Chương 70: Chapter 69: Doll.

"I simply think of myself as more than breeding stock." The air might as well have been sucked out of the room. Amelia Sunheart and Shara Greengrass both looked horrified. Amelia dropped the spoon she had been using to stir her cup. Shara gaped at me openly. Sarah and Junah looked equally scandalized. Though I thought theirs was a shock that came from seeing an insult and wondering if a fight might break out at any moment because of it. Cordelia Greenward was the only one who remained largely composed.

She slowly reached out, took her own cup, and brought it to her lips. A second later, she set the cup down with a small clink.

"I do wish to apologize, Lady Veyne," she said.

"I had forgotten about your unique…circumstances. It was rude of us to lead the conversation in this direction."

"What?" She shook her head.

"It is not your fault. Without a mother to guide you, it is no wonder that you ended up with these distorted views. I find the tea isn't nearly sweet enough." I stared at the girl. She was all too slow to meet my gaze, and when she did, it was perfectly steady.

"You implied that we were breeding stock. No, you said as much. I find that quite insulting. The insult to my own person is something I can easily forget, but the insult to…." She gestured vaguely across the table.

"I find harder to forgive." I was clearly on the back foot, having walked into a trap I hadn't seen at all. I wanted to backtrack, to try and smooth things over as best I could. Truth. The blade whispered in my mind. Damn it. Stupid or not, I knew I couldn't just do it. Even if the sword hadn't been nudging me, nothing would have changed at all.

"Perhaps breeding stock is too harsh," I said smoothly.

"But surely you all can understand what I'm saying, can't you?" I looked around at the girls, all of whom had their lives already decided for them. None of them met my gaze. Not even Sarah or Junah.

"To wed for one's house is not just a great honor," Cordelia said softly.

"It is a duty. A great duty." She gestured towards Junah.

"Junah Cross' family lost much of its wealth due to a few unlucky investments. The land tax for their place in the District surely weighs heavier on them with each passing day." As she spoke, the girl in question hunched forward.

"And so, Junah is giving herself to a wealthy merchant's son," Cordelia added, as if she were just discussing the weather. I frowned, saw the girl stare down at her own palms, red-faced. Coming after me was one thing; coming after other people to get to me was another. I was just about to say something when Cordelia said something again.

"I think it's beautiful. I think it's noble." Cordelia's soft words filled the empty space my own words had carved out. Everyone looked at her. Even Junah raised her head to stare.

"For a woman to give herself for the benefit of her family…." She let out a deep sigh.

"What can be more honorable than that? Why, if someone were to go out of their way to diminish that act, I would think they are either a barbarian, a simpleton, or both." Cordelia reached for her cup again and deliberately took a small sip. Junah's gaze went from Cordelia to me. Then, she slowly sat a little straighter. Her family's allegiance aside, right now, it was clear which side she was more drawn to.

"Of course, I can do something as uncouth as point out everyone else's circumstances, but I will refrain from such an act." Cordelia smiled.

"My apologies, Lady Junah. I should have only discussed myself. I grew heated."

"N-no, it's fine, My Lady." The girl said hurriedly, hands raised. Damn it. Coming here had been a mistake, that much was clear now. I had wondered what Greenward had intended by inviting me at all, and this seemed to be it. It wasn't like this one misstep mattered that much, but it would reinforce the perceptions of the other noble families. A small, almost petty blow, yet one I felt acutely all the same.

"I do apologize." I said finally.

"House Veyne has one duty, that is to go out and fight. I might have forgotten that other people fight in their own ways, ones not quite so apparent." Another silence fell over the room. My words were a hasty, clumsy parry, one that clearly was not enough to rouse Junah's spirits. When she looked at me, it was with deference, yet that itself was diminished from what it had been just moments prior. Sarah looked equally uncertain. Julian Greenward didn't even have to do anything himself from here.

These two girls would talk among themselves, and the news would spread through my own camp. Disdain. The Godblade whispered. I got the sense that it wasn't talking about me, but for this arrogant and yet annoyingly clever girl in front of me. This had been Julian's gambit, but Cordelia had played it well. If I could have just gotten up and left, I would have. That was perhaps the only way I could make things worse from here. So, I sat there and stewed in anger, even as I plastered the best smile I could.

I reached for my Gift. No. Just a single word, nothing more. Just lovely.

"My apologies, it seems the conversation has gone down a strange direction," Cordelia said, fixing the others with a bright smile.

"If I may, there is so much I want to talk about…." Cordelia deftly steered the conversation after that. She moved it to plans for her wedding, everything from the finest tailors her father had commissioned to a venue in the capital her father had booked for the occasion. Naturally, an event this prestigious couldn't just take place in Aelheim itself. It couldn't just take place on any day, either -it was to be held right after the King's Tournament. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road.

Report any occurrences elsewhere. In doing so, she drew the others to speak about their own betrothals. Cordelia's betrothal was far more prestigious than anyone else's at this table, and yet she paid each of the girls the same amount of enthusiasm and curiosity as she used to speak about her own. It didn't take long at all before both Junah Cross and Sarah Spearow were smiling ear to ear as they partook in the gossip. Naturally, this was a conversation I could only make the clumsiest of attempts to join.

As Cordelia steered the conversation back to high-society gossip, I watched her. She poured another cup of tea, smoothly and perfectly. She laughed at Amelia's flattery. A perfect smile that looked all the more fake because of how perfect it was. She always said the right thing, at the exact right time. Always. Mask. Fake. Liar. The Godblade would grumble now and then. It wasn't hard to deduce what it meant, though there was nothing I could do in this situation.

Eventually, the conversation started to taper down until it became clear that this 'tea party' was quickly reaching its end.

"It has been a very long time since I've gotten to chat like this," Cordelia said almost bashfully as she glanced down.

"I find time does pass rather quickly when one is enjoying themselves."

"You are a lovely host," Amelia said with all too much sweetness.

"I fear I did not notice the passage of time either." That was an expected comment from a sycophant.

"My Lady, I hope your wedding is as lovely as you've described," Sarah said, genuinely.

"I do so hope I get the chance to attend it. It sounds magical!" That was an unexpected comment, if one had been deaf for the last hour or so.

"Do not worry. I will make sure your family has an invitation." Cordelia said, beaming bright. Cordelia finally turned to me. In all this time, she had never directly talked to me until now. Why would she need to, when she could beat me so thoroughly without it?

"And how did you find today, Lady Veyne?" She asked, ever so sweetly. Her green eyes bored into my red ones. The mask of civility I barely clung to slipped.

"I found today quite illuminating. It did make me understand quite a bit about nobility, and about yourself."

"Oh?" Cordelia's smile widened.

"How so?" She leaned in.

"I am just impressed at the ease of it. Never having to think or choose, and just sitting perfectly still on a shelf until your father decides which room to display you in. It must be nice to be such a perfect doll. Just be pulled along." I did rather admire myself for my restraint. The words I wanted to use were much crasser. I wish Violet were here to deliver them on my behalf. It was a mild, pathetic insult, one that didn't matter at all under the weight of the victory Cordelia had already won.

I fully expected her to pounce on it, to spin it in some way. She didn't. The air grew thick. Cordelia was currently clutching the handle of her teacup. Crack. The sharp snap of porcelain. The handle broke off in Cordelia's grip. The cup tumbled, shattering against its saucer. Dark tea splashed directly onto her lap, a spreading, ugly brown stain soaking into the pristine white lilies of her skirt. Amelia gasped, half-standing from her chair. Cordelia didn't look down at the ruin of her gown.

Her face twisted, and there I saw true anger, anger leveled at me. That anger lasted for three heartbeats. Then, she blinked. She looked down at her stained dress. She looked at the other four girls, who were frozen in mortified silence. Cordelia's anger melted like snow in the summer sun. The blood drained from her face. Her breath hitched. Her hands hovered over the dark stain, trembling so hard the gold rings on her fingers rattled together. She looked utterly, genuinely terrified.

Cordelia's smile came again unnervingly quickly as she brushed at her soaking dress.

"Oh, it seems I've made a mistake." She said smoothly, glancing down at her dress and then back up at me.

"Or perhaps the handle was already weak." Cordelia rose, her hands working at wrinkles in her dress that weren't there.

"My apologies, but we should end today's festivities here." She curtsied clumsily, an imperfect gesture from the perfect girl.

"Please, if someone would call for Alfred." I didn't know what to say. Evidently, neither did anyone else. I rose even as the other four girls did.

"Of course, My Lady. You must simply be under the weather."

"Yes, it is our fault for not realizing Lady Cordelia wasn't feeling well, and yet she still hosted us!" I didn't leave the Greenward Manor right away. Alfred didn't need to be called; he had been waiting right outside the door. He opened it before we reached it, took one look inside, and then gestured for the five of us to step outside.

"Please come, it seems the Lady is tired. We have called carriages for each of you." The other girls seemed all too eager to leave. They engaged in whispers that I didn't pay any attention to. The daughters of my retainers shied away from me, not that I tried to speak to them. It didn't matter. My thoughts drifted to Cordelia. The perfectly smooth smile she'd worn all night had crumbled in an instant. The anger behind it had felt sharp. Real. The terror that followed had been…

like watching a door swing open onto a room no one was supposed to see. I was still thinking of it as Alfred led us out. Duke Julian stepped around a corner and moved towards us. He had a short whispered conversation with Alfred before he turned to us.

"Thank you for attending. I am sure it made my daughter very happy." He smiled genially at the five girls.

"Your carriages have already been prepared for you. I do hope you found the trip refreshing. Please, do come again. My daughter does quite like these activities." He spared an extra glance for me, and then he was heading past us. I was trailing the group, Alfred leading the way at the front. You. Deny? I clicked my tongue. Damn it all. As we neared the grand foyer, Amelia and Shara clustered together, whispering furiously. I stopped, letting the procession move some distance away.

Then, I turned and followed behind Julian. There were many more guards here than there were inside my own Manor. There was at least one guard at the end of each hallway. None of them barred my way as I followed at a distance from Duke Julian, always staying far enough away that he turned a corner right as I did behind him. I only had to follow him for two turns before we were in the hallway I recognized. There was a guard posted right outside the door I was sure we had come from. He hadn't been there before.

Duke Julian spoke to the man, stepped inside. The guard looked straight ahead. He would see me if I stepped closer, and I suspected he would say something if he did. I stepped as close as I dared, Click. Click. Click. Every faint and distant sound snapped into focus. My own heart beat thrummed in my ear. I ignored it. I ignored every single sound and focused, straining. Nothing. Click. I finally heard it.

"I didn't wish to believe it." Duke Julian's voice was calm and measured and slightly muffled.

"You have made a mess of it. After I made it so very simple."

"I'm sorry, father." Cordelia's voice was odd.

"Sorry? But you would say that, wouldn't you? There is no sorry after the deed is done, Cordelia."

"I'm sorry, father." There was nothing for a few seconds.

"Alfred did inform me of what happened. A perfect doll you are not." It wasn't a surprise to know that someone had been listening in on us. My skin crawled anyway.

"You are to be wed soon, Cordelia. See that this does not happen again." Duke Julian's voice was still calm. Terrifyingly calm.

"Or else I may find another use for you yet." Another use. It was said so casually, with no inflection at all. It was said with an ease that only came from repetition.

"I will see that your mother disciplines you properly when she returns from the Capital," Julian finished.

"Yes, father. I'm sorry." Cordelia said. This time, I understood why her voice sounded strange. It was because it was lifeless. Empty. There was no emotion at all. My hands were clenched tight. I unclenched them slowly. That lifeless tone was one I knew well. It was one I'd heard often come from my own throat, in another life. I turned my hearing back down. Made myself breathe. I had felt good when I landed that blow. Confused, but good. Now it felt like I'd struck someone already on their knees.

"My Lady, are you lost?" I jumped, whirled around. Alfred stood barely five feet away from me. His hooked nose and narrowed eyes were shadowed in the dim corridor lighting. I forced myself to stillness.

"No," I said. I might have been caught, but I had no reason to be nervous.

"I thought I'd forgotten something. It was my mistake. Today has been a long day." Alfred nodded and led me back. I'm sorry, Father. I heard those words echo all the way back home.