The Tea Party

Elaine woke up early in the morning to get dressed for the tea party. She looked at herself in the mirror and balled up her hands into a fist. She told herself she would do well and that she can do it. She took a breath and departed for the princess's palace.

Upon arrival, she saw many other ladies getting out of their carriage. The palace maids guided them to a tearoom with windows that reached all the way to the ceiling, allowing a clear view from inside. The table was decorated with autumn leaves, acorns and candles.

Elaine sat down at her assigned seat as well as the other ladies. There were eighteen people present. Some brief greetings were said, however Elaine knew none of the ladies. She fiddled with her fingers nervously under the table, but kept a gentle smile on her face whenever someone looked her way. Elaine thought it would have been nice to have someone she was close to.

She began to wonder why Feanix wasn't invited. There were many ladies who were daughters of a Marquees. How she knew that without knowing any of them, was because of how the seats were assigned. The closer you are seated to the princess, the higher your respective rank. Also, the reason why she sat on the left side of the princess.

She looked at the lady across from her and she smiled when they made eye contact. That girl was most likely the daughter of the second Duke. The only other daughter of a Duke that was around her age.

When everyone had arrived, the princess made her entrance. Everyone was stunned when they saw the dress she wore, but didn't let it show on their faces. It made her stand out from the rest because unlike the dress code, she wore a white dress. However, the ribbons and embroidered flowers on her dress were in shades of red. Everyone stood up to greet her and curtsied. "Greetings to the princess of Zailea, her Royal Highness, Evangeline Arzu Sylvester."

She walked towards her seat with leisure time and only when she had sat down herself did everyone else sit back down. No one dared to speak first so silence filled the room.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming today. I know it was such a short notice however I believe getting to know each other before the ball will help ease the tension and let you enjoy the celebration."

Evangeline looked at everyone. She could tell in their eyes they were eager to gain her favour. She was the princess after all. And she planned to use that to her advantage. She smiled and put up her hand to order the desserts and tea to be taken in.

"There is no need to hold back," she chuckled. "Please enjoy."

Their eyes widened, mouths almost drooling. But before they took a bite, they stole a glance at the princess to see if she had taken the first bite. And to their relief, she had. They happily put a piece in their mouths and savoured the taste.

Elaine however quietly put her hands together and whispered the prayer before taking a bite. The other ladies who took notice of this felt their faces turned red. They couldn't help but feel ashamed. Evangeline didn't like the shift in the mood and took action. She glanced to her right and gave the girls a signal.

They nodded discreetly. They would do what they had to do to curry the princess's favour. They looked at Elaine. A plain girl who was just lucky enough to get adopted by the Duke. The rumours said she was just but a servant. If the princess didn't like her then none of those mattered anyway.

"Speaking of which, Your Highness, I heard you've been reading some difficult literatures that's far beyond the level of ladies our age for your lessons. Everyone has been calling you a genius!"

"Oh please," Evangeline placed a hand on her cheeks acting embarrassed. "It's not such a big deal."

"May I ask what your Highness is reading?"

"It's a thesis written by Archibald Kurzel called 'The Elegance of Eloquence: A Noble Discourse on Rhetoric and Persuasion'. In short, it explores the historical, cultural and ethical dimensions of persuasive discourse and its impact on politics, literature and society."

Elaine's ears perked up and her eyes began to sparkle. To think someone else her age was reading similar books she herself read. She was hoping she would be able to talk about these things with someone else other than Dezmond. Of course she loved to bond with her brother, but she would like to have a friend with the same interest.

"I'm amazed, your Highness," the girl replied. "I can't fathom how you are able to read such complex things."

"T-Then your Highness must have read the book 'Royal Scepters and Sacred Bonds: The Enduring Nexus between Monarchy and the Church', another book by Archibald Kurzel!" Elaine said enthusiastically.

Everyone at the table was taken aback. No one must have expected Elaine to have an interest in such complex books. For a girl her age and background, they thought she would be into dresses and such. Well, just like them.

Evangeline was silent for a moment. She regretted not having done a more detailed background check on Elaine. But she put that behind her and told herself that there was no use regretting what has already happened. She smiled at Elaine.

"Of course," she said. "I'm delighted to know that there are other brilliant minds amongst my people. The future of this country is looking very promising."

The other girls flinched. They could tell Evangeline was not happy at all. They had unintentionally let Elaine step on a higher pedestal. But Elaine was still oblivious to the princess's schemes.

"Oh," Elaine blushed, feeling happy for the compliment. "But I'm still far behind you, your Highness."

Evangeline and Elaine discussed the content of the books, making it hard for the girls to keep up with their conversation. After a long time of silence, they started to talk with each other instead. They talked about pastries, pretty accessories and of course about boys.

Unlike Elaine, Evangeline was not enjoying the conversation at all. This was not how she imagined things to turn out. She glanced over the girl she indirectly asked to put Elaine in her place. Evangeline was quite fond of her for she was quick to understand without her having to tell her what she should do. The girl noticed Evangeline looking at her and her posture stiffened. She got the cue and began to pay attention to their conversation.

"Say," Evangeline said, cutting Elaine off as she spoke of her thoughts on yet another complex book. "What other interests do you have other than reading books?"

"W-Well, I do some embroidery I suppose," Elaine replied. "Oh and I learned a bit about agriculture. My grandmother has a garden in our backyard, you see. I thought it would help to read a bit about it."

"Have you no interest in dresses or such?" Evangeline asked, her voice monotone. She had never met such a boring person in her life until then. And yet the mere thought of her vexed her so.

"N-No, not really, your Highness."

"I see," Evangeline took a sip from her teacup and placed it back down again.

"Speaking of dresses," the girl began, catching the other's attention. "I dare say, Your Highness, but you have the most exquisite dress I've ever seen."

The other girls nodded along and agreed with her. Evangeline placed a hand over her mouth and said, "my, you flatter me too much. You alike have wonderful dresses."

"Lady Maya is just telling the obvious truth, your Highness. Your dress is the most wonderful one I've seen."

"May I ask who had made your dress, Your Highness."

"Oh," Evangeline seemed to hesitate. "It's someone the King had hired as my personal seamstress. I'm not sure if you've heard of her but she goes by the name Madam Trielle."

"Madam Trielle!?" All the girls shouted in unison.

"The one who was known to be a prodigy in her early years and even started a new trend?" One of the girls asked, still unable to believe her ears.

"But I heard she retired years ago."

"Then your Highness' dress must have been made by her."

Evangeline confirmed it and the murmurs grew louder in the room. Some were amazed while others were in disbelief. Elaine sat there a bit confused. She didn't really know much about fashion trends, nor was she up to date about it. She didn't think it was that important. But now she noted that she should learn at least a bit about it to be able to hold conversation with others.

"Now now," Maya calmed them down. "It isn't a big surprise that the princess receives the best. It is only natural."

"But enough about me," Evangeline said. "Your dresses are quite beautiful as well. Do tell me where you got them."

"I got mine at the new boutique at the main square," one of the girls said. "It wasn't easy to get an appointment, but I begged my father and it worked out somehow."

The other girls chimed in trying to outmatch the one before them. The only ones who stayed silent were Elaine, Evangeline and the second Duke's daughter who drank her tea in silence. Elaine just kept a smile on her face.

"What about you, Lady Elaine?" Maya, who sat at the opposite side of the table asked. "I'm sure you got your dress from a well-known boutique since you are...well the granddaughter of Duke Elsher."

"Oh," Elaine said feeling a bit out of place. "I-I couldn't find any dress that fit well with the theme in any of the shops at the main square."

The princess grinned. Of course there weren't any dresses left. She made sure of that. She looked at the dress Elaine wore and wondered where she could have bought her dress. She had sent her the invitation two days later after she had sent the rest and even bought all the dresses from the boutiques to prevent her from getting a dress.

"...So I purchased it at a boutique further away from the main square. I had to walk quite a distance for it."

"That's a bit unexpected," Maya placed a hand over her mouth to hide her grin. If it was a small boutique then their dresses should be of low quality.

"True," another girl chimed in. "For a lady of your standing, I thought you would be purchasing from well-known boutiques."

"It's quite unbecoming for a lady of your prestige to be purchasing such a low quality dress. Even clueless enough to wear it to the tea party her Highness has organised. You should be more mindful next time, Lady Elaine."

"I-I apologise," Elaine looked down feeling ashamed. "I'll be more careful in the future."

"Don't be so mean to her, ladies," Maya said. "We should try to understand her position. She might not receive the best treatment at her own house. I mean she is just adopted after all."

Maya covered her mouth, acting shocked as if she didn't mean for it to slip out her mouth. The others frowned and began to whisper amongst each other.

Elaine's discomfort caused her to start feeling sick and nauseous. She looked around her nervously. She thought she could make some friends at the tea party, but she was mistaken. They all disliked her from the start. She just hadn't realised it. Until now that is.

"Since she is just adopted, are the assigned seats really justified?" A girl asked causing the uproar to worsen. Evangeline grinned inwardly. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

Elaine felt so small. If she could she would have liked to be invisible there and then. She wanted to go back home so badly, but it would be rude to leave before the tea party had ended. Evangeline raised a hand and silence came back in the room.

"How about we settle this like level-headed politicians?" Evangeline began. "I propose to do a vote. Whoever is satisfied with the seating arrangements, please raise your hands. The majority will decide."

Elaine had her eyes on the clenched hands on her lap. As she slowly looked up, she hoped there would be someone who was on her side, but she was only met with disappointment. No one had their hands raised, not even the princess.

"Then whoever is against the seating arrangements, please raise your hands."

Sixteen out of nineteen of the girls present had their hands raised. Those who hadn't raised their hands were herself, Evangeline and the girl who sat across from her. Evangeline wasn't happy about it, but at least the majority was against it.

"Well, that settles it," Evangeline said. She clapped twice and a servant appeared seemingly out of thin air. They placed a chair at the other end of the table and disappeared quietly. "Now, would you please, Lady Elaine?"

Elaine bit her lower lip to prevent herself from crying. She stood up and curtsied to Evangeline who had a soft smile on her face. "Of course, your Highness."

She walked towards the isolated seat positioned far away from the others. She sat down and the girls began chattering happily almost right away. Evangeline ushered Maya to sit at Elaine's former spot and had the servant bring in a new set of teacup for her. None was offered to Elaine however. From then on she was treated as if she didn't even exist until the tea party had ended.

"Elaine," Evangeline called her before she left. "I hope you aren't too upset over what happened."

"Of course not, your Highness," she lowered her gaze.

"There's no need to act tough around me," Evangeline placed her hand on Elaine's shoulder. "Anyone would be upset if something like that happened to them, but I hope you can forgive the girls."

Elaine didn't reply as she didn't think there was a need to. And if she was only looking at Evangeline's face, she would have been able to see how ecstatic she was. She could barely keep her self from laughing out loud in her satisfaction.

"Oh my, you aren't looking so well," she said with fabricated concern in her voice. "Maybe you should refrain from going to the ball. I don't want to see you get humiliated like that again. It pains me to see my friend go through that."

"H-However, I already promised my grandfather I would attend," Elaine looked up.

"Oh, then I suppose you should," Evangeline removed her hand on Elaine's shoulder. "I'm sure your grandfather would introduce you to all his acquaintances as his treasured granddaughter."

Elaine smiled. She was sure he would do exactly just that. She has always seen the sparkle in his eyes whenever he was proud of them, his grandchildren.

"But what if something similar happens to you again," Evangeline said. "Then the Duke's reputation would plummet once they find out he had adopted a former servant into his family. That won't turn out so well, would it?"

Elaine's smiled turned into a frown as she was filled with concern and fear. That was definitely something she didn't want to happen.

"Oh, your coach is here to pick you up," Evangeline said as she saw Miles waiting for Elaine by the carriage. "Well then, I wish you farewell."

Elaine curtsied and headed for the carriage. And all the way from the palace back to their mansion, she contemplated whether it would be better to refrain from attending.