“On top? Oh. No. The crownis a northern fashion. You’ll see my maid wears it often.”
“I see.”
“Yes. I’m sure it’s a bit confusing,” I said. “I’m not married.”
“Of course, you’re not married,” he said.
“Right. You should know, in Oreia, the braid marks the preservation of a lady’s virtue. It comes apart once she has taken a husband. For that reason, I did not waver from the knot.”
“I see,” he said.
“Then you are virtuous?” Yosif asked, his voice veiled in curiosity.
“What a thing to ask,“ Mr. Adeline cut in. “Pray. Would you ask her father that question?”
The King waved them off.
Yosif said, “My apologies, Your Highness. Though, I do wonder what the Prince will think of your hair. As you stated, it is quite unusual.”
“The Prince?” I asked. I hadn’t considered his reception of myhair.“Are you suggesting it will offend him?”
“It’s verystrangeto see, is all,” Yosif said.
“Is he here?” Mr. Adeline asked.
I leaned into him. “Is he?”
Adeline shook his head.
The King said, “His Royal Highness is preoccupied today.”
“Oh?” I asked.
“Yes,” Yosif said knowingly. “A hunt this morning took them east. I’m sure those two have found themselves in town by now.”
“If the Prince was in town, I didn’t see him,” I said.
“Youwere in town?” Yosif asked. “I thought a bent wheel kept you?”
“What?” I asked. “Who told you that?”
“Your knight.” He gestured toward Ser Willoughby’s place at the wall. “Did he misspeak?”
“Oh,” I lied. “No. Yes. We… We did have a wheel issue, I think.”
The first question for the committee arrived in front of us.
“Sorry, sir. I forgot. I don’t handle carriage maintenance.”
“Ah. I see.”
Mr. Adeline addressed the petitioner.
Chapter 4
Two hours of sitting in a chair before the assembly ended did nothing for my posture. The King had mostly withheld from speaking to me, but Yosif had outwardly critiquedeveryresponse I’d given. My only ally was Mr. Adeline, who occasionally distracted the Archbishop. Yet, tension still festered, to the point that I wonderedhow in the worldmy father had even navigated the quorum without striking Yosif in his smug, condescending, rigid face, let alone done so quarterly. Then, I could not help but wonder if his masculinity had something to do with a return of respect. Adeline seemed fine that I was a woman, but the other two… They seemed too focused on my father’s absence.
Still, the meeting was naught but requests from farmers and a few town vendors for gold. There were a couple of complaints of the typical land errors and taxes, and it went on for all of eternity, but after the third time the King found at my braid, I made it into a game. I put a tally in the corner of my notes for each glance, but after eleven, it wasn’t fun. I worried that his sonwouldbe offended by it, and I thought to excuse myself, as I felt that brewing in my throat, but then my maid arrived near the door and interrupted as politely as she could.
