Part 4

Lucien stared at the little girl, still unable to comprehend that she was actually a daughter of one of these creatures. How was that possible? She and her aunt were admiring the gowns and jewelry they have found from one of the chests in the carriage. Finn, Kol and Niklaus were trying on the tunics of the noblemen they had killed. Lucien startled as Elijah suddenly cleared his throat.

"Continue," Elijah stated impatiently.

It took a moment before Lucien remembered what they had been talking about.

"Yes… Yes, about children. Nobles don't take care of their children themselves, they have servants for that."

Elijah frowned.

"I see."

"It would be very strange if your daughter would not have a nursemaid," Lucien continued.

"Hmm, we can say that her nursemaid passed away during the journey."

Lucien nodded.

"Yes, that sounds believable. There is also something else. Children, especially girls, are expected to behave… a certain way."

"What way?" Elijah asked sharply.

"Well… They should be seen, not heard."

Elijah's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"That is the way of the nobles," Lucien explained quickly. "Boys are valued more, girls are meant only to be married off to other noble families."

Elijah crossed his arms.

"If you think that I would told my daughter to stay quiet…"

"No, no, these are not my opinions, my lord, I can assure you. If I would have a daughter, I would love her just as much as my son, but unfortunately nobles don't think like that."

"How should my daughter act then?"

Lucien hesitated before replying.

"Noble girls should be quiet and obedient. They should not speak unless they are spoken to."

"Well, it's a good thing then that we are not really nobles," Kol stated as he stepped in front of Lucien. "My niece speaks when she wants to."

Lucien swallowed; he hadn't noticed that all the siblings had listened to his and Elijah's conversation. Apparently they had a better hearing than normal humans.

"Of course, my lord, I would never…"

"Calm down, Kol," Finn said. "He is trying to help us to fit in."

"Do you agree with him then?" Kol snorted. "You think our niece doesn't have the right to speak?"

"Of course she does, but if we are planning to do this, we must listen to him."

Lucien gave Finn a grateful look.

"Alright, how about we start with something else," Niklaus said.

Lucien nodded eagerly.

"Of course, my lord."

They started by practicing how to bow properly. It was a small, but also very important thing. Lucien smiled when it was Alina's turn to try.

"Very good, my lady," he said. "You are a natural."

"Thank you, my lord," she replied.

"No, no," Lucien said. "I am not a lord, my lady, you can call me Lucien."

She looked confused.

"What are you then?"

"I… I am just a servant," he replied.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I serve nobles. I am not as important as them."

"I think you are," she stated determinedly.

Lucien smiled.

"Thank you, my lady."

She smiled too.

"You're welcome."

Rebekah touched Alina's hair and lifted her up.

"She needs something to wear, there were no smaller gowns in the chest."

"Well… I believe I can find her something when we arrive at the castle," Lucien replied and looked at Elijah. "You can have more gowns made for her there."

Elijah nodded.

"Yes, that sounds good." He paused and stepped in front of Rebekah, taking Alina from her. "What do you think, little pixie, would you like to have pretty dresses?"

"Uh huh," she hummed and leaned her head on Elijah's shoulder. "I want to look pretty for you, papa."

"Oh sweetheart, you already are the prettiest little girl in the world," Elijah assured and kissed her forehead.

Lucien thought that it was strange to see all of these creatures showing so much kindness to this child. He didn't know what they were exactly, but he certainly knew what they were capable of.

"What do you think, sweetheart, does your uncles look pretty now?" Elijah asked.

Alina looked at her uncles and nodded.

"Uh huh, especially Uncle Nik."

Kol looked hurt.

"What about me?"

Alina smiled at him.

"You always look pretty, Uncle Kol."

Kol grinned.

"That's true."

Niklaus rolled his eyes. It truly was hard to believe that these were the same people who had slaughtered Count de Guise and his party.

"About addressing the nobles," Lucien continued the lesson. "You should call the Count "Your Grace", everyone else my lord or my lady."

"Sounds easy enough," Niklaus replied.

"That is just the beginning, I'm afraid. There is etiquette in the court and it can be quite complicated."

"I am sure you can explain it to us," Finn stated.

Lucien truly hoped that he could, he was afraid to imagine what would happen if he would fail.

"Can I go and play with the pretty stones?" Alina asked.

"They are called jewelry, sweetie," Rebekah said. "And yes, you can go."

"Thank you."

Alina was smiling happily as she headed to the carriage.

"Alright," Niklaus said. "Let's continue."