"That was a rather interesting tour," Mirana said she stepped out of the coach she was assigned for the tour. Coren, Paulina, their escorts, and Lord Luc, Lord Jared, and Lord Yarek all followed after her.
"I love how they deliberately left out the parts of the tour that linked back to anything before the Purge in any way," Paulina chuckled, shaking out her skirts and looking up at the estate house.
"And let's not forget how we did not even make it close to the Landen part of the town," her uncle chuckled.
"It was an educational tour to be fair," Lord Luc said, holding open the door for them as they all went into the lobby. She did enjoy today, and it was endless entertainment to watch Paulina interact with Lord Yarek when the tour got boring. Paulina was a strong witch, and she could have told him that his advances were not wanted at any time. However, she didn't tell him no, just sent him glares and grumbled at him when he insisted on doing things with her. It will be interesting to watch when all of the charms were off and he found out about her nature. A lot of men would be put off by Black Widows since the old rumors still held some strength in certain circles, but she hoped the Yarek wasn't one of those males who believed that Black Widows were all crazy and wrong.
"Ladies and Lords," Lady Alice said, coming up to the group as they passed by the desk with a smile and a hand full of paperwork. "I hate to interrupt such a cordial group, but I need to speak with Lady Coren alone."
"With my escort as well," Coren said, gesturing to Alec.
"Oh, of course this does concern him as well," Lady Alice said, gesturing to one of the alcoves.
"Why don't we all go into the dining area and get us something to eat? I am starving," Lord Zachary said, holding out his arm to Mirana who took it and let him lead her into the dining area. It was such a beautiful day that the group as a whole decided to eat out on the terrace. There were several people out there already, and it was hard to get a large amount of space for them to sit all together, but they managed it. As soon as they were all settled, the conversation turned to Lady Jolin, the girl who was trying to drag Lord Luc on the dance floor.
"Does she not have any personal boundaries?" Lady Paulina asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
"From what people have told me about her, she has been very forward when it comes to the more prominent looking young men in this place," Mirana's father said with a bite of pastry.
"Mmmm seems to me that she has more ambition than she can follow through on," Lord Jared said, raising his wine glass to the group before draining it.
"So, what does your family do for a living Lord Andrew?" Lord Luc asked, handing Mirana one of the pastries he had grabbed that she hadn't seen and had been eyeing on his plate. She took it sheepishly with a nod as her father explained the business to him. It filled the conversation till Coren and Prince Alec joined them with their plates of nibbles.
"What did they want?" Zachary asked, handing Coren one of the apple tarts that were almost out when he went through the line. She set it on her plate and sighed.
"My social status was not fully realized until recently," Coren replied as she handed Mirana some papers. "The committee had to adjust some of the other women as well since their social status was not fully disclosed; in fact some apparently outright lied."
"Imagine that," Mirana said, giving Paulina a sideways glance before flipping through the papers and noticing that Coren's Presentation day had been changed to the same day as her own. "It seems that your stay has been extended."
"I am to be moved to better rooms once the others have been Presented and sent home," Coren sighed.
"This is a good thing Coren," Mirana laughed as she set down the papers.
"I don't understand what my social connections have to do with all of this stuff," Coren said.
"Social connections are everything," a blonde girl wearing a tasteful pink dress said, approaching the table with an older Warlord Prince wearing an Opal Jewel in tow. "If you are a good solid light jeweled Queen who doesn't have any real connections in court or aristo society, it may take longer for you to get established in a good area. However, if you are from a high standing aristo family and a lighter Jewel, then it won't take long for the Lady to make a name for herself. Dark Jeweled witches are usually not put in the first Presentation because they are more in demand and men want to see how they are more so than the light jeweled witches, but if the Lady in question has a reputation that is less than desirable with a dark jewel…"
"Then the Lady would be put in the first presentation while one of the more reputable light Jeweled witches are put in her place," Paulina finished.
"Precisely," the blonde said, giving Paulina a nod. She then gestured to the group with a hopeful smile. "May we please sit with you? I am afraid that most of the other seats are taken and father said he knew Prince Alec from his time in court."
"Of course, Prince Niall," Alec said with a smile and a gesture to the last empty seats they had. "It is good to see you again."
"As it is you," Prince Niall said, pushing the chair in as his daughter sat before sitting himself. "I apologize for not coming to see you sooner, but I had not realized you were here till this morning when we saw you on the tour."
"Well, my niece is here as well as a very close family friend to be Presented," Alec said, gesturing to Mirana and Coren. "We were just discussing the fact Coren's Presentation Day was moved to the one at the end of the month."
"My daughter, Marilyn, is presented that day as well," Prince Niall said, nodding his head to the blonde that was laughing with Jared about something. "We are fortunate that the two ladies that were taking over my daughter's time were moved to another part of the estate after I complained to the officials. Several young men were getting the wrong idea about my daughter from being associated with Lady Jolin."
"Is that so?" Mirana asked. Prince Niall's lips set in a grim line, obviously debating exactly how much information that he wanted to tell them. She was relieved when Luc spoke up.
"From what I can tell, she seems to be a misguided young woman who needs a firmer hand to teach her the more proper ways to interact with others," Lord Luc said as he took a sip of his wine.
"That is a polite way to put it," Prince Niall said.
"We briefly met the young woman over the last couple of days and that is the only way I can think of to put it without insulting her father," Lord Luc replied.
"Her father is a minor guard in a Providence Queen's Sixth Circle from what the officials have told me," Prince Niall told them as he waved down a passing waiter and taking one of the cups off the tray. "They were not very happy with how she was acting at the ball the other night, and when I told them that my daughter was not able to get away from her and her companion no matter how politely she told the young woman that she would like to be left alone, she was put in the part of the estate that were set aside for the members of this event that had to be kept a better eye on for the sake of the reputation of the Presentation."
"I see," Mirana said, turning over Lady Jolin in her mind. Yes, it would make sense that the officials would want to keep a better eye on the women like Lady Jolin. If women like her were in the Presentation, then the males might stop coming. If the males stopped coming, then the income from the event would not flow into the capital, and the Presentation would have to be canceled once the decent females would stop coming to events because the only males that would attend were the ones that she saw in the shop licking their lips over her because they thought she didn't have any power.
A realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She looked at Coren, the sweet Yellow Jeweled hearth witch, and swallowed hard. Coren would be one of those women on the auction block, the ones that the men would think that had no power and easy to control. As much as she loved the young woman, Mirana knew that she would never think of the attention as negative. Coren spent most of her life around a man who beat her, who used her for the money and services she could bring to the household. A man who gave her pretty words and treated her well here would eventually make it into Coren's heart, and once there he would make sure that he never left it. She tapped on her uncle's mind, and gave him a look before excusing herself to get more pastries. He volunteered to go with her after a teasing remark that he was only going to get Coren another apple tart since she devoured the one Zachary gave her so quickly he doubted she tasted it. As soon as they reached inside, Alec pulled her to one of the alcoves set aside for more private conversations.
*What is it?* he sent her, nodding to the people who were passing by with obvious hopes that they might hear some juicy gossip.
*I need to see if you have any more favors left to get Allan as one of the guards at my Presentation.* she replied.
*Shouldn't be hard to do since most of the men who are guards are forced into it anyway.* Alec told her, giving one of the lady chaperones a glare as she tried to approach them with lust in her eyes. Mirana watched as the lady quickly changed directions and tried not to show disappointment. Mirana felt the same way, her aunt having died long enough ago to have him move on. *Most of them don't want to be here because they might end up on the wrong end of some ladies temper that could bite them in the ass. Allan hasn't been on the rotation a while, so all it would take is a word to the officials to check the lists and request that the guards on your Presentation day are ones who haven't been here in quite some time. Then, a quick word with a couple of the right people and Allan is put onto the roster.*
*Do it.* Mirana told him.
*Why?* he asked, studying her face.
*I have my reasons.* she sent back, giving him her best Queen look. He sighed, shaking his head before offering his arm.
"Let's go by the table and grab some treats. Want the group to believe that this trip was for the food and not something else right?" he said. Mirana took his arm with a smile, and silently thanked the Darkness for blessing her with a male relative that understood that doing things without question was better than endless arguing.
Lady Jolin watched the group on the terrace from her designated dining table, and tried to not visibly fume as she watched Prince Luc interact with the fat bitch and her friends. Marilyn ruined all her careful planning. The aristo snob told her that she wanted nothing to do with her that morning, and when she tried to explain to the stupid whore that it was best to just remain friends since they had already been seen together the bitch said she didn't care. Prince Niall must have bribed the officials because she was moved to the area that she was informed by Katrina when they first got there held the females who turned out to be the less desirable candidates for the Presentation.
It really pissed her off that Katrina's father told her in a polite fashion that her company was not wanted around his daughter anymore after he found out why his daughter was moved into the area of the estate that most people didn't want their daughters. He was only Third Circle in the Providence Queen's Court that shouldn't hold that kind of power with people, but Mag took his word a law because Katrina was now assigned to one of the seats near the terrace where all the males had to pass to walk into the garden, while she was seated at a table males had to make an effort to see her. The bitch wouldn't even acknowledge her in the lounge that morning when she tried to get herself back in Katrina's good graces. Well, that just meant unless she had a male of good standing with her that Katrina wouldn't make it in her court if she could help it.
In truth, she didn't understand why Katrina told her that the place she was now housed was bad. The women she met here so far were lovely, as were the males that were the escorts. They told her things that Katrina didn't know, like there were only eight Queens in each Presentation batch and how the women were picked. It was rather upsetting to find out that she was now in the Presentation that they told her was the one most of the males tried to avoid because it was the minor society and low class workers. Her father was upset she made such a mess of things when he paid so much money to get her into the Presentation, but he was even more upset when they gave back some of the money and told him that she would be Presented at the end of the week instead of the month like she originally was scheduled. The officials told Mag and her father, who she was sure would have prevented her from being moved if he was able to stay like Katrina's father, that certain things had to be shuffled around for some other members who showed up without notifying them. She would have commented that it was rude to show up without prior notice, but the stiff look her father gave her when she opened her mouth was so unlike him that she was too shocked to continue. It wasn't fair really. She was a Queen who wore the Opal. Surely there was another Queen that they could have moved so the others could keep their places. The official also explained that due to her recent behavior with certain male members that were attending that she was required to share a room with four other girls and the escorts that the officials provided to make sure that she did not cause any more issues. Her heart was pounding as she listened with disappointment as her entire schedule was destroyed and rebuilt in such a way she would not only have no chance to even get near Prince Luc until he would see her a Presentation, she also wouldn't be near most of the higher aristos that she should be socializing with given her looks and caste. No one would know anything about her or who her family was because those two stupid whores had to make trouble for her.
Her father was a problem too. Before he left to go back to court he stressed to her that she not ruin this for her brother. As if a Brightright dark Opal Warlord Prince had anything to worry about, especially since she just knew that Teral would not outrank her once he had his Offering since he seemed to just be abysmal at the most Basic Craft. Her father just didn't understand what it meant to be a Queen. He understood enough that he worked hard to give her the things that she needed to make herself noticed by the other Blood in the courts she served while in training, but lately he was making such a fuss about acting like a proper lady and make sure to follow the Old Ways Protocol that were gaining the support of all the best courts according to him. She didn't understand what all the fuss was about since the courts she was in didn't follow them and everything in them went smoothly. Even the other ladies that she met were telling her how the Old Ways were not welcome in some of the courts because of the extremes that they went into following the Old Ways. One of the girls said that a friend of hers who demanded that the males she wanted to serve her wear the Ring of Obedience, stating that she couldn't trust the males who served her without one, and that Queen was broken back to Basic Craft because she tried to force a male to have one on and sign a contract. Jolin could understand the girl's apprehension to have the males wear a Ring of some kind; she herself was going to have her Black Widows create her own ring like all the other Queens in the area did in the popular courts. However, the Ring of Obedience was only used in the most extreme cases of males that were hard to control, and only when a tribunal says it is so. She did feel that the punishment was a bit severe over something they could have just counseled her on, but she wasn't going to say that in front of Mag. Mag was reporting everything back to her father now which put a dent in all of her plans to escape her clutches once they were away from all the other escorts.
"May we sit here?" a handsome young man asked, gesturing to the other equally handsome young man next to him. Jolin quickly gave them both her best smile and was going to tell them it was absolutely fine that they sat with her if Mag hadn't spoken up.
"I am afraid you young men will have to find somewhere else to sit," Mag told him, sending both of them scurrying off toward the terrace were all the best people seemed to be dining for lunch.
"Those two seemed like perfectly nice gentlemen," Jolin said to Mag through her teeth as she grinned at a group of aristo ladies and gentlemen walking past. "We could have had lovely conversations instead of sitting here with each other in silence."
"Your father gave me strict instructions that I was to only allowed the approved men on his list to converse with you," Mag sniffed, fanning herself with the paper that had the said list of names on it. "He would never forgive me if you were associated with the wrong kind of males before the Presentation. It would put the ones that might be willing to serve you off. I am doing you a favor." Jolin slumped back in her seat, and let her face show the disappointment she felt while her mind turned over her current predicament. If she could just figure out a way to get around the new set of rules that she was now being held to, then maybe her chances with Prince Luc might come to full fruition. Then everything would turn out the way she knew things were supposed to go. She wondered if Prince Grayhaven would need to wear a Ring of Obedience when he served her. Everyone knew that all the best Queens didn't have to have a Ring on their males. It would be absolutely wonderful if she didn't have to make him wear one, because then everyone would know that she was the best Queen anyone could ever ask for to serve. All of the most powerful aristos would line up to sign contracts for her. She just had to get close to Prince Grayhaven to make everything work.
"Mag," she said as she gave the woman her best smile and put on her sweetest face. "If one of the males on the list passes by, would you let me know? I wouldn't want to upset Father any more than he already is, and it would do us both some good to have some company at the table so people wouldn't think anything is wrong."
"Of course, Lady," Mag said, now watching the passing men with intensity. Jolin silently applauded herself for her quick thinking. If she went along with everything her father said, then she could possibly convince Mag to let her go off somewhere outside of the schedule. Somewhere that Prince Luc might be without all of those whores so she could fix any of the damage that Marilyn might be doing right now.
Prince Allan Millstone stood in his rooms he was assigned by the Queen he was currently serving, and couldn't believe what he was reading. He shook with rage as he read the letter again to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Queen Jordyn had apparently gone through the list of men in the Territory when there was a shortage of guards for the Presentation. His name was on the list as one of the men who hadn't served as a guard for a while and she said it was part of his obligations as part of the tithe to serve one day as a guard at an event of her choosing. This was the event she chose. He crumpled the letter and threw it in the fire before putting up Gray aural and sound shields to go with the physical ones. He started to rage and swear at Queen Jordyn, more over what happened in the past than current events. The last time that he saw her he swore to her that he would not do anything to help her outside of his obligations to the court he served, then walked away from her to finish out what little was left of his contract in other areas of the Territory, far from her.
He knew he shouldn't blame her for Coren disappearing, even if the two men who took her from his parents' house were in her Eighth Circle. She was a busy Queen that couldn't keep an eye on everything. However, it was still her males, the ones she trusted that were bribed by Coren's bastard of a father to take her from a home that loved and cared for her more than her own family. It pissed him off even more that he wasn't there to question the paperwork they presented to his father. He didn't know who ordered him to go out on guard assignment for a visiting Queen that night since he pretty much never went back to court till the night of his contract release. When he was released, he only had one year contracts with every Queen who would take him, stating he wanted to see how different courts acted so when he found a Queen who he felt was a good fit he would know how a real Warlord Prince would react. They didn't have to know the Queen he really served was his cousin who basically refused to leave her father's confectioner's shop. It was also because he was looking for that sweet girl with the red hair, who was now a young woman it had been so long he had seen her.
The first time he saw the girl he thought he was going crazy. The fierce need, the desire to be near the child was a hunger he never felt before in his life. His cock remained flaccid but the lust he felt for the wide brown eyed little girl scared him. He knew of the past of Briarwood, and wouldn't be one of those males. He thought maybe that it was a fluke, but over the first five months of her stay with him he didn't touch her just in case the fire woke in him. It was the afternoon when he had been away for over a month when she flung herself at him to give a hug with such enthusiasm he couldn't take it anymore. He gave her the hug back, and as soon as his mother had her tucked into bed he flew to the Keep at Ebon Askavi.
The High Lord agreed to see him, and he explained his predicament. He didn't want to become one of the men who did things like create Briarwood, men who were called Uncles that played with little girls. The High Lord sat behind his desk, a blank mask as he listened to Allan pour his heart out. It wasn't until Allan voiced his request for the High Lord to make him a whisper in the Darkness that the man behind the desk traded the blank look for a cold rage.
"You want to waste your life, Prince?" the High Lord asked too softly.
"I don't want to waste hers," Allan replied without a pause. He sat, waiting for the killing blow as the High Lord just looked at him, and was shocked when the High Lord got up from his chair to sit in the chair beside him.
"I am sure you have heard the stories of my first wife," the High Lord said. Allan nodded, and the High Lord smiled. "She as infuriating, my first wife. Scared the shit out of me and my father on more than one occasion. I would often wonder if I would die of shock sometimes with the questions she asked me."
"I don't understa-"
"My first wife was twelve when I met her for the first time," he said, a wistful smile on his face. "She had this fire inside her, drew me to her like many of the others in her life. Like you, I desired what the fleshed housed, not the flesh itself till she was much older. There is nothing wrong with you, but I understand how you feel boyo."
"Sir-"
"Go back to your Lady," the High Lord said, standing and moving to the window. "Be her friend, her companion, and when she is old enough that she can acknowledge your claim, pray to the Darkness she accepts you." And with that he was dismissed and sent on his way. It took Allan another month to come to terms with the fact that he was psychically lusting after a child. When he realized that he couldn't stay away from his house forever, he started to enjoy her company. To see her arms held out in welcome when he came home from court asking if he kissed all the pretty ladies was the thing he loved the most. Her chocolate brown eyes never judged him, and there was more than one occasion he showed up at the Keep with glassy eyes from something she asked. The High Lord laughed himself silly on more than one occasion from something she did or said, telling him that his first wife asked the same questions at her age and it was a pleasant surprise to see young girls still ask about such things of the older male members of the household. All that included, it was the best days of his life.
But when she disappeared, it was like the light went out of his world. Mirana kept that one spot of warmth and hope that he held out that she would form a court her could serve in. If he served in that court then he might be able you have some sort of authority over enough males that he could hold searches over Territories in the name of his Queen instead of covert pub questionings that he had been doing over the years. He wondered if her hair was still the same fire bright red that curled or did it darken to auburn and straighten out?
It was that lack of knowing what she looked like now that was holding back all of the searching that he was doing. Prince Sadi couldn't help beyond watching the Gates and asking about every young woman who came through them to Kaleer. He wouldn't cross that line unless it came to Shalador Nehele and Dena Nehele. It was understood that all of the people in those two areas were connected to him because of the people that took him in as a family member centuries ago. Prince Sadi did offer to put in a word with him with the people, asking a few of the Queens to take him in so the grieving could be done where no female would push him to do something he wasn't ready to do, but he declined. He knew he would never find her if he hid away in a Territory almost as secretive as the Dea al Mon. The one time he did visit with Prince Said to the Grayhaven Estate, he was under such scrutiny that he didn't want to go back.
When he calmed down, he realized that he could use this to his advantage. Most men didn't want anything to do with the Presentation, at least the ones in his circle of friends. He knew of three of them that ended up serving in courts that were less than honorable because they were bonded to a Queen that did things to people that still made his skin crawl when he thought about it. Of course, the males were not responsible because they reported it to Queen Jordyn as soon as they all found out about it. If he made it part of the deal that he would get the help he needed to search for Coren, he would gladly be a guard at the second Presentation. He let down his shields and called for a servant to bring him some fresh ink to write his reply.
"They seem to be getting along well, don't you think?" Alec asked Prince Niall as he, Lord Andrew, and Prince Niall watched the group of young people once again dancing on the terrace instead of in the ballroom.
"Oh smashingly," Prince Niall drawled, taking a sip of wine. "You do know who Lord Luc really is, don't you?"
"Of course I know," Alec snapped. It wasn't hard to figure out Lord Luc was really Prince Grayhaven. He heard good things about the lad when he visited the Queen last year, but he still had doubts about his motives. Males getting ranks and caste ahead of time wasn't exactly smiled upon in this event; however it wasn't uncommon for people to purchase a list of the women so they could hold out if they wanted to try connecting with a strong female. He hoped that Prince Grayhaven wasn't one of those types of males and his interest in spending time with the girls was truly because he liked who they were versus what caste they were. The few times that he visited the Territory with Queen Jordyn when she was her First Escort impressed him enough that he didn't object to his companionship for the girls, all of them. He felt a fatherly affection for Paulina when he met her, maybe it had something to do with the fact that she brought Coren back to his family or maybe it was because she was so akin in personality to Mirana, and any male who thought that she didn't have more than a brother to protect her and shield her was going to have a surprise in store.
"My daughter seems much happier with your group of young people," Prince Niall murmured, nodding to his daughter who was dancing with Yarek to a lively tune playing inside. All of the others were clapping and laughing as she attempted the flurry of footwork to a dance Alec could tell she had only passing knowledge. "She is actually happier than I have seen her in quite some time."
"Are you having problems Prince?" Andrew asked politely.
"We are fine, but Marilyn is…well not many people want to be friends with a witch like her for the right reasons," Prince Niall sighed. "I asked Lady Jordyn to please include her in this year's Presentation because Marilyn has had a rough year with her mother leaving after she had her Offering Ceremony and the rejection of most of the males who realized that getting into her bed wouldn't be as easy as they thought. My daughter hasn't smiled like that in months."
"I am sorry to hear that, Prince," Andrew said.
"In exchange for my favor, I was volunteered to keep an eye out as the Queen's emissary for people who were less than desirable to most of the Blood society. You see, the courts are having a hard time of it lately," Prince Niall confessed as he drained his wine glass. After giving Lord Andrew an assessing glance, he sighed again and shook his head. "Look, if what I am about to tell you gets around then it could hurt everything that Lady Jordyn has been working for these last few centuries. I trust you are still loyal to her Alec, and your brother is not a talker."
"What would I have to do with politics?" Andrew chuckled, leaning against the terrace railing. "I work in a candy store. All I do is pay my tithes and get through the year without the younger members of our family driving me to the mad house with their antics. Whatever you tell me I will keep in confidence because I assure you that everyone I spend time with feels the same that I do." Prince Niall stared at the Warlord for a moment before Alec felt a sound shield go up around the three of them, effectively cutting out all the sound from the outside as well as making sure no one heard them.
"Your daughter being here was the result of much work Warlord," Prince Niall told Andrew. "I was the one who had to go to the keep and personally deal with the Librarian to get all of the records from every witch that is registered. It took many years to get through them enough that the Librarian had no choice to let me have the ones from the Sanctuary near the Keep. When I read the first pages I almost pissed myself with fear. There were hundreds and hundreds of Queens and Black Widows that were registered there and only there. Lady Jordyn was fuming when she found out, Alec. She is right now working on a law that states that even if you go to a Sanctuary outside of your home Territory that you are registered everywhere instead of just the place you go and the Keep because of it. There are thousands of women in hiding, possible good solid women in hiding because families like yours are still afraid."
"But Jordyn thinks that she might have to gear up for a war if the wrong kind of Queens and Black Widows are in hiding," Andrew said.
"We know your daughter isn't one of them, but there are rumors that some of the darker Jeweled Queens want to know why a Yellow Jewel has been in the seat of power for so long," Prince Niall said, rocking on the balls of his feet. "My Lady is a wonderful woman with strong morals and a good heart. Her will is my life. I wouldn't want to see anyone rule this Territory without extensive training under my Queen. The very few who make it to the last leg of training cannot handle everything else that Jordyn wants her to do in order to pass the reign to the next Queen. It isn't like we are just making things difficult, we just want to make sure that the next person to rule does things to make Hayll thrive instead of just survive."
Turning to face Alec, Prince Niall's face had a determination in it that Alec had seen once before, and the situation wasn't pretty the last time he saw it either. "Your niece is one of the few good Queens from the reports that we had to almost beat out of the males who served in the unofficial courts in the pockets of hiding she trained in that Queen Jordyn approves of by turning a blind eye because they are doing good things for the communities they are in or nearby. I was told by them that she would make a wonderful Queen if she would just step up to rule instead of hide in that shop baking and cooking chocolate. Lady Jordyn was quite furious that she hadn't been introduced to a girl of her kind of power sooner, but she understood that it was probably the Lady's choice to not rule and her own court followed her commands." Alec felt his face flush at that remark. It was because of the pull that Mirana had on him that when her training was finished he refused to renew his contract with Lady Jordyn. He didn't tell her the reason why, but he gathered she knew now, which meant that she probably wanted to have a chat with him soon about this. "However, it wasn't just your niece. Lady Paulina was registered at the Keep as well, and Lady Coren isn't registered anywhere at all. That is why I was shocked to find her with you at your table Alec."
"What do you mean she isn't registered anywhere?" Alec said, feeling the blood drain from his face as his eyes locked on his beautiful red-headed daughter of his soul.
"Lady Coren is on the lists, and she does possess the Jewel strength that is on her list I was given, but every record I could get my hands on did not have a Lady Coren listed on it anywhere," Prince Niall told them. "The only records I couldn't get a hold of were the ones from Shalador Nehele, and we all know why we are not allowed to see those records."
"Shit," Andrew swore softly. Alec barely heard those words as he watched his little girl try and teach everyone some strange dance to the tune now playing. He hated to think about it, but what Prince Niall told him made sense. If they had succeeded in taking Coren away from the people who called themselves her family, then the registry in every Territory would have to be checked and altered to show he and his former wife had all parental rights to the girl. Once they found out that she wasn't registered anywhere, questions would start being asked of her family. It made her disappearance and her family running away were all connected to her not being registered. He would bet his entire year salary that Coren was in a registry somewhere, but he hoped it wasn't in Shalador Nehele. If Prince Sadi found out that a member of the people that he protected because of the connections to his wealth and his first wife was taken from her home, May the Darkness Be Merciful on anyone who stood in his way of justice.
"This new schedule for some of the women here is preposterous!" Lady Winifred shouted as she slapped the file on the table in front of Lady Alice. "There are several of the aristo women who are now being Presented at the end of the week instead of the end of the month. I have several members of my social circle who will be very upset if their daughters are not here the entire month like they are supposed to be."
"Sit down Winnie," Alice sighed, gesturing to the sitting area of her receiving room. She knew this conversation was coming once the new schedules were distributed that morning. As a Red Jeweled Priestess, she was considered the unrecognized leader of the officials to most of the Ladies running the Presentation. Winifred wasn't one of those women. When Winifred was settled, Alice rang for tea to be sent up and seated herself across from the woman. "Did you even look at the Ladies on the list that were moved?"
"They are aristo," Winifred sniffed. "Lady Jolin's mother is a good friend of mine, and I was quite upset to find out that the young woman was moved into the less desirable bunch than where a woman of her standing should be." Which told Lady Alice just where the large bribe was contributed to get her into the Presentation sneaked through, and made her wonder exactly how often Winifred took a bribe in order to get one of her social circle in the event. Lady Jolin was one of the women that Alice was against coming to the event because of the reports she had on the young woman from the courts that she served in while training. There were several other Queens who did not have the Jewel strength that Lady Jolin possessed, but they were more suited personality wise for the event. Alice was shocked to see her name on the check-in list, and investigated it immediately. When she found out about the bribe, it was part of the reason why she moved Lady Jolin. The other part was the complaints.
"Winnie, you do know I had several complaints from the young males in the event correct?" Alice asked.
"A spirited young witch is all she is," Winifred simpered, adjusting her skirts. "I am sure that once she finds her males then she will settle down. After all, weren't we that way at the same point in our lives?"
"I am quite a bit older than you are dear," Alice reminded Winifred, who blushed when remembering exactly how old Alice really was. There were very few women old enough to remember what it was like in Terrielle before the Purge, and Alice was one of them. Lady Jordyn requested that she be part of this because she knew how to spot a witch that was like the ones that created the mess that was Dorthea's rule. She was only an Opal Jeweled Priestess in training at the time, hiding in the pockets of resistance that dotted the realms so she could at least make it to her Offering unlike the women who were out in the open. When the Purge was finished, the pockets of resistance slowly came out of hiding, and being Priestess was what made her one of the women who Lady Jordyn took under her wing. Alice learned in that brief time at Lady Jordyn's court how a real Queen should treat the people that served her as well as how a good Queen should act. Alice almost fell over the first time she saw Lady Jordyn helping build a house with her own two hands instead of Craft. The two women became friends in those few years until Alice made her Offering and took over a Sanctuary almost two days away from Hayll's capital.
"Well, not everyone will turn out to be like that," Winifred said. The tray appeared in front of them and Winifred busied herself making her own cup of tea. "I mean, Alice you are not really being fair about this. Lady Jolin just needs a chance to show her real colors to the young men. Can't you take just one of the Lady's back into this week's Presentation? The Yellow Jeweled hearth witch would be more suited for this week's Presentation, don't you think?"
"That is what this is about," Alice sighed. It was really a curse that Winifred had to know the first week's Presentation candidates caste and Jewel rank. The only relief that Alice had was knowing that Winifred could not tell anyone besides the other officials who knew that same information without incurring the wrath of Queen Jordyn. Lady Jordyn was a wonderful companion with a dry sense of humor. Queen Jordyn took no nonsense and served punishments with fairness that no one could protest them. It was also why the Presentation was a success year after year. Queen Jordyn was the one who sent out the letters and approved the final list once it was put together, which made Alice wonder how Lady Jolin made it on the list when she wasn't on the final draft she sent to Jordyn. "Winnie, Lady Coren is close with Prince Alec Millstone as well as his niece, Lady Mirana. If you did not see her recent financial statements, she has more money than any of the aristos could dream. She has the connections that Lady Jolin wished she had, and she is better tempered for the males attending the event in case you didn't see how the males from Shalador Nehele enjoy her company."
"I haven't notice," Winifred sniffed, her face taking a mask that Alice knew Winifred meant the opposite. Alice would bet her cut of the profits that the Queen gave her as payment for service in the event that Winifred was no only well aware of how the Shalador males were acting towards Lady Coren, but her lovely aristo mothers were complaining that particular group of young women were monopolizing the time of three males. The mothers not knowing the caste and Jewel strength would not matter to the mothers who had romantic notions about the secretive Territory that was under the protection of Daemon Said, High Lord of Hell. If their lovely daughters could make it into that Territory, then maybe that could go along for the ride and catch a glimpse of the coldly beautiful man who is said to be the best male in bed ever.
Alice would also bet her salary that Winifred also didn't like the fact that most of the women in the second Presentation were ones that she had never met before this event. What started as a money making event for Hayll after almost the entire population was wiped out in the Purge ended up being one of the most desirable and fashionable events for a young aristo woman to attend. Women like Winifred did not understand what it was like to have a man serve her because she was only a Summer-Sky witch, but Alice remembered clearly the first year when a young Queen stepped up to the stage only to walk away with the strongest males in the aristo circles. The protests that were launched had to be fielded by Queen Jordyn for months after until the Queen in question finally had to draw the line, and dared anyone to cross it. All of her males stood at the line, waiting for someone to cross their Queen. When the Queen was done educating the protesters exactly how bonding really worked, the protests were few and far between. That particular Lady still ruled one of the Providences close to Hayll's capital and had afternoon tea with Queen Jordyn twice a month.
"Now Alice, you and I both know that connections aren't everything," Winifred said. She used Craft to float the files on Alice's desk over to the table between the two women. "All of these Ladies that are in this week's Presentation having far better connects than the ones in the second Presentation I am sure. Can you look over them for me once more? Just to make sure that everyone is in their correct place?"
"I can take another look," Alice sighed.
"Thank you Alice, you are such a dear," Winifred said as she rose with a smile. As soon as the door was closed behind the woman Alice used Craft and floated the files back to her desk. She didn't need to see the files to know which Ladies Winifred was talking about. There were several young woman who had not only lied about their connections when filling out the forms, while others just paid money to get into the event in hopes to get a better life. It was pathetic really, seeing most of the upper class lowering themselves like this. It made Alice wonder if the Presentation was starting to become outdated.
Then again, there were the hidden ones. The ones that Lady Jordyn had to hunt down and almost drag to this event were the ones that Alice wanted to see go to good places. Alice was not happy to find that some of the girls in the Territories were still hiding, even with the assurance that the troubles were over. She had words with her fellow Priestesses this time, because the Ebon-Gray was hidden. A girl with that power shouldn't have been hidden in courts and shadows of the working class. Prince Millstone should have known better than to hide his niece. There were also the girls like Lady Paulina who were just victims of circumstances of birth. Had she been born to an aristo family, she would have been part of a First Circle from the day her training was complete. Instead, she was overlooked for someone with better connections and social standing. And Lady Coren, the girl with little Jewel power but because of her luck she was now one of the most wealthy women in all of the Territories. There were hundreds of women out there like those girls. Maybe thousands. It was only a matter of time before they would outnumber the aristo girls, and the day that they do will be that day that the Presentation will become something of the past.
Alice rose from her seat with a heavy sigh and signaled a servant to come get the tray. She would have a talk with Queen Jordyn about the next year's Presentation. It was time for a change if they wanted to continue the Presentation. The time had come to change with the times, and Alice wasn't going to see her hard work go to waste because of it.