17 Maiden of Constantin...apple

Alexa woke up, knowing that she had dreamed of the Prince in the flower cradle, but without accurately remembering what she had dreamed of.

As soon as she left the room, she realized that people didn't know how to treat her. Not only was she an exotic foreigner whose social position was not really clear to anyone, but there was also the fact that some considered her a hero. But her resemblance to the handsome Second Prince seemed to disturb everyone.

It had been a long time since Alexa had exposed her face openly, and the way people looked at her became increasingly uncomfortable. Sometimes the servants stopped in the middle of an exaggerated bow, which she imagined to be because, for a moment, they forgot that she wasn't Prince Alexander.

Alexa wanted to see him in daylight, but imagined that she would have to ask someone for permission to do so. It wasn't as if the Prince were to be on display as a rare flower under a glass dome, open to the public.

She was called in to join the women for the first meal. On her way to it, Alexa noticed that the castle's servants were busy again, removing the crapes and putting back festive decorations alluding to the impending marriage.

'Oh, what a futile hassle all this 'take down and put back,'' she thought. 'Neither is happy with this marriage. You should leave the crapes on, guys. For the bride and groom, it's a funeral anyway.'

The maiden sat at the table with Cordelia and other women. They would have breakfast before going to morning Mass, which would be primarily devoted to the souls who lost their lives in the tragic incident involving Cordelia's retinue. No one was in the mood to comment on the matter at the table, and the maidens and older women — both Cordelia's kin and Kielstadt Court people — tried to keep the mood light but not overjoyed, keeping the mourning.

Then servants started to bring and place the food on the table, in front of the Greek maiden.

Creamy milk, tea, cider, and apple and cherry cakes. Various types of bread and smoked sausages, meat, and fishes. Jams and fresh butter. Soup, porridge, and red fruits, Mediterranean olives, and cakes with cardamom and cinnamon. Cheese and meat pies. Honey, uh! Honey! It was a parade of goodies, and Alexa soon grabbed bread and the jar of honey, so she had the opportunity.

'Nom Nom!' Her mind wandered to the good times before misfortune struck her family when she lived in a small palace, and she could eat whatever she wanted.

"Lady Saskia, where are you from again?"

"Constantin... nom… apple. Byzantium."

"How old are you?"

"I'll be eighteen… nom… years next spring," 'What's up with these people, aren't they hungry? I've traveled all over the continent, and it's the first time I've… uh my God, this is so good!' she reached for another meat-filled dumpling and set a tower of cream on top, clenching her teeth on it with lust. As everyone was watching, the maiden checked to see if the food was enough for them all. Apparently so, then she just kept munching happily.

'Uhn… They are still looking at me. They must think I'm looking like a malnourished and overworked peasant... Yeah, you just keep eating like goldfinches. I need energy for the rest of my trip,' wiping her mouth on her napkin, Alexa turned to Cordelia and whispered that they needed to talk.

Cordelia smiled and was about to answer when a small group of women entered the dining room. Alexa looked up from her plate to see that a beautiful woman with sleek brown hair and gazelle eyes, dressed in sky blue, came in accompanied by other women and ladies. Ladies-in-wait bringing gifts.

Kielstadt's natives at the table acted acutely embarrassed, and that, of course, was a sign of the woman's identity.

One of the women in the room introduced the belle to Cordelia. This was Charlotte Duvignes, the young wife of the French ambassador. And of course, she was here to be the first to pay tribute to Prince Klaus's bride.

Alexa didn't conceal she was examining the French woman, while Lady Duvignes presented Cordelia with a beautiful mink fur coat, and the two exchanged amenities and compliments. The maiden wondered if the beautiful French woman was a lover of the Sovereign Prince or his son, though she bet it was the second case. She looked like a very cunning woman and navigated the court with the bearing of a princess, which was how she obviously felt.

When Charlotte's gaze turned to her, however, Alexa was taken by surprise.

"Lady Saskia, I need to say that I am mesmerized by your beauty, not to talk about your courage! And yes, it's true, you could even be Prince Alexander's twin sister!"

"Oh, uhn me… Isn't that a weird thing to say, Lady Duvignes?"

"Oh, maybe! Forgive me if I sound inconvenient. But I would also like to give a little something to you! Your arrival saved the lives of so many people! Lady Cordelia, her friends, and the Second Prince himself! You challenged the royal doctors, and this morning the mourning bells rang… Please accept my friendship, Lady Saskia. Nothing compares to your beauty, but accept this cape!"

'Uhn, you already hate me. Bells? What a beautiful way to say the doctors died. It wasn't my fault, and I hope they can have a wiser new life. Hm, it's a beautiful cloak, by the way.'

Alexa remembered the lessons she received from her preceptor at the convent, where she spent a year of her life. She learned with a noble relative how to behave like a woman after so many years living as a boy. The reasons why her father allowed her to take on her gender were also the cause of her family's ruin, but for Alexa, they were moments of happy discovery.

Using the grace and etiquette she learned with her cousin, the former lover of a Byzantine general, the maiden responded to the French ambassador's greetings by accepting the hydrangea color velvet cloak.

As they were all preparing for Church and the morning Mass, a servant came to Alexa, at Father Gianpietro's request. He asked her to make him company in his carriage, as they could talk on their way to the cathedral. Thus, Alexa had to postpone her plans to use this time to speak with Cordelia about her impossibility to stay in Kielstadt.

As soon as she got into the carriage, and the servant closed the door, the priest greeted her, praising the cloak she wore, in a calm tone,

"It indeed enhances the color of your eyes, Lady Saskia… or rather, Alexios Dallassenos."

Alexa's eyes widened in shock.