Royal breakfast - Part 2

When Daphne saw the way the king was looking at Eva and how he passed the glass of water to the human, blood began to boil inside her. She wanted nothing more than to sink her fangs into the lowly woman's neck and tear her head from her body.

"I came from a town called Swanbridge, located in the North, milady. It is a very small town, so it's unlikely you've heard of it. I come from a humble family but we have sufficient means to provide for our daily needs and are content with what we have." Eva replied with a stiff smile.

"Oh. That is good" After flashing a smile to Eva, Daphne turned her head to look at the other people and questioned them in 'Rivkan', the oldest language that was spoken only by the royals and high society for ages, '*So, she is nothing but a poor woman from a small town. I cannot fathom why a lowly human was sitting at the table with us. Look at her stuffing her mouth as if she had never eaten such a sumptuous breakfast before. She has no manners and does not know how to behave in front of royalty. And what's with her strange accent and the odd talk earlier? She is not worthy to even put her foot inside the castle, what gives her the right to sit and have breakfast with us?*'.

Upon hearing what the girl said, Eva paused chewing just for a second before continuing to eat as if she had heard nothing. No one else at the table seemed to notice the slight change in her expression, except for the man whose eyes were fixed on her the entire time. He raised an eyebrow as he tried to read her emotions through the rhythm of her heartbeat.

"It seems like you are enjoying the food, Miss Grey", Daphne remarked with a sickly sweet smile when she noticed Eva happily eating her food.

And Eva returned the smile to Daphne, appearing unfazed by her earlier comment.

'*She does not even understand what I am speaking but she is smiling like an idiot thinking that I am praising her*'.

Eva focused her attention on having her breakfast peacefully, not bothering herself with the girl who was yapping in Rivkan nonstop.

'*You need to stop it, Lady Daphne. She is our guest. She might not understand what we are saying, but that does not mean we can humiliate her in this way*', Princess Leila tried to reprimand Daphne but the girl snorted and ignored the princess's words.

"What is the purpose of your visit to Veloris, Miss Grey? Did you come here to visit any family?"

"No. I came here to look for some work" Eva responded. She didn't know anyone from this town and didn't want to risk getting caught if she lied about visiting a family here. She might get into trouble if they figured out that she was lying and hiding something. So it was better to say she was searching for some work to support her family, Eva mused.

"Work? What kind of work, Miss Grey?" Daphne probed.

"I am a doctor. I mean... I am searching for a position to work as a physician" Eva replied nonchalantly and everyone looked at her to see if she was joking, but the girl seemed serious, and a frown appeared on their foreheads.

"Hahaha... You possess quite the wit, Miss Grey. How is it possible for someone as youthful as yourself to assume the role of a physician? And, furthermore, to be a woman physician," Daphne inquired her with an incredulous expression.

When Eva felt the gazes of the people at the table, she chewed her food slowly before replying, "I'm quite good at learning things faster. So I studied medicine from a very young age and became a physician. I've specialized in cardiology as well as neurology, and also experienced in traditional medicine".

"I don't think I understand what you are saying, Miss Grey?" Daphne's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

For a moment there, Eva forgot that she was in another era where people were unaware of advanced science and modern medicine.

"What I mean to say is, I can treat patients with illness related to the heart and nervous system, I mean… brain" Eva pointed a finger to her brain.

"That is impressive! Where did you acquire such knowledge, Miss Grey?".

"My Father has a friend who was a Physician. When he found that I had a knack for medicine, he taught me everything he knew".

"That is wonderful, Miss Grey," Daphne said before she turned to the others and continued in Rivkan with a smile on her face as though she praising Eva, '*Poor girl. She must be mentally ill to imagine herself as a physician and think that she can treat people with brain illnesses. Not even the royal physicians make such preposterous claims. It must be the reason why her parents might have left her alone to fend for herself.*'

While Daphne looked at Eva with pity, Princess Leila shook her head in annoyance. Why can't this lady shut her mouth for a few minutes and let them have their breakfast in peace? But she cannot say that loudly in front of her because of the relations between their families. The only man at the table who could shut Daphne's mouth with a single glare was Maxen. She had thought her brother would defend Miss Grey since he was interested in her, but he seemed to be doing nothing. Correction, he was busy staring at Eva with amusement in his eyes. If he did not want to defend the girl, then it would be best for her not to interfere in their matters either. Princess Leila let out a sigh before refocusing on her breakfast.

The other two people at the table, who had not uttered a single word until now, heard everything that was going on, but they did not bother to involve themselves in the drama either. They swirled their goblets of wine before gulping down the liquid.

Eva raised her head to see some maids come in again to pour some wine and refill the glasses placed in front of everyone, except for hers. Was that wine or some kind of berry juice? Why does it appear slightly thicker in consistency and darker in colour than wine? It almost looked like blood. Moreover, why didn't they offer the wine to her? Eva stared at her glass of orange juice before her gaze settled on the glass of 'wine' in front of Maxen.

"And what about your parents? What do they do for a living?" Eva heard Daphne questioning her once more, and she felt her patience wearing thin by the second.

'This girl is really getting under my skin' Eva closed her eyes for a moment and tried to control her emotions. She schooled her expression and replied half-truth, "My father owns a piece of land in the North, where he grows vegetables. He works hard to provide for the people who depend on him. And… My mother got into an accident when I was small. She was in a comatose state and was confined to bed since then".

Eva's expression turned forlorn as she spoke about her parents, the longing for them evident in her eyes. The ache of missing them weighed heavily upon her.

"I am so sorry, Miss Grey. It must have been hard for you to grow up in such circumstances" Daphne gave a sympathetic look at Eva and acted as if she was showing sympathy to Eva for her mother's health condition. But in truth, she was pitying her poor background.

'*So, Father is a peasant and Mother is a cripple. What a strange family.*', she lowered her head and shook it slightly, biting her lip and trying to stop herself from laughing.

As soon as those words left Daphne's mouth, a cold and low chuckle reverberated across the dining hall making the people at the table turn their heads in unison to see the source of the chuckle.