Wicked Steps

Marquis Mihal had already submitted a formal request to investigate the paternity of Countess Jimena's unborn child. Emberlee had given the Emperor her letter from Father stating that the child could not be his, and the Imperial Physician acting on Empress Clara's orders hovered as the babe-in-question's due date approached. So too did the Imperial Princess' debut, and Emberlee almost hoped the two dates conflicted. It would be a beautiful irony if Jimena managed to take attention away from the Princess' big day after the Empress had put so much favour onto the Countess.

Despite the late hour, Emberlee called for her Uncle via Mirror and was grateful when he answered it. "Firecracker, how goes the battle?" he didn't waste time.

"Too soon to tell, too many things to prepare for. The Emperor is aware of Father's lack of paternity towards Jimena's babe, but no other actions have been announced. I know Grandfather would have submitted a complaint by now too, but the investigation into that would be discreet. I have no issue with the babe being an orphan of Ortega instead of a war orphan or outright bastard of Stussica, but it occurred to me that if the Stussicans are truly heinous they might try to eliminate Father so he can't personally testify," she blurted her worse fear out to the one adult she trusted.

"The thought had already occurred to one firecracker," Uncle Albert almost sounded amused at her naivety to only realize the danger now, "however your Father is already paranoid and prepared for ambush and attacks." It helped lose some of her worries, the truth being that Father was as likely to die in battle as he was to an assassin's blade, neither of which had happened yet. She would just have to trust that Father would continue to survive until they could be reunited. Until then, she simply had to survive the petty machinations of her Stepfamily.

"I will be in the capital for the Imperial Princess' debut, are you safe in a House filled with enemies until then?" Uncle Albert sounded ready to ride to her rescue if needed.

"It would look painfully suspicious if anything were to happen to me currently, they would be the primary suspects. Jimena's babe is due only shortly after the Princess' celebration so she'll be all but bedbound except for social events. Deidre may attempt to slap me but she's the more likely to verbally berate instant. And Ainsley will follow their lead regardless of her motivations."

But being unable to close violence didn't mean that the Stussicans couldn't find other plots to hurt; the morning after Emberlee arrived in the Capital. the newspapers were filled with the announcement of Deirdre's engagement to the Empress' personal Knight, Sir Ludwig, a highly talented swords master Blessed by the gods of healing. The poor fool likely had no idea the kind of family the Stussicans truly were, he had been a loyal Imperial Knight gifted to Empress Clara by the Emperor. And now Clara had likely commanded this union and he would diligently obey. Maybe Emberlee could help rescue him from it even as she worked to liberate herself from their presence. The engagement may be a surprise to Emberlee, but it ultimately didn't change her course of action. Deirdre being engaged to a Knight changed nothing, it was more a demonstration of the Empress' favour; Emberlee could still have them removed from Ortega.

She called in the Stussican butler, pleased when he seemed intelligent enough to refer to her as Marchioness without hesitation. It seemed that he at least realized that being on Emberlee's good side was the smarter choice. So she asked him which of the servants she should consider keeping employed

before releasing the whole lot of them; an obvious test of his competence and loyalty. If he tried to argue to keep all of them, she'd know he was still entirely Jimena's supporter, but as expected the butler had more self-preservation than that. He recommended keeping only the servants for the ladies directly, freely admitting that the two attending Jimena were directly from the Imperial Castle and likely reported to the Empress. All the servants that only spoke Stussican were given letters of recommendation and released, diminishing the household staff greatly but that was easy enough to rectify by hiring capital staff temporarily. There was less restructuring required amongst the Guards, the initial incident all the warning these professionals needed to realize that she was the Marchioness, not Jimena. Their loyalty was to the paycheck, not a personal connection; if they wanted to keep working that meant acknowledging that she was in charge.

Because despite her confident words to Uncle Albert, Emberlee was a little concerned that they might try gross violence as a method to remove her. She was well-trained but had never experienced actual violence being done to her. Perfectly trained, practically inexperienced, and pragmatic enough to accept that she'd rather not learn the hard way. Jimena, Deirdre, and Ainsley were known for slapping servants and using mild corporal punishment, but that didn't mean they couldn't conspire to stab her in the back. Animals backed into corners will bite; a fact they should have remembered before putting her in this position and aft she wouldn't forget to be wary of herself.

They were to attend the Empress' tea party today, the lack of invitation here extended to Emberlee despite her arrival quite deliberate. Empress Clara was backing Jimena, like called to like, but Emberlee had the Emperor's support. While the Stussicans prepared to go for tea, an official carriage from the Imperial Castle arrived and Jimena immediately assumed it was intended for her. "Now that we're in the Capital you'll see that your backwards, discourteous behaviour won't be tolerated. Empress Clara is going to civilize those that require it so that the Empire is great," Jimena declared, and Emberlee managed to not question which Empire Jimena thought it'd be at that point.

The mere fact that she considered Xutia uncivilized was indication enough, so Emberlee greatly enjoyed the moment the servant announced that the coach was there from the Emperor to bring Marchioness Ortega to him. "The Xutian Empire is great Countess, why else would the Stussican Empire depend on my Father to expand their border?" she couldn't help but ask before once again changing into a sharp suit like she had the day before.

The Steps had taken claim of all Mother's things, but Emberlee had set her darling spiders to adjust Father's uniforms as needed. She had no issue with trousers, using the garments as she would any other weapon in her battle against Jimena's scheming. Hard to believe a uniform-wearing young Marchioness was also a silly little girl swooning over the Adaban Envoy as Jimena had no doubt gossiped. To avoid rumours of being too masculine in demeanour, Emberlee wore the sky blue sapphires in a silver setting to suit the gray-toned attire. She'd also removed the more militaristic markings on her Father's jackets, replacing them with more feminine accents where possible, but she still looked rather serious as she followed the Imperial servant to the coach. She'd left word that no one was allowed to use the official Ortega carriage, not trusting Jimena to not use it after the Imperial coach had been sent for Emberlee, but also not trusting that everything would continue to go in her favour.

Especially as she didn't know why the Emperor was calling for her already.

The trip to the Imperial Castle was short, the carriage markings guaranteeing that she went straight through without being inspected by the Imperial Guards. There were two layers of protection within the Imperial Castle; the Imperial Guards who protected the Castle and all within its grounds, and the Imperial Knights Like Sir Ludwig, who were responsible for protecting the Imperial family directly. Both wore black uniforms but the Guards had golden piping while the Knights had purple, and though both were honorable positions it was well known that the Imperial Knights only accepted the very best.

That was partly what made Sir Ludwig's involuntary involvement so unfortunate; the downfall of Jimena and her daughters would inevitably affect him. Depending on how aggressively Emberlee had to resolve the problems raised by the Steps would determine how thoroughly decimated the Knight's romantic reputation would be. Currently, Emberlee was simply ensuring that Jimena was removed as the new wife due to her actions thus far, Deirdre had been intolerably rude but ultimately had had little impact on Emberlee's ire overall. She was a bothersome pest, and Ainsley was a pitiful copycat, they weren't worth the effort of destroying so maybe Sir Ludwig would be unbothered.

Emberlee was escorted directly to the Emperor's study, feeling her reflection watch from the Mirror she'd anointed as they passed it by. She'd tested the connection between Ortega Manor and the Capital House last night to underwhelming success but hadn't dared tried this Mirror yet. Her winking reflection promised that it'd be just as reliable, all but beckoning her to try it despite the escorting witnesses. She ignored the impulse to be reckless and silently waited while the door guards announced her arrival.

"Marchioness, join me," Emperor Andrion cheerily greeted without formality, beckoning her to sit on a rather comfortable couch next to a table holding coffee, tea, and little cakes. "I didn't get a chance to discuss with you yesterday in detail, so why don't we corroborate now?" Emberlee smiled politely and accepted a cup of tea, wondering what details he wanted to discuss.

"Thank you, your Imperial Majesty. I truly appreciate your caring support in the face of the familial difficulties that have been thrust upon me recently." Especially as the Emperor had been the one to thrust the Stussicans onto her in the first place.

"And you've been handling such difficulties with immense poise, Marchioness," the Emperor complimented with ease as if he'd expected no less from her. "It's why I am so proud to stand in your Father's place to help plan and host your debut. Where my General expands Xutia's glory, I will strive to celebrate his daughter's excellence as he would have."

It was a personal triumph of hers that she resisted the urge to declare that she'd rather have her Father here to help her instead of the Emperor. "I was prepared to handle this task alone given the duties of being a General have kept Father so far away for so long. Your gracious offer to stand in while he secures Guita is truly appreciated," she played the Game knowing it was better to keep the Emperor's favour.

"With the Imperial Princess' debut to occur shortly, I'd like you to keep in mind the details you'd like for your celebration," the words were kind but Emberlee felt the warning in them still, "the Empress has diligently planned Vivian's Banquet and Ball, to properly demonstrate the greatness of the Imperial family. The debut I envision for you will also act as the celebration of your impending journey to the Adaban Capital."

It made sense that the Emperor was trying to ingratiate Emberlee with him, she was his only spy within the neighbouring Empire and they both knew it. Especially with Oberon's behaviour generating the rumours they had, between his flirtatiousness and Jimena's demeaning lies half the capital believed he was going to sweep her off her feet and whisk her away to Adaba to never be seen or heard from again. As if Emberlee would never willingly abandon her March, she understood more about Adaba than any Xutian, but that didn't mean she would abscond over to their Empire.

Before she could reply to the Emperor's plans there was a knock at the door, the Imperial Crown Prince Damien entered without waiting for the door to be answered. She hadn't paid him any attention at the Imperial Wedding due to the surprise of the Stussican attire so now she took a careful assessment of the Imperial Heir.

The blood of the wretched lizard is strong in this one, beware, Cinderella warned Emberlee alone as the Imperial Prince gave her an equally calculating look back.

"My apologies Marchioness Ortega, but I need to steal a moment of my Father's time," Imperial Prince Damien spoke with polite respect, but also with the assumption of compliance.

"So please join us then your Imperial Highness" she invited despite his implied dismissal; the Emperor had sent for her so as the higher rank she awaited his suggestion for her to depart.

As the Imperial Prince sat down, the slight annoyance that fleshed in his expression made him resemble his Father more. Both had hazel brown eyes that seemed to notice every detail and while the Emperor's dark brown hair was streaked with white hairs, the Imperial Prince's remained wholly chestnut. "How kind of you to invite me to speak with my own Father," again his politeness held obvious edges.

"How kind of you to accept," she drank her tea as if this were a pleasant garden party.

He gave her a flat stare as if trying to determine if her boldness was intolerable or entertaining, "Your presence may be required, given that my concern today revolves around our new Stepmothers," the Emperor had seemed to be enjoying their snipes at each other, but at the reference to the Stussican brides, all amusement washed away. The Imperial Prince didn't wait for the Emperor to interject, "Currently Empress Clara is helping your Stepmother plan quite the extravagant wedding between Deidre and Sir Ludwig for the same month as your debut." The way he dangled the information for her waned that he was testing her.

"Better that they waste time planning a wedding that won't happen than try to plan your wedding To your new Stepsister, no?" This time she selected one of the little cakes the servants had set out.

"Or yours to this dazzling Oberon as gossip would have us all believe," The Prince seemed irritated by the Envoy.

"I have no intention of marrying anyone that would require me abandoning my duties as Marchioness, let alone trying to navigate the complicated politics of joining a polycule," she referenced the term for the married polyamorous groups used by other Empires.

"That's relieving to hear Marchioness," the Emperor laughed as if he'd been concerned. "Can't have the Shield of Xutia whisked off in some sordid romance."

The idea of it amused Emberlee, "I have no interest in romance your Imperial Majesty, not after witnessing my Father's devastation when Mother passed. When the time comes, I shall likely select a second son of another March or Duchy, or maybe a lateral relative of the Great and Arch Duchies; someone whose family provides a good political ally but will be able to take my Name and provide me with Heirs to continue to keep Ortega." It was a simple enough plan, likely only surprising because many stories featured the dramatic quest for true love. Frankly, the idea of that was exhausting, as long as her marriage partner treated her with respect, she could accept a lack of passion. "And I am keenly aware that if Empress Clara has instructed her Knight Sir Ludwig to marry Deirdre, it is all too likely that they'll try to orchestrate an unfavourable match for myself while Jimena is still technically my guardian. So even if I were romantically inclined, it would merely be used against me," that was why Emberlee had built multiple defences against this, the most effective being the removal of Jimena as her Stepmother.

The Emperor didn't argue with her, a warning all its own that she was right and he likely knew of Empress Clara's involvement. "We are all aware of who the Empress desires for my bride, "the Imperial Prince all but spat, "no potential spouse of my choosing would dare risk the Empress' wrath."

You could always kill her, Cinderella whispered and Emberlee was uncertain if it were directed at her or his Imperial Highness. It would be unwise to say it out loud in front of the Emperor regardless, though It did make Emberlee curious because, at the Imperial Wedding the Emperor had seemed besotted with the Empress, and yet now he seemed wary of her.

But no audiences were watching right now, needing to be convinced, so maybe he'd never actually desired Clara, but merely accepted her as his wife for expediency's sake. "Would you like me to bring you back on Adaban bride?" she offered without smiling, wondering if that kind of connection was exactly what Méabh was hoping for.

"Clara would just have her killed at the first opportunity," the Imperial Prince predicted acidly.

"Damien," the Emperor's tone was a warning chastisement. "You wanted to speak to me so what was it you wished to say?"

"With all due respect to Marchioness Ortega as Ambassador, I think sending her to Adaba is a mistake. I should be the Envoy and you know it, but the entirety of that conversation is not for outside consumption," the Imperial Prince gave Emberlee an apologetic hand gesture as if to say 'What can I do?'

"If you can convince Oberon to take you instead, I'll certainly not complain," she couldn't help but use Oberon's innuendo-laden phrase.

"I had summoned the Marchioness here to discuss her impending international travels," the Emperor didn't budge on his choice, "as Méabh has given explicit permission for her alone, it is not a matter of me choosing to ignore that and send you in her stead. You of all people understand the sanctity of our borders," there was some undertone that Emberlee picked up on but lacked the context to understand.

"And I also understand that there will be no less consequences for our compliance," it was frustrating for Emberlee to be getting some of the discussion but not all of it. If they were going to keep it from her then they shouldn't talk about it at all. Doing it like this made it seem that despite asking her to leave initially, Imperial Prince Damien wanted her to figure out what they were discussing now.

It was obvious that Stussica and Xutia weren't as steadfast allies as initially perceived, not if the Emperor was having to act in the balance of the Empress like this already. Moreover, both men seemed to at least be aware Méabh was not an enemy one wanted to make, though she wasn't certain if they were fully aware of Fairy Magic or not. It would be smarter to assume they do know, the Imperial Library was astoundingly extensive.

"I have already accepted the burden and honour of being Cinderella in the eyes of Adaba, you should wait to see what I make of it before you declare my failure," there were no Mirrors in this room, something that was certainly deliberate.

"You are still a child and shouldn't have to bear this burden," as if the Imperial Prince were more than a few years her elder.

"I haven't had the luxury of being a child in a long time, your Imperial Highness, so please don't underestimate my capabilities simply because I'm young," the Emperor' continued to drink tea as if entertained by their combativeness.

"Prince Damien is fine, it's jarring to have you use respectful titles while talking down to me," he intercepted her argument.

"Prince Damien, I am not talking down to you, I'm simply pointing out that you're wrong," not her most diplomatic of moments, but Emberlee pressed on regardless, "If Stussica is trying to apply undue pressure on our Empire, I cannot in good conscience abandon my role as Ambassador. Instead of doubt, you should take this opportunity to arm me with whatever knowledge is required to help me succeed."

"You will need more than knowledge to survive and succeed in gaining Méabh as an ally; their Court is seductively alluring but as treacherous as the sea," the Emperor corrected her, so Emberlee fell quiet. "You have proven your abilities so far Marchioness, there is no doubt about that, but Adaba may require a certain viciousness you lack."

If only he could hear the blood-soaked tidings that Cinderella whispered to her. "Why don't we both try? Before I depart for the Adaban Capital I'll convince you I'm capable of the job, and Prince Damien will try to convince Oberon that he should attend instead, and we'll see who is successful," it felt so arrogant to say it but she had to show no hesitation. Besides, she was already Cinderella; unless Prince Damien had a Fairy connection she didn't know about, he couldn't replace her. But she already had Jimena trying to supplant her as Marchioness, so it aggravated her to now also have Prince Damien try to take her place as Envoy. She'd never had a failure or complaint as Marchioness, and yet that wasn't proof enough of her abilities, somehow only her age only seemed to matter. Irritating enough when done by those of her parent's generation, but the Prince wasn't even twenty. His declaration of her youthfulness was a little hypocritical.

"The Imperial Princess' debut is soon, you have limited opportunity to do so," the Emperor seemed to accept her challenge on the Prince's behalf. "The legal process initiated by Marquis Mihal will be effective, but the time such an investigation will take is prohibitive to your success," now he was warning her, "It would be wise to utilize whatever secondary measures you've prepared." She had to neutralize Jimena as soon as possible then.

"Thank you for your guidance your Imperial Majesty, I 'Il take heed. Please allow me to go first so I may start the necessary steps to comply," she politely asked to be dismissed.

She'd been taking it for granted that the legal way would work. It would, but it would take time, and she didn't have it to spare. Neither, it seemed, did her Empire. For both Prince Damien and the Emperor to treat the alliance with Adaba as that critical warned of the unspoken pressures from Stussica. She'd seen the Empress supporting Jimena due to their shared background, but today had also indicated the reverse support. The better Jimena seemed to have it in Xutia, the more it looked like doing things the Empress way paid off. Emberlee had once predicted a plethora of Stussican-born spouses flooding into Xutia; if they all supported the Empress, as Jimena did, Stussica would all but subsume Xutia. And then breed the Xutian bloodlines out in favour of their own.

Eliminating the threat Jimena poses, not just to herself but also to the Empire, was her duty. As she rode the Imperial carriage back to her Capital House, she started to plan how exactly to best ruin Jimena in the short time she had left. But as she arrived back she discovered that of all things, Sir Ludwig had arrived and announced his intention to move in and 'protect his beloved fiancée; with the Empress' blessing. After all, there were currently no adult men in the House with the General at the front lines.

"Sir Ludwig, you do understand that this is not Countess Jimena's House, nor Deirdre's and that they are guests, correct?" This was preposterous and obvious and Emberlee was going to allow it only to give Jimena a false sense of victory. But she'd go through the motors of arguing at first there might be more information to be had that way.

"I have been commended by her Imperial Majesty, Empress Clara, to treat Lady Jimena with no less respect and deference than I do her, I can do no less than obey," he had no choice.

"You have been placed in quite the predicament Sir Ludwig. I have no intention of paying the Empress' Knight a discourtesy, I'll have the servants prepare a guestroom for your continued use," she'd already started to tiredly adjust her plans.

"Your cooperation is appreciated Marchioness," he was as stiffly formal as his sword. "I will endeavour to not be a burden to your House while remaining in compliance with my Empress' will."

That ominous promise chased Emberlee to her room, still filled with the echoes of her long-absent Father. It was hardly past midday and already she felt exhausted but that didn't stop the endless parade of irritations. The Empress' tea party ended and Jimena returned with her daughters. Even having to use her unmarked carriage to attend the Empress' tea party didn't damper Jimena's triumphant mood as she returned. Today's attire was once again the remains of Mother's closet bastardized into Stussican styles, and Emberlee had a rather nasty impulse to pour her inkpot out the window onto them. It'd be an interesting way to test Sir Ludwig's reactions; technically Jimena could claim it as a type of assault and then he'd have to react as if it were. But in Xutia, such a social interaction being responded to in a militaristic way would reflect poorly on Jimena and Clara both. Having to resort to gross violence indicated a lack of wit to resolve it via the Game. Jimena may not fully understand that but the Empress did. But would that translate to limitations on Sir Ludwig or not was still to be determined.

The inkpot stayed on her desk, the testing of Sir Ludwig's obedience to be done later. Just because he hadn't volunteered for this duty didn't mean she wouldn't hold him accountable as required, even her Father detested those that did atrocious deeds only to hide behind the defence of 'just doing what they were ordered to.'

The second unexpected invitation of the day arrived for Emberlee shortly before dinnertime. Of all the possible, plausible, or potential summoners, it had been the Imperial Princess who had sent the Imperial Carriage. What felt like ages ago Emberlee had written to the Princess, feigning a shared connection and friendship due to the closeness of their ages, but the Princess had never written back. And yet now here was a carriage from the Imperial Palace, all but identical to the one she rode in this morning except for the teamsters. And maybe Emberlee resisted the urge to drop the inkpot on the Stussicans, but here was a golden opportunity to humiliate them differently.

"Her Imperial Highness Princess Vivian would like to invite you to an informal dinner with her," the invitation was for her alone and Emberlee gladly accepted it while Jimena looked sourly on.

Emberlee added a few more feminine accessories to the suit she'd worn for visiting the Emperor, but more importantly, also grabbed the gift she'd had crafted for the Princess' birthday. She'd make a big deal about delivering it in person now, how it was the pride and joy of the Ortega Name to gift her the amethyst jewellery set, and how Father helped her decide on the designs. Depending on how politically astute Vivian was, Emberlee could let her conclude the deliberate exclusion of Jimena and her daughters. But if Vivian was sweetly naive like at the salon party, Emberlee was prepared to excitedly discuss that Jimena was given a large budget for her and her daughters to select their preferred gift to the Imperial Princess and that Vivien should expect glamourous tidings. Even an informal dinner with the Imperial Princess wouldn't be entirely private, so gossip and High Society would do the work of building anticipation. From there, no matter what gift they ended up scrounging together, it'd be a letdown.

Emberlee had a week before Vivian's debut, maybe another two before Jimena gave birth, and then it'd be Firemarch and time for her debut. Before that, she had to stop Sir Ludwig from marrying Deirdre, convince the Emperor she was suitable to survive Adaba's machinations and rid herself of the Stussican Steps entirely.

But first, it was time for dinner with the Imperial Princess.

An informal dinner with the Imperial Princess was not at all a private dinner with her; it was simply a dinner at the Imperial Castle that wasn't a formal Banquet. Emberlee had been summoned this morning by the Emperor, had a battle of the wits with the Imperial Crown Prince, and now had an invitation from the Imperial Princess to dinner. If she were unlucky the Empress would be attending dinner with them as well, and if she were truly unlucky; the entire Imperial family would be in attendance, with Oberon.

As soon as the thought occurred to her, she knew it was going to be inevitable. At the very least, the Empress wouldn't dare allow Emberlee the luxury of time alone with her daughter, so she'd insist on attending too. The Emperor was a busy man, and as Envoy Oberon was their special guest so those two would most likely be away, while Prince Damien wanted to avoid any intimate seeming diners with his stepsister. There was a chance it'd be a Ladies' night only.

The Imperial carriage once again bypassed inspection, delivering Emberlee to the servants that she expected to escort her. She had not been expecting the Imperial Princess to rush out to greet her in

person. While Jimena and her daughters ran blonde, Vivian's hair looked more like the orange-yellow of a sunset, and she was smiling brightly as if excited for Emberlee's arrival. It made Emberlee especially glad she'd brought the jewelry set with her to give, she felt a little guilty befriending the Princes with ulterior motives.

"Your Imperial Highness, I greet the little star of the Imperial family," as if in full Court, her etiquette perfect, Emberlee all but curtsied to the Princess.

"Marchioness!" The Princess ignored her formality and rushed up to hug her.

Emberlee didn't know what to do.

"I'm so excited you're here," Princess Vivian hooked arms with Emberlee and walked with her, her heavily layered steps unable to match Emberlee's broader strides. Emberlee slowed her pace but couldn't get a word in edgewise as the Princess started talking at top speed. "When you sent me that letter I was so excited because you're a real Marchioness, you know what it's like to have authority before adulthood, and then I heard you were going to be the Ambassador to Adaba and I just about died of excitement! But then I saw your fellow Envoy and my heart stopped! He's just so beautiful! It's intimidating really because when he looks at you with those seagrass eyes he really looks at you, and when he really looked at me I got so flustered I went red and had to go lay down."

Emberlee still carried the gift box, ignored in one hand while the Princess spoke to her as if they'd been infants together. And despite all the plot and intrigue around them, Emberlee found she liked Princess Vivian's vivaciousness. "Your Imperial Highness, I wanted to use this chance to give you my birthday gift directly," she held the box out for the Imperial Knights guarding the Princess to inspect. "On behalf of the Ortega March, and my father, I've prepared a truly unique jewelry set in amethyst."

It was a fortune in amethyst and gold; earrings, brooch, necklace, tiara, bracelet, ring, and finally an Adaban-inspired body chain that held a fist-sized amethyst just near the sternum. If she'd had a goldsmith craft it, they'd have gone blind and required a year to complete the set. Her darling spiders, nimble rats, and clever vines had done it in months; though she had bought the jewels already processed.

The gold itself suited Princess Vivian's colouration, and the amethyst could be matched to any number of dresses despite the expansiveness of the set. Truly it'd look more than a little audacious to wear every single piece all at once, though as an Imperial Princess with ties to two Empires Princess Vivien could do it and none would dare criticize. And Imperial Princess Vivian seemed entirely oblivious to that reality, instead, she gave a delightfully enthusiastic squeal and immediately grabbed the amethyst tiara, putting it on haphazardly and spinning about "I look like a proper tuition Imperial Princess now!" she rushed over to a Mirror to view herself, dragging Emberlee along through the hallway to a sitting room.

This wasn't a Mirror she'd anointed, but that didn't stop Cinderella from winking at her in the reflection. She had no reckless urge to try and step through it this time, which seemed reserved for the Mirror in the Emperor's wing. But her other self watched through the Looking Glass regardless, and Emberlee was amused to find the Princess' reflection so unaffected by Fairy Magic.

Since the rains had stopped, the mud cleared, and Bloomingtide had begun, it made sense that Princess Vivian wore lighter clothes than Emberlee still favoured further south. The effect of their appearances side-by-side in the Mirror was drastically opposite; Vivian was the brightest day, and Emberlee was the calmest night. While she wore sapphires and a gray suit, the Imperial Princess had layers of chiffon drifting around her in ivory, light creams, and blush colours so that the Princess looked caught in a cloud. And although the layers of fabric were individually see-through, collectively they concealed the body underneath and the painted birds on the sleeves and hems helped add weight. The amethyst tiara overshadowed the delicate colours and layers though, too serious for the almost dreamy dress. At least Emberlee understood why the Steps had butchered Mother's dresses to emulate the style, birds of a feather flock together so to support the Empress Jimena had her daughters imitate the Princess.

"You are a proper Xutian Imperial Princess," Emberlee encouraged, not wanting to hurt the girl for the crimes of her mother.

"That's why I invited you to dinner!" the subject change made no sense but Princess Vivian pressed on, "Mummy forgot to extend you an invite to the tea party today, so I fixed that faux pas by inviting you myself, like a real Xutian would," she nodded with confidence in her actions.

Emberlee blinked for a heartbeat, processing both Vivian calling the Empress Mummy, and that she had enough political instinct to think of such a thing. "Thank you for your generous friendship your Imperial Highness, I truly appreciate it."

"If I give you permission to call me Princess Vivian, may I call you Lady Emberlee?" They were still in the sitting room, with no witnesses but the Fairy in the Mirror.

"I would be honoured for both, Princess Vivian," it was an unexpected turn but she'd gladly take it. Emberlee hadn't had the luxury of time for close friendships growing up, and even if it couldn't last it felt rather nice to pretend she had a real friend. And It felt better to have been asked like this rather than Prince Damien's aggressive testing.

"Oh! I'm keeping us from dinner and you must be hungry!" Princes Vivian once again hooked arms with her and tried to set off at a fast pace but those floating layers made it prohibitive.

"I much prefer my time with you Princess Vivian, I don't mind delaying a simple meal," it was easy to be kind to the Princess.

"That's disappointing to hear, I was hoping you'd be excited to eat a meal with us all, Cinderella," Oberon teased, his presence paying proof to her earlier concern. Oberon was not alone, the Imperial Crown Prince stayed seated at the thing table even as the Envoy stood.

Etiquette called for her to greet the Imperial Prince first but he'd been the one to raise doubts over her ability so she wasn't feeling generous. "Oberon, I had no clue you or Prince Damian would also be attending, but I am sure your company shall be as delightful as the Princess'," Emberlee had been there when the Emperor requested Oberon's help, but by the Prince's slight glower, he had no clue the Adaban Envoy was on his side.

And for all the world the dinner looked like some kind of unsubtle dinner date between two couples. Only Emberlee couldn't figure out the mind behind it; the Emperor to push Oberon at the Princess, or the Empress to do the same for the Stepsiblings. Either way, neither the Emperor nor Empress were present to interfere.

"Your Imperial Highness, I greet the star of the Empire; how goes convincing Oberon to take you?" She'd managed to bury the impulse to throw the inkpot earlier, but this urge to needle the Imperial Crown Prince proved irresistible.

"Oh he is trying, but as we know permission has to come from Méabh," Oberon immediately realized what she was doing and eagerly joined in.

"Where are my manners; Princess Vivian please forgive my rudeness for excluding you. Oberon is like a dear brother to me by now but that doesn't make it right to discuss matters you're unaware of," they'd given her a stage, all she had to do was act on it.

"It's alright Lady Emberlee, but can I ask what it is you're all talking about?" Vivian asked exactly what Emberlee had hoped she would.

Prince Damien had tried to discuss it privately with the Emperor to spare Emberlee's pride and reputation. Noble but ineffective. "Your stepbrother, Prince Damien has expressed interest in attending the Adaban Capital as Envoy in my place," she worded it all very deliberately while the Prince stared at her and Oberon grinned. "My adult debut isn't until Firemarch, and the visit to Adaba occurs so closely after that whereas your brother is already an adult. According to Oberon, you and I would be considered adults in Adaba," she smiled at Vivian, the Princess listening attentively, "but I still appreciate the concern. And it makes sense for the Imperial Crown Prince to have a diplomatic relationship with Oberon the Pretty does it not?"

"Oberon the pretty?" Vivian blushed at the title of the Envoy.

"Isn't he though?" Emberlee gushed as if the rumours were true, "Oberon, you introduced yourself to the Emperor and Empress as such, didn't you?"

Oberon was suave enough to be able to use a lead-in like that easily, "I certainly did, though I must admit the Imperial Princess is far prettier than I am." He gave a deep bow that somehow ended with him kissing the back of Vivian's hand while she blushed. To his credit, the Imperial Prince seemed to realize the strange tag-team between Oberon and Emberlee towards the Princess was in his favour. She seemed almost overwhelmed by Oberon's flirting, and even if she had been swooning over the Prince at the salon, now she seemed to forget his presence.

The table had been set so that Emberlee sat to the left of the Imperial Princess, and she was guessing Oberon was supposed to be across from her so the Prince could be across from the Princess. However, Oberon was acting on the Emperor's request after Emberlee had given him the opening, escorting the Princess to her seat and claiming the one across from her as his.

Vivian had greeted Emberlee with enthusiasm, Oberon was his garrulous self, and the entire dinner passed with the pair of them talking to each other as if the others had left them alone. If Emberlee hadn't experienced the same thing the previous day with the Emperor she might feel offended, and by the look on the Prince's face, he certainly wasn't used to it. "The Adaban charm seems to be quite effective," he muttered towards Emberlee as if aware too much noise would draw attention.

"Count your Blessings," she mumbled back, trying to enjoy the meal despite all the tension of her day.

"Two; yours and mine," he pointed out with aplomb; neither Vivian nor Oberon would have been Blessed.

"Would you like weaving spiders or nimble rats?" she offered, curious if he knew how to use the Blessings.

"While both sound delightful, I have enough vermin to deal with already," he declined, giving away nothing.

"Cheers to that, "she saluted with a non-alcoholic drink, amused to find herself with juice in a wineglass.

Princess Vivian eventually broke free of Oberon's charm enough to eagerly discuss the birthday gift Emberlee had delivered today. The tiara was still on her head, though the rest of the set was stored away by servants. She once again spoke so quickly, and with such enthusiasm that no one attempted to interrupt her, and by the time Emberlee departed she was socially exhausted. But almost despite her pragmatic nature, Emberlee found she had enjoyed herself; so that's what having friends could be like.