The Engagement (Part 3)

In the privacy of their carriage, the siblings dropped all pretence.

"Damn it all!" Vale cursed, throwing his head back in frustration. "Claris, that son of a bitch. What was he thinking?"

"Nothing, probably," Neve scoffed, gazing out the window as the carriage departed. "He's in the palm of his mother's hand."

Vale raised an eyebrow inquisitively at Neve's vitriol. "Were you not fond of the Prince?"

"I was," Neve admitted, "until tonight. He is not the person I once loved."

"And Lady Gemma?" Vale prompted. "What did she have to say?"

Neve smiled, a little sorrowfully. "She's too young for the politics of the Royal Court. Lady Gemma came to apologize, that's all."

"She's just another pawn for the Royal Family," Vale agreed. "Though I never thought even House Rosentine would be subjected to that same treatment."

Outside the carriage, the familiar Capital scenery passed by. Ornate, splendid architecture lined Asteria's wealthiest city. Grand arches and the mighty eagle, motifs of the Royal Family, were found at every corner. Even in the dim moonlight, the Capital seemed to sparkle.

Neve wondered what darkness laid in wait behind the city's beautiful façade.

"I suppose we have to return home to Ironhold," Neve lamented. "Father is going to be furious."

Vale sat upright, grabbing Neve's hands. "Don't worry about Father. He won't be upset with you, and he won't let the Royal Family insult us further."

Their father, Duke Fallon, was a highly influential noble who successfully governed the arid and hostile duchy of Ironhold. He was also a domineering man who instilled great fear in others, even his own family. Their militant household fostered great intelligence and prowess in the Rosentine children, but it was cold and unwelcoming.

"Even Father can't oppose an imperial order," Neve replied, shaking her head. "I will have to join the war."

But even at the prospect of warfare, Neve was unafraid. Unlike other noblewomen, Neve had once trained in swordsmanship alongside her brother back in Ironhold. While Neve couldn't compare to the knights who devoted their lives to the sword, she was certainly better off than the untrained peasants who were slaughtered on the battlefield.

"Neve, I know you are strong," Vale began apprehensively, "but you don't know the horrors of war. The battlefield is no place for you."

To this, Neve said nothing. She knew her brother was speaking out of concern, but she was confident in her abilities.

"I will do my best to reverse the imperial order," he continued. "I'm sure Father will do the same. And in the event the Queen demands a representative of House Rosentine, I will go in your stead."

Neve closed her eyes, knowing her brother could not save her no matter how valiant his efforts. Still, she smiled inwardly at Vale's overprotectiveness and love for his younger sister. Though they were both already adults, Neve thought he must still see her as the young, timid child she once was.

A yawn escaped Neve's lips, a few tears springing to her eyes.

"Get some sleep," Vale said, glancing away. "I'll wake you up when we arrive at the estate."

'I'll let him pamper me,' Neve thought, bemused. She leaned back into her seat, lulled to sleep by the rocking motion of the carriage. Despite the events of the night, it felt peaceful. Though she would never admit it to him, Neve was comforted immensely by the presence of her older brother.

–––

Vale looked on as his sister dozed off, seeing much of his younger self in her. Out of all the Rosentine children, Vale and Neve were the most similar in personality and appearance. Both were pragmatic and ambitious like their father, though Neve took after Duke Fallon mostly in stubbornness.

The siblings resembled their late mother, Duchess Avala Rosentine, who was a cold and regal beauty. Her hair once flowed like spun silver, and her eyes were deep blue like sapphires. In his youth, the smitten Duke spent a small fortune on a sapphire tiara for his wife, which now remained in the Rosentine treasury for Neve to one day inherit.

However, unlike Neve, Vale wielded a surplus of political power as the heir apparent of the Rosentine duchy. He arrived in the Capital a few years prior to Neve, and had been privy to the workings of the Royal Court's inner circle. That was why he understood the severity of Neve's situation, perhaps even better than she did.

Helpless, he could only silently curse Crown Prince Claris and Queen Consort Elise. During his years in the Capital, Vale had formed a network of his own supporters, but he knew his faction alone would not be enough to rival the Royal Family.

Eventually, the carriage arrived at the Rosentine's Capital residence. Though it paled in comparison to the Royal Palace, it was still a magnificent structure. It was built when Neve was born, whose birth fortified the alliance between Duke Fallon and King Lucius. Thus, the building bore both the colours of the Royal Family–white and gold–and the colours of House Rosentine–grey and blue.

Idly, Vale wondered if he should have it demolished.

A few staff members were awaiting their arrival, lining the grand stairway that led into the estate. The carriage slowed to a halt before them.

Vale gathered his sister in his arms, careful not to rouse her. The attendant opened the door of the carriage, his professional demeanour wavering slightly at the surprising sight of the Rosentine siblings.

It was almost comical. The Rosentine's were naturally large in stature. The proud and imposing Lady Neve looked like a child in Vale's arms. But seeing Vale's somber expression, the staff dared not to utter a word.

Vale looked down at his sister's sleeping face, knowing that, by tomorrow, their lives would never return to the peace they once knew.

"I wish I could do more for you."