"Don't be silly, Malwina."Launcrekrona said. "Don't you know just how many girls would want to be in your shoes?"
"I'm too old to be serving a child, Aunt Launcekrona."Malwina said. "Can't I join the Princess's household instead?"
Launcrekrona shook her head.
"No, you would be too young. And you can best serve Her Royal Highness by serving her daughter. Besides, the Princess intends to raise her daughter herself. Rather unusual. The duchess will have her own servants, of course, but the Princess intents to reside at the Palace of Ceres. Given that custom demands that the young duchess resides in her own duchy, the Princess and her consort will also do so. And you should be grateful that I could get you a place among the duchess's household."
"And what am I supposed to do? Rock her cradle while she sleeps?"
The Duchess of Ceres was only a child. Her small court would probably consist of only children and their nurses. She would be the only older girl there.
"Not as a rocker! And anyway, the duchess is already old enough to sleep in a bed."
"Thank you so much for allowing my niece to form part of Her Grace's household, Your Royal Highness!"Launcekrona said.
"I know your niece will do well for Shinju, Launcy."Minako said. "I am sure she will do an exceptional job."
"And how long do you intend to remain here, Your Royal Highness?"asked Launcekrona.
"As long as and often as possible. I'll have to return to Magellan for the social season each year, you know."
Launcekrona nodded.
"And you know how Lord Kunzite will simply adore that."Launcekrona said.
Both of them knew just how balls and parties were anything but his favorite.
"I'll have to leave to attend on the Crown Princess, but I intend to spend as much time here. Until my daughter is old enough to govern her duchy herself. I will mentor her on that myself. Who better to tutor her than on that than me?"
"You will be traveling back with your father when he returns to Venus, Fayruza."
"What will I be doing there?"
"Attending your half sister, the Lady of the Evening Star, what else?"
Fayruza did not really want to go to Venus. Or to meet 'Lulu' as her father sometimes referred to her, the 'Lady of the Evening Star' as others did, or whatever. Or the 'Sadaf' as some people referred to the Princess of Venus. Lulu for 'pearl', 'Sadaf' for 'seashell' or the 'mother of pearl'.
"And don't wear that expression, Fayruza. You know Venusians are so good at reading people they can practically read minds. And address the princess as Royal Highness and the Lady of the Evening Star as Your Grace. And it would be good to address your father as Grace as well. Unless you're told otherwise."
"I should address my own father as Your Grace?"asked Fayruza.
"Yes. He has a Venusian title. The princess bestowed on him the title of Duke of Ishtar. It's a good thing the Lady is still a small child. It won't matter too much that you'll be learning court etiquette along with her, although you're older."
Malwina and Fayruza will be two girls living at Ceres's court. So they'll be interacting with Ceres a lot, as well as with each other. I've decided to give Ceres the name of Shinju, but this will only be used when she's spoken to by her parents.
Fayruza is Ceres's half sister. She is a daughter of Kunzite's by a mistress before he was married to Minako. Sometimes illegitimate children were raised at court, serving their half siblings. James Stewart, the Earl of Moray was his half sister, Mary, Queen of Scots's chief advisor.
Isabel I of Spain kept some of her husband's illegitimate children at court to raise them because one way or another they were of royal blood, so in some cases the wives of their fathers treated them well.
Illegitimate children were treated with great honor, given titles, had good marriages made for them. Although not all of them. It just depended.
