"The palace is certainly impressive, Aunt Launcekrona."Malwina said as she and Fayruza. "And big."
"You'll be staying in the dormitory with the other handmaids."
"Let me guess, little girls."sighed Malwina.
Launcekrona frowned.
"Little girls or not, you're to set an example. You're here because you will be working directly below me. You report to me, and to the duchess. Young ladies, you would be only one level from the duchess herself."she turned to Fayruza, and switched to Lunarian. "You must be the girl who will be serving along with my niece, aren't you? Lord Kunzite wishes for half of the duchess's, or lady's, staff be Terran. One of your duties will be to be to teach Her Grace to speak good and fluent Terran."
This was probably going to be difficult. Not only would she be serving her father's daughter, but how was she going to get on? She had only been taught Lunarian, which everyone in their star system spoke. Other than that, she knew hardly anything in Venusian. The closest she came was some love poems or hymns. So how was she supposed to get around?
"Don't worry."Malwina said, as Launcekrona led them to their rooms. "Everyone here speaks Lunarian, so you'll be fine."
"You'll be sharing the same quarters, but will each have your own rooms."
"I was upset at first that I would not be serving the princess, but the duchess. You know, everyone wants to go to the royal court."said Malwina. "But isn't this grand! I am glad you're here, though. That way, I'll at least have someone my own age to talk to. Aunt Launcekrona is a grown up, and everyone else is just a little girl. Mostly around Her Grace's own age."
Fayruza turned toward the door thru which Launcekrona had exited.
"The governess is your aunt?"she asked.
"How do you think I got this position? She's one of the princess's best and closest friends. Our family has served the royal family for ages. What about you? How did you come to be here?"
"My fath, I mean, Lord Kunzite brought me here. My brothers stayed on Earth, and they will serve Prince Endymion."
"You are His Lordship's natural daughter?"asked Malwina. "Is it so different from being an actual daughter? I've never known anyone to be born out, or have children, out of wedlock here on Venus."
"I'm not a duchess for one."
"You dislike the Her Grace. Out of jealousy?"stated Malwina.
"I don't dislike her and I'm not jealous!"
"His Lordship decided to marry the princess. Her Grace has a planetary princess for a mother. And as prince consort, he does spend more time here than he does on Earth. And here includes this duchy. His heiress's duchy, as well. She has a title, you have none."
"None of that means I'm jealous."
"And you're also curious about the duchess herself, a bit about the princess."
"How would you know?"Fayruza demanded.
"But it's written plainly on your face, in your gestures. Off planet guests! They hardly know how to read their own emotions themselves, let alone read other people's."
If this girl could read her, would the Lady of the Evening Star be able to read her so as well? People said Venusians were almost telepaths. And the princess herself.
"No, not telepathy."Malwina said exasperated. "Not thoughts, but emotions. And they speak just as loudly. To put it simply, when you're angry, you frown, but that frown is different than when you frown because you're sad or confused. That's putting it simply. It's written plainly in your features that you don't like the Duchess of Ceres, but you're curious about her. It is a…fear…an…insecurity. Why you don't like her, those were my guesses as to why. Are all natural children like that? Or Terrans?"
"No! It just seems weird is all."
"Oh, yes. Very weird. I've never met someone's natural daughter before. That is not the custom on Venus. People only have children with their spouses. Hmmm, I never thought natural sons and daughters felt that way about sons and daughters born in wedlock."she said thoughtfully. "Would that make you part of the royal family?"
"I'm not sure. I never thought of that. My mother was put aside when my father decided to marry the Princess of Venus."
Malwina nodded approvingly.
"Of course. When one chooses a life mate and marries, one is faithful. After all, if the Princess did not truly love Lord Kunzite, she would not trust him, and would not have married him. Obviously, they would put aside any lover either of them may have had before they married."
"But it's like a surprise. One day, I'm told I'm leaving home because I'm going to come to a different planet to serve my father's heiress. Not to mention when I'm here, it turns out I can't even speak the language. And I'm expected to teach her to speak my own language."
"Everyone speaks Lunarian."Malwina assured her again.
Ceres showed Kunzite the correspondence she had received while he had been away.
"Tomorrow, you will be presented with all your staff, with a feast afterwards."Minako told Ceres.
"But you will be with me?"Ceres asked.
"Of course. Most of them you will already know."Kunzite told her.
"Yes! One of them is Launcekrona's niece. Do you think she is like her?"
"I've never met her. So I am a little curious myself."Minako confessed.
"And I will get to meet Papa's Terran subjects from his Kingdom of the Middle East."she said. "I hope I don't speak too different from them."she added anxiously.
"You will learn to speak Terran just fine. As well as any other."Kunzite assured her.