For the first time in his life, Leander Halycra was sitting in a fancy carriage, dressed in even fancier clothes, willingly. Without complaining about anything, without making a fuss.
Just for this one tea party, he'd bear the scratching on his neck and the weight of his circlet.
His parents, however, were delighted to see him grow into his royal duties.
Celestia had been bugging him the whole ride to the Montclairs.
"After this tea party, maybe you could attend the one held in the Young Duke's Estate next week. And after that-"
"Mother." Thalia groaned.
"Oh, sorry, sorry. Pardon me, I was getting a bit carried away." Celestia opened her fan and flapped it furiously.
Leander didn't mind a bit. He wasn't even paying attention to the Empress.
He sat right beside Thalia, opposite his mother. He'd been gazing out the window for quite a while now, staring at nothing in particular, lost in thought.
Thalia nudged him with her elbow, "Brother? Are you well?"
Leander snaps out of his daze and looks at the young princess.
"Ah, yes, Thalia?"
"I said, are you well?"
"I'm fine, thank you." He turns back to the window.
"What are you looking outside so eagerly for?" Celestia prompted.
Lee sighed heavily. "Nothing, Your Majesty."
"Is it nerves? Of attending your first tea party?"
"No. Come to think of it, isn't this the first tea party the Montclairs are holding?"
Celestia opened her fan again, this time, flapping lightly at her face, "Hm. Not the first ever, but the first in a while. I hear this is their last tea party."
Leander sat up straight. "Last tea party? Why?"
"Well, The Duchess secured a business outside of the empire, so she would be travelling abroad to oversee it. I believe they'll be making their return once it has been stabilized. The Montclair coffers are to run dry someday too, wealth is never permanent." she sighs.
Seeing his expression, she goes on, "Not their actual last tea party, as if the world is ending tomorrow, but their last tea party before leaving the Empire."
Leander sat back in his seat, and spiraled into thought.
"Last tea party, huh... "
"By the way, what interested you so much to be worried about the Montclairs leaving?" The Empress raised a brow, surprised.
"Nothing... Nothing at all, Your Majesty."
. . .
So many people. So suffocating.
His light green doublet was itchy, the silk undershirt even more so. And he kept tripping on his cloak.
But for the sake of his dignity, he masked it all off with a smile.
All the questions, comments, regarding the inheritance, his siblings, Adrian specifically, he brushed them all off with a smile and answered as vaguely as possible.
The ill health of an Imperial sibling is no subject for idle gossip at a tea party.
He should be given an award for putting up with all these ladies, intruding in even the gentlemen's tables, all to 'greet The First Prince' and 'ask about his health'.
Surely that doesn't include throwing indiscreet glances to their lovers, does it?
He scooped up some cheesecake and sighed. A young Baron chuckled under his teacup. "It is such a rare sight for his Highness the First Prince to attend a social gathering, everyone must be curious."
"I, myself, was incredibly intrigued. How come His Highness was attending the Montclair tea party? I wasn't originally going to attend either, but hearing the news, I just had to." Someone else agreed.
"Well, the Montclair Estate is a great place to start if one is establishing their social web, is it not?" Lee smiled at them.
They all laughed. "Indeed, Your Highness! You couldn't have been more right."
As the chatter continued, Leander couldn't help but glaze over the ladies' tables longingly.
Where was she? Was she not attending?
Speak of the devil.
From behind the bushes, emerges the Lady he came all the way here for.
Light brown hair pushed back into a ponytail, messy strands framing her elegant face. Dressed in light blue, she looked every bit as beautiful as Leander dreamt night and night again.
He was almost about to rise from his seat to rush over to her when he saw she was accompanied.
A young girl, also in her early teens. Striking red hair and dark green eyes, flowing skirts and glittering jewels, even when all Leander could see on Artemesia was a modest necklace and pearl earrings. The redhead was dressed more lavishly than the daughter of the host.
No, not just the redhead. Everyone at the tea party seemed to be dressed lavishly. Even Duchess Thedosia. Leander himself was dressed as if attending a banquet. He was an Imperial Prince, though, so that's a different matter. Artemesia was the only one wearing modest jewelry.
Why, though? Does she dislike heavy jewels? Or does she like the lighter types? Or maybe everyone else was dressed up more than usual?
Nonetheless, Artemesia looked happy with her friend. Arms intertwined, they made their way to the young ladies' table, laughing and talking.
Lee felt a pang of longing in his heart. He wanted to talk to her, but the redhead ruined it all. So, he sat back in his seat and enjoyed his tea, giving up on the notion of talking to her.
. . .
That's it.
"These rashes are unbearable."
Not more than half an hour later, Leander was restless. But the guests never seemed to stop pouring in. How many people does Duchess Montclair know? No, how many did she even invite?
Leander didn't have the luxury to wonder about that at the moment. All he could think of was getting out of his silk undershirt.
Excusing himself from the gentlemen's table, he made his way over to his Mother.
A few of the ladies sitting there already saw him coming and beckoned their daughters over in advance. Leander, however, had no intention of talking to them.
"Your Majesty?" Leander tapped the Empress' shoulder.
She spun around, and raised a brow. "Leander, it's rude to intrude at the ladies' table."
"I'm aware, but the situation is... quite dire." He whispered, scratching his neck.
Thankfully, the Empress got the hint and her eyes widened in shock. "What on-" She caught herself before she said something, and instead chose to politely excuse herself from the table.
Once aside from the densely populated areas, she blurted out, "What in the world is that?"
Leander was on the verge of tears. "I don't know, it's itchy and it hurts." He scratched his neck again to emphasize.
The Empress grabbed his hand to prevent him from doing so, and sighed. "Now what am I to do at someone else's house?"
"I don't know, I thought you guys were close with the Duchess?"
The Empress pondered for a moment, and sighed. "Right, I'll go see if she has any first aid. You can wait in the garden over there." She pointed to the Estate's west wing garden.
"Fine..." He watched his mother walk away while giving orders to some servants, then trudged to the lush grounds of the west wing.
. . .
After crossing a few bushes that protectively guarded the entrance with great difficulty, he took a step inside the fresh green grass and inhaled the pure scent of nature.
Before he could make his way over to the bench that rested in the middle of the garden surrounded by wildflowers and gorgeous roses, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Your... Highness?"
He spun around to see Artemesia sitting on the ground near a cat which was lapping milk from a bowl.
"Lady Montclair."
Did she really have to be here? Right when he was itching like a madman?
"What brings you here to the West Wing? The tea party is in the east." She gracefully got up and dusted off her dress.
"Oh, that... Um..." He tried to find the words, while Artemesia raised a brow at him.
Not directly at him though.
"May I ask... what happened to your neck, your highness?"
He flinched. "Well... um, you see... My skin... does not accept silk and similar materials, so it's gotten a bit... rashy."
Her eyes softened in understanding. "Ah, I see. Jonathan has a similar problem." She walked over to the bench, sat down and patted the space next to her. "Have a seat, please."
He blinked. She isn't going to kick him out?
Hesitantly, he approached the bench. But he didn't sit down.
The cat followed Tia and jumped onto her lap. She chuckled as she stroked its pure white fur.
Seeing how he didn't sit down, she looked up at him. "Your Highness?"
"I heard... that this is the last Montclair social gathering. Is it... true?"
She blinked at his totally unexpected question. "Well, yes. My mother has to take care of a business in the south, that's why we will be moving there for some time."
A few moments go by. Leander is staring into space. Artemesia is awkwardly petting her cat.
"Prince... Leander?"
"Is this the last time we will meet?"
Again, she was taken aback by his sudden question.
"I suppose so... we can also meet when I'm back-"
"When will you be back?"
She thought for a few seconds, then shook her head, "Truthfully, I have no idea."
"Then... it is the last time we will meet."
"I suppose, yes."
"Then... I'm saying it now. For my own sake."
"Saying... what?"
He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
"Artemesia Montclair, I like you."