11. ELEVEN #3
Lady Kailani—a noblewoman from the western isles. The eldest of seven sisters. Her father helped Veloria gain control of the former Noula Kingdom, betraying his sovereign in the process.
A sour pit forms in my stomach, but I won’t hold the sins of the father against the daughter.
Lady Natalie is from a nation in the northeast—Brastrova. They had no formal monarchy due to years of infighting and were one of the first nations to surrender to Veloria, albeit not peacefully. Her family’s favorable reputation among the people earned them custodianship of the land.
Lady Victoria—a shipping heiress from Coryntha, a southern port kingdom.
The entire royal family was executed along with the nobles whose loyalty followed them to the grave.
The Merchants’ Guild, with wealth and knowledge of the land, was an excellent choice to promote. Her father is the guild head.
Lady Hunter is an only child from Luxton in central Veloria, a former kingdom whose monarchy was also eliminated. There is very little information on her family or what their current political purpose is. Odd.
Lady Elena will prove to be the most difficult. She’s a former princess of the Gormani Kingdom. Her family surrendered their titles and nation to the west in exchange for joining Veloria, paying a hefty sum as well.
The dossiers contain detailed information on their families, backgrounds, and the cultural hallmarks of where they come from. Darius has the resources to find out all sorts of dirt on these women, yet the files lack anything substantial.
Is he testing me? Or does he simply trust I will be able to find the information on my own? I planned to make my own inquiries to verify his information anyway.
Jaime waits patiently while I finish reading the files. I set them down on the small table between us and drum my fingers along the armrest.
“How long have you worked in the palace?” I ask.
“Just shy of three years. I entered the palace as soon as I turned eighteen.”
“Any chance you are familiar with these women? I assume they were all here for the ball.”
“May I?”
I nod, and she flips through each file.
“I haven’t worked with any personally, but I know a few maids who helped them before the ball. Lady Kailani and each of her sisters attended, even those underage, so they had a few maids assigned to them.”
Her father certainly tried to play the odds to catch Darius’s eye.
The fact that each woman was hosted at the palace and assigned attendants confirms my suspicion that they were a councilor’s candidate for queen at some point.
“I’ll need information on them all by tomorrow morning. Your position allows you to be the eyes and ears of this palace. Without you, it would cease to run. I’ve noticed many in Veloria seem foolish enough to overlook that.”
She nods with a small smirk.
“I’m looking for any information not on these pages. I trust you’ll be discreet.” I don’t trust Jaime at all, truthfully, nor do I intend to trust someone entirely ever again. I learned my lesson, but this will be an adequate test of her loyalty and competency, at least.
“I understand. Anything else I can assist you with?” she asks with an air of excitement.
“Do you know of any designers who are more inclined to stray from tradition? I want to have a backup in case Lady Katherine fails to deliver as promised.”
She fiddles with the edge of her uniform.
“Most wouldn’t dream of producing anything that could cost them their usual clients.
Dressmaking is one of the few jobs a woman can hold with any sort of success, so not many would risk it.
” She pauses a moment, working her lower lip with her teeth.
“There is someone. An apprentice at a shop I know. His very existence goes against tradition.”
Exactly the kind of person I desire. “Is he talented enough to handle the work?” I need someone skilled and daring; otherwise, my plan will be useless.
“Yes. His father was a textile merchant from the west. Cassian enjoys making his own clothes more than trade meetings, so his father disowned him. He moved to the capital last year and begged until someone gave him an embroidery job. He’ll never be able to move up as a designer though.
A male embroiderer is easy to deny when they are hidden in the back room. ”
“I trust your assessment of him. It seems to be quite in-depth,” I note with a hint of a question.
Jaime blushes, shaking her head. “He’s a good friend. He can create any design you give him.”
“Alright. I’ll need drawing paper, something to write with, and snacks.
Oh, and a pair of scissors.” There aren’t that many hours left in the day.
I need to get the designs sketched out and sent to Cassian, modify the dresses I got from Lady Katherine with Jaime’s help, and plan for tomorrow’s meeting.
I have to be prepared for the worst and see which women can be swayed to my side. I need allies, but keeping my enemies close works just as well.
Jaime sets off to gather the supplies, but I stop her momentarily. “I’ll need stationery as well. It’s rude to leave a letter with no response.”