Chapter 6: The Queen of Hearts

Honeyhill Downs, Cordonia, Monday, March 29th, 2018

The Suitors, accompanied by their sisters, the Ladies, walked away from the race track and towards the parking lot where their limos and town cars would transport them to where the lawn party, or 'garden party' as Ridley called it, was situated. The suitors strolled towards the curb with their respective sisters on their arms, Olivier and Olivia led the way, as usual, with Pierre and Penelope on their tail and Kieran and Kiara behind them. Ridley strolled behind them all with Lady Hana on his arm.

Ridley glanced over at the lovely woman with his arm linked in hers, "So, we're heading towards the best garden party ever?"

Hana smiled, "Well, if your idea of the best garden party ever is a tea party with lemonade, finger sandwiches and butter cookies-

Ridley held up a finger from his free hand to stop her, "You had me at Lemonade." Hana giggled, "To be honest, I do like a good tea party...provided I had the opportunity to actually attend one..."

"You didn't?" Hana gave him a sympathetic glance.

"My grandparents attended a few in their younger days in England. They told my father about this and he told it to me and my family."

"Your grandparents?"

I'm Half British, as you know."

Hana's eyes widened in acknowledgement, "Yes, I remember you saying that now! Do they live there still?"

"They relocated to America when my father was a teenager; However, they moved back there a few years ago after they retired from their work and they now have a house in Hertfordshire."

"So this is your first tea party."

"Yes. It must be exciting."

Hana nodded, "How can it not? There's nothing cozier than eating scones off a pretty set of china on a sunny afternoon. When I was little, I didn't have that many toys to play with because my parents thought they were too frivolous; but I was allowed a tea set, so that I could learn to be a proper hostess." Ridley nodded, but didn't speak, which prompted Hana to continue. "I spent lots of happy afternoons sipping tea with all my favorite guests... , Mr. Lemon curd and Princess Snickerdoodle..."

Ridley's eyes widened and his heart jumped into his throat, "Your friends were a sock, a lemon curd and a snickerdoodle?" he shook his head in astonishment, "Cripes, and I thought I was spending too much time indoors in my youth..."

Hana's gaze fell, "Like I said, I wasn't allowed to have toys...so I had to get a little creative."

"I'm honestly surprised that you managed to avoided going insane from being sheltered throughout your life."

Hana nodded, "I never thought of that. Does that happen to people?"

"Some," Replied Ridley, "Once they become adults, some spend much of their lives playing catch up on almost everything they missed out on that their parents didn't allow them to have."

Wow." Thought Hana aloud, "I'm fortunate."

"I hope the company today can be enough for you."

She smiled and waved away the notion, "Oh, I much prefer your company; the ladies talk to me just fine, even despite reminders of how I'm not on their level, but the young noblemen barely acknowledge my presence unless they're reminded that I'm around. You're an exception! You actually talk to me!"

Ridley smiled back, "So Princess Snickerdoodle was never one for conversation?"

Hana nodded, "Not so much."

Ridley's eyebrows raised in a jokey demeanor, "Why is that? Was the frosted sugar cookie too sweet and rich for her dough?"

Hana giggled at the sudden joke, "Too much! Out of curiosity, would the Oatmeal Raisin be better?"

Ridley shook his head, "Too heathy for his taste."

"Chocolate Chip?"

"Depends of what of Chocolate is in it; Is it White? Regular? Semi-sweet? Dark?"

"Macadamia Nut?"

"Too Tropical."

Hana couldn't stop giggling at Ridley's comebacks; She couldn't remember anyone else, much less a previous suitor, attempting such banter. They were mainly too stiff and dignified to try such a thing. She recovered herself before the others could overhear and stop their momentum. "We're almost there." She said, "And don't forget, we'll be meeting the queen today! That's sure to be...eventful."

Ah, yes, the Queen." Said Ridley, "I take it you meet her before?

"Yes, during the social season in which me and the ladies were competing for Prince Leo's heart. It was only once, and it feels like a long time ago; as such, I doubt she remembers me. Today will be your first official meeting with her, as the other gentleman have each met her once before."

They quickened their pace to match with the other Lords and Ladies; They were all walking in pairs, side by side. They all arrived in the parking area at the curb just as a blue and sliver Chrysler SUV limo pulled up; the driver parked it, emerged from the vehicle and opened the door as Penelope entered it with Pierre on her tail. The driver shut the door, re-entered the vehicle and pulled away, only for a sleek black Lincoln limo to replace it; Olivier and Olivia entered it, obviously it being theirs; next was Kieran and Kiara's limo, their's being a white MINI Cooper stretch limo.

The Driver of a sleek black Lincoln town car came up next; the driver emerged and opened the passenger door.

Hana nodded towards the town car, "That's for me. I'll see you at the garden party, Ridley."

Ridley nodded, "Looking forward to it.

Hana entered the town car and it pulled away. Finally, Ridley's white stretch limo pulled up to the curb. The driver opened the door to reveal Marcella's smiling face.

"Hop in!" she called out.

Ridley slid inside and seated himself on the leather seat as the door shut and the limo slowly pulled away and followed the others.

Marcella, Maxwell and Bertrand were seated in the same positions as before inside the space.

"Hope you had a great time." Said Marcella.

Ridley started, "It was-"

Bertrand snapped his fingers, "Enough with the Pleasantries; we have only time for business." Once they were silent, he took a breath to calm himself and continued, "First of all; Was that Lady Hana Lee I saw with you before we pulled up? you two looked friendly."

Ridley nodded and shifted in his seat, "Hana and I are becoming good friends."

Bertrand was silent for a few seconds, "Hm...interesting. An alliance with her family isn't the worst thing in the world, so long as you don't let it distract you from the Princess. In any case, your focus today should be on impressing the Queen. She holds more sway than anyone else over the court."

"Even more than the king?" Inquired Ridley.

Bertrand nodded, "Socially, yes; Don't underestimate her."

"You need to get her to like you." added Maxwell.

"Tell me what she likes." Said Ridley.

"The Queen enjoys fashion and likes a man with grace, style and elegance. She also likes the Noblemen from Cordonia, so you're at an disadvantage there."

Ridley nodded without speaking.

"But I'm sure your natural charm will win her over," Said Marcella encouragingly.

Ridley smiled, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"She has a high regard for royal protocol." Continued Bertrand, "you should call her, 'Your Majesty' when you encounter her and 'Ma'am' afterwards. Etiquette-wise, don't forget you must always stay a step or two behind her when keeping company with her."

Marcella added, "Oh! She also loves to play games and can be quite competitive.

Bertrand continued, "Ultimately, she's concerned with about how the Princess's groom will be partly responsible for Cordonia's future. Keep that in mind when talking to her."

Ridley nodded, understanding everything. "I got it."

"I hope you do." said Bertrand. "You might have performed well with the press, Ridley, but remember, it takes only one slip up to tear apart the reputation you've built."

Ridley nodded and leaned back in his seat as the limo drove slowly down the street behind the others and towards the garden party.

As the car rolled on, Ridley was relaxing in his seat as Marcella scooted over close to him and patted his arm.

"You okay?" she asked.

Ridley nodded, "Never better."

"Good. Not to worry, despite what Bertrand might say, I have full confidence in you."

"Thanks." Then he thought of something, "I never meant to ask you, Marcella; where are you from? Italy?

Marcella nodded, "I'm Italian. Although my grandmother was from the Netherlands, so I have Dutch blood in me too."

A short time later, the limo pulled up to the parking area. The driver opened the door for Ridley. Marcella took his hand when they stood and walked out with the two brothers in tow.

Ridley's faced was colored with surprise, "Wow, this looks like something straight out of Downtown Abbey!"

Bertrand's face contorted into a grimace, "You've been to an Abbey? I find that so hard to believe."

"It's a TV show, Bertrand, "explained Marcella, "Very good, If I may say so. Very upstairs, downstairs, that sort of thing."

"Good God!" groaned Bertrand, "Television?! For the love of God, don't bring that up with the Queen..."

Marcella patted his shoulder, "Go on, Ridley; go stand over there with the rest of the Gentlemen in the receiving line."

Ridley released her hand and strolled over to stand in line with the other noblemen; the ladies stood nearby. Hana noticed Ridley almost right away.

"Welcome to the tea party." she said. Her voice as warm as the summer sun.

"Cutting it pretty close there..." Olivia muttered aloud.

Just then, the Gentlemen and ladies gazed over to where a herald announced the coming of the Queen of Cordonia, Queen Regina. Strolling onto the tableau before them was a woman in her early sixties with tanned skin, slightly wrinkled features, brown eyes and short platinum blonde hair; she wore a knee length sliver embroidered dress with white heels. She radiated an air of elegance and superiority that shone through her very being. She turned to the Gentlemen and Ladies and spook calmly and elegantly.

"Welcome all...I'm so delighted you could join us this afternoon." She began to make her way through the crowd and started greeting guests.

Ridley noticed that she wasn't alone. On her arm was a gentlemen in his early twenties with short, well styled, golden blonde hair that shimmered in the sunshine like pure gold. He had pale skin, moss green eyes and a slightly stocky build; he wore a dark green suit with a gray vest, a dark green embroidered necktie that matched his pocket square and a white shirt. He was smiling and seemingly at ease in his role. The Noblemen were all stunned at the man's appearance and began whispering amongst themselves; It's clear that they weren't expecting him at all, though Ridley wasn't so sure.

However, the surprise second woman on his other arm got the other ladies tittering. She was somewhere in her mid to late twenties with the same moss green eyes and golden hair, only hers was in a stylish, upswept bun with some curls hanging loose. She wore a white pearl necklace and a green short knee length dress that matched the man's suit and eyes as well as her own eyes, topped off with a pair of black heels.

Hana whispered to the other ladies, "I wonder who that lady with the Queen is..."

Ridley overheard her whisperings, though he didn't know why, and stroked his own chin absently. He studied the woman and man carefully.

She looks familiar, he thought, I think her name is Madeleine.

"That's Countess Madeleine of Fydelia to you." Said Olivia, piercing through his thoughts, "And If you really haven't heard of her, then you are truly behind the times."

"She's here?" said Penelope, bring Olivia back to her group, "I can't believe she would show up!"

"Why?" asked Hana. "Was she the one that got engaged to the Crown Prince before he abdicated.

"Yes!" said Penelope firmly, "She was. Her name was all over the tabloids at one point. You know this, Hana! We all do!

"It was particularly embarrassing for her to be thrown over like that." Said Kiara sadly, "After all, out of all of us ladies, She was the one who was chosen during the social season. To go through all that and not be a royal..."

Olivia concluded the narrative in a solemn tone, "The poor thing must be the Queen's personal guest as a consolation prize..."

Ridley, who had heard bits and pieces of Hana's mutterings with the girls, pointed to the Gentleman, whom he believed to be the one he saw on his first night in Cordonia. "Who is he?"

Olivier heard his words and thumped him lightly on the head, "He is Lord Gilderoy of Fydelia, Madeleine's younger brother."

Ridley looked at Olivier as if he were to keep talking, but he didn't. "Is that all?"

Pierre answered for him, "To be honest, We don't know much about him. He is as mysterious as an Eel in New Zealand."

"We've met him a few times during the social season, "Said Kieran, "He was mostly quiet when he was around us, but he was honestly pretty friendly. During one season, he tried to win Lisette's hand, came close and failed. He was pretty embarrassed and heartbroken by it all. He would show up when he needed to, but he was rarely social."

Olivier took up the narrative, "After Madeleine's engagement ended, though; everything changed. He rarely showed himself at royal events in Cordonia and even events that all of the noble houses, including House Fydelia, were required to attend at the palace. It's said that he was angry at Prince Leo for abdicating the throne and dumping Madeleine for another woman, all of which broke her heart many times over. Add in how Lisette broke his heart years ago and you have one vengeful noble."

Pierre concluded the narrative, "I don't understand why he's here; perhaps the Queen saw fit to invite him alongside his sister. All I know is, he could be the equivalent of a bloodthirsty bull shark if you're not careful."

Ridley, after taking in all their information about Gilderoy, watched him intently as he strolled towards them with the Queen on one side and Madeleine on the other. The Queen began passing the Suitors, talking briefly with each one of them. Finally she made her way to Ridley, he stepped forward and bowed at the waist.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty." said Ridley.

Madeleine spoke up for the first time, "Ma'am, this is the one I was telling you about." She spoke in a elegant, yet slightly hushed, Scottish accent.

Maybe she and Gilderoy are natives of the Highlands. Thought Ridley.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lord Ridley Knightley." she said; her voice was curt, yet soft and caring. "The Press has spoken well of you. It takes great effort to manage one's image so responsibly. They're touting you as the 'Mystery Man', someone who they can't quite figure out...I hope you realize no one can remain mystery long when they are a public servant and must attend to the people."

"Of course, ma'am." responded Ridley, "Trust me when I say I'd take my service quite seriously."

"Lord Ridley; tell me, what do you think is the best quality for a ruler to have?"

"A sense of duty," he responded, "Loyalty to the kingdom you represent and the people you serve will carry you through any crisis."

The Queen nodded, "Good answer."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Governance is not to be taken lightly. You will be bombarded daily by a hundred little decisions. Few will be glamorous and many will weight on you. Loyalty to the kingdom and to your people must guide your every decision."

Ridley nodded, "Right."

"As heads of state, we have a responsibility to the people. The press acts as their eyes. We must always portray a sense of calm and dignity. If the rulers appear in control, then the people will be reassured. Hysteria benefits nobody, do you agree?"

Ridley nodded, "A stoic leader makes for stoic people."

"Precisely," Said Queen Regina, "We must set the example. Which is why we must not enable the scandal hunting impulses of the press."

"Glideroy tugged her arm gently and spoke in a soft, clipped, Scottish accent, "Ma'am, I hate to interrupt, but it's time to begin the game."

"Yes, thank you for reminding me." she said.

Madeleine detached herself from her brother's arm and walked over to the ladies, who began to talk with you in hushed tones. Before Ridley could try to discern their mutterings, The Queen began to lead the Suitors in a procession across the lawn. She turned to the suitors as they continued walking. " Please know that one of you will be Prince Consort, and I expect you to represent Cordonia well." She smiled and nodded at Gilderoy, who still had linked his arm with hers and stood at her side, "Gilderoy here has been the embodiment of dignity and devotion. It is my hope that you may learn from his example."

The Man smiled in response, "Thank you, ma'am."

The procession soon came upon a bend; The Queen began to turn the corner, coming in dangerously close to Ridley's position. realizing his at once, he calmly, yet quickly, stepped back, seamlessly maintaining his position behind her as she turned. Ridley couldn't see her expression very clearly, but he knew he could partially see her smile spread across her face.

Was the Queen testing me? he thought in disbelief.

The procession continued onwards; Across the lawn, a number of croquet hoops had been set up on an even patch of open land. Princess Lisette stood waiting near the game equipment as the procession approached them, greeting each lord as they passed her. Ridley ended up being last, as usual. She offered her hand and he kissed it as he did so, she whispered, "Lord Ridley, I have been waiting for your arrival."

Ridley smiled and bowed at the waist as Lisette curtseyed in response; "Princess Lisette, It's lovely to see you again as well."

Ridley nodded and brushed past her, focusing his attention on the Queen; who spoke up.

"As is the custom, The Queen and the Princess shall play a round of croquet with two of the season's suitors. I have chosen Gilderoy as my partner."

A flurry of whispers rose up from the gentlemen around Ridley.

"He's a...a suitor?" Stammered Pierre, whose shock spread across his face like the sunrise.

Kieran shook his head, "Pas bon!" Ridley didn't need to translate that; Kieran's body language made his feelings perfect clear.

A deep scowl spread itself across Olivier's features, "That no good scheming little...twat!" He hissed under his breath; the anger and contempt burned through his demeanor. Ridley, for his part, didn't have much of an opinion of Gilderoy being a last minute addition.

At least the mysterious green gentleman has a face I can name, he thought. Though their early words about his behavior, especially following Madeleine's being dumped by Leo, only served to unsettle him until he was uncertain of how the man would carry himself, even in the Queen's presence. He was smiling, standing confidentially by her side.

The ladies had walked separately over to observe the game; all eyes were on the tableau before them, they continued to whisper amongst themselves.

"He's a suitor?" whisper Hana

"He'd better not be a consolation." Scowled Olivia.

"I don't know who I want to win the game." Said Penelope, "Gilderoy and The Queen or Ridley and Lisette.

"It has to be the former." Said Kiara firmly. "Nobody has bested her majesty yet; why should this game be the one to end her streak."

"Of course it shall be them, "Said Madeleine; she joined the other ladies with a smug smile. "Gilderoy has been bearting me time and time again at our house. Between him and the Queen, there's no competition."

The ladies said nothing; there was nothing more to say. They simply watched the goings on.

Lisette glanced over at the small cluster of suitors. Ridley was not in full view, but she knew he was there. "As for myself, I shall choose Lord Ridley."

Ridley's eyes lit up at the declaration; Olivier, who had been standing in front of Ridley, jerked noticeably. "Ridley?" he spat, his anger had not subsided entirely, so it had shown itself in his response. "But-!"

Pierre squeezed his shoulder to silence him. "Let it go, Olivier; The Princess has chosen, so we must abide accordingly."

Olivier nodded brusquely and sucked in a breath to ease his emotions under they subsided. He and the others watched Ridley walk over to Lisette, The Queen and Gilderoy as they divided into two teams. He shoved his fists into his blazer pocket.

Lisette and Ridley stood at the beginning of the croquet circuit with the opposing team. "Looks like we've found a way to steal a few moments." She commented.

Ridley, however, was not so confident, "Hey, I don't want to cause you alarm, but I don't know how to play croquet."

Lisette shrugged, No worries; Just follow my lead and hit the ball through the same hoop as mine."

"The arch shaped things in the ground?"

"Right! Come along, we're up."

Lisette smoothly knocked her ball with her mallet through the hoop and walked on ahead. Ridley stood where she was and set up to take her shot. He gently knocked it through the first hoop. Lisette smiled in response. The game continued to proceed through the circuit; the ladies had joined them several minutes earlier, though Ridley didn't know this; He was too invested in the game. They stood on the edge of the lawn, Madeleine stood amongst them and regarded Ridley with firm intent. Queen Regina and Gilderoy were deep in conversation as they played. As Lisette took her next turn, Ridley approached them.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Gilderoy glanced at him sharply, "No. We were simply discussing how to best undress when meeting with ministers during the voucher."

Ridley jerked slightly, "We do what now?"

Queen Regina chuckled, "Oh, goodness, Gilderoy; You're too funny!"

Gilderoy grinned at Ridley with a hint of smugness in his tone that nearly made the latter strike him with his mallet., "Forgive me, Lord Ridley; I hope you won't begrudge us a small laugh at your expense."

The Queen touched his arm gently, "Now, let's give Ridley the chance to speak his mind. Tell me your thoughts on governance, my good man."

Ridley thought for a moment before speaking, "Governance is an art lost on most."

Regina nodded, "A sad truth." Ridley nodded in response.

Lisette summoned Ridley to the end of the circuit and he walked over to her. "My apologies for interrupting your conversation, but I believe it's your turn." Ridley stood at the ready; before he could swing, Lisette whispered to him, "No pressure or anything, but if you hit that peg in the center, we win."

Ridley nodded, "An easy shot. I can make it, no problem." Suddenly, his brain stopped as though it were a movie on pause. Maxwell, Marcella and Betrand told me to impress the Queen... he thought to himself. Is the Queen going to be mad at me if I best her? Or will it earn her respect?"

Lisette noticed Ridley's frozen figure, "Lord Ridley? you're up!"

Ridley's thoughts panicked when Lisette interrupted them. Ridley decided to heck with it and win the game. he hit the ball just hard enough to hit the center peg, which earned him and Lisette the win.

"I believe that means victory is ours!" Announced Lisette.

The Queen and Gilderoy joined them, "I'm glad you had the guts to finish the game, Lord Ridley; Too many ladies and Gentlemen have thrown the game on purpose just to impress me." she smiled, "That's why I decided to make it a point to lose this match."

Ridley blinked and jerked simultaneously, "You mean...?"

She nodded, "It was a test...and you passed! I'm sure we'll have times in the future when we'l find ourselves on opposing sides. Next time, though; I expect we won't be simply playing croquet...and, as such, I won't be holding back." They all laid down their mallets by the center peg for the ground crew to clean up. "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Knightley. You've shown yourself to be unlike many of the Noblemen in court, which, in my eyes, is no small feat."

Ridley blinked again, She praised me! he thought. Aloud he said, "You honor me, ma'am."

She turned to address the other Noblemen on the field. "Thank you all for coming, and I look forward to seeing you at the next event."

The Queen, Gilderoy and Madeleine all linked arms as they retired behind a squad of bodyguards while the rest of the noblemen and ladies dispersed to the tables strewn throughout the garden.

Ridley sat himself at an empty table, only for Lisette to join him.

As she seated herself, Hana approached them and curtseyed.

"Ridley, Princess Lisette, that was well played."

"Thank you, Hana; won't you join us?"

"I'd love to!"

As she seated herself next to Ridley, servants began bringing around cups of piping hot tea, cream and tiny finger sandwiches. a minute later, after the servants dispersed, They were joined by Maxwell, Marcella and Diana.

"Yay! We finally get to eat!" cheered Maxwell.

"If you can call this 'eating'..." groaned Diana, glancing at the meager portion in front of her.

Ridley shook his head, "Diana, you WOULD complain about free gourmet food."

Diana blinked, "I'm just saying I'm simple..."

Ridley scoffed, "And I'm complex."

Diana shook her head, "Just when I think I've seen your layers, there are many more to explore."

"I don't think anyone would disagree with that."

She shook her head again; despite this, Ridley thought he could see a small smile on his face. "What I mean is... Give me a ninety nine cent burger any day over some escargot aioli."

Hana spun around to face him, "Escargot aioli? but how would you..?" Her voice trailed off.

"It's a joke, Hana." she responded flatly and leaned back in her chair. Hana's face fell in response.

Cripes, thought Ridley, Might want to tone it down, Cranky the cynic.

"Anyway," Said Marcella eagerly, "On to the big question! Ridley, do you think you impressed the Queen?"

Ridley smirked and pretended to think about it, "I think they're planning executing me at dawn with a gallows in the middle of the street!"

"Ridley!" Marcella and Hana gasped simultaneously.

He waved it away, "Kidding!"

Lisette smiled, "Well, I, for one, think you performed quite gracefully in front of her."

Diana groaned, "Enough about Ridley, fan clubbers. All the little sandwiches are gone and my stomach is going to die from hunger."

"Not to worry," Said Marcella, "There's plenty of food waiting for us back at the palace."

"I agree with Diana," Said Ridley, "I could seriously go for a cronut right now."

"A what?" Lisette asked in surprise.

"I think you mean donut, Ridley." said Hana.

Ridley's eyes widened, "You've never heard of cornets before?" all of them shook their heads. He slapped a hand on the table. "Okay, you all, we have a critical problem here. None of you have had cronuts!"

Maxwell groaned, "Please tell me it doesn't have to do anything with crows..."

Ridley shook his head, "It's the sumptuous inside of a croissant mixed with the glazed outside of a donut. It's one of the best pastries ever created!"

Maxwell mulled it over, "it sounds very...American."

"From New York with love! We need to get some!"

Lisette thought for a moment, "While that does sound like quite an adventure...I don't believe the schedule will allow it."

"Then we'll have to execute a jailbreak tonight! Think we can steal away at night and go on a cronut run? I think I saw them in a window at a nearby bakery during the drive here."

Hana's face lit up, "That does sound like fun..."

Lisette sighed, "Well, I'm tempted...Are you sure you want to do this, Ridley?"

Ridley 's face lit up...and then went out again. They couldn't do it. It'd be too risky at this point; One of the guards could notice them sneaking out or one of the ladies or suitors could catch them off guard, (No pun intended) If that happened…Ridley didn't even want to fathom what the fallout would be. "Actually, forget I said anything. A fancy dinner at the palace sounds nice."

Diana sighed mockingly, "And here I thought we were almost about to escape the palace..."

Lisette patted Ridley's arm lightly, "Some other time, perhaps."

"I'd like that," added Hana. Maxwell and Marcella nodded their agreement.

"Don't worry," said Ridley, grabbing his tea, "When I'm Prince Consort, we'll eat cronuts every night."

The rest of the day passed without incident. The dinner was fancy and well cooked and the dessert sweet and rich. soon afterwards, they all retired for the night. Early, the next morning, Ridley was rattled awake by a crash knock on the door. He jumped out of bed, threw on his dressing gown over his oversized flannel pajamas and opened the door to find Maxwell, Marcella and Bertrand on the other side.

"Rise and shine, Ridley!" said Marcella brightly.

Ridley groaned and fought to shake the sleep from his system.

"I'll assume that was the appropriate morning greeting followed by the proper use of my title." said Bertrand stiffly.

Why are you both here so early..." Ridley glanced sleepily at his cell phone, which he was unallowed to use during the daily events. the time was 4:00 am. "And how are you so cheerful?"

Maxwell stepped forward, "We just got word where the next social event will be, and If we we're going to arrive there with everyone else, we should get packing right now. It's going to be fun!" he sang the last word.

Ridley finally knocked the sleep from his eyes. "Where are we off to?"

"To the Northern region of Cordonia; specifically, The Alps."

"Snow? I'm more of a hot beverage by the fire kind of man."

"I promise they'll be plenty of that," Said Marcella.

"Great." Said Ridley.

"I wouldn't celebrate too soon," Warned Bertrand, "The Family that's hosting us up there-the place we're staying at-belongs to the Lythikos Duchy.

Ridley could feel his heart sinking faster than the Titanic in the glacier cold Atlantic Ocean, "That means?"

Bertrand nodded, "That you're going to be in Lord Olivier's turf.

Ridley face palmed, "Great…"

The Russians were definitely coming; but in Ridley's case, he was coming to their turf, not the inverse.