Now that only seven of us remained, life became hectic at the Celestial Palace. Our mornings were suddenly occupied with more reviews on geography, history, and etiquette. Captain Keller's absence wasn't questioned by anyone. It felt more like a natural change in our lessons rather than a sudden switch in routine. Monsieur Bouchard was also no longer with us. He had finished all the mathematics lessons that we needed, which left us with lessons from Mrs. Stafford. She taught us how to properly host parties, balls, and run a household. Lunch became a part of our lessons, too. After our languages lesson, we only had enough time to change our clothes before we were expected for dinner. By the end of dinner, we were all so exhausted that we all went straight to bed afterwards.

A month after our arrival, our families were due for a visit, which made all of us breathe a sigh of relief. They would be visiting for a week, and during that week, no lessons were scheduled. Of course, Madame Trudeau took it as an opportunity to test us on our hosting capabilities. She had each of us host one dinner for each night. We were in charge of everything- from the flowers to the type of china.

The week before our families' arrivals, we still had lessons on top of planning our respective meals. I found time after dinner one night to run down and speak to the cook. I sat down with her while she ate her own dinner, not wanting to interrupt her routine of the day.

"I apologize for bothering you during your meal, Mrs. Daly."

She smiled. "Thank you for not minding me eating. Most of the other girls made me wait before I could eat. It was hours."

"Look, I trust your judgement when it comes to choosing a meal. I don't want to put any extra stress on you than necessary. What would you recommend compared to what the other girls have chosen?"

She gave me her recommendations on how many courses, what type of dishes, and what kind of dessert might go over well to end the meal. We finalized the menu with ease, and she looked pleased with our interaction. She then recommended me to speak with Madame Trudeau on what types of wine might best suit the meal.

The next day, right after lunch, I caught Madame Trudeau before I went to my lessons.

"Madame Trudeau, I was hoping I could get a moment of your time."

She dismissed the maid she was speaking to and turned to look at me with surprise. "Lady Taylor, how might I help you?"

"Forgive me for interrupting, but the cook said you might be a good resource in choosing the best wines for dinner."

Her face remained passive, but her voice sounded a little brighter than usual. "I suppose I could assist you. Tell me about your dish choices."

I gave her as much detail as I could, explaining my reasoning behind each course and choice. In turn, she gave her recommendations, and then sent me off with permission to find the head housekeeper and butler to help me choose the flowers, china, and silverware. They were pleased to help me also, and by the middle of the afternoon, my meal was completely planned out without any issues.

I quickly made my way to the study where the rest of my peers were learning a new language with Mr. Bray. The girls looked at me with surprise as I entered late. I ignored the looks and handed Mr. Bray the note from Madame Trudeau.

"I apologize for interrupting class, Mr. Bray. I assure you, it was not my intent to be disrespectful to you or my peers."

"You are forgiven, Lady Taylor. Please take your seat."

After the lesson was over, Cynthia caught me as we walked down to our rooms to get changed. "Where were you all afternoon?" she asked quietly, so nobody around could hear.

"I was planning my meal," I replied. "Madame Trudeau excused me from lessons for as long as I needed so I could meet with the housekeeper and butler."

"Really? She allowed that?"

I nodded. "I'm as shocked as you. I asked her for her wine recommendations and-"

She looked surprised."Why did you ask her for wine recommendations?"

"The cook suggested I do so. She seems to be very knowledgeable about wines."

"I see. Maybe I should ask her for recommendations, also."

"She's very helpful," I offered.

"That's good." She yawned. "I'm so tired."

"Me too. I am looking forward to having our families here. I need some time to relax."

She stopped in front of her door. "Oh goodness, yes. Although I'm not sure how I feel about my mother lecturing me all week."

"We should do tea with our mothers," I said.

"Yes, let's do that. I'm looking forward to seeing your mother again!"

I made my way back to my own room to change into something appropriate for dinner. Before I went to my wardrobe, I stopped to take a breath. I looked around the room in exhaustion. I stared at the bookshelf that hid my key to the library. I hadn't had the time or energy to return. I was starting to worry I would forget how to get there. I hoped that I would get a chance while my mother was visiting.

The day our families arrived was bright and sunny. I waited anxiously as I watched everyone greet their parents. Some had siblings come along too. We waited in the common area parlor to be summoned. It was late in the afternoon when Madame Trudeau came to fetch me. I was the only one left waiting for their family. I jumped up excitedly and followed her downstairs and to the courtyard, where I watched my mother's carriage come into view. It rolled to a stop and a footman stepped forward to let her out.

She stepped out with a broad smile creasing her beautiful features. "Mother!" I cried, stepping forward and enveloping her in a tight embrace. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, my dear. I'm overjoyed to spend the week with you."

I led her to Madame Trudeau. "Mother, this is Madame Trudeau, the Royal Opportunity Coordinator. Madame Trudeau, this is my mother, Mrs. Anne Taylor."

"A pleasure to meet you, Madame Trudeau," my mother said, giving her a polite bow of her head.

Madame Trudeau bowed her head in return. "Lady Taylor will help you get settled in to your room, where you can get cleaned up from your journey. You are both welcome to do as you wish until dinner."

I took my mother to her room in one of the double suites. "You have the entire suite to yourself. They gave all families one of these suites to share."

"It's such a beautifully furnished room," she said, looking around in amazement.

"Can you believe it?" I asked. "I can't wait to show you my rooms. They're incredible."

"I look forward to it!"

I sat down in a chair while she cleaned up and changed. When she returned from her bedroom, I was surprised to see her in a very fashionable blue-gray dress.

"That's a stunning dress," I commented.

She blushed. "Oh, Mr. Towne insisted I needed something fashionable for visiting the palace. It's too much, isn't it?"

"Not at all! It's gorgeous!"

"I'm glad you think so. It feels so strange."

I laughed. "That's exactly how I felt when I started dressing so nicely. It's bizarre." She sat down and sighed. I looked over at her. "You don't write much about Mr. Towne. How is he?"

"He's well, thank you."

"Has he asked for your hand?"

She gasped. "Eloise!"

I shrugged. "What? It's been nearly exactly one year since you first talked about it. I would have expected something by now, but you never mention him."

"I told him I wanted to wait until you came home."

"Oh, don't be silly. That's ages from now! You deserve happiness. I know I won't be there to see it, but I'd love to see you settled with him."

She didn't answer immediately. "Thank you, Eloise. You're an incredible daughter." Then she stood up and held out a hand. "Why don't you show me your rooms?"

I was about to agree when the dinner bell rang. I looked at the clock, startled. It was much later than I thought. "I guess that will have to wait," I told her.

We joined everyone in the dining hall, where Juliet was hosting the first meal. She greeted everyone cheerfully and once we were all gathered around the table, she had everyone introduce their families. She introduced her mother and stepfather first, then moved around the table. Cynthia's mother and father were in attendance, along with her brother Walter. Rita, her father, and her much younger brother were seated between Cynthia and I. Pearl's mother and father were with her. Lola's aunt, uncle, and younger sister were her guests. Heather's mother and aunt looked uncomfortable in their fine attire, but her mother did her best to mask it behind a wide smile.

The dinner was lovely; Juliet was an excellent host and had impeccable taste in food. She chose very neutral foods- nothing too fancy or plain. It was a simple table service with only as many utensils as necessary. When dinner was done, my mother chose to go to sleep right away, which left me free for the rest of the night.

When I returned to my room, I thought briefly of the key to the secret library, but felt too tired to try and find my way there. Instead, I went to sleep to get plenty of rest for the next day.

After breakfast, I showed my mother around our wing of the castle. I showed her the study and told her everything we were learning. I showed her the library and the corner I liked to sit in when I needed to study on my own. We shared a small lunch with Cynthia and her family, then took a walk in the gardens for the afternoon. After our walk, I took her back to show her my rooms.

"See? Look how perfect they chose the decor!"

She looked around in awe. "This is absolutely perfect for you, my dear." She walked around and looked at the books on the shelves. "They even have Havarian poetry!"

"Oh, that reminds me… Nobody here knows I'm fluent in Havarian. Please don't tell."

She nodded in understanding. "Of course, dear. I won't tell a soul." She pulled a book from the shelf and said, "I love this book."

"Which book is that?"

She held it out to me. "A collection of poems by a somewhat lesser-known Havarian poet. A friend of your grandmother's, actually, before your grandpa showed up and took her away." She chuckled.

"Really?" I looked down at the book. "A. Keller."

"Anya Keller. I'm actually named after her, but your grandmother wanted to use Anne instead of Anya."

"That's funny," I said absent-mindedly. "There's a captain in the Royal Guard whose last name is Keller. He's originally from the same region as grandmother."

"Probably related, then," she commented thoughtfully. "It's a common enough name throughout Havaria, but there aren't many other Keller families in that particular region."

"Ugh."

She looked at me with curiosity. "What was that sound for?"

"He's one of our instructors. He's a bit…" I struggled to find an appropriate word. I finally sighed and said, "The best way to describe him is abrasive."

She laughed. "According to your grandmother, that's how the Keller family was until you got to know them."

I groaned. "I keep hearing that, but it doesn't seem to get any better."

"Who else told you that?"

"The prince."

She sat down in a chair and leaned towards me. "Ooh, the prince?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. The prince. I suppose I haven't told you much about him."

"No, and I would like to know more!"

I sat down beside her and said, "What would you like to know?"

"Anything you'll tell me! What is he like? What sort of interactions have you had with him?"

"He's just a man. He's kind, funny. I think we've become very good friends, actually. We write to each other pretty frequently. We danced together once. He's an excellent dancer, unsurprisingly."

"What does he look like?"

"He has dark, curly hair- it's a bit unruly, if I dare say. He's somewhat tall in stature. He's a fairly handsome man."

She grinned at me. "Is that so?"

"Oh, no. I'm not in love with the man, Mother."

"You said he's handsome!"

"Because I have eyes, not because I have eyes for him."

She sighed. "Alright, but a mother can dream! He sounds absolutely wonderful."

"He's a good friend."

"And that's all?"

"That's all."

Luckily she didn't press the topic and we sat and chatted. She filled me in on what was going on in Ravendale and I told her more about what was happening at the palace.

The rest of the week went smoothly, except for the fact that I never did end up making it to the Celestial Library. We kept busy with entertaining our families, so I always ended the day absolutely exhausted. The meal I hosted went smoothly, and I seemed to impress almost everyone there. Even Cynthia's mother complimented me on my choices. Afterwards, I wrote a note to Madame Trudeau for her help in making my meal a success.

The week ended too quickly, and I shed a couple tears when my mother left in her carriage to return to Ravendale and Mr. Towne.

After I watched her carriage disappear over the small hill, I retreated to my room to rest for the remainder of the afternoon. When I arrived, I found two letters on my desk. I recognized Prince Daniel's handwriting on one, but I wasn't sure who sent the second letter.

I opened Daniel's letter and smiled. He asked about how the visit was going and how my meal had went. He casually mentioned Cynthia, as he always did in some way, and how she spoke highly of my mother.

The other letter was a brief note from the captain.

Lady Taylor-

I have not heard from you yet in regards to to your lessons. Please respond back and let me know how your progress is going. Not sure of when I will return, situation is more complicated than anticipated.

Captain Keller


I thought everyone might like two chapters instead of the one. Hope y'all have a great week!