It had been two weeks since Verena had started coming to the garden. After telling her to come straight there when she and her sisters left their suite, he would often find her sitting and reading when he came out after council meetings. She would always put her book aside when he came in and the two would spend the morning talking. He would tell her about what he was doing, she would tell him about what she was doing, and they would end up rambling with each other about everything and nothing until the guards told them it was time for lunch.
Fallon occasionally joined them, though he seldom said much. He just watched them talk, did his paperwork, and generally just kept an eye on them. One morning, Ethian came out to find Verena sitting with blood dried on her cheek. “Verena? What happened?” he asked. Fallon, who was only a few steps behind him, heard the concern in his voice and was immediately wary.
“My sisters ambushed me.” Her voice sounded odd and when Ethian came around, he saw why. Her mouth was torn up. “Father delayed me leaving and they got outside before me. They were waiting just out of sight of the door. I got away from them before they did too much damage, but they got a few good blows in before I escaped. I came straight here once I broke free from them. The guards chased them off. I suppose I will get to listen to father rant about the cost of doctors again when I go back.”
“Fallon, would you mind getting an Imperial doctor?” Ethian asked.
“I have already sent for one.” Fallon was putting his pad away as he spoke.
“My father cannot afford an Imperial doctor, Ethian.” Verena looked genuinely distressed. “They are five times the cost of the court doctors. He will have me locked in my room for a month for using one.”
“Your father will not be paying for it. I am.” Ethian took hold of her chin and twisted her face gently so he could see the damage. “Your mouth is going to be problematic.”
“Regenerators do not work on lips.” Verena sighed. “I know this from experience.”
“Maybe the regenerators the court doctors use do not.” Ethian smiled. “I have taken a few blows to the mouth when I have been sparring with Fallon, and the Imperial doctors have erased all evidence of damage. It just takes a little extra work.”
“Really?” Verena asked. “I would dearly love not to have to explain to father why I look like someone used me as a sparring automaton again. The less trouble I have with my sisters the better.”
Twenty minutes later one of the more senior Imperial doctors entered the garden. He had his full kit with him. “I hear we have a young lady who was assaulted by four individuals who gave her a beating?”
“Her face is the primary source of damage, but I am concerned she may have other injuries she is not aware of.” Ethian stepped back so he could get a good look at Verena.
“Let me run a scan on you, young lady.” The doctor approached Verena. “Then we’ll see about undoing all of this damage.”
“Of course.” Verena tried to sit up, but it was obvious she was in pain.
The Imperial doctor ran a scanner over her. “Hm, bruised ribs but nothing too serious. It’s the face that’s the real concern. Now, as Prince Ethian can tell you, lips are not easy to heal. But with a bit of salve and a specialty regenerator that we have, we can fix them up for you.”
“I would appreciate it.” Verena winced. “Court doctors usually leave them to heal on their own.”
“This has happened before?” the Imperial doctor asked.
“Numerous times.” Verena sighed.
“Well, court doctors are notoriously underfunded, so they don’t get the best equipment.” The Imperial doctor patted her hand reassuringly. “We are supplied by the Imperial household, so we have an opportunity to invest in our equipment.” He put a regenerator on her cheek. He spread a salve that Ethian knew from experience would be stinging on her lips and then slipped a regenerator over her mouth. “No talking until I take it off so it can work. Understand?” Verena waved her hand to acknowledge him. She knew you didn’t move when there was a regenerator on you.
Ethian held her hand while the regenerators worked. When they beeped, the doctor took them off. He used an alcohol wipe to clean off the blood. “My lips feel normal.” Verena put her fingers against her mouth. “They are healed.”
The doctor smiled. “Yes, my dear, they are. Now, those bruised ribs don’t need a regenerator but take it easy for a few days. Try to avoid sleeping on your left side if you can. You should be fine.”
“Thank you, I will be careful,” Verena promised. The doctor nodded to Fallon and Ethian and headed off.
“What led to this morning’s attack?” Ethian asked. “Do you know?”
“Father told them no.” Verena sighed. “My sisters asked father for new gowns for the Founding Day high feasts. He told them that unless fashion changed, no one was getting new clothes for Founding Day.”
“How likely is it that fashion will change?” Fallon asked.
“It is actually quite possible fashion will change before the Founding Day feasts.” Verena gave them a thoughtful look. “It changed just before you and I met, Ethian, and the fashion mavens are notorious for their fickle mindedness when it comes to women’s clothing. They could even change it within a few days of the Founding Day feasts. To be fair, I am surprised it has lasted this long. It normally does not last more than a month, and it has lasted nearly six months now. The mavens must not be getting many complaints.”
“Would that not be a problem for you?” Fallon asked.
“For most lower court nobles, it will be an issue if they do that. For us?” Verena shook her head. “Not at all. Father has some odd things he considers necessities when it comes to our expenses. He has two stylists, a dressmaker, and a tailor on permanent staff for our family. Our dressmaker is very good and depending on how much time she is given should have at least one gown ready for each female member of the family by the first day of the Founding Day feasts. She will have a second gown ready by the second day, on the chance we make it in two days this year. As we are only allowed two gowns, we will be set.”
“That is an extravagant expense.” Fallon shared a look with Ethian.
“He does not spend money on fine food or entertainment.” Verena smiled. “He says he will not waste credits on luxury goods like plush floor coverings or updated wood paneling in the suite. He does not even buy ornate furniture. Everything we own is simple but elegant, and most of it was purchased from one of his siblings at a discounted price. He splurged on my library access. He pays a small fortune to keep us in fashion. He pays his servants well to keep them from betraying his secrets to his enemies at court. Those are the things he feels are worth spending credits on.”
“Your clothing must be a high expense too. Silk is not cheap.” Fallon eyed her day dress speculatively.
“It is all pseudo-silk.” Verena tugged her skirt in a self-conscious gesture. “Father cannot afford the real stuff, though Mili and the others keep begging him to let them get it.” She held out her arm. “It is very hard to tell the difference between pseudo-silk and the real thing, though. You have to look very closely at it, and you have to know what you are looking at, to tell the difference.”
“That is pseudo-silk?” Ethian asked, impressed. “I have never seen it before. I thought it was real silk.”
“Most people do at first glance.” Verena shrugged. “In the lower court, they assume you are wearing pseudo-silk because very few people can afford the real stuff. If I were to present myself at an upper court event in one of my gowns, their relative plainness notwithstanding, I would be driven out by the laughter. The fashion mavens and most upper court noblewomen would be able to tell once they got a good look at the fabric.”
“I wonder if my mother could tell the difference,” Ethian mused out loud.
“Tell the difference with what, Ethian?” Ethian rose, as did Fallon and Verena, as Sayana and Karis entered the garden. Poor Verena very nearly collapsed as she bowed. “Is this Verena?”
“It is.” Ethian steadied Verena before she fell. “We were just discussing the difference between pseudo-silk and the real thing. She was commenting that it was likely if she showed up at an upper court event in one of her gowns, assuming no one noticed she was from the lower court immediately, she would be laughed out of the event because the women would be able to tell she was wearing pseudo-silk.”
“It’s not easy, but if you’ve been trained to tell the difference, you can see it if you’re looking.” Sayana glanced at her. “I can see she’s wearing pseudo-silk right now just from the way the fabric shimmers in the light. It’s not quite the same as silk, though it’s close.”
“Interesting.” Ethian looked at the dress again. “I cannot tell the difference at all.”
“You’re not a woman.” Sayana laughed. “This isn’t something you were taught.”
“Hello, Verena.” Karis turned towards Verena. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Good morning, Your Imperial Majesty.” Verena’s voice was soft and timid.
“I hope my sons are behaving themselves.” Karis grinned broadly but not unkindly. Ethian saw his father had noticed how nervous she was around him.
“They have been absolutely wonderful to me, Your Imperial Majesty.” Verena still spoke very quietly as she gazed shyly up at him. “They are the first friends I have ever had.”
“I am pleased to hear that.” Karis’ tone was gentle, and Verena’s smile grew a little more certain. Ethian, Fallon, and Verena sat back down while Karis and Sayana wandered over to the sunfire roses.
Ethian and Verena talked quietly at one end of the garden while Karis and Sayana did the same at the other. Finally, Karis and Sayana rejoined the group. “Ethian, your father and I are wondering why we were told by the Imperial doctors that you had them treat a young woman that did not look as though she were from the upper court. Was that Verena?” Sayana asked.
“Yes Mother.” Ethian took hold of Verena’s hand. Neither of his parents missed the gesture.
“Verena, would you please explain what happened this morning that you needed a doctor?” Karis asked. Verena hesitantly told about her sisters and their attack on her as she left the palace. “Is this a normal event?”
“It is, Your Imperial Majesty.” Verena seemed reluctant to answer. Ethian could feel her trembling. “It has been going on since I was ten. My father does his best to put a stop to it, but my sisters tend to ignore him when it suits them.”
“Is your father not doing something about them?” Sayana asked.
“He is, Your Imperial Majesty.” Verena looked at the empress. “At the end of the year, he is sending them back to Henebore. That is one of the reasons they are so angry. I am not being sent back with them. I am staying at court so father can find me a husband. The best they can hope for now, assuming father does not find them something in the interim, is a tradesman.”
“I see.” Sayana was quite disturbed, though you had to know her to see it through the calm expression on her face.
“Will you be telling your father of the latest attack?” Karis asked.
“I do not see the need.” Verena paused. “The Imperial doctor took care of the damage, other than the bruised ribs. All it will do if I tell him is anger my sisters even more. There is no proof without the injuries, so they can claim I am lying. It will just lead to a huge fight. I would rather avoid that if I can.”
“You prefer to keep the peace.” Sayana tilted her head to one side.
“Only up to a point, Your Imperial Majesty.” Verena seemed to want to make that clear. “I have spoken up in the past and will do so again if I think it will do some good. Right now, it will not.”
“As long as you know when to speak up, that is the important thing.” Karis looked at her seriously.
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Verena nodded. “I do know when to say something to my father.”
“Excellent. We are going to check on the girls before lunch. You three enjoy the rest of your morning.” They headed off.
“Those two are very intimidating.” Verena spoke up as soon as Karis and Sayana were gone.
“My father can be intimidating.” Ethian found he was still holding her hand. “Mother is not usually too bad. She can be a bit intense at times though if you are not used to her.”
“The girls they are checking on, are those your sisters?” Verena asked.
“Yes, they are.” Ethian smiled. “Kaelea and Ismaeli get a little lonely if we do not check on them regularly. Mother and father go during the day. Fallon and I do not go as often as they would like, but we try to visit them in the afternoon a few times a week. We see them at court, of course, and we have private meals with the whole family twice a week to get away from the press of court.”
“It must be nice to actually want to see your family.” Verena sounded wistful. “I cannot wait for my father to get rid of my sisters. I would rather skip family meals and just eat alone in my room. He will not allow it. He insists on us eating as a family. Niklas and Astera eat with us, though they have their children eat in their suite. They do not want them around Milisen and the others.”
Ethian wished he could do more for her. The best he could do was offer her a sanctuary, and the use of an Imperial doctor on the days when she didn’t escape her sisters’ attacks. “You will always have a safe haven from your sisters here, Verena.”
“Thank you, Ethian.” Verena sighed. “After this morning, I wish I did not have to leave the garden and go back to join my family for lunch.”
“I would invite you to join us, but that would be problematic on multiple levels.” Ethian grinned.
“Not the least of which I would be the target of every assassin the upper court could throw at me by the end of the day.” Verena giggled. “I do not need that on top of my sisters.”
“Which would be worse, the assassins or your sisters?” Ethian asked.
“I have to think about that.” Verena smiled mischievously.
Fallon laughed. “I would say the assassins are worse, but I am not so certain of that. You do not have to live with them.”
“No, I do not.” Verena laughed.
Ethian and Fallon kept Verena laughing the rest of the morning and she left them in a much better mood than she’d been in when they arrived in the garden. “She does not deserve what she is going through.” Ethian was not happy about what Verena was dealing with.
“No, she does not. At least she has the hope of finally being rid of her sisters,” Fallon pointed out. “Her father is sending them away at the end of the year.”
“Did you hear her talk? She does not realize just how wealthy her family truly is.” Ethian was baffled by that. They were incredibly wealthy for a lower court family.
“Demetrios told us they were wealthy enough to ascend. Her father wants to be rid of the older four before he does to avoid any scandal in the upper court. He cannot afford to have that kind of damage to his reputation so early in his career.” Fallon made a face. “He is probably hiding his wealth from his family, other than his son, to keep them from realizing what their potential future is.”
“I do not blame him. Poor Verena though. She needs better medical care and cannot get it because her father does not want anyone to know how wealthy he is.” Ethian sighed.
“That is where we come in.” Fallon put a hand on his shoulder. “The Imperial doctors are more than happy to work for us, and we can get her proper treatment when she needs it.”
“It means she will not be able to see her sisters punished for their attacks,” Ethian pointed out. “You heard her. Without the injuries, she has no proof, and her sisters would just claim she was lying.”
“Yes, and from she has said about her father, as much as he would want to believe her, he would err on the side of caution and not do anything because there was no proof,” Fallon agreed. “Well, it is either leave her injured and have her get inferior care or see her treated and leave her sisters unpunished. Which is it going to be?”
“I think I would rather she gets the superior care.” Ethian shrugged. “If her sisters misstep in front of witnesses, they will tell him, and she can tell him she got medical treatment paid for by her friends if she has to.”
“I wonder how she has explained us to him.” Fallon had every right to be concerned, but Ethian had a good idea Verena was keeping their identities secret from her family.
“I am certain she has not told him who her friends are, if she has mentioned us at all. It would be risky for her to name us.” Ethian was confident in that at least.
“She is sensible enough not to, but if he presses her, I wonder what she will do,” Fallon mused.
“Verena is an honest woman, but I have an odd feeling she will lie to him.” Ethian looked thoughtful. “For the first time in her life.”
“You think so?” Fallon asked. Ethian nodded. “We will have to wait and see.” They went to their lunches and Ethian changed for audiences.
The audiences were dull as usual, and Ethian was grateful when his father ended them. Ethian made his way back to his chambers and settled in to do his neglected paperwork. Fallon arrived a few minutes later. “Not that I mind the company, but what are you doing here?” Ethian asked.
“The Imperial guards kicked me out of my room. There was an assassin lurking in the bathroom.” Fallon glanced into Ethian’s bedroom.
Two Imperial guards came in and searched Ethian’s room. “Might I suggest both of you go to Their Imperial Majesties’ rooms?” one of the guards called from the bedroom.
“Right, I think they found one in mine too.” Ethian took his pad, and the two princes made their way to the emperor and empress’ chambers.
“What are you two doing here?” Karis asked.
“The Imperial guards kicked us out of our rooms.” Ethian met his mother’s worried gaze.
“Did they say why?” Sayana asked.
“There was an assassin in my bathroom. I can only assume there was something similar going on in Ethian’s rooms.” Fallon shrugged.
“Well, sit down and work on your paperwork. I will send word to the seneschal that we are having a private dinner tonight.” Karis smiled. “Kaelea and Ismaeli will be pleased. They get to see you two.” Ethian sat down and got to work.
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