Chapter 75 - Princess Alexa of Holstein

The festivities at the castle began with the arrival of the bride. The ladies threw flower petals when Alexa got out of the carriage, closely followed by the First Prince. Magnus remained a few steps back the whole time, respectfully, beside Father Agnello. They accompanied her to an antechamber. Court ladies were waiting to greet her before the coronation ceremony.

The expression of joy of Maria and Edel, her ladies-in-wait, was so genuine that the damsel smiled and decided to put the worrying thoughts out of her mind for at least a few hours. Alexa just saved her plans for another moment. She should find a way to bring her husband, Alexander, back. And be as Magnus wished, happy beside her husband. Alexa at least got the certainty that they would return to the subject the next morning, since they were interested in what she could say. She also wanted to get more information.

"Princess Alexa, let us change your veil. The coronation ceremony will take place in an instant," said Edel, reaching with a magnificent piece of translucent blue fabric richly embroidered on the ends.

Alexa sat down for them to get her done, while receiving greetings and trying to be kind to the court ladies and visiting dames. Luckily, Blue Eyes had made the introductions at the banquet and she still remembered who was who. Maria commented at her side,

"Your Highness is really beautiful. The painter who will portray Your Highness at the coronation has already taken notes in the cathedral. But he is also here to watch the ceremony and reproduce it later! I heard that he is very talented!"

Maria's innocent and inadvertent comment made Alexa's heart speed up painfully, and her stomach clenched immediately. Parts of her depressing past that she would like to forget have returned to her mind against her will. The sudden change in the face of the newly married maiden startled Maria,

"Princess?! Is your Highness okay?! Your Highness needs …" she was just pushed aside by an Alexa gesture, got up hurriedly and looked at a vase of flowers as her only salvation in order not to throw up at the feet of…

Too late.

Alexa stared with disgust at the remains of the mutton pie she had eaten earlier, spread over the First Prince's once shiny boots.

"You take it all like a challenge, don't you?" He reminded her of the conversation minutes ago in the carriage, with a grimace of disgust and mockery. Both the princess's maids and the prince's valet rushed in for help.

"Sorry," she was embarrassed and dejected. Only the word 'painter' seemed to bring the smell of paints and the nasty feeling associated with them to her nose.

Looking up, Alexa saw that with the Prince there were some men. Foreigner noblemen by their clothes. Apparently, Prince Magnus intended to introduce her to them, but the pathetic scene didn't make it the best time. They asked a question in a language that Alexa had heard before but didn't grasp. The maiden thought they were Poles. They sounded to discretely mock her, by the tone of their voices. While a servant cleaned his boots, Magnus answered what was asked. Alexa had the impression that one of the men cast a derogatory glance in her direction. Which she could fully understand, due to the deplorable situation he met her.

The group of men left, and the Princess asked who they were.

One of the present ladies replied that Baron Florian Lubienski, a hero in his kingdom, was collaterally related to Cordelia's family and quite influential in his court. The women only imagined that he came to Cordelia's wedding.

But Alexa imagined that political or financial interests brought the noble there. Which explained Magnus was hosting them. She no doubt imagined that the alterations that the Wuttenfal planned, in undoing Prince Magnus' wedding, would not favor Holstein. Alexa had not previously realized that Cordelia's family, besides being rich, had important connections there in the North.

But her conjectures remained for another moment, as the coronation ceremony would take place in an instant.

Alexa just demanded,

"I don't want to be portrayed. Please make sure it won't happen."

"But Your Highness, it's your official portrait, and ..."

"No. I will have my official portrait next to my husband, when he wakes up," was just his reply to silent them. Alexa would never have a portrait of her as long as she lived, the maiden vowed.

°°°

Now, officially as Princess of Holstein, Alexa sat on the left side of the Sovereign, at the banquet table.

The festivities continued with dances and games that engaged the court and the guests, while the Von Wuttenfal talked with dignitaries or watched the entertainment performances. The maiden was just tired, after the brief and assertive coronation service. Luckily for her, Prince Gutard was an impatient man and with little love for excessive salaams or long speeches.

Perhaps Princess Alexa was almost asleep after two glasses of wine if it weren't for Duke Konrad at her side talking animatedly about Lower Saxony traditions. One of these traditions was one that would begin shortly. Men would deposit gifts, as at an auction, on the bride's veil. The ones paying more could get to dance a dance called Weller with the bride. The young Duke apologized for not being able to participate, because he still couldn't dance.

"But I don't know how to dance the way you do in here," protested Alexa. The Duke was about to answer her, with the usual smile on his face, but Konrad's attention returned to the door of the hall.

It was a surprise for the freshly crowned Princess when Cordelia entered the room with her family. She wore a rather prudish white outfit, which covered her neck and arms completely. And a headdress of jewelry that sparkled in the light of the chandeliers. In fact, the adornment on Cordelia's head was something so extravagant and fabulous, that it was just fit for a queen.

For the first time, Alexa was not happy to see the Flemish maiden out of bed. Cordelia's sudden and dramatic arrival at the party, surrounded by her family, had something distinctive. And even the way the Flemish girl dressed… Alexa still didn't know what it was, but she considered that the sympathy that Cordelia had for her didn't exist anymore.

Even so, Cordelia's family came forward to greet Princess Alexa for the wedding, although Alexa saw in their faces a disdain that didn't exist before. Cordelia's father then asked the Holstein Ruler,

"Today would be my daughter's wedding day, but because of her bad health state, we postponed it. As you can see, Cordelia made an incredible effort to be here. It is her tenacious spirit, and sweet personality, combined and thinking of her family, that made her overcome her discomfort and come to greet the newlywed couple. She can do it out of the friendship for her groom and the Von Wuttenfal. It baffled me to receive the news he's about to depart on a trip. It puzzled me, but I can't consider any of it an impediment to their wedding. And since our friendship has not been shaken by anything, Your Serene Highness, I think we must discuss a new date to unite our children."

Gutard raised his glass in greeting to the millionaire merchant, and said, raising an eyebrow,

"But your daughter didn't even have the strength to attend my son's wedding this morning. Her health is not good and you should not have forced her to come. She even had fever deliriums nights ago. How can she have the strength to get married? Can you oath about her health to comply with her nuptial duties?"

"With all due respect, Your Serene Highness, today we had a singular marriage. A marriage of a sick girl who could barely stay on the altar, as I learned, to your youngest son. Who no one knows what ill befalls upon him," this was the prompt response from Cordelia's father, whose gray eyes shone like two cold stones out of hatred.

Prince Gutard lost his face color, after the Flemish man's words.