Chaos Theory

Princess Vivianne's sky-blue eyes were steady and determined as she stared into the mirror of her beautiful vanity table. Her lips were painted a sheer cherry colour, similar to the dye that used to stain her nailbeds.

According to rumours, her maids were bustling around her in a hurry as the king summoned all his children to the grand throne room to meet the new heaps of servants and cleaners.

This was all an act to subdue the journalist's accusations of the royal family only caring about the nobles. Now, the castle would be infested with commoners of no class.

At the very least, Vivianne found comfort in the commoners not associating with her. It had been three days after her debut in high society, and today, she would gain a personal guard and finally be allowed to roam around without any paranoia.

It annoyed her greatly that Grand Duke Alexander's right-hand man had been assigned to her older sister Ophelia, despite her always sticking to their father's side and, thus, always surrounded by the king's guards. Vivianne expected a man of similar status and experience for her hard work.

One maid applied rose-coloured blush on her supple cheeks; another was dabbing lavender ointment behind her ear and in her hair. The third was braiding her hair into a beautiful updo with tiny daisies decorating her pale blond hair.

She doesn't say a word as they work on making her presentable. She looked so similar to her mother at the moment that it made her heartache.

The third consort of the king had been her mother; she had been saved by the king when a group of rebels had burned villages down by the mountains twenty years ago.

It was rumoured that her mother had carried a son for the king but had lost it when she was poisoned. It had been after her birthday party that she had consumed tea with cyanide. If the attending physician hadn't given her charcoal and vitamin B12 immediately, she would have passed away.

Still, significant damage had been done to her nervous system and lungs.

Now, the consort was left to rot in her chambers after becoming sick and bound to her bed. She had been weakened further after Vivianne's birth and had almost passed away during the long and hard labour.

The deep bond was severed the second her mother stopped serving the king. Vivianne learned quickly to be effective upon seeing her mother suffer.

Vivianne suspected the Queen, who had been envious of the bond between her mother and the king. However, Vivianne had no proof except the Queen's deep hatred for her and her mother.

Queen Henrietta was in charge of the castle's staff members; hopefully, she would put the hate aside and assign her capable staff.

Vivianne felt the steady pressure of the corset digging into her back, the weight of her hefty skirts. However, no muscle moved on her face to make her discomfort known, and she was always protecting herself.

Vivianne walked up to the big gold-framed mirror on her wall. She was dressed in a traditional, conservative dress made of heavy satin and sheer silk. The lavender and silver-coloured fabrics matched the rest of her chambers and her pale complexion. The curtains, sheets, and walls are soft and delicate violet, whereas the marble floor and furniture all share a soft white tone.

She was satisfied and dismissed the maids with a flick of her delicate hand. They scattered out hurriedly, leaving her to her thoughts.

The throne room was decorated to the heavens as always, with many servants rushing around quickly to get the family comfortable at the long mahogany table at the centre of the room. Vivianne was led gently by a young maid to the end of the table, facing her younger brother.

The king and the Queen sat at the head of the table, and the royal knights were always lining both the walls, acting like decorations.

The kings and the ten children were gathered; Crown Prince Henry and Crown Princess Iris were closest to the king and Queen.

Henry was 25 years old and the current foreign minister's aid. Iris was 24 years old and soon to be married. Her wedding was in a month. She had no opinion of it, much like everything in her life.

From there, Princess Luna and Prince Damion were placed as the second oldest daughter and son. Both were the first consort, Natalie, the military chief's daughter, and children.

Rosalina also happened to be the Queen's closest friend. Luna was 22 and the only one of the princesses with musical talent.

Her performances at the Royal Theater were spectacular as an award-winning dancer. Damion, on the other hand, was nothing more than a gambler.

He was 23 years old but refused to marry anybody.

Then came the twin princesses Dahlia and Diana as the third princesses; next to them sat the third prince Lucas and the fourth princess Ophelia.

All of them were born to the Queen. Dahlia and Diana were very popular party-goers—21 years old, but both already had a nasty track record. Nevertheless, high society often remarked that they were the duo of entertainment, as any party they held never got boring.

As for the fourth born Lucas, he was 20 years old and very entailed with the temple since he had no chance of gaining the throne with both Henry and Damion were older than him.

Vivianne believed he was aiming for the High priest and ruling the state church. But, not so surprisingly, that would also put him in charge of the taxes.

Princess Ophelia was 19 years old and was betrothed to Grand Duke Alexander's eldest son Cesar. The reason for that was more strategic, as the Duke had provided him with helpful intel for the king, and he already had one of his men as her guard.

Ophelia was not happy, Vivianne could tell, as she had started to lash out more often, her maids were bruised these past months badly.

They must be happy with the staff change.

Vivianne, the fifth princess, and the fifth prince, Oscar, faced each other. He was two years older than Vivianne, making him 19, just like Ophelia. His mother was the second consort, Lady Rosalina, who had been the best painter in the nation before getting courted by the king.

Vivianne only knew that the Queen would send him on long journeys to the neighbouring countries. Whenever he would leave, Vivianne would be overjoyed; he was the worst of them all.

Soon, when everyone had been seated and served, the king raised his wine glass.

Immediately, silence enveloped them. Most of the staff had left, leaving only a dozen to refill their food.

"Eat. We have guests that will join us later." Only then did Vivianne notice the empty chairs at the end of the table where the supposed guest was assigned to sit.

They ate in an electrifying atmosphere, the staff was uneasy at the tension, so they busied themselves with refilling their wine and bringing in more food from the kitchen.

None of the siblings spoke to each other, even if they hadn't been ordered to remain silent. The dessert was fluffy cakes and chocolate-dripped fruits.

The meal was completed, and the staff meticulously cleared the table.

Two well-dressed figures swept in with heavy, silken sleeves, the taller of them, Clover, dragging a train of dark, woven fabric behind her shapely figure. Vivianne recognized that it was the Queen's secretaries.

The other secretary was a former Special Forces leader, General Daniel Burman. He had dealt with many gruesome matters in the past; he was a burly and scarred man.

They sat themselves down after bowing in front of the family. Although the Queen had a satisfied expression when their eyes met, she smirked, her thin crimson lips quirking up in mockery.

Vivianne kept her face blank, simply turning toward the two secretaries.

"My King, upon your request to incorporate commoners into different, previously forbidden lines of work, I have gathered the best staff I could find," she said, lashes fanning the tops of her cheeks.

"We are... aware that the journalists have been spewing untrue rumours about our majesty only caring for the rich; it was a wise decision to hire a couple of the commoners." She gestured softly, sweeping her hand in an arc.

"We were planning on collecting more, but her majesty insisted on only three addictions to the staff." The king raised his eyebrows at that, turning to the Queen, who only smiled; he had left manners in her hands but told her to hire more for the stall.

Vivianne sighed in relief; she was grateful that rumours of a complete change were false; the castle would've collapsed otherwise.

"I think it would serve the commoners better if they instead joined the army," The Queen spoke, pacifying the king with a hand on his cheek.

"I agree," General Daniel spoke; his voice was gruff and grating. "We should instead increase our draft ratio."

The king nodded; these matters were not interesting to him. He had more significant problems to deal with than pesky journalists. However, the protests in the capital were strenuous for him to ignore; it made him look controlless.

"Bring them in," The king ordered suddenly. The two secretaries rose, returned to the throne room's gate, and swung it open.

Frozen at the entrance stood a boy with black curls and eyes. He was tall and had some muscles but was scrawny and meekly darting his big eyes around.

If he had longer hair, he could've looked like a doll, the king signed to himself, silently disappointed in Mrs Reeves's ability to raise a strong man. She had been correct in calling him a sprout.

Next to him stood a skinny girl who looked like the wind could carry her away. Her frame was thin and short, her skin freckled, and her hair curly as it had been shoved into a headscarf for a long time. Her cheeks had dimples, Vivianne observed.

Her eyes were honey-brown, much like the rest of her. She wasn't as shy as the boy next to her. Her gaze was observing everybody in the room.

Observant, Vivianne thought to herself, unaware whether that was good or bad.

Next to her stood a boy who looked slightly more sturdy but still greatly undernourished like the other two.

His golden hair was long and covered his face in waves as he bowed with the other two. His eyes were jade green and cold as he started the royals down with a void expression. Bold but careful not to harden his gaze at them.

Ophelia scoffed at his demeanour but didn't tear her gaze away.

They all had potential, which was unfortunate as they would've fared better off looking plain. Nevertheless, Dahlia and Diana shot each other an exciting look.

"They look younger than I expected," The king suddenly laughed and pointed at them, "Scarwny, too."

The room erupted into mocking laughter. The trio didn't lift their heads, keeping silent.

Juno and the other two had just arrived and had been promptly dragged by the guards and secretaries to the room immediately. So they didn't even have the chance to greet each other or take in the breathtaking castle.

"It's good," The Queen exclaimed excitedly. "That means they will get along better with our dear Vivianne, right?" All nine princes and princesses broke again into laughter, some hysterical, others a small giggle.

Vivianne kept her face as still as possible, but the shock was evident to everybody. The secretaries unrolled a scroll and spoke clearly, but Vivianne barely understood it as it felt like somebody had poured sand into her ears.

"Juniper Reeves, you shall serve as Princess Vivianne's bodyguard. Reports show that you regularly engaged in heavy farming and are intelligent," Clover read from her scroll.

"Our former staff member Mrs Reeves has spoken highly of you," Clover spoke, failing to hide her delight. Juno remained bowed, but his fists shook slightly; it was apparent that everyone staring at him bothered him.

"Mio Sawyer, you have been appointed to be the Princesses secretary. Vivianne has reached an age in which she needs to be invested in the country's affairs." Vivianne looked confused at the secretary.

"You, having been in the care of a former high-ranked scholar, shall take the task of helping her majesty with her assigned paperwork," Daniel grumbled. He was glaring at Clover for not properly finishing her sentence.

Oscar glared at Vivianne, but she ignored him, staring into the deep mahogany.

"Lastly, Peony Williams, it has been rumoured among the commoners of a highly artistic young lady who arranges the most beautiful bouquets at a stall in the capital square," Clover said, not convincing herself.

"No other commoner fits better than you into her majesty's lady-in-waiting role. You will make her room and Princess Vivianne look ethereal; I am sure of it." Clover exclaimed, clasping her hands together. Peony didn't know if she should've felt offended or happy.

"Now, Vivianne," The Queen spoke giddily. "I hope you're happy with my selection. It wound me that I couldn't find nobles to assist you, but you know how much fuzz has been going on about representing the commoners."

"If it is for the benefit of our family and country, then It is an honour to be of help, My Queen," Vivianne replied, finally having calmed down enough to keep her poker face intact.

The gazes of the surrounding people burned her as she walked out of the room with the three newly-employed workers hurriedly hurrying after her.