( the seal remaining unbroken upon delivery is a testament to the skill and artfulness of his minister of intelligence, monsieur de philippe. not that the king would notice or care, considering the stress of the long trip, the meeting, and the matter weighing heavily on his mind. by the time he receives the message, he is being dressed in his white tunic by his valet. he finishes the letter just as the blue sash is draped over his shoulders and the medallion that hangs around his neck is adjusted.
so he has no opportunity to reply to her request for a conversation, as reasonable as it is, before a servant leads him to the dining room. but there is little use for a written reply when he expects to see her at dinner, where he can give a verbal one. although the trip's purpose is singularly focused on the country's navy, as king, constantin is still expected to attend to diplomatic matters as if the situation doesn't exist and everything is fine.
nothing is amiss, and he can quite easily pretend as such as he waits outside the dining room for his entrance. any worry detected on his blank expression could be attributed to the dinner's seating arrangement. as king, it's only proper that his place is at the head of the table. as it is the governor's mansion, the governor's dinner, and the governor's ego, however, thorhauge should be at the head. constantin has no opinion on the matter, seeing as he has spent most of his life at the end or middle of the table. only recently, in his eyes, has he sat at the head.
thankfully, it turns out to be of no concern when, finally, his name is announced, and he enters the dining room with its silk wallpaper and portraits of fluer and sees a tastefully arranged vase of tulips on a circular dining table. they are all friends here โ the king, the governor and his wife, the minister of the interior, the minister of intelligence, captain thea walling of the king's guard, a bishop of fluer, and a princess of iskander โ with no need for a hierarchy.
with a practiced smile, constantin bids everyone to sit and takes the only empty chair at the table, between madame thorhauge and the duchess des hauteurs. )
[ The theatrics of dinner with a sitting king nearly catch her off guard, compared to the previous nights. Tsera being banished to eat with the servants isnโt terribly new, but it does make Enger even more acutely aware of the lack of spacing between words of casual speed and that Ornefluer custom uses twice as many utensils as sheโs used to.
Servants shuffle around, removing warming dishes and delivery refills of bread and butter, popping corks on bottles. When one takes the liberty of setting a fine cloth napkin on Engerโs lap, she nearly flinches.
The first course passes by. Smiling beatifically between dainty bites, Enger spends much of it in her own head.
For example:
Donโt reach over people. No, donโt reach for things at all. Let the servants curate your meal. Pull your sleeve up, Mistress Thorhauge already called your blackwork barbaric. This fork, not that one. No, that one. Itโs just oil made of olives. Yes, itโs delicious. Calm down. You donโt want a repeat of the butter incident.
But not a drop is spilled, not a hair turned nor fumble made into a fracas. The conversation proceeds without much interest in her for the first little while; and sheโs rather relieved by it, particularly when her hands stop growing clammy at every unseen entrance over her shoulder or footsteps behind her back. In fact, the only other person who doesnโt seem to regard the staff as pleasantly invisible is the minister of intelligence. More than once, she notes his eyes seem to be everywhere at once with nary an untoward flicker of an eyelash.
It is only when the entree is served that sheโs drawn into the conversation. And by drawn into, we mean made the focal point of.
Evidently, they had been talking about religion. Several words and even more references escaped her, but when the Bishop of Fluer inquires about sending apostles to Iskander to help spread the library of God, she inclines her head calmly. ]
I am sure there are many back home who would greatly appreciate a sharing of ideas, your Excellency. But, Iskanderโs situation being what it is, I could not in good conscience accept your apostles when I cannot guarantee their safety in the crossing.
[ Itโs even true. Regardless of the Bishopโs inquiry making her teeth feel sore with its benign presumptions.
He seems to accept that response, and proceeds to describe how he would be happy to send a trunk full of literature—Bibles, he calls them—for her to have distributed among her countrymen.
She smiles like he and she are the best friends in the world. ]
I am honoured you trust me to escort something so dear to you, your Excellency.
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so he has no opportunity to reply to her request for a conversation, as reasonable as it is, before a servant leads him to the dining room. but there is little use for a written reply when he expects to see her at dinner, where he can give a verbal one. although the trip's purpose is singularly focused on the country's navy, as king, constantin is still expected to attend to diplomatic matters as if the situation doesn't exist and everything is fine.
nothing is amiss, and he can quite easily pretend as such as he waits outside the dining room for his entrance. any worry detected on his blank expression could be attributed to the dinner's seating arrangement. as king, it's only proper that his place is at the head of the table. as it is the governor's mansion, the governor's dinner, and the governor's ego, however, thorhauge should be at the head. constantin has no opinion on the matter, seeing as he has spent most of his life at the end or middle of the table. only recently, in his eyes, has he sat at the head.
thankfully, it turns out to be of no concern when, finally, his name is announced, and he enters the dining room with its silk wallpaper and portraits of fluer and sees a tastefully arranged vase of tulips on a circular dining table. they are all friends here โ the king, the governor and his wife, the minister of the interior, the minister of intelligence, captain thea walling of the king's guard, a bishop of fluer, and a princess of iskander โ with no need for a hierarchy.
with a practiced smile, constantin bids everyone to sit and takes the only empty chair at the table, between madame thorhauge and the duchess des hauteurs. )
no subject
Servants shuffle around, removing warming dishes and delivery refills of bread and butter, popping corks on bottles. When one takes the liberty of setting a fine cloth napkin on Engerโs lap, she nearly flinches.
The first course passes by. Smiling beatifically between dainty bites, Enger spends much of it in her own head.
For example:But not a drop is spilled, not a hair turned nor fumble made into a fracas. The conversation proceeds without much interest in her for the first little while; and sheโs rather relieved by it, particularly when her hands stop growing clammy at every unseen entrance over her shoulder or footsteps behind her back. In fact, the only other person who doesnโt seem to regard the staff as pleasantly invisible is the minister of intelligence. More than once, she notes his eyes seem to be everywhere at once with nary an untoward flicker of an eyelash.
It is only when the entree is served that sheโs drawn into the conversation. And by drawn into, we mean made the focal point of.
Evidently, they had been talking about religion. Several words and even more references escaped her, but when the Bishop of Fluer inquires about sending apostles to Iskander to help spread the library of God, she inclines her head calmly. ]
I am sure there are many back home who would greatly appreciate a sharing of ideas, your Excellency. But, Iskanderโs situation being what it is, I could not in good conscience accept your apostles when I cannot guarantee their safety in the crossing.
[ Itโs even true. Regardless of the Bishopโs inquiry making her teeth feel sore with its benign presumptions.
He seems to accept that response, and proceeds to describe how he would be happy to send a trunk full of literature—Bibles, he calls them—for her to have distributed among her countrymen.
She smiles like he and she are the best friends in the world. ]
I am honoured you trust me to escort something so dear to you, your Excellency.
[ Anyway, whatโs the rest of the table doing? ]