I watched the Second Queen out of the corner of my eye.
From how much I know her as a person and about her, figuring out her possible course of action is not really some Rocket science. If she knew about my deal with my Dear Rich King of a father and as well as about the training lessons, she would most likely be screaming and complaining about it from the rooftops or demanding the same treatment for her own children.
And if she really has started the children's lessons already, in private, She is the type to brag about it, not the type to stay quiet about it. I am sure as hell she would be bragging to the world about it, about how awesome her kids are.
....Unless, of course, the children's performance is not good enough
How am i so sure about it, you asked ?
Despite being isolated, the Arbutus palace maids are extremely social and gossipy, as if it's a requirement to get the job of a Arbutus servant. Those cute maids of ours treat gossip like a secondary currency.
They are friends with servants from all different palaces and even some from Rose and Bluebell palaces.
So, I am aware of most of the rumors and gossips that are running around the royal complex.
Yes, even the useless ones.
Like that one time when a butler of bluebell and a maid of Rose palace were deeply in love. So much so that they were about to move to the marriage talks.
But there is a Funny twist.
And The funny part ? They knew that they worked in the Royal Complex but not about in which palace they worked. During the lovely Evening date of the marriage talk, The cat finally got out of the bag.
And, the moment they came to know each other's work palace they had to break up. In the fight of Loyalty Vs Love, Loyalty had won.
Ah, poor couple. What A Shakespearean tragedy in the servant quarters.
The story almost brought tears to my eyes.
Just kidding.
Even The scene of sinking of the Titanic or the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet couldn't make me cry.
The only romance story that did make me was cry was a story of a girl who was suffering from terminal illness.
And she wanted to eat the pancreas of this one introvert boy, Our Mc, who found out her biggest secret by mistake.
It was such a tragic story.
Ahem.. it seems I got off the track a little. Me and my overthinker brain.
Anyways, even if the second queen does go crying and complaining to the Agni Duke family, It's no use. they won't move. Or more like, They can't move.
And all that credit goes to the great purge.
what is the Great Purge ?
It's the grand incident where The King and the prime minister took action against many corrupt noble families.
That includes both nobles who work in the royal palace and also those nobles who have no relation whatsoever with the royal family.
Of course, there was no action against the Duke and Grand Duke families. they don't want a civil war, after all.
And also Because most of them were apparently not so problematic.
And the ones that were, lost a lot of their influence when some corrupt families under their banner were raided and when the family members who held key positions in royal complex were removed.
This was something I learned from my royal lessons with Vilas, A possible part of The Great Purge perpetrator party himself .
I didn't know it two years ago. If I did, I would not have been so stressed about hiding my plans.
After a few minutes of waiting, the guest of honor finally graced us with his Royal presence.
The air in the courtyard suddenly became heavy. The knights snapped their attention to the Man, their armor clattering in a single, thunderous wave of steel.
"We Greet His Majesty, The King!" All Royal members including me bowed to greet him.
"Yes, let us depart right now!" He commanded.
He started going towards the carriages. We followed him like our leader.
He strode toward the foremost carriage—a massive, roofless chariot designed for maximum visibility.
One of the reasons for going to the church with so much flashy preparation, is to show people that their ruler is still good and well and to show off our wealth and military power.
Basically, All this preparation is just to flex to the commoners. Conveying just one massage to them: 'Yo yo commoners, Here comes your king! Bow to us! To your Rulers! We're still alive and well, so, don't you worry too much! Our finance and military power is also well off enough! so do your thing and take it easy! Oh! and don't plan some stupid rebellion, okay ?'
There were a total of six carriages, including the king's.
One for the king, three for the royal family and two for Royal servants.
My mother and I took the fourth one. As the wheels began to turn on the cobblestones, I felt the familiar weight of Aqua's presence on my shoulder, even if she was currently invisible to others.
"Quite the parade," she whispered in my ear, her voice tinged with amusement. "Wouldn't you say?"
[can't deny that] I answered in my head.
And with that, The journey to the Church of the Vow had begun.
####
It was roses, roses, all the way,
With myrtle mixed in my path like mad:
The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway,
The church-spires flamed, such flags they had,
A year ago on this very day.
Alack, it was I who leaped at the sun
To give it my loving friends to keep!
Nought man could do, have I left undone:
And you see my harvest, what I reap
This very day, now the year is run.
--"The Patriot" by Robert Browning