Chapter 18 - Maiden of Constanti...nom...ple

Alexa woke up, knowing that she had dreamed of the Prince in the flower cradle, but without exactly remembering what she had dreamed of.

As soon as she left the room, she realized that people didn't know how to treat her. Not only was she an exotic foreigner whose social position was not really clear to anyone; there was the fact that some considered her a hero, but her resemblance to the handsome Second Prince seemed to disturb everyone.

It had been a long time since Alexa had exposed her face openly, and it became increasingly uncomfortable the way people looked at her. Sometimes the servants stopped in the midst of an exaggerated bow, which she imagined to be because, for a moment, they forgot that she was not Prince Alexander.

Alexa wanted to see him in daylight, but imagined that she would have to ask someone for permission to do so. It was not as if the Prince were to be on display as a rare flower under a glass, open to the public.

She was called in to join the women for the first meal, and saw that the castle's servants were busy again, removing the crapes and putting back festive decorations alluding to the impending marriage.

'Oh what a futile hassle all this strip and hang again,' she thought. 'Neither is happy with this marriage. Leave only the crepes on, for the bride and groom it's a funeral anyway.'

The maiden sat at the table with Cordelia and other women. They would have breakfast before going to morning Mass, which would be especially devoted to the souls who lost their lives in the tragic incident involving Cordelia's retinue. No one was in the mood to comment on the matter at the table, and the maidens and older women — both Cordelia's kin and Holstein Court people — tried to keep the mood light but not overjoyed in respect of the mourning.

Then servants started to bring and place the food on the table, in front of the Greek maiden.

Creamy milk, tea, cider, and apple and cherry cakes. Various types of bread and smoked sausages, meat and fishes. Jams and fresh butter. Soup, porridge and red fruits, Mediterranean olives and cakes with cardamom and cinnamon. Cheese and meat pies. Honey, uh! Honey! It was a parade of goodies and Alexa soon grabbed a bread and the jar of honey, so she had the opportunity. Nom Nom! Her mind wandered to the good times before misfortune struck her family, when she lived in a small palace and she could eat whatever she wanted.

"Lady Alexa, where are you from again?"

"Constantin... nom… apple. Byzantium."

"How old are you?"

"I'll be eighteen… nom… years next spring," 'What's up with these people, aren't they hungry? I've traveled all over the continent and it's the first time I've… uh my God this is so good!' she reached for another meat filled dumpling and set a tower of cream on top, clenching her teeth on it with lust. As everyone was watching, the maiden checked to see if the food was enough for them all. Apparently so, so she just kept eating.

'Uhn… They are still looking at me. They must think I'm looking like a malnourished and overworked peasant... Yeah, just eat like goldfinches. I need energy for the rest of my trip,' wiping her mouth on her napkin, Alexa turned to Cordelia, and whispered that they needed to talk.

Cordelia smiled and was about to answer when a small group of women entered the dining room. Alexa looked up from her plate to see that a beautiful woman with sleek brown hair and gazelle eyes, dressed in sky blue, came in accompanied by other women and ladies. Ladies-in-wait bringing gifts.

Holstein's natives at the table acted acutely embarrassed, and that of course was a sign of the woman's identity.

One of the women sitting there made introduced the belle to Cordelia. This was Charlotte Duvignes, the young wife of the French ambassador. And of course, she was here to be the first to pay tribute to Prince Magnus's bride.

Alexa did not disguise she was examining her, while Lady Duvignes presented Cordelia with a beautiful mink fur coat, and the two exchanged amenities and compliments. The Greek maiden wondered if the beautiful French woman was a lover of the Regent Prince or his son, though she bet it was the second case. She looked like a very cunning woman and navigated the court with the bearing of a princess, which was how she obviously felt.

When Charlotte's gaze turned to her, however, Alexa was taken by surprise.

"Lady Saskia, I need to say that I am mesmerized by your beauty, not to talk about your courage! And yes, it's true, you could even be Prince Alexander's twin sister!"

"Oh, uhn me… Isn't that a weird thing to say, Lady Duvignes?"

"Oh, maybe! Forgive me if I seem inconvenient. But I would also like to give a little something to you! Your arrival saved the lives of so many people! Lady Cordelia, her friends, and the Second Prince himself! You challenged the royal doctors, and this morning the mourning bells rang… Please accept my friendship, Lady Saskia. Nothing compares to your beauty, but accept this cap!"

'Uhn you already hate me. Bells? What a beautiful way to say the doctors died. It wasn't my fault, and I hope they can have a wiser new life. Why, it's a beautiful cape.'

Alexa remembered the lessons she received from her preceptor at the convent where she spent a year of her life, relearning with a noble relative how to behave like a woman after so many years living as a boy. The reasons why her father allowed her to take on her gender were also the cause of her family's ruin, but for Alexa, they were moments of happy discovery. Using the grace and etiquette she learned with her cousin, the former lover of a Bizantium general, the maiden responded to the French ambassador's greetings by accepting the hydrangea velvet cloak.

As they were all preparing to go to the Mass, a servant came to Alexa, at the request of Father Agnello, asking her to go in his carriage, as they could talk on their way to the cathedral. Thus, Alexa had to postpone her plans to use this time to talk to Cordelia about her inability to stay in Holstein.

As soon as she got into the carriage, and the servant closed the door, the priest greeted her, praising the cloak she wore, in a calm tone,

"It indeed enhance the color of your eyes, Lady Saskia… or rather, Alexios Dallassenos."

Alexa's eyes widened in shock.