Published at 9th of October 2026 6:09 am

Chapter 981: Honor and Loyalty

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It wasn’t long after that Claire received the invitation to the palace of Versailles. And it was deliberately done in a way that she could not refuse.

Princess Isabelle and her mother, by the same name, arrived at the Villa de Rochefort within the countryside of Orleans, where they had lived for generations.

They were quick, and excitedly invited in by Claire’s mother, father, and siblings. All of which went about ordering the house servants to prepare the finest wine, the finest tea, the finest treats, and the finest porcelain.

Upon receiving royalty, their first instinct was to display their wealth, even if they didn’t actually possess it. In the court of Versailles, it was better to perform like you had power than to actually wield it.

Claire simply rolled her eyes as she entered the room, in a modest gown by the standards of the court. Her hair was tied up elegantly, and she wore the smallest amount of jewelry, not because it was particularly within her taste to do so, but appearances still mattered at the end of the day.

There she sat silently, almost entirely disinterested with the superficial chatter, scandalous gossip, and overt sycophantic flattery that occurred between Claire’s own family, and the royal host.

The French Queen noticed the difference between her and those who shared her blood. It was something her daughter didn’t immediately pick up on, but she noticed instantly.

And the reason was simple: she had spent enough time in Tyrol over the years, to detect the silent grace of a nobleman or woman whose silence was a form of respect in its own.

Queen Isabelle sat there, entertaining the in genuine gratitude of her hosts, but the entire time she was sizing up Claire. Who sat there in silence, she wasn’t ignoring what we being spoken, but she most certainly did not contribute either.

She drank her tea, reacted with nods and shakes of her head. But there was a look in her eyes that went otherwise undetected by everyone else around her, save for the French Queen Consort.

Utter impatience....

Frankly, Queen Isabelle was uncertain why her daughter insisted on the Rochefort’s eldest daughter as her handmaiden. But the more she observed Claire, the more the Queen understood that her own flesh and blood might be making a mistake she would end up regretting.

In the end, Queen Isabelle addressed Claire directly. Forcing a response from the girl in a way that would reveal her deeper thoughts, as her daughter exchanged some meaningless conversation with one of Claire’s brothers.

"And what of you, Claire? How have you been lately? You have spoken so little, I almost fear as if I have offended you somehow."

Claire didn’t speak at first, she sipped her tea to soothe her throat, before finally giving her response. It was short, concise, respectful, but by no means flattering.

"I have been fine, Your Majesty. Thank you for asking."

It revealed utterly nothing... and the Queen furrowed her brow in disappointment. The girl was either unusually guarded, or simply had no desire to waste her time with frivolous discussion.

Either way... it reeked of Germany, Isabelle could practically smell the influence of Bruno’s court wafting off of the young countess.

And in the end, she broached the subject that nobody else dared to ask.

"You spent time in Germany didn’t you? If I had to guess, you were one of the students sent over to the Reich after the war to gain a greater education while we rebuilt France from the ashes. Is that right?"

"That is correct." Claire’s response was so rigid, simple, and cold, as she took another sip from her tea.

It was truly infuriating to Queen Isabelle. There were many others like Claire, French noble sons and daughters, who spent much of their formative years in the German Reich.

And Isabelle had no love for speaking with them. They lacked the grace and sophistication of Versailles. In fact, they were equally brutish as the Germans who marched into their borders three times within the last century.

But Isabelle didn’t speak on this, instead she smiled and forced herself to play nice. All while her daughter’s focus had shifted on the young Countess. As if, the Princess had smelt blood in the water and began to circle it like a shark, she too joined in.

"Speaking of which... I know it is sudden, so I must apologize for a lack of notice. But Claire is actually the reason we have come here today."

Those words were like a bombshell to a family that treated Claire as the black sheep of their house due to her.... Eccentric behavior.

They all looked at Claire, then back at the Queen and Princess as if they could not believe their ears. But that didn’t matter because in the next moment, Princess Isabelle continued before they could interrupt.

"I would request that Claire become my personal handmaiden. With the wedding preparations ongoing, I need a pair of extra hands to help with the little things. And who better than the noble girl who spent so many years in the house of my fiance getting to know him?"

Despite the pressure on her, as if a thermobaric warhead had gone off in the room and imploded it entirely upon itself.

Claire didn’t flinch, she didn’t scowl. She smiled politely as she placed her teacup on its saucer and stared the Queen and the Princess straight in the eyes.

"It would be my honor to serve you, Your Highness."

Those were not the words that Princess Isabelle was expecting. She had heard rumors... of something happening between Karl-Franz and Claire years in the past.

She had tried to broach the subject with her fiance, but he denied it. So she had gone out of her way to orchestrate this, not only to find out the truth, but to punish Claire for her audacity.

But there was nothing performative, or facetious in the way Claire had spoken the words, and this irked Isabelle to the point she couldn’t help but question the sincerity of it.

"You would?"

"Of course... Since you have requested it, it is my duty to serve at your beck and call. And my honor is loyalty."

There was no hesitation in Claire’s response. But those words... Duty, honor, loyalty... those were the words that Karl-Franz used all too frequently. And that was unforgivable....

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