Tea with Sophily Morgaine

After ruminating over the situation for the next few days, Mattheus decided he needed to personally evaluate the Duchess a bit more before the Crowns walked deep enough along that they passed the point of no return.

His request to have tea with Sophily Morgaine was easily granted, mostly because of Brunilda being the master key when it came to the King's sister.

Brunilda herself was resigned to join the afternoon tea even though it would be impossible to run into a certain Crown Prince at the Duchess's palace. The cat would be expected to be present, after all, even if she knew she was being used as an excuse.

His friend hung limply as he tucked her under an arm while he held the walking stick in the other, the sight causing the Duchess's household staff to do subtle double-takes. Brunilda was a resident here for weeks and he doubted she ever acted so "docile," little did these people know…

Mattheus smiled winsomely when he finally arrived and saw the Duchess already seated, greeting the woman as he internally blessed the silence. Brunilda had been grumbling telepathically the entire time and he'd had to listen to it the whole way to the appointment. He couldn't exactly fault his friend though, considering what her role was during this meeting.

"It is good to see you, Lord Crown," Sophily greeted as she stayed in her seat. "Brue is looking very well too."

She was wearing what Mattheus remembered Brunilda insisted was called "eggplant" with gold, the dress somehow different from what his mother would wear or what younger ladies would. It was elegant and demure, yet very beautiful—just like his impression of the Duchess herself.

Maybe it was because of her unique status as a woman in her late twenties while still remaining unmarried. Sophily didn't dress like the older women but neither did she dress like girls of marriageable age. It fell somewhere in the middle.

It very much was something her station would wear. A style no one could criticize as inappropriate or dowdy.

He sat when directed to, smiling pleasantly the entire time. Brunilda took the opportunity to launch herself from his lap to the table, winding her way to the Duchess. It allowed Mattheus to contemplate the woman before him while she was busy greeting the cat.

'Prisoner to a role' pretty much summed up Duchess Sophily Morgaine as a person. While Mattheus knew theoretically that females had it pretty hard in society (and it was no different in this world), it felt like it went beyond that with the Duchess.

He watched Sophily looking purely delighted as Brunilda hammed it up and let the woman pet her. The Duchess appeared almost painfully innocent—a complete contrast to her normal expressions, which always held a subtle carefulness. It was only the lack of being on guard that made Mattheus realize the Duchess was always wary.

Now that he was focusing and able to distance Sophily from Brunilda—acknowledging Sophily as her own individual—he noticed the idiosyncrasies previously dismissed because it wouldn't be weird coming from his friend. Coming from Sophily, he realized that it may truly be fear driving the woman.

Mattheus knew it wasn't fear of the King, considering he had personally seen the royal siblings interact. Arguably, the fact that there was a warmth to their interactions despite the presence of Mattheus and his father was the most surprising part. Sophily was not afraid of King Mordred. (A functional familial relationship, when the default of royal families as dysfunctional was a matter of fact? Who knew?)

Neither was it fear from society, whether it was the citizens or the aristocracy. Yes, Sophily acted in such a way to be faultless—very much what one would expect if she were trying to live up to the expectations of society. But if the Duchess were really a slave to societal expectations, she wouldn't have stayed unmarried. Old maids stuck out like a sore thumb in this country.

Maybe it was the Queen like Brunilda mentioned. But if it were fear of the Queen, why go to such extremes to present herself as completely uninterested in the throne?

"She seemed to have missed you," Mattheus spoke up with a smile just after the cat mewed and moved toward the prepared setting for their feline friend.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder?" Sophily gave a societal smile, though her posture was relatively relaxed for a Lady.

He chuckled good-humoredly. "She might choose to live with me in the end but she's certainly not as affectionate."

"Hmph," Brunilda harrumphed as the tip of her fluffy tail flicked. "Get on with it, Mattheus. I'd rather not keep up this act for long."

Mattheus did not glance at Brunilda, who was somewhat playing up the cute kitty factor to keep Sophily half-distracted. He took the cup of tea before him and raised it to his mouth.

"Oh, Lord Crown, we both know who is her favorite human."

"Yes. The cook," he joked. Then he said a bit more directly, "Your Grace, I want to thank you once again."

"It is only right for you to exercise your miraculous abilities, Lord Crown. You may think I helped you but it is more helping the people you can now save, is it not?"

"Nonetheless, Your Grace, it means a lot to me that I am able to heal others now than I would have otherwise, if you did not intervene. I requested to meet with you to convey my sincere appreciation for what you did… and to maybe visit Edgar to make sure he isn't slacking off."

He flashed a grin in a way to convey the last bit was a joke, to lighten the atmosphere.

"Sir Edgar is doing an exemplary job. He is always sincerely hardworking." Duchess Sophily immediately defended his older brother's honor.

Mattheus simply gave an amused smile, a silent "truly?"

The dark-haired woman's lips quirked up a little, though it was clear she was fighting it. When she seemed to gather herself, she looked at the newly titled baron.

"I will accept your thanks as long as it is the last time you do so. Your being Court Healer is a boon to the country."

"Of course, Your Grace." Mattheus bowed his head in agreement.

Sophily was distracted again as Brunilda stretched and got on the table once more, smiling at the action while her maids seemed to not know what expression to make with an animal walking near the tea and cakes.

Mattheus took the moment to serve himself with something from the bottom of the tiered tea platter, where the savories were. He waited for the woman to start the conversation, having taken tea with his mother several times and also having had Brunilda walk him through the etiquettes of high society.

He'd rather study medical texts again than memorize rules and manners expected as a noble once more. To think he thought it was a joke when he once heard from Brunilda how one could actually declare war using a serviette. In actuality, it wasn't a joke nor was it hyperbole.

(Mattheus had treated evening meals like a bomb that could readily go off for days after those lessons. He had been that traumatized.)

"How have you been, Lord Crown?" Sophily eventually asked after recommending him some of the foods on the tray. "I'm aware you went on a trip to heal Lady Grant?"

And so it began, the topics went from the trivial back and forth of what they had been up to lately to the alliance talks. Sophily had been more than happy to give more details of the negotiations, so Mattheus took advantage of getting such information while he continued to assess the Duchess.

"—obviously hope the reforms will go through," Mattheus finished giving a little tidbit of Honoria when the Duchess asked after his mother.

Duchess Sophily Morgain visibly seemed to brighten, becoming a bit excited.

"I do hope they will go through too," she tried to retain her usual composure as she spoke but he saw the enthusiasm leaking through. "Countess Marcel and I were just talking about how just grounding the airships and reducing the number of ships being in use has changed the capital so much."

"Oh?" Mattheus murmured. He tried to recall who Countess Marcel was but all he could recall was that the woman might be a widow and was one of the regulars of the capital.

"Countess Marcel and I both grew up here, Lord Crown. I am unsure if Mecane was also like this in your youth but we grew up with the smog-filled sky. Grey clouds and smoke blending together until it was indiscernible which is natural and which came from the machines and factories. I never realized the smell of the smog permeated even the palaces until I went to the countryside…" She gave a small smile. "If the reforms go through, maybe the nights at the capital would be as bright as in the countryside."

Mattheus kindly informed her about the concept of light pollution while he internally digested the revelation he had from watching the Duchess shine as she hoped of a brighter future for New Albion.

If nothing else, Duchess Sophily's love for both the country and its people was genuine. Sophily might be "weak" to Brunilda (whose opinion might be harsher because it would be like looking at a mirror image for the woman-turned-cat) but at least the woman was pragmatic.

He felt a bit bad considering what the Duchess might need to change to become suitable for the throne but the whole point of him assessing the woman today was because there was no other choice. Between leaving the future of the country to the problematic Artorius or Bellaine—who would be a puppet—Sophily's only flaw was her lack of ambition for the throne.

The weakness Brunilda criticized could always be fixed with a bit of backing and experience—

Ah.

This was the reason why King Mordred set the Crowns up around his baby sister, wasn't it?

…