Bright and early the next morning, a letter came in for Villiem, promptly delivered by Felix. At first, Villiem thought it was from the emperor, seeing as the letter had a royal stamp.
It was only after opening it that he realized it was from the highest ranking concubine in the Stone Palace, Lady Catarina.
The letter talked about how there was going to be a meeting amongst the concubines of this particular palace. Apparently, it was a mandatory monthly meeting.
The agenda for the meeting was not specifically given, but it was written that it would be about a very important matter.
"You can't go." Felix said to Villiem, snatching the letter from his hand after noticing that Villiem was staring at it for too long.
"But—"
"You can barely stand properly yet you want to go play the role of a dutiful concubine??" Felix scolded Villiem.
"It says it's mandatory." Villiem argued helplessly, forcing himself to sit up on the bed.
"Master, do you think your attendance will really be needed in such a meeting even if it's mandatory?" Felix was annoyed that Villiem was even contemplating going.
It was already clear that Villiem didn't belong in this place and the more he tried to fit in, the worse it would be for him.
Felix was worried about Villiem coping here even though Villiem never worried about himself.
"It might not be. But don't you think there'd be consequences for not attending? Little things seem to matter very much here." Villiem's lips tugged up.
"What's so amusing?" Felix frowned at him. "What if you move around too much and tear your healing wounds? Or if you do something that causes you more wounds?"
Villiem waved off Felix's worries with a soft laugh. "You don't have to worry too much about me. I'll be fine. I also don't want to end up hurting myself."
"But—"
"I'm going." Villiem cut Felix's words firmly. "I have to."
Villiem didn't need to say it out loud but all of his actions in this palace were being watched and reported to the emperor. How else would Carlyle have known that he was refusing meals and punish him for it?
He knew there would be a much greater consequence waiting for him if he decided not to attend this meeting. He didn't want to continue subjecting himself to humiliation and punishments here.
Complying would save him from a lot of things.
***
The next day, Villiem's back was in a better state. The wounds had closed up courtesy of the special treatment he was using. But that didn't mean he was fully healed and back to his regular self.
Any great strain to his muscles and he would be back to square one. So Villiem ensured he was careful in his doings.
After dressing up, he left for the drawing room with a bit of soreness in his limbs. He ensured to be half an hour early. He didn't want to give anyone a bad impression of himself or draw too much attention.
However, when he reached the drawing room, the attention he didn't want found him. Almost a dozen people were already clustered in different cliques inside the spacious room.
They all turned to stare at Villiem when he stepped into the room with Felix close behind him. Their gazes tilted on the lines of hostility, curiosity, and condescension.
Villiem responded to these prying eyes with a polite smile. He bowed, greeting them. Only a few weak replies to his greeting came in. It was better than nothing, at least.
Villiem tried to make himself inconspicuous. He found a place at the corner of the room to stand in, where no one would care to look.
There were servers taking rounds in the room, offering wine and pastries. Villiem quietly refused the few who came his way. He hoped no one would call him out for it.
While waiting for the meeting to start, Villiem observed his surroundings. He had to admit it, the concubines of the Stone Palace were really beautiful.
They each stood out in their own way, from their mode of dressing to their manner of approach. And they were all careful in the words they spoke, watching every sentence that came out of their mouths.
None of them seemed to be close friends. This piece of information stroked Villiem the wrong way. He was hoping to make a friend or two during his stay here.
How would that be possible when everyone was distrustful of others?
Just then, another server holding up a tray of wine glasses came by Villiem. Once again, Villiem was forced to politely decline.
"No, thank you. I'm good," he said.
Simultaneously, someone else said, "I'll have that. Thank you."
Long slender hands picked up two glasses of wine. The person finished one glass with a single gulp and returned the empty glass.
Then they turned to Villiem and said, "Cheers, huh?"
Noticing that Villiem wasn't holding a glass, they tutted, then clinked his glass with another on the tray.
"Apologies for not recognizing you in time, Your Highness." The person gave an awkward curtsey, clutching the thin material of their low-rise pants.
Villiem could practically feel the confidence oozing out from this person despite the few amount of words that had left his mouth. He took note of their tanned skin and he recognized the Kaleesh accent in the tone.
Though, this was the prettiest Kaleeshi he had ever seen—not that Villiem had seen many before. It was just that the ones he'd seen were always very tall and burly.
The Kaleeshi in front of Villiem had a small frame and was even shorter than he was. Not only that, the length of his hair reached his back, like most Kaleeshis.
He smiled at Villiem, and his gray eyes curved into thin crescents.
Villiem's eyes unconsciously strayed to the Kaleeshi's body which was partially exposed with purple silk draping his shoulders and elbows, and beads hanging on his neck and waist.
"Hello," Villiem said awkwardly.
"Your Highness doesn't need to be shy with me."
The Kaleeshi shifted closer to Villiem and leaned forward to say, "We've met before."