- TNP Nation
- sil_dorsett
- Discord
- sildorsett
(Rewritten to be in first-person style, Finding Answers is an Alice-centric story told from Alice's perspective, involving a deep-dive into the mystery of the separation of her parents and an examination of her own thoughts into royal and noble culture. Enjoy.)
Part 1: The Debutantes' Ball
Every year, my family brings together the nobles and other members of Silien high society at our palace to celebrate the coming of age of their children. Young women eighteen or nineteen years old would be formally presented to the other high families at the The Debutantes' Ball, the most exclusive of soirées.
It's tradition for a debutante to be presented to the monarch before being presented to the other families and waiting bachelors. The expectation was that the young men and women would develop new relationships that eventually lead into a socially equal marriage, but often times the adults in the families would play matchmaker. I personally loved the event. It was a chance to mingle, taste the finest of foods, and see the latest fashionable dresses. I always thought I'd find my perfect match at one of these dances, but I always struggled to seal the deal with a nobleman. It'd be years before I found out why.[link]
After my sister ascended to the throne, every year she threatened to cancel the event. Tradition didn't matter to her. Even after she agreed to share power with me, it was her who had the responsibility to set everything up; she had to answer the debutantes' applications to be presented and make the arrangements, but she didn't want to do any of it. She wanted the practice abolished, but barons and businessmen would always pressure her into making the event happen every year. I didn't help her cause either. We all cited tradition and expectation, but also resorted to guilt tripping her by accusing her of smashing the dreams of up and coming young women who actually wanted to be presented and were looking forward to their time in the spotlight. Every year, we'd fight. Every year, we ended up winning in the end.
Together, this year's six debutantes walked into the Chamber of Rule and approached the throne. Only Claidie sat in her chair, with my chair kept in storage. I just stood on the other far side of the room out of the way. Each lady stepped forward as her father announced her name and heritage, whether of noble pedigree or by virtue of familial success. Each one of them curtsied and stepped backwards to return to the line without turning her back my sister. When all the introductions were done, Claidie stood up and walked past the line, the women turning to face her as she passed them to lead them to the ballroom. I joined my sister at the front of the procession as she came near.
A long dinner table for my sister, the barons, and myself sat opposite of the door in front of the small ensemble of string musicians, while tables for the other family members, cadet branches, and the businessmen took the sides. It was the center of the ballroom, however, that was featured, spacious and wide open in anticipation for a long night of dancing, surrounded by young bachelors waiting for their turn.
Each of them held a different playing card, and a separate deck with all of the cards the bachelors drew was created. When we all entered the ballroom and the debutantes were announced to the waiting crowd, Claidie took the deck and held on to it, allowing the women to draw from it. The bachelor whose card matched the card a lady drew became their dance partner. As the dance went on, the young ladies drew new cards to be matched to new partners.
A couple of hours went on before the deck was finally exhausted, allowing free selection of dance partners and for the rest of us to join in and enjoy the night. With her traditional duty complete, my sister retired to her seat next to me at the back table. She didn't seem interested in dancing. I couldn't blame her, since her boyfriend wasn't in attendance. That was another thing I had to remember to keep my mouth shut about. Sebastien Whittemore, on the other hand, who our father previously arranged to marry one of us and preferrably my sister, had other ideas about Claidie and dancing.
He prepared for the opportunity to address her yet again, as he did every year, much to her Claidie's despair. This time, he had with him a deck of cards, which he laid down in front of her. It seemed very symbolic of the cards used to determine the dance partners earlier. I had never seen Sebastien do this before. "What exactly was he up to?" I wondered.
"A proposition, if I may, Your Highness?" Sebastien asked her. "A game of chance for a dance."
I noticed Claidie raising an eyebrow, and to be honest, I was just as curious. "Ah, Sebastien. Is your father still enjoying the monthly check I'm sending him?" she told him, referring to the payment her and I owed the Whittemores for that damn frigate in the harbor since neither of us married Sebastien.
"I told you last year that he loathes those checks, and, with all respect, you know why. They're a reminder of how he pushed just that little bit too hard with you. Anyways, a deck of 26 cards. Two identical suits, Ace to King of Spades twice. I'll draw a card, and you can cut the deck however you like before you draw. Draw the card I have and I am rewarded with a dance."
I wasn't surprised by Sebastien trying for yet another year, but now this just seemed like desperation. I think he had come to the realization that charm wasn't going to win the day and instead he had to resort to luck. But, the odds weren't all that great. Taking into consideration probability and everything, it'd be another twenty-five years before he got that dance. Something was up.
"Alright. Draw your card," I heard my sister reply.
Sebastien drew his card. "If I recall, this was the card you drew first back in 2008, when your father reserved the ball just for you and made the other debutantes wait a year," he said, as he revealed the Ace of Spades. Of course it was the Ace of Spades. Our father probably rigged the deck that year.
As the exchange went on, my curiosity only grew more intense. "What are you doing, sis?" I thought to myself as I was eating and watching on. Was she actually going through with this? Well, a twenty-four out of twenty-five chance of not drawing Seb's card was at least some relief to this. "There's a one in twenty-five chance of you drawing that card, sis," I reminded Claidie, "so the odds are in your favor if you're not feeling a dance."
Claidie shook her head at me. "No." She paused for a while, maybe letting me think about it a little more? I started to wonder why she seemed so sure that I was wrong about my assessment. Then, it hit me. Since my father probably rigged his deck, then...
"Sebastien, I know you've desired me for years, and I feel this has been a yearly ritual, but I never thought you were this desperate. I'm a Dorsett, not a Gabbiani, and I know the card I'm about to draw is the Ace of Spades," Claidie projected. She cut the deck, drew the card, didn't even bother to look at it before revealing it to me and Sebastien before putting it back on top of the deck. She was right, it was an Ace of Spades. But wait, I thought she cut the deck. Did she really cut right into the Ace of Spades?
"...because you lied. It's a deck of all Aces of Spades." She then flipped the deck and fanned it out, revealing twenty-five Aces of Spades. "Next time you want a dance, don't lie, and play me in a fair game. But, since I drew, and I did indeed draw your card, I'll let you have your dance... this time."
I couldn't believe it. The cheating was one thing, and my sister knowing it was another. But, she actually gave in this year and went off to dance with him despite all of that? That seemed odd. Was it really just holding her end of the deal, or had charm actually won this time? It wasn't luck, that's for sure.
Later that night, I was walking around to all of the guests' tables, greeting them, checking up on them, making sure our staff was caring for them, when Sebastien approached. "Your Highness, a moment of your time, please?" he asked me.
"Certainly. What's on your mind, Seb?" I replied.
"Alice, I don't understand your sister," he somberly said to me. "We were so good together in our academy years. I thought there was something between us, but now that chemistry is gone. Sure, she let me have tonight's dance, but it didn't feel right. What happened?"
He didn't really know, did he? I had to be honest with him and tell him everything, about the ship, the arrangement, and even the contingency plan I was unknowingly drafted into. One thing I didn't tell him about was about my sister's currently ongoing relationship.
"Seb, I think both our fathers ruined your chance," I started to explain."They both wanted to take away her freedom to choose, and then take mine if she continued to rebel. That's what this is all about; her right to think for herself. And, what happened years ago is why she hates high society. It's why those six young women almost lost their moment in the spotlight this year, and why many others almost lost theirs."
"But how did that happen?" Sebastien asked. "Raised by the same parents, how did the two of you end up so differently? Why is she the only one that hates the way our society is?"
I knew the real reason why, but that was something I didn't want to explain. It was hard enough leaving him in the dark over the investigation into his father's conduct, and I didn't want to reveal more than I needed to. But then, I thought about my trip to Merilia a while back, and how I finally came to terms with my father's death and how he was as a person prior to that. That's when I realized that I still only had half of the story, and I hadn't yet followed through with something that I told myself I needed to do.
"I've thought about that before, and I think I know why, but there's someone I need to talk to first," I told him. My father's decline into madness all started after the divorce, right before he ascended to the throne. I never understood what caused the break-up. I needed to know. I needed to talk to my mother.
Part 1: The Debutantes' Ball
Every year, my family brings together the nobles and other members of Silien high society at our palace to celebrate the coming of age of their children. Young women eighteen or nineteen years old would be formally presented to the other high families at the The Debutantes' Ball, the most exclusive of soirées.
It's tradition for a debutante to be presented to the monarch before being presented to the other families and waiting bachelors. The expectation was that the young men and women would develop new relationships that eventually lead into a socially equal marriage, but often times the adults in the families would play matchmaker. I personally loved the event. It was a chance to mingle, taste the finest of foods, and see the latest fashionable dresses. I always thought I'd find my perfect match at one of these dances, but I always struggled to seal the deal with a nobleman. It'd be years before I found out why.[link]
After my sister ascended to the throne, every year she threatened to cancel the event. Tradition didn't matter to her. Even after she agreed to share power with me, it was her who had the responsibility to set everything up; she had to answer the debutantes' applications to be presented and make the arrangements, but she didn't want to do any of it. She wanted the practice abolished, but barons and businessmen would always pressure her into making the event happen every year. I didn't help her cause either. We all cited tradition and expectation, but also resorted to guilt tripping her by accusing her of smashing the dreams of up and coming young women who actually wanted to be presented and were looking forward to their time in the spotlight. Every year, we'd fight. Every year, we ended up winning in the end.
* * *
Together, this year's six debutantes walked into the Chamber of Rule and approached the throne. Only Claidie sat in her chair, with my chair kept in storage. I just stood on the other far side of the room out of the way. Each lady stepped forward as her father announced her name and heritage, whether of noble pedigree or by virtue of familial success. Each one of them curtsied and stepped backwards to return to the line without turning her back my sister. When all the introductions were done, Claidie stood up and walked past the line, the women turning to face her as she passed them to lead them to the ballroom. I joined my sister at the front of the procession as she came near.
A long dinner table for my sister, the barons, and myself sat opposite of the door in front of the small ensemble of string musicians, while tables for the other family members, cadet branches, and the businessmen took the sides. It was the center of the ballroom, however, that was featured, spacious and wide open in anticipation for a long night of dancing, surrounded by young bachelors waiting for their turn.
Each of them held a different playing card, and a separate deck with all of the cards the bachelors drew was created. When we all entered the ballroom and the debutantes were announced to the waiting crowd, Claidie took the deck and held on to it, allowing the women to draw from it. The bachelor whose card matched the card a lady drew became their dance partner. As the dance went on, the young ladies drew new cards to be matched to new partners.
A couple of hours went on before the deck was finally exhausted, allowing free selection of dance partners and for the rest of us to join in and enjoy the night. With her traditional duty complete, my sister retired to her seat next to me at the back table. She didn't seem interested in dancing. I couldn't blame her, since her boyfriend wasn't in attendance. That was another thing I had to remember to keep my mouth shut about. Sebastien Whittemore, on the other hand, who our father previously arranged to marry one of us and preferrably my sister, had other ideas about Claidie and dancing.
He prepared for the opportunity to address her yet again, as he did every year, much to her Claidie's despair. This time, he had with him a deck of cards, which he laid down in front of her. It seemed very symbolic of the cards used to determine the dance partners earlier. I had never seen Sebastien do this before. "What exactly was he up to?" I wondered.
"A proposition, if I may, Your Highness?" Sebastien asked her. "A game of chance for a dance."
I noticed Claidie raising an eyebrow, and to be honest, I was just as curious. "Ah, Sebastien. Is your father still enjoying the monthly check I'm sending him?" she told him, referring to the payment her and I owed the Whittemores for that damn frigate in the harbor since neither of us married Sebastien.
"I told you last year that he loathes those checks, and, with all respect, you know why. They're a reminder of how he pushed just that little bit too hard with you. Anyways, a deck of 26 cards. Two identical suits, Ace to King of Spades twice. I'll draw a card, and you can cut the deck however you like before you draw. Draw the card I have and I am rewarded with a dance."
I wasn't surprised by Sebastien trying for yet another year, but now this just seemed like desperation. I think he had come to the realization that charm wasn't going to win the day and instead he had to resort to luck. But, the odds weren't all that great. Taking into consideration probability and everything, it'd be another twenty-five years before he got that dance. Something was up.
"Alright. Draw your card," I heard my sister reply.
Sebastien drew his card. "If I recall, this was the card you drew first back in 2008, when your father reserved the ball just for you and made the other debutantes wait a year," he said, as he revealed the Ace of Spades. Of course it was the Ace of Spades. Our father probably rigged the deck that year.
As the exchange went on, my curiosity only grew more intense. "What are you doing, sis?" I thought to myself as I was eating and watching on. Was she actually going through with this? Well, a twenty-four out of twenty-five chance of not drawing Seb's card was at least some relief to this. "There's a one in twenty-five chance of you drawing that card, sis," I reminded Claidie, "so the odds are in your favor if you're not feeling a dance."
Claidie shook her head at me. "No." She paused for a while, maybe letting me think about it a little more? I started to wonder why she seemed so sure that I was wrong about my assessment. Then, it hit me. Since my father probably rigged his deck, then...
"Sebastien, I know you've desired me for years, and I feel this has been a yearly ritual, but I never thought you were this desperate. I'm a Dorsett, not a Gabbiani, and I know the card I'm about to draw is the Ace of Spades," Claidie projected. She cut the deck, drew the card, didn't even bother to look at it before revealing it to me and Sebastien before putting it back on top of the deck. She was right, it was an Ace of Spades. But wait, I thought she cut the deck. Did she really cut right into the Ace of Spades?
"...because you lied. It's a deck of all Aces of Spades." She then flipped the deck and fanned it out, revealing twenty-five Aces of Spades. "Next time you want a dance, don't lie, and play me in a fair game. But, since I drew, and I did indeed draw your card, I'll let you have your dance... this time."
I couldn't believe it. The cheating was one thing, and my sister knowing it was another. But, she actually gave in this year and went off to dance with him despite all of that? That seemed odd. Was it really just holding her end of the deal, or had charm actually won this time? It wasn't luck, that's for sure.
* * *
Later that night, I was walking around to all of the guests' tables, greeting them, checking up on them, making sure our staff was caring for them, when Sebastien approached. "Your Highness, a moment of your time, please?" he asked me.
"Certainly. What's on your mind, Seb?" I replied.
"Alice, I don't understand your sister," he somberly said to me. "We were so good together in our academy years. I thought there was something between us, but now that chemistry is gone. Sure, she let me have tonight's dance, but it didn't feel right. What happened?"
He didn't really know, did he? I had to be honest with him and tell him everything, about the ship, the arrangement, and even the contingency plan I was unknowingly drafted into. One thing I didn't tell him about was about my sister's currently ongoing relationship.
"Seb, I think both our fathers ruined your chance," I started to explain."They both wanted to take away her freedom to choose, and then take mine if she continued to rebel. That's what this is all about; her right to think for herself. And, what happened years ago is why she hates high society. It's why those six young women almost lost their moment in the spotlight this year, and why many others almost lost theirs."
"But how did that happen?" Sebastien asked. "Raised by the same parents, how did the two of you end up so differently? Why is she the only one that hates the way our society is?"
I knew the real reason why, but that was something I didn't want to explain. It was hard enough leaving him in the dark over the investigation into his father's conduct, and I didn't want to reveal more than I needed to. But then, I thought about my trip to Merilia a while back, and how I finally came to terms with my father's death and how he was as a person prior to that. That's when I realized that I still only had half of the story, and I hadn't yet followed through with something that I told myself I needed to do.
"I've thought about that before, and I think I know why, but there's someone I need to talk to first," I told him. My father's decline into madness all started after the divorce, right before he ascended to the throne. I never understood what caused the break-up. I needed to know. I needed to talk to my mother.
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