Part Two
When Sir Lisario had mentioned meeting before noon, Sae hadn't realized until morning that it was not the most detailed arrangement. However, when she walked into the east sitting room an hour before midday, she found Sir Lisario sitting there waiting for her, and after he assured her he had only been there a few minutes himself, everything was settled and he asked her to follow him. Their journey was not long; Sae soon found herself entering the palace's south ballroom, the smaller of the two ballrooms Fu Naru's possessed and a better place to start, Sir Lisario concluded. The ballroom was set in a long, narrow fashion, a rectangular shape with stunning light that spilled onto the marble floors from the ceiling high windows, which stretched symmetrically along the east and west walls. The room was made of such pale, light shades that Sae wondered if perhaps it were used more often for midday banquets instead of evening balls.
"You will forgive me," Sir Lisario said with a rakish grin, "but I took the liberty earlier today while you were out on your morning ride to consult with yours maids and get a better understanding of you. You see, I would not wish to offend you by bringing you to this ballroom and asking you to demonstrate your dancing if you so excelled in it. However, your maids informed me that so far as they know you are not fond of dancing and most likely do not engage in it often. Now, you yourself admitted to me that you detested balls in general, so I took their word as true. They were, I imagine, correct in their estimations?"
Not meeting his eyes she nodded.
"Right well, I must take the opportunity in first making sure you can dance well. Then we shall get you into the habit of doing it, for it is imperative that during the third task you do dance."
Having only come out in society two years previous, as was tradition for noblewomen to be of age before attending social gatherings, Sae was still not comfortable at balls. In the past she had only ever been to two of them, and coupled along with a handful of feasts and banquets, and one wedding, she could not boast of being out in society more than that. Having young brothers and sisters meant that her parents were always busy with the family, and her father rarely liked to be out in society himself. He preferred simple countryside acquaintances to a room filled with nobility from across the country, most of whom he might rarely see for years.
"So milady, if you are ready, shall we dance?"
His smile was inviting and yet, Sae became immediately apprehensive at his words. It wasn't as if they were completely alone in the ballroom; there were servants around dusting and cleaning, though they were respectively going about their business and not watching Sae and the Knight. How inappropriate she'd feel if they were alone! Though, upon reflection, she had been alone, quite alone, with the Royal Advisor in his study for days at a time during preparation for the past two tasks. It was different though. He was so silent and grave and safe, she could hardly stay self-conscious for long, whereas Lisario was amiable and enthusiastic and dangerous for her, at least according to her lady's maids.
"There is nothing to be shy about," he pressed when she was silent. "You have danced with a gentleman before, haven't you?"
She had, with all strange men, and every time she had felt fidgety. It had been her disadvantage that she knew no young men, having grown up without any boys to claim as friends. She knew none of them, and she dreaded every dance.
"I do not take such delight in dancing as others do. I have danced with gentlemen before but…I did not do it with much pleasure."
"And that is why I am here, to see to it that you become more comfortable in a ballroom setting. Come, there is no need to feel tortured when dancing with me, I shall make this as pleasant for you as I can."
He held out his hand to her and she was forced to accept it. They bowed to each other and then commenced with some basic steps. Perhaps if dancing in Fu Naru were the same as it were in most other civilized countries, Sae would not mind it so much. The most fashionable dancing of the time was not to dance exclusively with one's partner, but rather to join with them in a large grouping of partners, which did not place a lot of emphasis on touching. However, Fu Naru was a country ahead of its time in social matters, and the Naruian Waltz was a very famous dance that consisted mainly of sticking with your designated partner.
"You dance gracefully," He flattered, turning her about. "I don't know why you hate it so much."
Whether she really danced well or it was just in his nature to flatter, she couldn't tell. She had never thought herself as graceful, so was doubtful of his words.
A few minutes later and he was finally content with releasing her.
"There now, that wasn't so bad, was it Sae?"
"I suppose it wasn't. Though, of all the men I've danced with, I've known you best out of all of them, and that is not saying much, is it?"
Here he frowned. "No, that is not. You and I Sae have hardly spoken more than three times. However, I do hope that we shall become quite intimate friends, and in the meantime I think that though your dancing is well enough, we shall do a bit of it everyday as to make you more accustomed to it."
"If that's what you think is best." She consented.
"I do. And also, I think you need to improve on your socializing skills. That is, become more used to the idea of meeting new people; being introduced and striking up a conversation with the nobility present. I shall get a list of who is coming and help you pinpoint people with whom it is expected of you to converse with. I dare say I know a great number of people myself, being a cousin to royalty, and so I can introduce you to many of them."
And so, Sae found that during the next couple of days she would have to endeavour to improve her social skills. Just as he had promised, Lisario brought with him a list of the aristocracy invited and went over it carefully with her.
"I see it is all the people who have attended the previous balls. Of the six ladies before you Sae, we have had four balls."
"And how many failed this task?" Sae asked.
Here he smiled. "None of them, though take care you don't become the first. I feel it my obligation to tell you that all of them seemed genuinely excited and prepared for the ball without having much preparation. This is probably the hardest task for someone of your disposition Sae."
"So you mean, four of the six ladies had passed this task and had gotten onto to the fourth task?"
"Yes. One lady had failed the first task, another failed the second. The remaining four all passed the third task, though three out of four of them failed the fourth. Only one of them had gotten onto the fifth task, and that is the furthest any lady has gone."
It was a fact that Sae was already familiar with, but what she hadn't known was that half of the girls who were contenders before her were defeated by the fourth task. Whatever it was, if she were even lucky enough to pass this one, she wondered how much of a chance she'd have with the fourth task.
"Now, I must also mention to you that some of the guests will be foreigners who have been invited by her majesty. It is a very vital quality of a ruler that they should be capable of retaining positive foreign relations, especially with the countries we have business dealings with. If you can be careful not to offend any of the visiting guests then you should be alright."
When she assured him she would do her best he added, "though I think we are progressing nicely. You do know your etiquette and proper ballroom decorum, that is evident enough. I know you will not embarrass yourself with bad manners. I have observed your refined eating habits, so I am confident in that. All we really must work on is making you more comfortable to the thought of dancing and socializing."
"My lady's maids told me this morning that they will be present as well."
"That is true, they will. Your ladies in waiting are allowed to accompany you and tend to you there, so if you are in want of anything they are ready to serve."
"I feel like such royalty to have a trail of maidens serving me in a ballroom."
"Well, if all goes well Sae, then you will be royalty."
"Yes…I suppose I will."
During their days of practice Sae found herself developing different aspects of herself. The first two tasks had relied mainly on her internal reasoning, but now she was making the conscious effort to become self-poised and sociable. Sir Lisario was proving to be a good tutor too. One day he had taken her around the palace and gotten her to strike up a conversation with everyone they passed. He also took her out onto the training grounds to get her more comfortable around men, and she was introduced to many of the knights.
He was as flirtatious and attractive as ever, but having spent the past few days with him, Sae soon came to find she could tolerate his dashing features and his beguiling demeanour. This was great training for her too, for she felt that if she could become comfortable in his presence then she could quite easily manage the average gentleman. By the fourth day she would almost say that she enjoyed dancing with Sir Lisario. He certainly was turning into someone she could find herself opening up to, though not quite on the same level as her maids or Condor, with whom she told all her fears.
She was happy she had chosen him to prepare her and not the Royal Advisor with whom she had not exchanged a word since the incident in his study. In fact, she had only seen him once in those preceding days before the ball. She and Lisario had been out in the courtyard taking advantage of the nice day, and practicing what Sir Lisario liked to call 'knowing the guests'.
"And what can you tell me about Baroness Bruliana?"
"She is an elderly lady with three grown up daughters, two of which have wed, the third still living with her. Her husband died late last winter. She likes to talk about the state of the country's economy, an unusual topic for a lady of her age."
"Or shall we say, an unusual topic for a lady in general?" Sir Lisario winked and chuckled.
She ignored him. "In any case if I should see her I will know what to talk about."
"Quite right. Well, you have been correct about the past thirty people mentioned, shall I go on?"
"Maybe we should take a little break first. My mind is drained."
"Well, the ball is the day after tomorrow; we must make sure you are ready for this."
"I will do my best. In the mean time let us just enjoy the sunshine."
They sat on a cast iron bench, adorned with elaborate floral patterns. Sir Lisario, noticing a pretty wild daisy growing within arms reach, bent forward and plucked it, handing it to Sae. "'Tis an unassuming beauty for the unassuming beauty sitting next to me."
Sae took the flower from him but did not blush. Being around him for several days had taught her how to put up with his nature. He spoke like that to every maiden they passed, so she no longer found it audacious coming from him.
Just as she accepted the flower she noticed a shadow nearing. Her eyes sought out its caster. Roderick happened to be passing through the courtyard at the time, as many do when they wish for a shortcut from one end of the palace to the other.
This had been the first time she had seen him since his cruel words. It was also the first time she had seen him outdoors and she couldn't deny he had a very elegant walk, or that the sun looked delightful as it played with the natural highlights in his dark brown hair.
Sir Lisario opened his mouth as if he were to call his cousin to join them, a horrible thing it would be thought Sae. However, Roderick simply glared at them with his cold blue expression, not stopping a moment to say anything, and proceeded to his destination. Soon he was out of sight.
"I don't understand him," Sae confided the moment he was gone. "Why is he always so serious? And just now he looked so sour." She did not add that they had gotten into a fight over Prince Sevastian.
Still, it did not prevent Lisario from laughing at her innocent bewilderment and saying, "Oh, I think I could take a wild guess as to why he's upset."
This confused her even more and she felt as though she were missing something. Whatever it was, the knight sure found it amusing.
"Now, shall we be breaking much longer or do you wish to get back to training?"
They commenced with their revisions but Sae could not shake the distracting thoughts out of her head, nor could she rid that feeling of dismay which seemed to swell inside of her. She was very thankful she had chosen Sir Lisario as her assistant. Imagine if she had asked Roderick, how on earth would he have prepared her for this? Would he have quizzed her on the guests coming? Would he have insisted on dancing with her everyday? The thought made her blush, because it was such a horrifying idea of course, and it would have been dreadfully awkward.
Besides, she was still bitter about his words. Though the Prince still accompanied her on morning rides and was as attentive as ever, she could not close her eyes to the way he interacted with others. Ever since Roderick mentioned it, she now began to notice how Sevastian was with others: servants, his family, and the general inhabitants of the palace. He was kind and eager for attention from everyone. He was grateful for company, just as Roderick had said. She felt like such a fool.
The night of the ball came fast upon Sae. The north ballroom, which was affectionately called the northern star of Fu Naru, had been pampered to look its best for the evening. For the past couple of days servants had been running in and out of it getting everything ready. Sae had gotten the opportunity to go in and look around, just so she could prepare herself for its vast size. It certainly did dwarf the southern ballroom. The ballrooms she had been to in the past belonged to the nobility in the western part of the country, her neighbours. This king-size ball however was exclusively for specially invited guests. Apparently people who were at the top of the top, both within and outside the country.
With two hours to prepare, Mayah came directly to Sae's apartments and began to assist the maids.
"Yes, yes, with your raven coloured hair and fair complexion Sae, this is the perfect colour for you."
"Do you think so?" Sae was genuinely surprised. She had never worn, much less owned, a blue dress.
"It sparkles like the sapphires in your hair." Phèlie said admiringly, adjusting said jewels, which were placed very elegantly alongside the twists and knots in Sae's upsweep hairstyle. "I think blue is your colour Sae, it really does go well with you. Why, it even brings a touch of blue to your grey eyes."
Sae glanced at herself in the mirror. Alesia was behind her, combing the locks of her hair that hung in loose cascading coils down her back.
"Perhaps some more rouge for you as well, you seem a little white. Do not be nervous my child." Mayah said comfortingly, as Beda handed her the rouge.
"I shall have to thank her majesty for the dress the moment I see her. I had not anticipated such a present to be waiting for me."
"Do not forget to thank her for the flowers either." Beda reminded her cautiously.
Sae glanced back at the pretty white lilies resting on her bed. It was customary for the Queen to give the honoured guest of a ball a bouquet of flowers, should that guest be a young lady. Ignorant of such things, Sae was taken aback when they had arrived hour previous. "Yes, I mustn't forget that."
"Nor his highness' flowers either."
Those perplexed Sae even more. He had sent her red roses. The little card note that came with them was signed as "Sevastian" and the writing looked almost familiar to her.
"This is definitely my favourite dress of all the ones given out to the contenders," Phèlie sighed, touching a spot of fabric. "Oh Sae, do try your best. I really want you to win."
"That's enough Phèlie," Beda said. "You don't want to put any more pressure on her."
"Well, your hair is done with." Alesia stepped back and admired her own handiwork.
"And it is almost time," Mayah added. "Now, her majesty and her sons will be entering the ballroom soon enough, though I do not think there are much guests here as of yet. Now, we must wait for Sir Lisario to come and claim you and take you in, and then your task shall begin."
It was not long before the Knight came to her door. He was dressed smartly, not in his usual loose training clothes, but in a fashionable and formal, colourful attire. In short he was the most handsome man Sae had ever laid eyes on, and this realization made her all the more nervous, for it was she who was meant to enter with him into the ballroom. How would they compare? The thought was certainly not a comforting one for her.
"You milady, are a goddess among mortals." He said the moment he saw her in her satin sapphire drop waist gown, and offered his arm.
Together they left with her three ladies-in-waiting and Mayah, all four of them dressed as fashionably as they could for servants, following her respectively from behind.
