Page 10 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped

“Lord and Lady Kalfin,” someone announced as the two older people came walking down the steps. The lady wore a light blue gown and kept her darker, gray-streaked hair back in a tight bun, that looked like it partially was smoothing out her wrinkles. The lord had his hair neatly trimmed close to his head, and large wrinkles at the edge of his mouth. It was hard to tell if it was from smiling or frowning with how neutral his expression was.

“Princess Sage,” the lady said, bowing as they approached. “It’s an honor to have you in our home.”

I plastered on my princess smile, the one all Yuleans had been trained with over years of these things. “The pleasure is all mine. I thank you for the invitation.”

“Our son is very eager to meet you,” the lord continued. “He sent yours out personally.”

Great. “Well I’m excited to make his acquaintance.”

Lady Kalfin smiled wide at that mention. “Wonderful. Well, why don’t we get you settled in. Would you both like tea?”

“Actually, I⁠—”

“We would love some,” Paige butted in, giving me a wide eye glance. “Paige Bovard,” she introduced herself, bowing. “I’m very close friends with the princess.”

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, already raw from having to put up with all of this today. The couple glanced back and forth between the two of us.

“Actually, I would love some,” I continued, choosing the path of least resistance. What I wanted to do was get led to our rooms, worm myself under the blanket, and pretend I wasn’t here until the ball, but it seemed like that wouldn’t be happening.

We were led through the large manor. It was outdated—or traditional, as they would probably describe it—but there was silver filigree everywhere, with different shades of blue wallpaper and plenty of paintings I was sure were passed down generation to generation.

It wasn’t long before we arrived in a smaller dining area I was sure was reserved for teas and things like that. The table was already set, waiting for someone to show up. I guess that made me feel a bit better about saying yes.

My chair was pulled out by a maid and my cup flipped. I thanked her as I sat, joined by Paige on my other side.

“Well, please enjoy,” the Lady said. “We need to finish up the last minute preparations.”

“Thank you,” I said. Perfect. Now I could drink a single cup and make my disappearance.

I cared little about Paige’s desires.

They took their leave, and from the opposite door people with trays began to pour out. A few filled with pots of tea, while others had towers of sandwiches, cakes, and other patisseries. This was way too much for just the two of us. But Paige looked ecstatic. I wasn’t surprised though, she loved this kind of treatment. I was fairly sure this was the only reason she kept me around, but it didn’t matter to me either way, I learned a long time ago.

“Thank you,” I said, as everything was placed around the table.

Once it was set up and our tea was served, they all took their leave.

“That’s not very becoming,” Paige said as they filtered out, reaching for a sandwich.

“What isn’t?” I asked, going for the cake instead.

“Speaking to others’ help all the time.”

“What?”

She shrugged. “We’re always told to just… pretend they aren’t there. I know we received the same training. And you do set the example.”

I stalled with my fork halfway to my mouth. “Well, I like to acknowledge people’s existence, no matter their standing.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” a deeper voice from behind us said.

We both turned to see the man of the hour, Octavio Kalfin.

I hadn’t seen him much, mostly paintings, but he looked very much the same. His hair was blonde and kept short, sort of like his dad’s, but a bit more current in style. His nose was… ruggedly large He wore a more casual tunic with trousers that were almost sinfully tight. He looked more like a vigilante than a lord’s son, but did any of us really always look the part?

One thing that did, and couldn’t be missed, were the rings he wore on every finger save for his thumbs. A red gem sat in the middle of them, glinting in the light. It was an almost garish look, but he pulled them off nicely.

Paige was on her feet quickly. I could almost see the hearts bouncing from her eyes in a very exaggerated way.