To Love, Once Again

"So you see, The Kings of Thornmere have been known for their enjoyment of the arts since an early Age.."

A small head perks up from the table, red cowlick waving in the air, when Sera returns to the cottage.

"Mama!"

Jumping off his desk in the cottage, Leo pumps his short legs, colliding with Sera's skirts before she'd even had time to bend down and welcome him into a hug.

"Your Majesty."

The other maids curtsey as Sera looks around the room where'd they'd eaten breakfast just that morning. Cluttered atop the table laid piles of maps and illustrations, as well as the alphabet of Thornmere.

But the usual warm presence of Bea watching over her son was missing. Instead, standing at the head of the table with a book in hand was a short middle-aged looking man, wearing a curly grey wig with a belly that rivaled Head Chef Ald's.

He even wore some makeup, with a light blush on his cheeks and a white powder underneath that made him look like a clown.

"Where's Bea?" Sera asks the maids that stand by the walls of the sunny room. Though instead of hearing the soft voice of a maid, she hears a man speaking in a nasally, breathy tone.

"Miss Bea returned for some sort of family emergency, Your Highness."

"Oh? And you are?"

With a sweeping bow, the gentleman greets Sera. "I am Sir Reginald Vantland of the Moors, hired by His Majesty the King as a Tutor for the young prince."

"I didn't know Leo had a tutor."

"To be precise, the young prince didn't have one until today. After receiving the missive from the King it had taken me several days to arrive here, you see."

Several days. Hmm. Raising a brow at his words, Sera considers the timing of his arrival. It seems Lucien had been preparing for a proper education for Leo even as she'd stayed with him as his mistress. Lucien must have been thinking of the future with her and Leo together, though the man hadn't been able to tell her the truth of his marriage.

"You don't live in Thornmere?"

"No, Your Majesty. I am but a humble traveling merchant." He puffs out his chest, proudly gesturing out to the maps, scrolls and books littering the table. "These are some of my wares."

He steps forward, reaching out to kiss Sera's hand in the noble greeting. But then his hand stops mid-air, retracting his hand.

"I would greet you formally, Your Majesty, as is proper.." He shakes his head, as if remembering something.

"But a certain..circumstance tell me we can forgo this process."

Sera sighs. "You mean the King, don't you." It had to be, though the tutor doesn't confirm her suspicions. Greetings weren't all too important to her anyways. If she had things her way, she would be having people address her as Sera, or Miss Sera.

"Well," And then Sir Vantland falls into a series of uhhmms and ahhs, long enough to make Leo grow bored and start playing with Sera's fingers.

It was useless to wait for Sir Vantland to finish his sentence. Everyone in the room knew he had no intention of doing so. Guess it was time to change the subject.

"I hope the emergency is nothing terrible. Let's make something for Bea that we can gift her before she comes back." Sera thinks out loud.

"A pwesent!?" Leo jumps in excitement.

"Yes, a pwe-" Ahem! Containing the slight rush of embarrassment at having spoke with Leo's lisp, Sera repeats herself.

"a present."

Sera smushes Leo's pudgy face between her hands, while Leo just stares up at her, eyes twinkling. Leo didn't mind when Sera cupped her palms around Leo's round face, pushing his plump cheeks together to make his small lips poke out. Under her hands, this little prince was beginning to resemble a small dumpling bulldog. His cheeks were just SO SOFT! And elastic too, Sera thought as she pinched both his cheeks out.

"Mamwa, hwurts" Leo's lips move like a tweeting bird as Sera continues to squish and unsquish his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry baby. You were just too adorable!" Leaning down to kiss his reddened cheeks, Sera gives Leo a big hug.

Another maid speaks up, curtseying to Sera.

"Pardon my interruption, my lady. Miss Bea recieved a missive her youngest brother's gotten injured. Some sort of accident on the job."

"Oh I hope he's alright."

"I'm sure he will be fine with Miss Bea taking care of him" The maid responds in a soft reassuring tone. Sera glances at the woman. Recognizing her as one of the maids who'd been taking care of Leo, she gives her a nod.

This maid was also one of the girls who'd been strictly punished by Bea for losing the Leo in a game of hide-and-seek. They'd all seemed quite regretful about the issue, and had barely managed to keep their positions by begging Sera. She didn't mind giving them another chance. To train up another batch of maids that could look after Leo took a lot of time and effort, not counting the vetting process done to confirm their backgrounds. After a big mistake like this, these maids would be much more careful in their treatment of her son.

As another plus, their attitudes to her had changed a lot from the awkwardness from before. They spoke to her much more openly. It was nice, Sera thought, to have some more women she could talk to other than Bea.

If it was a bad injury, Sera didn't blame Bea for hurrying home. Without a proper herb woman nearby, some quack doctor might be called. Sera winces. Those quack doctors tended to go straight for recommending amputation for any injury.

"Then I guess we'll have to eat lunch together without Bea." Sera strokes her baby's soft hair as he clutches at her skirts.

"Will it be alright if I interrupted the lesson, Sir Vantland?"

"Oh no, not at all! It was a good time to end it, since we'd just finished going through the Kings of Thornmere."

Taking out a pocket watch from his vest-pocket, the portly man checks the time.

"Then, Your Highness, I'll be returning to my abode. I shall see you tomorrow. Adieu!"

Leo waves to the gentleman, giggling when Sir Vantland's wig skews to one side with the force of his dramatic bow.

"Goodbye, Sir Vantland!" Sera curtseys back.

"Oh, no no Your Majesty, you are the Queen. You must not bow to me." Sir Vantland uses his fingers to push up his own chin and smiles. His movements were quite spry for an older, plumper man. With all his weight, Sir Vantland moved about like he was floating, each movement polished. From what Sera could see, he seemed like the right person to be Leo's tutor. As a merchant, he must have first-hand experience of the world outside Thornmere.

---------------

After lunch, a maid returns to let Sera know of the items she'd requested previously arriving at her door.

"Was this what you wanted, Your Majesty?"

The same knights that had nervously taken her to meet Lucie the first time she'd come to the cottage greet her.

Before Sera was a cart piled high with what a passerby would consider a random selection of junk. Some round cylinders made of copper, a few funnels, a slat of wood and leather, metal wires, thick padded cotton-like woven cloths, and veils stained in strange, runny colors.

To Sera, it wasn't just any junk. It contained memories of a time from long ago.

Running a hand over the items, Sera nods.

"Oh, and one more thing-"

At her words, the two knights halt, retracing their steps back to her.

"Could you tell the kitchens not to worry about bringing the ice too quickly? I'll need it in the evening, after suppertime."

"As you command, Your Highness."

Bowing, they depart as Sera and the maids begin to bring the items atop the cart atop the house. Even little Leo holds the veils in his hands, though it took another maid to dig him out after he'd accidentally brought the pile of strangely colored light fabric falling atop his head. A few jumps at the side of the cart, a little tugging, and the fabric floated down easily enough. Only his cowlick had poked out while the rest of him was hidden like a multi-colored adorable ghost.

"With this many flowers, it should be easy enough to find them." Sera mutters, looking out the window of the cottage to the garden.