Dancing on Strings

Marionettes

         

~I shall edit tomorrow~

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Mai crawled out of her room the next evening – crawling in an evening gown, full head of accessorises and enough makeup to cover both her pale face as well as both her ladies-in-waiting.

She was making one short appearance in public to show that she wasn't in the process of dying or ending up in the same fate as her sisters.

Truth be told, she didn't feel nearly as bad as she expected to but that didn't mean she wasn't predicting a crash in a matter of time.

She joined a number – a large number – of courtiers in one of the games rooms. Many had already left to join her siblings so they could be involved in the mini courts held around the country. The palace was quieter, even with a few hundred courtiers still milling around and taking up time.

After a few rounds of cards – of which she lost every single hand and thus proved she was not at all well enough to be in public – she retired to the family dining room.

One the small ones seeing as it was now only her, Kazimir, Etienne and their father.

The food and drink was tested again and again and again, personal guards placed to watch over the preparation and delivery. Mai had never known of such obsessive protection over a chicken, but it was a very tasty chicken and she ate, which was something her doctor had been concerned over.

Dinner conversation was light and mostly about what Mai had missed over the few days – there were too many servants listening for her father to want to get any more involved.

Following that however, they moved to his private office and settled in with warm drinks – again, tested within an inch of their live before handed out – and the servants left them alone.

"So, everyone should be well on their way to their destinations," Antoine said, settling back in his chair closest to the fire.

The firelight played on his skin and Mai glanced at him, then blinked.

He looked... tired.

It was the first time she'd seen anything close to tiredness or... age on his face. Something darker had dug into the tiny laughter lines around his eyes – in fact, when had he even had lines around his eyes?

"Kazimir, do you think you'll join Dalton?" Etienne asked, looking at Kazimir who had set himself up in a corner by a lamp with a book, perfectly content to be rude and ignore the king.

Kazimir glanced up without lifting his temple from his knuckles. "Is that your polite way of asking me to leave?"

Etienne snorted. "I'd just tell you if I wanted to kick you out – which I wouldn't dare."

"No you would not," Kazimir said, looking back at his book. "And I'll join him in time. He won't be good company after all, all his attention being on his new fiancée and whatnot – that he didn't wait for me to be around for before he proposed but, hey, it's not like I'm bitter or anything."

"Kazimir," Mai said, frowning at him.

"What?"

"You're so petty."

"He wants a brother; he gets all the bad things that come with one."

"You're just enjoying yourself."

"Me? Enjoy myself? How hideously out of character."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want, Kazimir," Antoine said, rolling his eyes. "Especially after the other day."