Date: 3-4-165

  House Valia has accepted us.

  I don’t understand it. Nadine tells me that she doesn’t understand it, either. Moreover, she insists that we don’t have to understand it. The only thing we need to do is make our preparations to move into the palace.

  At least, that’s what I thought. Nadine and Olrick, on the other hand, decided that a celebration was in order. That was our primary focus for today.

  ***

  It was my first time visiting a Panzean eatery. Olrick had wanted to take us to the famed Colvar Fish and Beer Company, but Nadine insisted that a celebration of this magnitude demanded a higher class of restaurant. A significantly higher class than Colvar’s, which, as a general rule, is devoid of class entirely. Or so I hear.

  The eatery was a short ride up the hill from the estate. The only indication that it was a restaurant was a small sign by the gate depicting an angular Panzean wineglass. No lanterns or banners were present to indicate that one could eat there or, indeed, what manner of food was even on offer. I distinctly recall seeing food-related signage during my few excursions to the city below, so I’m left to wonder if this subtle storefront is intended to project an air of exclusivity.

  There were five of us, as Nadine had invited Jacque, and Olrick had invited his sister, Madelin. Adorned in our finest attire, we stepped into a small entry room and were greeted by a severe-looking woman in a black gown. She led us to a private room large enough to comfortably seat a dozen occupants. Back home, I am accustomed to the host of an establishment trying to endear himself to his customers with a cheery disposition or, if he does not possess a suitable temperament, to at least greet his customers with warm words. I wonder if the custom in Panzea is to instead present as cold and disinterested a face a possible.

  Our hostess spared an especially chilly look for Jacque, who was perhaps the drabbest of us all in his worn-out church clothes. Jacque was also the most prideful, and he refused to so much as acknowledge her, his head high and eyes half-closed.

  “This’s got to be the fanciest place I’ve ever seen,” Olrick whispered after the hostess had left and closed the door behind her. “Why’re there so many forks? What’re they for?”

  “Appetizer, salad, entrée, dessert.” Jacque pointed to each in turn as he listed them out. “In civilized company, one does not use the same utensil across different courses.”

  Olrick scratched his head. “I’ll be…”

  “You have to forgive Ollie,” Madelin said, elbowing her brother in the ribs. “He was brought up in a barn.”

  “Don’t act like you knew about the forks!”

  Madelin let her mouth hang open and pressed her palm to her chest, projecting an aura of mock outrage. “A high-class lady like myself comes to joints like this at least once a week.” Peering around her brother, she offered Nadine a real explanation: “Sometimes the shop takes our partners out for a night on the town and I get to tag along. One of the perks of the industry, call it.”

  “So you’ve been here before?” Nadine asked, to which Madelin nodded. “That’s funny. I’ve always wanted to eat here, ever since we moved to Valia’s Watch. But it never really made much sense, spending so much on a single meal…”

  “And now you will be eating like a queen every day!” Jacque cut in, saving Nadine the embarrassment of delving into the Seabornes’ financial history.

  The conversation paused as another server—I think it was a different person from the hostess, though her demeanor was identical—arrived to pour blackberry wine into the thin crystal glasses set before us. Olrick asked if they had beer, but the server didn’t deem the question worthy of a response.

  When one is dining in celebration, it is common practice in Panzea for the guest of honor to give a short speech before the first drink of alcohol is consumed. This is called a toast. At Jacque’s behest, Nadine gave her toast.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “I didn’t really have anything prepared. This all happened so fast.” She stood at her place at the head of the table, Olrick and Madelin watching from one side, Jacque and I watching from the other. “To tell the truth, after I turned ninety, I thought it would never happen for me. And I don’t think it would have, if it wasn’t for all of you.

  “Olrick, my darling, thank you for always believing in me. I would have given up long ago without your support and love.

  “Madelin, thank you for making sure we always had something to wear. You’re the reason I was able to show my face to half of the social dinners I’ve had to attend during this whole campaign.

  “Why, you’ve shown me a side of magic I didn’t know existed. Thank you for that.”

  (I bowed my head in acknowledgment. As far as praise went, this felt somewhat anemic after all I’d done for her, but I suppose it was accurate enough.)

  “And Jacque, you were there, too.” She grinned at Jacque, and he grinned in return—after he was done scoffing in mock offense, of course.

  Nadine lifted her glass and concluded the toast: “Cheers!”

  The blackberry wine was thick and sweet. The only other Panzean liquor I had tasted was some of Olrick’s beloved beer, a bitter grain alcohol. As strange as the wine was, I do think I preferred the taste.

  Nadine settled into her seat and smiled at us. The smile was warm and comfortable at first, but evolved to become stiff and awkward as no one thought of anything to say.

  “Oh, a letter from Ma came in this morning,” Madelin said, breaking the silence. “She said to wish you luck, and that you two better start working on grandkids if you get the job.”

  Nadine offered a thin-lipped smile and Olrick’s face became a more complete shade of red. “She did, huh?” he asked. “And what’d she want to say if Nade didn’t get the job?”

  “To start working on grandkids,” Madeline replied with a shrug.

  Olrick took a swig of his wine and made a vaguely disappointed face. “I wish she’d just let things happen in their own blasted time. Or at least pester you for a change.”

  “Who says she don’t? Anyway, you’re the oldest, and I’m not even married.”

  “Whatever happened with the fella from Mirst?” Olrick said, putting an emphasis on the name for a reason I didn’t understand. (Mirst is a city in the Gradstaal region, which you may recall is the northern region of the mainland.)

  “Forget the fella from Mirst,” Madelin said, hiding her face behind her glass. Her tone had shifted from teasing to bristling.

  Jacque, who seemed to have a sense for these things, cut in once more. “I too am dying to learn the ultimate fate of Great House Seaborne, but tonight is a night to talk of other things, no?” And then, to Nadine: “Have you seen your quarters at the palace yet?”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “When have I had time? The letter from the palace said that I’d have a week to wrap things up with my current practice, after which I’m expected to start my new duties to House Valia. I don’t have to be moved in by then, but they recommended it…” She glanced at Olrick, who had suddenly gotten very interested in examining his glass. “There will be ample room for Olrick, Why, and myself. That’s about all I know.”

  “‘Ample…’” Jacque said the word slowly, as though he were trying it out for the first time. “That is what my landlord said about my apartment. Let us hope it works out better for you than it did for me.” He turned to me next. “So you are invited to stay at the palace, as well? That is grand news.”

  “Yes!” My attention had been on juggling my language spell and the surprisingly strong wine, and his question may have caught me off guard. Lowering my voice to a proper indoor volume, I added, “It is very happy news. I am looking forward to serving with Nadine.”

  “It really is,” Madelin said. “Happy, I mean. You came so far since you washed up on our shores.”

  “I suppose the next step is to ask for the Lord Governor’s help with your expedition, no?” Jacque said.

  Madelin raised her eyebrows at that. “You going somewhere, Why?”

  “We will see” was the only answer I could offer.

  Even as I write this, I have yet to determine what my next course of action should be, precisely. As Nadine’s apprentice, I should have regular access to the members of House Valia—that includes Lady Kailenne and Lord Governor Dominiq, and I understand that the Lord Governor also has a son and granddaughter. Asking for their help is a natural next step. But how does one go about broaching the subject? I’m afraid I’ve found a lump, sir, and by the way, please help me retrieve my husband’s bones from the sea?

  Our first course was brought out, and the subject mercifully moved on as Jacque demonstrated the proper use of one’s calamari fork. We passed the remainder of the evening lightly. Olrick and Nadine took turns regaling us with the tale of how they met, when she was a student and he was a ferry operator. Madelin complained about the declining quality of fabric these days. After three glasses of wine, Jacque began a slurred critique of church doctrine, which Nadine quickly silenced by arranging for his fourth glass of wine.

  Every once in a while, one of them would reach out to me, probing for some personal anecdote or a hint as to my true origins, but I insisted that I was happy to listen and nobody pressed the point. And besides, I really did have a great deal on my mind.

  I’ve taken another step closer to you. I only wish I knew what the next step would be.