[b]The Alumnallen Castle in the city of Corvell
The sixteenth day of the tenth moon, in the year twenty-eight hundred and forty-six[/b]

Violetta stared at her reflection in the crude mirror that Cynthia had fashioned out of a piece of glass and spare bits of cloth. Sweet, pretty Cynthia, with not a mean bone in her body and an understanding of other people that most of the bluntly practical Alumnallens lacked. Violetta silently thanked the younger woman as she dipped her fingers into the small wooden bowl beside her and used the powder to cover up the bruises on her face. Prince Edwyrd Forrester, who was older than Princess Phillipa but younger than Queen Letitia (thank the moon and stars above for that), was prone to hitting anyone who displeased him, not just Violetta. There were a score of serving men who could attest to that. Itervians would have been disapproving, the Cyrainese would have been scandalized, and the Meraliti would have been horrified, but here in Corvell, the capital city of Alumnall, nobody so much as batted an eye. It was an accepted fact of the Almerinte-Alumnallen nobles and royalty were notorious for their quick intellect and their quicker tempers. Nothing to be done about it.

Cynthia was a chambermaid, tasked with tidying up the various rooms of the Alumnallen castle, including those currently occupied by a lady who had a complexion that was strikingly similar to Violetta's. Though Violetta frequently retired to the straw pallet that served as her bed much later than Cynthia did, the other woman somehow [i]always[/i] knew when to filch some of the wondrous powder, the goddesses bless her soul. 

Violetta finished up with the powder and smoothed out the front of the plain, unassuming beige skirt that she wore. She also had on a matching blouse devoid of any frills or decoration. She pulled her Meraliti-black hair back into a tight bun and scooped up the scrolls beside her bed. Violetta had stayed up quite late in order to ascertain that all the information in the scrolls were, in fact, accurate. She then gathered her skirts and left the small room she shared with Cynthia, preparing herself for the trek to Princess Phillipa's chambers.

Violetta kept her head down as she hurried by. While some of the serving staff, like Cynthia, were perfectly accepting of Violetta's presence, others seemed uncertain and wary around her. When she first took on her position in the castle, the servants were quite scandalized. They'd either treated her like she was nonexistent, were openly belligerent, or were entirely unsure of what to make of her. Some tried to address her as "m'lady", due to the fact that she would have been a lady in her current position if she'd been full-blooded, which Violetta put an end to immediately. She was no lady, and she wasn't delusional enough to believe that her current duties in helping the youngest princess run Alumnall automatically nullified the inescapable truth that she was a half-blood, and half-bloods had no place in Almerinte, least of all in an important ministerial post.

Violetta was two corridors away from her destination when the bells began to ring. [i]One, two,[/i] and she was rounding the corner of the first corridor. [i]Three, four,[/i] and she was halfway down the second corridor. [i]Five, six,[/i] and she was a couple feet away from the elegant wooden doors that led to the princess's chambers. [i]Seven, eight,[/i] and the guard stationed outside had caught sight of her and knocked. The last chime of the bell faded away as the guard showed her in at exactly eight o'clock in the morning.

This had been Violetta's routine for the past ten years.

Princess Phillipa Forrester was wearing a military-inspired tea colored affair that day. It was trimmed in chocolate-brown velvet, and large brass buttons ran down the front. Violetta thought that it suited Phillipa very well-it conveyed her clipped way of speaking and her no-nonsense demeanor perfectly.

Pippa glanced up as Violetta walked inside, her arms overflowing with scrolls, just as the bells finished chiming. She grinned inwardly. Violetta was nothing if not punctual, and Pippa [i]loved[/i] punctuality in a person. Pippa was breaking her fast on fried wild mushrooms, sliced pears, boiled eggs and toast, fruit preserves, and porridge. She smiled a greeting at Violetta. "Good morning," she said, pushing a bowl of porridge toward Violetta's customary chair. When Violetta first began working with her, she always claimed that she'd eaten before arriving at her chambers. But Pippa had deduced the truth quickly-the cook was a pious arse who wouldn't so much as look in Violetta's direction, let alone give her anything to eat. So Pippa had decided that they would share at least one meal a day, depending on the circumstances, propriety and tradition be damned. Besides, Violetta never ate very much, anyway, despite Pippa's best efforts, so it would not kill the thrice-cursed cook to prepare the extra food.

Pippa frowned in thought as Violetta murmured a "Good morning, Your Grace," and sat down, taking small sips of her porridge. [i]She's not as bony as she was when we first became acquainted, but she's much scrawnier than any Alumnallen. It must be because she eats like a bird; that, and her Meraliti blood.[/i]

"The calculations are all correct?" Pippa questioned, gesturing toward the scrolls. Violetta nodded.

"Lord Teignmott does good work, Your Grace," answered Violetta, referring to another one of Pippa's advisers and assistants. 

Pippa nodded. "Mmm," was the only response she gave. "Why do you keep telling me that, Vi, when you and I both know that Randolph would have you stoned to death if he could? I know that you're being honest, but really, why must you be so damn [i]nice[/i] about him all the time?"

Violetta shrugged slightly, embarrassed. "I-I did not mean to offend, Your Grace."

Pippa rolled her eyes. "For the love of the Western Wind, ViVi. [i]Nothing[/i] you ever do offends me in any way, shape, or form. Do stop apologizing for everything. It's really quite vexing. And no, before you start-do [i]not[/i] apologize for apologizing too much!"

Violetta couldn't help herself-she smiled at that, quickly covering her mouth with a gloved hand in order to stifle her sudden urge to giggle. Pippa looked on approvingly. [i]Good. She's finally getting a sense of humor, it seems. It's about damn time.[/i]

The princess and Violetta finished their breakfast while discussing the scrolls that Violetta had looked over. Pippa groaned in frustration as Violetta mentioned the handiwork of a certain Lady Dremminick. "Why must you save Angelina's work for last every single time, Vi?" Pippa grumbled as she plucked the scroll from Violetta's fingers and glanced down at the numerous corrections done in Violetta's precise, tidy handwriting. "I swear, that woman couldn't tell you that two plus two equals four. But of course, my dear, foolish husband insists that his sister have a ministerial position, and I guess Lettie thought that she would do the least damage with me-how utterly [i]wrong[/i] my sweet sister was," Pippa said with a derisive snort. "Well. You've fixed her atrocious math quite splendidly, my dear Violetta. And, what's this-she thought that [i]The Bronze Wind[/i] was still abroad?" Pippa asked, incredulous. "Scarletta save me, what was that woman thinking? [i]The Bronze Wind[/i] returned weeks ago."

Violetta let the princess ramble on. She talked enough for them both. 

The rest of the morning passed rather routinely. At some point, a serving girl came in and cleared away the leftovers and cutlery, which went unnoticed by the princess. Pippa and Violetta were soon joined by the rest of Pippa's junior ministers, advisers, and assistants after they relocated to the meeting chamber. The rest of the people who served in Pippa's staff were quite a varied lot, in terms of family and personality and intelligence level. Pippa sighed heavily as Lady Angelina Dremminick swept into the chamber. [i]One would think that a prerequisite for a position among my staff would be mathematical acumen,[/i] she thought. [i]One would think so, but apparently that is not the case.[/i]

The topics of discussion mostly focused on the air-merchants returning to port and the castle's supplies, as well as the Itervian dignitaries that were due to arrive that very night. Pippa liked the Itervians-they were a tough, no-nonsense people-kind of like Pippa herself. Except their realm was [i]cold,[/i] Scarletta save her, and so were the Itervians. They had no idea what the word "humor" meant. Queen Marleyna herself would be there, in fact, accompanied by her Cyrainese husband and her younger brother. Pippa understood that the other brother was the High Priest, so he would never set foot outside of Itervia in his life except for the case of a dire emergency.

Officially, the Itervians were coming to discuss Alumnallen-Itervian trade, but Pippa knew her older sister better than that. Queen Letitia had more important things that she wanted to consider, which was why the queen of Itervia herself had been invited. Pippa wasn't quite sure what it was, yet-Lettie had been keeping it a secret, even from her husband, which made it all the more worrying. Lettie had grown up with Philander. She trusted him with her life.

The Ministry of Records and Finances finished for the day at four past noon. The lords and ladies all retired to their chambers to prepare for the upcoming feast and arrival, while Violetta lingered in Princess Phillipa's chambers. 

"Will you be attending the feast, Vivi? You should. It's only [i]fair[/i] that you should," Pippa was saying as a servant girl brushed her unruly red hair.

Violetta shook her head and lowered her gaze. "It is not my place, Your Grace," she answered quietly. As a general rule, Violetta avoided all of the celebrations hosted in the castle. Most of them honored the four goddesses in some way, shape, or form, and what right did Violetta have to attend when her very existence was considered a disgrace to the goddesses?

The princess frowned but didn't press the point. "Well, off you go," she said. "Get some rest, then. The next few weeks will be very busy."

"Very good, Your Grace," Violetta murmured, bobbing a curtsy and returning to her small room. 

As afternoon turned to twilight and twilight turned to dusk, Violetta could hear the sounds of revelry even from her quarters in one of the castle's many attics. She spent a couple of hours reading a book about Itervia before she decided to get some air. Violetta skirted the great hall and the main corridors, knowing that they were likely filled with serving men and girls rushing back and forth. Instead, she made her way outside of the castle walls, into the Corvellan Forest. There was a forest clearing that was only a one or two minute walk from the gates of the castle. Violetta reached the clearing and sat down beside the a gurgling stream, staring up at the stars and wondering if Mother Moon could see her from her vantage point high, high in the sky.