledge our loyalty, only to you and no one else," he said.
Elizabeth was shocked to hear that because, in fact, she did not expect this.
"Pardon, sir? Why would you like to pledge your loyalty to a lowly human like me?" Elizabeth couldn't help but ask.
"We have pledged once with your mother, but she died giving birth to you. In order for us to fulfill what we promised to your mother, we are going to swear alliance with you, the future Empress," he said.
"We will help you attain everything you wish to attain, we will help you in any way we can," Arius said, standing up and kneeling in front of her.
Well, if I'm going to be in the 2nd most powerful position in the future, I might as well seal an alliance on my own, she thought.
"If that is the case then, I accept your loyalty," she said as she offered her hand for him to stand up in which he accepted.
After talking with him, she went to her etiquette lesson.
"Your Highness, I hope you will not do this again. This is a shameful act of a future Empress to be late," the tutor said.
"I'm sorry, madame. But something more important than etiquette lesson has distracted me from being early," Elizabeth said as she accepted the huge pile of books the tutor was handing and placed it on her head.
"Politics are more important than these lessons. I have learned this when I was six under my cruel aunt. And I must say, I have learned from the best," she said as she walked gracefully and elegantly with full balance, without minding the heavy weight on her head.
The tutor was stunned at how perfect she walked.
Of course, Elizabeth hasn't spent her childhood in playing games and playing pretends, she spent her entire childhood and teenhood learning proper etiquettes and learning royal manners from outstanding tutors that her father had hired for her.
"What shall we do next, madame?" Elizabeth asked as she placed the heavy books on the table.
"We shall see your confidence, Your Highness," the tutor said as she smirked at Elizabeth.
Just before they could sit down for the table manners lesson, the Empress entered the room.
"My dear, there is something I need to talk to you about," the Empress said.
"It is incredible how the Magus has forged an alliance with you. It is only right and proper that you repay them," the Empress said.
"Well, what should I do to repay them, your Grace?" Cordelia asked.
"Well, we must throw a ball for them. Or ask them what they want," the Empress said.
The Empress was excited in seeing a Mage inside her palace. Arius and Elizabeth have both agreed that Arius will be staying beside Elizabeth to protect her and become her personal advisor alongside Alik.
"How did you manage to have an alliance with a Mage?" the Empress asked.
"Through my Mother, your Grace," Elizabeth simply said.
"Your Mother?" the Empress confusingly asked.
"Yes, they have pledged their loyalty to my Mother, but before they could even carry out their promise, she died by giving birth to me. So, they forged the alliance with me instead," Elizabeth said.
"Your mother really is the best. I miss her, you know. She was like my sister from another mother," the Empress said, reminiscing the old times with old Eliza.
The Empress was impressed at how Elizabeth managed to have a Mage by her side.
She will be the greatest Empress the people of Vetrai.
