Lady Lahri was terrible at card games, no talent whatsoever. But she was a little bit decent with strategy board games. In fact, she asked Vansoth for a few tips on how to play one particular game with better results. She asked with a timid, uncertain tone, but the fact that she was showing interest was enough to make Vansoth happy. For the next few days, after he would sing for her, Vansoth would teach her a few methods to make a game easier for her. However, he reminded her that he could often figure out when an opponent would use such methods. So, it was best to be creative.
Her smile... her sweet, fevered smile... Lahri was so innocently happy with the thrill of learning a new activity. There was also a wild revelation hidden in her eyes. Vansoth could almost hear her mind. He imagined she thought, "Why in the world didn't I play this game before? All this time, I could have been having so much fun!"
Vansoth assumed she didn't wear any perfume. He couldn't smell any. She smelled clean, however, with a hint of... well... a baby... and breast milk. It wasn't bad. It was actually a little soothing.
And her hair was nice too...
Fresh and light...
Lahri didn't put her hair in braids or anything similar. Those pretty red curls were always tumbling around, looking as if she had just rolled around in her mattress.
He'd pay quite a price to see that.
One night, Vansoth was thinking that he'd like to go to the straw, but then he thought that he might sneak a chat with his new favorite maiden. Carefully, he looked around to make sure that he was the only man in the general area. Then he went to where he thought Lahri would be. There were a few small chandeliers putting a little light in the hallway, but it was still mostly dark. He pulled some walls into the hallway, giving him less space but more privacy.
He wanted to pull a woman's wall away, but there was always that chance that it was locked. Besides, that would have been extremely rude to do, unless there was an emergency or other exception.
So, he tapped his knuckles against the wood, and he called with a gentle, imploring tone, "Lady Lahri, would you please come to me?"
A bit to his left, he heard the voice. "A moment, please."
Dashing little footsteps. Then an upper wall before Vansoth was partially moved aside to reveal Lahri. He saw a bit of light in the woman's hand. She was holding a small oil lamp. Her face was halfway covered in shadow. Most of her hair was tied away with a plain ribbon. "What do you need, Your Highness?"
Vansoth dared to put two fingers over the top of the lower wall. He noticed that Lahri nervously looked down at his fingers, but she didn't say or do anything about them. Vansoth tried to distract her with an adoring statement. "My Lady, I'm so pleased to see you before I sleep. May I ask, is your sister or child nearby?"
"Lady Tarabell and Meia are a few feet away." She jerked her head to her right, Vansoth's left. "There isn't a wall between us."
Vansoth nodded. "Oh, could you please create a room for yourself? I only want your attention."
Her brow scrunched down, but she agreed, and she left to push a few a walls around. She returned and looked up at him with somewhat distrustful eyes, as if she was expecting him to insult her.
But at least she was willing to give him her time!
Vansoth kept his voice as soft he could. "I'm so pleased, My Lady, that you would honor me with your sweet eyes."
"His Highness is brimming with flattery."
"Perhaps, but only for you." He let his fingers rise a little, waving them at her. "I don't know how aware you are of the intentions behind my actions. You're still new to this land."
"I'm stupid, but I haven't reached that point of stupidity." Why did she sound so bitter?! Her tone put a jolt of fresh despair in Vansoth's hearts. "You should know that if you marry me, you won't be happy."
He blinked a few times. "I... I don't understand."
She pushed the wall aside completely. Then she held out her lamp. "Please hold this."
Vansoth removed his hand from the lower wall and took the lamp.
And Lahri did the most fascinating thing. She said, "Study me carefully," and then she pulled her long sleeve up, revealing her arm.
Her...
Arm...
Vansoth's jaw fell. The flame in the oil lamp shook because he had difficulty keeping his arm steady. He had to hold his wrist up with his free hand.
Thin fracture scars...
And thick burn scars too!!
Large and mottled, some uneven and some looking suspiciously symbolic as if given from a branding iron...
It turned his stomachs into bubbling sacks of illness.
He put the lamp back in her hand.
Then he turned to his left and vomited onto the dirt floor.
When he was straight again, hiding his now smelly mouth behind his hand, he noticed that Lahri had pulled her sleeve back down and taken a few steps backwards. All Vansoth could think to say was, "This didn't happen to you here... is that right?" His voice was unstable.
Lahri nodded to him. Her face was mostly dark. "I was... injured in Raobet."
"But... how?" He could barely imagine it. It was absurd. It was basically unheard of. He shook his head. His nostrils were pinched. His body was tense. "Was it a ridiculous series of accidents that caused this?"
The woman... shook her head... and a sandy exhale came from her.
The quietest, bitterest, most acidic rage popped and bubbled in Vansoth's form. Closing his eyes, he inhaled, then exhaled, and did it all again. Then he looked away, and he said, "Please forgive me. I should retire. This... this insanity has overpowered my ability to think rationally." His head jerked up as he remembered the reason behind the sour odor in the hallway. "Oh... I'll ask a servant to clean that mess I left." He bowed. "I sincerely apologize for letting you see such a distasteful thing."
"There's no need to apologize. I'm going to bed now." She rolled the upper wall across herself. "Goodnight, Your Highness."
***
On the following morning, just outside the keep, Vansoth had a private conversation with the Count. Apparently, Count Arkson admitted that he knew about the injuries, but he didn't know who was responsible. Lady Lahri refused to tell anyone about her previous life. She wouldn't even say if she had ever been married to anyone.
"All I can do is keep her as my daughter," the Count said. He wasn't cheerful at all, which made sense. "I wish I could do something about the unfortunate woman's past."
Vansoth thought he had an idea, however.
He said to the Count, "I'd want her to feel safe." He stopped his line of thinking so he could reassure the Count. "You're doing a fine job. She's as well cared for as your natural child. Still, I want her to visit the Royal Castle for a time."
The Count stepped back and bowed to his prince. "I'm honored by your kind proposition."
Vansoth shrugged at that. "Lady Tarabell should come too. She'd love to have my brothers' attention."
Of course, the Count was elated. The only problem was convincing Lahri to go.
Later that day, when Vansoth presented the idea to her, she retreated and left the common area as if the idea of being around the Royal Family was very disconcerting.
Some hours later, Vansoth heard rumors buzzing among the servants. The Countess and Lady Tarabell had apparently screamed at Lady Lahri for a long time, which led to the baby crying.
That night, Vansoth went to his new favorite location right outside the women's quarters, a part of the hallway that he hid with the interior walls. He rapped on one of the women's panels and hissed out, "My Lady Lahri? Would you please come to me?"
It took a few moments, in which Vansoth worried almost painfully, wringing his hands together, but the upper wall was eventually slid away. Lady Lahri was there again, holding her clay lamp, looking at him with sad but still beautiful eyes.
Vansoth gave her his sweetest tones. "I'm so thrilled to see your face. At the risk of seeming petulant, I must ask this question. Have you reconsidered my offer?"
Her face downcast, Lahri said with a tired voice, "I don't know what to say. People have been telling me the oddest things."
"Odd things? Please elaborate." He hoped nobody had been vicious to her.
She sighed again and put her lamp on a small table. Then she uncomfortably folded her arms against herself. "The Countess insisted that, should His Highness humble me by taking me as his wife, then my Meia, would have a claim to the throne." She made a dry, joyless laugh. "I don't know why she'd say such a thing."
Vansoth blinked at her. His head tilted to one side. "That's not odd. That's simply the law here."
Lahri's sleeves patted the floor as her arms fell. Even in the darkness, Vansoth could still see her eyes popping in pure confusion. "But... but Your Highness, how can that be?"
He tried not to grin like a villain. This was all going far too well. He had a massive, massive advantage here, and he was about to drop it on her like a pail of water. "When a child is adopted into a family, it's the same as if it came from nature, and the Royal Family is no different."
He firmly nodded at her slackening jaw. "Inheritance laws concern the order of the children's arrival, including those adopted. A boy adopted by a king, for example, could also become a king one day if he was the first child." He gave a short chuckle and raised a hand in a mild shrug. "Although, a girl is more likely to be adopted than a boy."
Lahri interrupted him, leaning into the lower wall, putting her naturally lovely scent into his seeking nostrils. "But can a female be a reigning queen here? In my homeland, only males inherit the throne. Queens are only consorts."
