The news was jarring on one hand, though certainly not unexpected. There had been gossip among the servants about what the true purpose of Prince Zack's parents' trip, and it was political marriage, of course. The rumors, however, had seemed unreal. First, Ameline couldn't have cared, but as time went on, the rumors had seemed more and more surreal- and anyways, while the months passed and Ameline began to quietly know her master more and more, it seemed like a failure. Certainly, the thought that once the year was up, Prince Zack would have a wife, and Ameline would be ushered out was always there, but it was much more of a passing thought than a reality.
"If I may speak freely, sir," Ameline offered, still standing where she was. "You will meet her, yes, master, but you shan't marry her tomorrow." She swallowed. "Perhaps you will end up loving her, even if-" even if the marriage was to secure or forge political relations "-she was chosen by others for you." A pause. The maid considered saying more, but when it came down to it, she was just a maid, and in no place to try and help her prince navigate his marriage.