Restored (A Caleo Selection)

5 ~ A Tension So Thick

"So what did you make of him?"

A few hours later, most of us girls settled in the Women's Room, which Charlotte had pointed out on our tour. Jade gazed at me questioningly, waiting for my answer.

I thought it through. "He didn't seem to be taking it seriously at first, but...I think he might have just been nervous."

Jade nodded. "That's what I thought. But I found him funny. He kissed my hand and called me Lady Winters!" She giggled gleefully. "I thought he'd send me home right away because of my position, but he wasn't like that at all. I'm certain I could fall in love with a boy like that."

I decided that Jade should be one of my prime candidates for the princess. She seemed smart, sweet, optimistic, and strong, all of which were good qualities for a queen, and I needed to encourage the prince towards a good candidate, if possible. Also, she had been a poor, and her whole family could be elevated if she won.

A familiar-looking girl with long brown hair and tanned skin sat down beside us. "You're a couple of the lower-province girls, right?" she asked.

I searched for malice in her tone, but found none. "Yes," I answered her cautiously.

"Birds of feather flock together," said a nearby blonde girl. The black-haired girl beside her giggled, and the two moved away. I fought the urge to throw a vase at them.

"Ignore them," instructed the brown-haired girl. She smiled sweetly. "I'm Piper McLean. How are you two faring?"

Jade smiled. "I think we're doing okay. Where are you from, Piper?"

Piper chuckled. "Right here in Angeles. I..." she laughed again. "I'm actually--"

"Ladies!" Hebe clapped her hands for attention. "We are going to have a small history class to test your knowledge of Illéa. Now, until you make it to the Elite, you will not be allowed to learn the inner workings of the palace and politics, but now, we will review the common history of Olympus Illéa. So please follow me, girls!"

I sprang up and joined the line of girls trailing after our mentor. Nyssa fell back to walk beside me. "I've always loved history," she said excitedly. "Do you?"

I glanced down. "I used to know quite a bit," I said slowly. "But where I was, I just didn't have access to many books."

"Ah. I see." Nyssa remained quiet for a few moments as we strode along. "What is it like? You said you don't have any family. How did you deal with being alone so much?"

I swallowed and stared at the floor. "It's not so bad. I had a good place to stay and adequate food almost constantly where I worked, and I know it's much, much harder for some servants."

Nyssa bobbed her head amiably, but she wouldn't meet my eyes. We continued the rest of the way in silence.

I followed the other girls into a large, sunny classroom with thirty-five desks in five rows of seven. I chose a seat on the left side near a window.

Hebe seated herself at the main desk. "Your first question!" she called, and all the girls sat up straighter, wanting to prove themselves smart. "What is the significance of September 18th?"

Alice's hand shot up the fastest. "That was the day when, forty-six years ago, Illéa became liberated from the oppressive rule of King Kronos the Bloody," she answered.

Hebe marked a note on a sheet of paper. "Correct. Can anyone tell me the heritage of Kronos?"

A dark-skinned girl I did not know replied. "His parents were King Ouranos the Merciful and Queen Gaea the Fruitful. Queen Gaea was the son of Prince Consort Eikko the Good and Queen Eadlyn the Just, and Queen Eadlyn, first female heir of the throne, was the daughter of King Maxon the Great and Queen America the Fair."