5 - Dinner
That evening, the long dining hall of the Forebros Grand Dukedom was lit by towering crystal chandeliers, their golden glow reflecting off polished marble floors and gilded pillars.
Family dinner. A sacred, unskippable affair.
Mariana stood outside the grand doors, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her gown.
Okay, act natural. Not villainess-natural. Normal-natural. Don't start a war. Don't insult anyone. Don't flip the table.
The doors opened.
At the head of the table sat the master of Forebros-
Grand Duke Maximus Einarr Galbraith la Vernon.
Broad-shouldered even in his middle years, golden-blond hair streaked faintly with dignified silver, crimson eyes sharp yet warm.
He wore authority as effortlessly as his tailored black-and-gold coat.
To his right sat Grand Duchess Darelene, poised as ever.
On either side of the table were her brothers-Eirwen closest to their father, Aguerico beside him, and Alistair across.
All eyes turned to Mariana
. She felt like prey entering a lion's den.
"Father," she greeted, offering a proper curtsy.
Maximus' stern expression immediately melted.
"My little star!" he boomed warmly. "Come, sit! You look well. The pond did not steal your beauty after all!"
Mariana blinked.
Oh, so this is where I get the dramatic flair from.
She smiled helplessly and took her seat between her mother and Alistair. Dinner began-silverware clinking softly, servants moving in precise silence.
Maximus launched into a tale about subduing a border dispute years ago, his deep voice filling the hall with animated vigor. Aguerico listened with admiration, occasionally nodding. Alistair appeared attentive but detached. Eirwen, ever composed, absorbed everything quietly.
Mariana... listened. And then, she laughed. Not mockingly. But genuinely, when her father exaggerated a minor skirmish into something resembling a dragon-slaying legend.
Maximus beamed. "There! That laugh suits you!"
Darelene's gaze flicked toward Mariana. In the past, her daughter would have corrected the story. Or scoffed at its lack of political relevance. Tonight, she simply enjoyed it. Maximus noticed the change. Of course he did. He simply did not care.
Whether Mariana was sharp-tongued or soft-spoken, demanding or forgiving-she was his daughter. His only daughter. If the world called her villainess, then the world could choke. He would still place a crown upon her head.
"You are quieter than usual," he remarked casually.
Mariana swallowed a bite of roasted lamb before answering-forgetting entirely that noble ladies were supposed to speak only after dabbing their lips delicately. "I've been thinking more." Aguerico's brow twitched. Alistair's fork paused midair. Eirwen's gaze shifted to her.
"Thinking?" Maximus echoed with amused curiosity.
"Yes," she said earnestly. "About how to be... better."
A beat of silence followed. Aguerico leaned back slightly. "Better?"
"In what sense?" Alistair added smoothly.
Mariana hesitated. In what sense, indeed? Not dying horrifically sense. She straightened unconsciously.
"In how I treat others. In how I represent Forebros."
There it was again. That steady tone. No arrogance. No bite. Darelene set down her wine glass softly.
"Mariana."
"Yes, Mother?"
"You may pursue kindness," the Grand Duchess said gently, "but do not abandon tact."
Mariana blinked. "Tact?"
"You laughed with your mouth full," Darelene continued mildly. "And you nearly addressed your father by name instead of title."
Maximus barked a laugh. "Let her! It's family dinner, not court!"
Darelene's lips curved faintly. "Habits at home become habits in public."
Ah right, etiquette.
Mariana straightened immediately. "Understood, I'll be more mindful."
Aguerico watched her carefully. No defensiveness. No dramatic sigh. Alistair tapped his fork lightly against his plate, eyes narrowing in thought. "You've also been lenient with the staff," he observed.
Mariana met his gaze calmly. "They serve us every day. It seems... inefficient to rule through fear alone."
Eirwen's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.
Inefficient. Interesting word choice.
Aguerico frowned. "Fear maintains order."
"It also builds resentment," she countered, surprisingly steady. "Resentment festers."
The table quieted. Maximus leaned back in his chair, studying her with open interest.
"Well said," he rumbled.
Aguerico looked mildly betrayed.
Alistair tilted his head.
"And when resentment turns to rebellion?" he asked softly.
Mariana paused. Images flashed in her mind-of a Crown Prince slitting a Count's throat in open court. Of political bloodshed. Of execution platforms.
"Then it should be addressed before it reaches that point," she answered quietly.
Eirwen stared at her. Not critically. Not suspiciously, softly.
There it is again, he thought. That calm reasoning. That measured compassion. It reminded him painfully of a little girl who once clung to his sleeve after seeing a wounded bird.
Aguerico crossed his arms. "You speak like a strategist."
"Or a coward," Alistair murmured lightly.
Mariana didn't bristle. "I speak like someone who doesn't want unnecessary enemies."
Maximus burst into laughter once more. "That's my daughter! Thinking ahead!"
Darelene hid a small smile behind her glass. Eirwen's gaze lingered on Mariana a moment longer before he returned to his meal. Aguerico remained unconvinced. Alistair remained watchful. But something had undeniably shifted.
Dinner continued with lighter topics-estate management, harvest forecasts, preparations for the Crown Prince's return. At the mention of him, Mariana's grip on her fork tightened slightly. Eirwen noticed. Subtle, but there.
"You will attend the banquet," Maximus stated firmly. "Stand tall. You are Forebros' pride."
"I will," she replied. And this time, she meant it. Not as a possessive fiancée. Not as a desperate villainess clinging to status. But as Mariana. When dinner concluded, chairs scraped softly against marble. As servants cleared the table, Eirwen stepped beside her.
"You handled yourself well," he said quietly.
Mariana blinked up at him. "...Thank you."
Aguerico passed by, clapping her shoulder a little too firmly. "I'm still watching you."
Alistair adjusted his glasses. "As am I."
She sighed internally.
Surveillance squad activated.
Maximus, however, wrapped an arm around her shoulders with booming affection. "My little star shines however she wishes," he declared. "Kind or fierce, the world will adjust."
Mariana laughed softly. Darelene observed the scene. Her daughter's kindness might be genuine. But the world they lived in was not gentle.
Still, for tonight, the Vernon family dined together without tension. And for the first time in years, Mariana did not feel like the villain of the table. She felt like a daughter. A sister. A Vernon.
Unaware that beyond the estate walls, beyond the flicker of chandeliers and familial warmth-the Empire was sharpening its blades. And the Crown Prince would soon stand at their gates.