text: The rumors that spread throughout court are always fascinating. Unless they’re about you. This is what Sabine had to learn the hard way. It was bound to happen. She avoided any rumors being spread about her for nineteen years. Not a single person has passed through the Court of Aelharst and not had a rumor about them ignite. Still, she had hoped whatever they came up with about her was foolish. An unimportant piece of chit-chat that would die out in less than a day. Turns out, that was the last thing they were going to do. At first, she was confused. Most people avoided her gaze once she entered the Great Hall. Normally, many of the other noble families come up to greet her and her family. Perhaps her parents did something to annoy someone else? No, that wasn’t it. Once she separated from her parents, many made their way to greet them. It wasn’t until her best friend, Mizuki, made her way to her that she knew something was wrong. Worry was written all over her face. “I’m surprised you actually showed up tonight.” Sabine frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?” “Maybe because everyone thinks you slept with the prince?” “What?” Mizuki scanned her face. “Oh my stars. You really didn’t know, did you?” “I had no idea about this until just now. Would you care to fill me in?” “Of course. Basically, everyone thinks you and Prince Elias had a... romantic escapade. I’ve been trying to quell the story, but it has proved quite difficult.” “And when do they think this happened?” Sabine cannot recall a single instance where she had interacted with the prince recently, much less been alone with him. “Two nights ago, after supper. Remember how you went up to your room early? Well, he left at around the same time.” “Of course that’s all it took. I didn’t even know he had departed early. Do you at least know who started such a baseless rumor?” Mizuki snatched a drink from a server and took a sip. “No idea. I first heard it from Lady Ratterfield, who heard it from Lady Aaron.” “I see. Well, would you be willing to help me find out who did it?” “Absolutely. I’m not your best friend for nothing.” She winked. “I’ll talk to Lady Crawford, you talk with Lady Bardot.” “Thank you.” Ladies Eirene Crawford and Cecily Bardot are the closest friends of Suzana Aaron. Why anyone would share their secrets with them is a mystery. Anything told to either of them will be known by the entire court in less than a day. Sabine looked around, trying to spot her target. Cecily was in a corner speaking with her husband. Even though they’re both the same age, she was betrothed the moment she turned eighteen. Making sure to not appear suspicious, Sabine slowly moved towards them. “Hello, Sir and Lady Bardot.” Cecily turned towards her. “Lady Lancaster! Hello. How are you?” “I am well, thank you. What about you?” “I am fantastic, thanks for asking.” Sabine eyed Sir Bardot, wishing he wasn’t there. Cecily seemed to notice. “David, my dear, would you go fetch me a drink?” “Of course, my love.” He kissed her cheek and walked away from them. “So, Lady Lancaster, have you been up to anything interesting?” “I don’t know, you tell me.” “Well, Lady Owens told me all about your involvement with the youngest prince. I must say, I wasn’t expecting that from you.” “Ah, that. Lady Owens needs to find better sources, I’m afraid. I did not have an affair with the prince.” “You need not deny it. Some might be jealous of you, but not me. I am content with my husband.” “I am not denying out of modesty, Cecily. I really did not go to bed with him.” She hummed. “Unfortunate. The prince ought to be betrothed soon, and I was hoping it would be you. Seems I was incorrect.” That took Sabine by surprise. She knew that the time for Prince Elias to be betrothed was approaching, but she was not expecting anyone to consider her a possibility. Most assumed that he would marry outside the court for political reasons. “In any case, I am sorry to disappoint.” “Do not worry about it. I simply wish the prince would see he has perfectly suitable candidates here.” “Yes, well, royals tend to not make a lot of sense.” Cecily smiled. “That, indeed. It was nice talking with you, Lady Lancaster.” “I’ll see you around.” Sabine spotted Mizuki at the far end of the Great Hall, still in conversation with Lady Crawford. She decided that her next move would be to find Lady Owens. It was quite odd for her to spread such a rumor around, as she is considered to be one of the more trustworthy members of court. A quick scan of the room showed that she was not in attendance today. Not completely out of the ordinary, seeing as her health has been deteriorating. She tried to think of who are closest to her. Lady Owens is significantly older than her, around forty years her senior, so Sabine does not really know many of the people she interacts with. Her mother was around the same age as Lady Owens, so she tried to think about who she gets along with. They both spend a lot of time together, so it’s not a stretch to assume they have similar circles. The problem was that, in all honesty, Sabine did not pay much attention to what her mother did. In the time she was thinking, Mizuki’s conversation with Lady Crawford had apparently come to an end. Sabine made her way over to where she was. Mizuki did not bother with any small talk. “She told me she heard it from Lady Owens.” “Lady Bardot said the same thing. I tried looking for her, but she’s not here.” “Hmm. The closest person to her that I can think of, aside from your mother, is Lady Rossi.” The last thing Sabine wanted to do was talk to her. She did not get along with the Rossi family in the slightest. Their son was one of the most insufferable people in all of Aelharst. His mother was no better. Mizuki must have sensed her discomfort. “I will go talk to her for you. It would look weird if you went to her asking about this, since the rumor is about you.” She let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding. “Thank you, Mizuki. Or should I say, Lady Saito.” “Shut up, Sabine.” There was nothing for her to do but wait. Not many people wanted to approach her. The few that did always asked questions about the prince. Time and time again, she denied that anything had happened. Most seemed to not believe her. She decided to stand in a corner, drinking champagne. Mizuki should be done talking with Lady Rossi any second now. She was not in the mood to keep hearing questions about the prince, especially when she had no answers. After what felt like forever, but was probably ten minutes, Mizuki found her. Whatever she had learned, it was clearly not good. She almost looked as if she was going to be sick. “Is everything okay?” Sabine said. “I would say yes, but I would be lying to you.” “What did you learn?” Mizuki hesitated. Clearly she did not want to share whatever she had learned. “Please tell me, Mizuki. You agreed to help.” “Fine. Just don’t take out your anger on me, okay?” “You’re scaring me.” “Good,” she paused, “because I found out that the one that started the rumor was your own mother.” Sabine was convinced she heard wrong. There was no way. Lady Rossi had to be lying, right? Her own mother would not create such a rumor about her. It simply wasn’t possible. She did not realize she was shaking until Mizuki put a hand on her shoulder. “Sabine, deep breaths.” She mirrored Mizuki’s breathing until she felt some sort of calm. There was no way to feel actually relaxed with this information, but she tried her hardest. “Are you going to confront her?” “Of course I am. I need to know why.” “That’s completely fair. If you need any support, let me know.” “Thank you.” Subtlety is of utmost importance in court. She waited until her parents were not talking with any of the other noble families. If anyone overheard their conversation, even more rumors would begin. That was the last thing Sabine wanted. “Mother, may I speak to you in private?” “Of course. Let’s go up to our rooms, shall we?” She attempted to put her hand on Sabine’s back, but she put distance between them. Affection from her was the last thing she wanted. The clacking of their heels filled the hallway. Sabine refused to look at her mother. Their rooms are not that far from the Great Hall, yet the walk felt like it took an eternity. Once the door to their room closed, she wasted no time. “Why did you tell everyone that I had an affair with Prince Elias?” “You left me with no choice.” “What is that supposed to mean?” “This court is ruthless, Sabine. It’s better to have this spread around now so that no more rumors about you arise.” “This is ridiculous.” “It is not. If I hadn’t planted this, someone else would have come up with something worse.” “Worse than this? Really? Could you not have come up with something a bit more innocent at least?” “This is nothing in comparison to what others have gone through in this court. You of all people should know that.” Sabine knew that to be true, the own gossip surrounding her mother being horrendous. When her first husband passed away after less than a year of marriage, it was said that she had poisoned him. Even though the autopsy said otherwise, her mother brandished the title of murderer for years to come. It was only once Sabine was born that she was able to change her reputation. Still, it did not make what her mother did to her any better. “Just because you went through worse, mother, does not mean this was okay.” “You will thank me one day, my child. Trust me.” “I do not know how you expect me to trust you after this.” Sabine didn’t wait for a response. She stormed out of the room. The only place she could think of to go was the gardens. At least it would probably be deserted and she could cry in peace. She did not consider that there could be someone lurking in the shadows, ready to start another rumor. After all, the Court of Aelharst never sleeps.