Snow White's POV

It had been a few days after my incident with the merchants and the Duke's test. I haven't heard from him since, and the Queen had not returned. The odd thing was despite my heightened anxiety about the whole situation, there was no more word from the Duke nor the Queen. I had expected some notice from the Queen, maybe anger about how I acted on my own in her absence, but there was nothing. The whole thing was perplexing to me. Maybe it was due to the Duke's interference, and this was what having an ally was like? But that only left more questions for me.

I went to my room. Normally, heirs to any kingdom, not just Germonia, would have their own office or their own space to prepare themselves to take over the throne. A place where they would be able to work on their assignments and documents and store them, but the Queen had not given me one. There was one time where I was tempted to go into her office and work, when she was out, but her office always gave me goosebumps, like someone was watching me in there. The only benefit of me not having an office was that there was no suspicion that I was up to something. I only had one desk in my room with one bookshelf, but not enough, like an office to bring others to suspect me of anything. Especially, since I used to share the room with Celina, but now it was so quiet and so empty.

I sighed as I walked to my desk, my eyes landing on the envelope that Lady Elwine had given me a few days ago. It was still unopened, and I had forgotten about it. I didn't even get a chance to look at the envelope before when the situation with the merchants came about. It had my name written on the front, and I ran my fingers over the family seal of it. It was of the Sinclair's family. I took a deep breath and carefully broke the seal, unfolding the letter inside.

Princess Snow White,

I hope this letter finds you well. It has been far too long since I have had the pleasure of your company, and I hope to be graced with it soon. This coming week, on the 12th day of the 3rd month, I will be hosting a small tea party. It would be delightful if you would attend.

You have grown into such a fine young woman, and it would be a shame if you were not able to be acquainted with some of the other esteemed ladies of Germonia and their daughters. Your mother, Queen Evelyne, was a dear friend to many of us, and it would honor me greatly to extend the same warmth to you. Please do consider my invitation. I am sure you will find the afternoon both pleasant and enlightening.

Warm regards,

Countess Beatrice Sinclair

I stared at the letter, rereading it multiple times. A tea party, and it seemed like a harmless invitation, but my gut was screaming that it wasn't.

The Queen had never involved herself with these sorts of gatherings, dismissing them as a waste of time. She had devoted more time to council tables. That approach had extended to me as well, so this was the first that I had been handed an invitation to a tea party. This had only left more questions on my mind, on why Lady Sinclair was reaching out to me. Was this an extension of what the Duke can help me with? But this had arrived before my test with the merchants and before his approval. There was no public form of support, since that event was too recent, too quiet, but that made this issue more concerning.

For years, I was hidden from the nobility, trapped in the castle, having no influence nor power. And suddenly, I was being invited to the very gatherings that the Queen had deemed frivolous. Countess Sinclair was the wife of Count Sinclair. From my understanding from my own studies, the Sinclairs were an old and respected noble family. Count Sinclair was deeply involved in the military affairs of the kingdom as well. It would be smart for me to attend the tea party, to see how much his wife knows, and what information I could gain.

I had remembered telling Emperor Ryland before about how the Queen would go after his empire. It wasn't a hundred percent true. I wasn't sure that the Queen was going to go after his empire, but I only was able piece together some information from eavesdropping on the secret meetings that Queen held at night. The only thing I was certain of, was the increase in military spending and training, but I no idea on why. This tea party would be a great opportunity to see what the wives of such influential people would have to say. On the other hand, I also knew that this tea party wasn't just a party on the Countess's end. There was a reason why I was invited, but I also had no idea, but this wasn't an opportunity that I was willing to waste.

I pulled out a piece of paper, and wrote a quick response, saying that I would be present, before I sent it off. I leaned back in my chair. Unfortunately for me, the 12th day of the 3rd month was tomorrow. I looked through my wardrobe. Fortunately for me, I was never one to go to social events, so there were some gowns that I had never worn that would suffice.

The next morning arrived far too quickly. I barely got any sleep with my mind running through every possible scenario that could occur. I was still unaware of their intention for my invitation, whether it was to evaluate me or was there some other reason. Regardless of their intentions, I had made up my mind to use this opportunity to the best of my ability. I had chosen a deep sapphire blue gown with silver embroidery that traced the edges of the sleeves and bodice. Abigail had helped arrange my hair into a nice bun with blue flower pins as well.

By the time I had arrived to the Sinclair estate, the tea party was already in full swing. Their estate was grand, exuding wealth, and yet it was not overbearing, almost matching the aura of their military support of the kingdom. Countess Sinclair greeted me the moment I had arrived.

"Princess Snow White, how wonderful of you to join us."

"Thank you for inviting me, Countess. I apologize for the late response."

"Nonsense," she replied waving her hand away. "It is an honor that you graced us with your presence at all."

She guided me into her garden, where the rest of the ladies had been waiting. The amount of stares were notable, some of the curious, others scrutinizing, and a few were wary. It was clear that my presence was a spectacle. They all sat at one large circular table with delicate porcelain teacups and an assortment of sweets. The moment we had reached the table, all conversation fell silent for the briefest moment before resuming, just enough to know that their topic of conversation was most likely me.

Lady Beatrice gestured toward an empty seat beside her. "Please, join us."

I sat gracefully, keeping my movements deliberate. A maid poured me tea, and I took a careful sip, letting the warmth steady me.

"Tell me, Princess," Lady Marielle, one of the older noblewomen, spoke first, "I do hope you find our little gathering enjoyable. It must be quite different from what you are accustomed to."

"It is," I admitted. "But a pleasant change, nonetheless."

"Indeed," another woman murmured. "The current Queen never had much interest in these gatherings, did she? She was always quite… focused."

I was careful not to let any emotion besides my fake smile to show. It was starting to be clear that these women had a certain opinion of the Queen. And it was starting to look like their intention involved evaluating me and my opinion of the Queen.

"Focus is a wonderful word to use. The Queen has dedicated her time to matters of the state." I paused a bit to take a sip of my tea. "A commendable trait for a ruler of course. However, there must also be a balance between governance and a connection with the people, wouldn't you agree?" I smiled, trying to make eye contact with each woman.

A few women exchanged glances, their delicate hands poised over their teacups.

Lady Sinclair, ever the gracious hostess, gave a soft chuckle. "Well said, Princess. Balance is indeed key. A ruler must inspire both loyalty and trust. That is why such gatherings are important. They cultivate relationships that can prove invaluable."

"Invaluable indeed," I echoed, setting my cup down with care. "And I must admit, I am eager to learn more about these relationships. As you all know, my exposure to such esteemed company has been… limited."

A younger woman, perhaps only a few years older than myself, leaned forward with a knowing smile. "Limited, yes. But not without reason, I imagine. It must have been lonely, being kept within the palace walls for so long. Especially now, with Princess Celina's banishment."

I nearly choked on my tea. It seemed like another one of their intentions was to learn more about Celina. Of course, Celina's banishment would be a topic of interest. It was a scandal that had rippled through the nobility, but their curiosity about it now had a pointed edge.

"Yes, my time in the palace has been… quiet. And my sister's departure has only made it more so." I let my gaze drift across the table, eyeing their expressions. Some were just curious, others had an edge in their eyes.

Lady Marielle, the older noblewoman who had spoken earlier, tilted her head. "A most unfortunate affair, truly. To think she was entangled in such a dark matter. Do you believe she was capable of such a crime, Princess?"

"Justice in Germonia is swift and severe," I said smoothly. "The matter was handled accordingly."

A few of the women exchanged glances. I hadn't answered the question directly, but that was the point. If they were hoping for an outright condemnation of Celina or an expression of doubt toward the Queen's judgment, they wouldn't find it here—not yet.

Countess Sinclair smiled, her eyes sharp with understanding. "Of course. It is a relief to know that law and order prevail in our kingdom." She started to shift the conversation, and I welcomed it.

"And how is your husband, Countess Sinclair? He must enjoy the peace the kingdom is in?" I asked.

"And yet, even with peace, my husband is quite the workaholic. In fact, he is in contact with Emperor Ryland to ensure continued peace in our lands. I am quite proud that the Queen had entrusted this task to him," she started saying. I was taken back. I didn't know that the Queen was also trying to get an alliance with Emperor Ryland. I could feel my nerves starting to act up, my hands trembling. Did I fail to realize that the Sinclairs were close with the Queen and so my approach to Emperor Ryland was a mistake?

"Is that right? I heard the man is barely even human. He rules with fear than respect, but we are all grateful that a man like Count Sinclair is handling him. I'm sure our esteemed count is more than capable of maintaining peace and order. Germonia is quite lucky to have such a dedicated servant to the crown," Lady Marielle said.

"In fact, at your birthday ball, I was so terrified of the man. I was so in shock that you had danced with him, your highness," Lady Vivienne said. The other ladies agreed and the attention was shifted to me.

"Yes, how was he?" Lady Eloise asked.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady the growing unease in my chest. "He's a man of great presence, that's for sure. It's hard not to notice when someone commands such attention." I took another sip of my tea, hoping it would calm me down.

"Oh my, look you, Princess. You're pale now. Let me show you to the powder room," Lady Sinclair said, as she was guiding me to one. I thanked her, and decided to take my time. She had returned back to the party, and I was now trying to fan myself down. I remembered back to my dance with the Emperor, becoming annoyed at my own actions. It was starting to make sense. He had no intention of making allies at my ball, since he had already aligned himself with the Queen. And then I had to ruin myself by telling him about the Queen's dark magic, basically announcing to her my own plans! And I should have known his opinion of me, when he rudely dropped my title, calling me just Snow White. How stupid am I?

I slapped my fan closed and used it to smack my forehead, as I walked out of the room.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

"Ugh!" I shouted to myself as my frustration started to boil over, not even looking in front of me. Only to result into me bumping into a wall, except this wall had dark black boots, and as I looked up, I was met with a sharp, familiar gaze. My heart skipped a beat.

Emperor Ryland.