for?” Tatiana asked the servant before he could take the plate of untouched food away.
“Prince Azor, ma’am.”
“But he’s not here.”
The servant gulped and flashed a nervous look at the head of the table. Once again he tried to take the plate and Tatiana delayed his hand.
Stop, Tatiana, Jacob yelled internally. He refrained from resting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing.
Tatiana leaned in closer to the servant, “Please save it for me, then.”
“But, I—” the servant began.
“No,” Jacob murmured under his breath.
Tatiana turned to him with a persistent frown. “Then go eat in the kitchen.”
Jacob clenched his jaw, unmoving from his spot.
“Tatiana? What seems to be the trouble?” Queen Desiree asked. The table hushed.
Tatiana whipped her head around and straightened her shoulders, standing. “I was wondering what would happen with this uneaten meal.”
She smiled. “They discard it, of course.”
“Even with the scarcity of food? I’d rather someone eat it.” Tatiana said. “Like… my guard, Jacob.”
Jacob bristled. Had she no tact?
The Queen’s smile vanished into a smirk. “Your guard is to eat with the servant staff.”
“But Blanchard—”
“Blanchard is first in command when Prince Azor is away. And since you’re new, I’ll excuse your insult to me and this table.”
Jacob stared straight ahead as all eyes fell on him and then to Tatiana. He couldn’t have imagined anything worse for her to say at her first meal as princess.
The Queen’s heated stare lingered on Tatiana for a beat longer, sinking in. Then she stood and threw her cloth napkin onto her half-eaten plate of food, and stormed out of the room in a huff.
The room collectively gasped and Tatiana sank into her chair. Once the conversation picked up, she pushed her uneaten greens around her plate with her fork and all Jacob could hear was Garnet’s low cluck. It took all his concentration not to backhand the tiara off the snob’s head.
11
: : :
Disappointment
Audience resumed and Tatiana sat on her brocade throne with her hands in her lap, hoping to fade into the itchy fabric tickling her back. The Queen conducted business far more curtly than before lunch, and Tatiana couldn’t help but blame herself.
So stupid.
She hadn’t meant to upset her, but with the obvious waste of food, she couldn’t handle listening to Jacob’s stomach a moment longer. Was she trying to impress her guests? Show that even though they’d run out of peasant rations, royalty didn’t need to worry? How could they not see the obvious in front of their faces with the low numbers of fish outside and the servants scared stiff to pick up supplies?
Then after the meal ended, Jacob dashed out of the dining room first, without even so much as a look. Tatiana knew she’d get an earful later, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to sit by and let perfectly good food go to waste. Tatiana glanced out to the hall once again, hoping to give him an apologetic glance, but didn’t spot him.
However, as more mers confirmed the terror the explosion had caused, Tatiana wanted to disappear into the cushions of her throne. And without knowledge of who was in support of whom—her father or the King—the Queen had the public fountain in the square sealed off completely. Only the royal healers were allowed to dole the vials from her private bath. Though many mer matrons, like Sandy, acted as healers, without essence they were useless against the poisons. Xirene and Pearleza were the only official healers that Tatiana knew of, and because of that, a huge task loomed before them.
After dinner, Tatiana retired early and crawled into bed mentally and physically exhausted, but not before Jacob let her have it.
“My well-being is for me to worry about, Princess,” he’d said. His bitter tone stung her ears and crushed her spirit when all she’d wanted was to make sure he’d eaten something. Unable to reason with him,
“Prince Azor, ma’am.”
“But he’s not here.”
The servant gulped and flashed a nervous look at the head of the table. Once again he tried to take the plate and Tatiana delayed his hand.
Stop, Tatiana, Jacob yelled internally. He refrained from resting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing.
Tatiana leaned in closer to the servant, “Please save it for me, then.”
“But, I—” the servant began.
“No,” Jacob murmured under his breath.
Tatiana turned to him with a persistent frown. “Then go eat in the kitchen.”
Jacob clenched his jaw, unmoving from his spot.
“Tatiana? What seems to be the trouble?” Queen Desiree asked. The table hushed.
Tatiana whipped her head around and straightened her shoulders, standing. “I was wondering what would happen with this uneaten meal.”
She smiled. “They discard it, of course.”
“Even with the scarcity of food? I’d rather someone eat it.” Tatiana said. “Like… my guard, Jacob.”
Jacob bristled. Had she no tact?
The Queen’s smile vanished into a smirk. “Your guard is to eat with the servant staff.”
“But Blanchard—”
“Blanchard is first in command when Prince Azor is away. And since you’re new, I’ll excuse your insult to me and this table.”
Jacob stared straight ahead as all eyes fell on him and then to Tatiana. He couldn’t have imagined anything worse for her to say at her first meal as princess.
The Queen’s heated stare lingered on Tatiana for a beat longer, sinking in. Then she stood and threw her cloth napkin onto her half-eaten plate of food, and stormed out of the room in a huff.
The room collectively gasped and Tatiana sank into her chair. Once the conversation picked up, she pushed her uneaten greens around her plate with her fork and all Jacob could hear was Garnet’s low cluck. It took all his concentration not to backhand the tiara off the snob’s head.
11
: : :
Disappointment
Audience resumed and Tatiana sat on her brocade throne with her hands in her lap, hoping to fade into the itchy fabric tickling her back. The Queen conducted business far more curtly than before lunch, and Tatiana couldn’t help but blame herself.
So stupid.
She hadn’t meant to upset her, but with the obvious waste of food, she couldn’t handle listening to Jacob’s stomach a moment longer. Was she trying to impress her guests? Show that even though they’d run out of peasant rations, royalty didn’t need to worry? How could they not see the obvious in front of their faces with the low numbers of fish outside and the servants scared stiff to pick up supplies?
Then after the meal ended, Jacob dashed out of the dining room first, without even so much as a look. Tatiana knew she’d get an earful later, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to sit by and let perfectly good food go to waste. Tatiana glanced out to the hall once again, hoping to give him an apologetic glance, but didn’t spot him.
However, as more mers confirmed the terror the explosion had caused, Tatiana wanted to disappear into the cushions of her throne. And without knowledge of who was in support of whom—her father or the King—the Queen had the public fountain in the square sealed off completely. Only the royal healers were allowed to dole the vials from her private bath. Though many mer matrons, like Sandy, acted as healers, without essence they were useless against the poisons. Xirene and Pearleza were the only official healers that Tatiana knew of, and because of that, a huge task loomed before them.
After dinner, Tatiana retired early and crawled into bed mentally and physically exhausted, but not before Jacob let her have it.
“My well-being is for me to worry about, Princess,” he’d said. His bitter tone stung her ears and crushed her spirit when all she’d wanted was to make sure he’d eaten something. Unable to reason with him,
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