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“Nothing,” Marcus cheerfully said.
“Is it really proper for Cinderella to sit between the only eligible men in the room, without a chaperon?” Lady Feautre said, a scowl etched upon her handsome face as she stared down the table like a hawk.
“What?” Lord Leroy asked after he seated his wife and took his place next to Lady Feautre.
“Cinderella. She is not chaperoned,” Lady Feautre said, gesturing to Cinderella.
“Pish-posh. What could happen at dinner?” Lord Leroy said before he winked at Cinderella.
“Favoritism runs rampant in this part of the country,” Lady Feautre said with a sniff to her husband.
The man, henpecked as he was, barely managed a shrug.
“Jealousy is quite the look on Lady Feautre,” Marcus whispered to Cinderella.
“Marcus,” Cinderella chided.
The younger boy grinned, unrepentant.
“What is so funny, Marcus? Do share,” Rosette said, jostling the table.
“Nothing,” Marcus said.
“The dreadful Queen Freja has been blessedly silent the past month,” Lord Girard said. “I almost have hopes she will forget to raise taxes come the harvest season.”
“It is still plenty early. She is a miser who will not overlook her grudge against us,” Lord Rosseux snorted.
“She cannot hope to tax us much more,” Lady Delattre said.
“Never underestimate the greed of Erlauf,” Lord Rosseux said as servants placed trays of food on the table.
“I was told a delegate from the Veneno Conclave will meet with their majesties over the summer. Perhaps they mean to discuss Erlauf’s conduct?” Lady Girard said.
“Unlikely,” Lord Leroy’s son said. “The Veneno Conclave takes great pains to stay out of government and country debates, lest they be accused of siding with someone or using magic to aid one country over another.”
“If we were smart, we would have bought an estate in Loire the moment Erlauf camped in Werra,” Lord Girard said.
“Why should I leave my country and my land because of some Erlauf upstart?” Lord Rosseux asked.
“Erlauf has more military power than Trieux could ever hope to muster,” Lord Delattre said. “That was why we six, now five I suppose, voted as we did.”
“This is so. Which is why it would have been best to flee Erlauf’s grasp altogether. They wouldn’t dare bother us in Loire’s borders. Loire is still the biggest, most influential country,” Lord Girard said.
“Hear, hear,” Lady Leroy said.
“Perhaps,” Julien said. “But they lost some of their opulence when they bowed to Arcainia.”
“Loire, bow to Arcainia? That peasant-infested place? Pah,” Lord Rosseux said. “What nonsense have you been filling your mind with, boy?”
Julien slumped under his father’s criticism, but said, “They had proof the princes of Arcainia dispatched Verglas assassins to kill His Highness Prince Severin. Instead of taking action, they solidified ties with Arcainia.”
“This is true; you cannot deny the nearly perfect Loire lost some of its splendor through that trial,” Lord Leroy’s son said.
“Rumor has it, Arcainia has an edge in the global marketplace on exports and agriculture ventures,” Lord Girard said.
“Farming! Such things are for the common class to worry over, not nobility,” Lady Feautre said. “As members of the peerage, we should be more concerned with preserving our bloodlines, lest the Erlauf commoners try to take our daughters, too,” she said, casting a look at Violette and Rosette.
“Do not worry about us, Mama. We know better than to associate with that kind,” Rosette said.
“Yes, I raised you to be above that,” Lady Feautre said. “But it is not just my girls I worry for. Cinderella, I have heard you spend much of your time with an Erlauf Soldier.”
Cinderella kept her expression pleasant. “I have become acquainted with an Erlauf Colonel, yes.”
“Why ever would you want to make such an acquaintance?” Lady Leroy said, holding a hand to her impressive bosom.
“I wasn’t given a choice. He is quite persistent,” Cinderella said, sipping her wine.
“This is what happens when one forgets one’s place and scuttles about, doing work and things beneath them,” Lord Rosseux said.
“Cinderella can’t help that someone from Erlauf bothers her because she’s beautiful,” Marcus frowned.
Lord Girard hastily cleared his throat. “What Marcus means to say is Lady Lacreux should not be held responsible for the poor conduct of those from Erlauf.”
“Yes,” Lady Girard said, scowling at her son.
Marcus guilty locked his gaze on his food and started eating.
“You should report him for bothering you, dear,” Lady Delattre said. “It is not right that he shadows you.”
“The Colonel has been respectful. I find little fault in his conduct,” Cinderella said.
“A likely story, I’m sure,” Lady Feautre said.