[1x1] swords and crowns

[`sappho]

the princess didn't bother to yell out again, since she was already dressed. alice waltzed her way her door, completely decked out in her precious jewels and fine silks. she turned the silver handle and looked out, seeing one of the many maids and lucia, her new guard, or a play toy of sorts, as alice really thought of her. she would finally have someone to get into trouble with. "ah, hello," she said to them. as she was about to say more when the loud dinner bell rang through the highly decorated halls. maids and butlers ran from the room they were currently in to the dinning room and kitchen. "we have two minutes to get to the dinning hall before mother and father get angry," she announced before she stepped out of the door and made her way towards the staircase. she didn't plan to stay long after dinner, she actually wanted to ride her horse down into town and, hopefully, get into some trouble. alice often felt like she needed to do something rule-breaking just because she could, just because her parents were the only people who could punish her.

it was a quick walk to the dinning hall and when she made it to the huge double doors she was greeted by two butlers, who both bowed to her. "princess alice, please enjoy your meal," the one on the right said before they both opened a door and she walked into the room on the golden carpet that was thrown below. her father narrowed his eyes at her. "you're late," he said sharply. her mother rest a hand on his shoulder before she gave the princess a reassuring smile. "just a moment, dear," she said softly. as a maid pulled out her chair for her, alice took a seat on the comfortable cushioned chair. "may my guard join us for dinner?" she asked. she knew that lucia was behind her but just because she was in the room didn't mean she had been invited to eat. her father let out a sigh. "alice, you know how improper that is," he huffed out. alice furled her eyebrows. "im sorry, father, would you rather me eat in my room?" she said in a high pitched voice. "no, no, just- ugh, fine, she may eat with us."

--- im sorry for taking so long, again! ive been visiting with my family while i have time off from school (also, sorry that this is a bit short)

[balto.]

ＬＵＣＩＡ

Lucia's mouth fell open when Alice walked out, not because of how she looked, but because of what she was wearing. Someone could buy a castle with all that jewelry! As if stuck in a trance, she stared at the attire, watching the way it shined and glimmering. If she could grab even one item from Alice's closet.. but the king and queen would suspect her, she had done little to earn their trust. A bell rang through the castle, distracting the thief - guard, and sending the maids and butlers running. She looked at the princess when she spoke, her eyes widening. She couldn't get in trouble, not this soon.

The walk to the dining hall was brief, but tense for the guard, who counted the minutes on the way. There were thirty-one seconds late by the time the butlers pushed open the door. Why did they even need double doors for the dining hall, and no matter the answer, curse it for making her late! Lucia raised a hand to the back of her neck, looking at the wall behind the nobles rather than directly at them. Her tension lifted when the king and queen focused on Alice instead of her and then flooded back when the princess asked if she could sit with them. Lucia found a sudden interest in the floor. Her eyebrows raised as she looked at the nobles upon the king's acquiescence to his daughter's demand. The princess' blackmail almost bothered the guard just as much as eating with the king and queen. Maybe she should've listened to the old lady who used to yammer about being lady-like, aside from the marrying part.

Lucia reached out to grab a chair, only for a maid she hadn't noticed to pull it out for her. Unsure of what to say or do, she sat down in the chair, staring at the table to avoid meeting anyone's gaze. "Thank you for the honor, Your Majesty," she said in a soft and restrained voice. The king's frustration hadn't gone unnoticed, which heightened her nervousness.

(it's okay! I hope you're having fun)

[`sappho]

happy with the way she had flipped this situation in her favor, alice looked at the empty china in front of her. it was pearly white with a golden lace pattern going around it. all around the outside of the place was a ring of golden and in the center of the plate was a beautifully calligraphed r in the middle of the plate, the crest of the rothschilds. she couldn't wait to eat, she had been waiting all day because the servants had been distracted, doing their work instead of cooking because her parents had been trying to figure out how to deal with lucia. as if on cue, she started to smell cooked pork from the kitchen and ten maids, all carrying trays of food, walked out from a hidden door that led to the hidden maid's hallways. there were maid's hallways woven all throughout the castle. they weren't really a secret, but no one used them other than the servants. they were pretty much a short cut to get to any room in the castle. the servants began to sit their silver platters of food onto the thin strip of golden table cloth. alice looked over at lucia as she took a seat at the table. she wondered if the woman would have ever eaten, or even have seen, this much food. the royals usually had too much food to eat and after the servants ate, they usually jut threw away their leftovers or, sometimes, fed the food to their hounds.

the king nodded to the guard. "don't expect this to happen every meal," he muttered in a warning tone as he began to cut slices of pork and put them onto his plate. alice took a few slices of the ham, as well as some scoop some mashed potatoes and vegetables onto her plate. even though she was a small girl, she still ate a lot.

[balto.]

ＬＵＣＩＡ

Lucia focused on the plate in front of her, feeling her stomach curl into itself. This entire day could be summarized as awful, to put it mildly. She glanced at the princess, hoping to get reassurance, but she was looking at the china. She looked up when the scent of cooked pork wafted through the air, the knots in her stomach now coming from hunger rather than stress. A hidden door opened, a group of maids coming out, all carrying plates of food. A small 'huh' came out of the guard's mouth as she stared at the food. She knew nobles ate well, but this was just ludicrous. Some part of her mind noted the hidden entrance - if there were more of those, she could move through the castle unnoticed.

She shifted her gaze to the king when he spoke and nodded. Despite his warning tone, the huge amount of food distracted her stomach, and by extension, her mind enough to not notice it. Taking full advantage of the opportunity, she grabbed some slices of ham and scooped an impressive amount of potatoes and vegetables onto her plate. Lucia had a big appetite, and considering she hadn't eaten today, or seen this much food in her life, she wouldn't be shy. If this was how they ate normally, she couldn't imagine what would it be like during special events, like a foreign leader visiting. But she wouldn't be allowed to eat then, would she?

Lucia hesitated for a moment, her vision flickering to Alice. She didn't know if there was a protocol, but she didn't want to ask, fearing she would offend the nobles. She didn't want to offend them so soon, especially when she had the chance to eat all this food. She watched the nobles out of the corner of her eye, to see what they do and then follow suit.