She scowled and shook her head. "Don't do that, at least, not you." Personally, Ivan DeLaFontaine could stay bent over for all she cared, but Sebastian was different.
"Prince Magnus?" she asked.
Sebastian's straightened, his eyes clouding a bit. "Still sleeping." He perked up. "But that is probably for the best. He has been going non-stop for weeks." He pointed around the room. "Half of these are baskets for Prince Gavriel, and the other half are for you. I have taken the liberty of separating the two." He indicated how the baskets lined opposite walls. "I have also written down the names of everyone who sent something and forwarded them to Kari to deal with proper replies."
Vivi exhaled. "Thank you! To be honest, I'm not too sure about this princess thing. Thank the gods for Kari, because I have no idea how to respond."
Sebastian nodded. "You all are too busy to be dealing with trivial things like this anyway." He smiled softly. "You also have a guest waiting for you in the dining room."
Vivi looked at Etain, who shrugged. She looked at Sebastian. "Who?"
"Leana Géroux. She arrived an hour ago."
"You should have reached out to me," Vivi said feeling terrible.
Sebastian shook his head. "She said to let you sleep, that you had had an eventful evening, and that she knew you would be busy this morning." He blushed. "She said that it was worth coming early to partake in my waffles."
Vivi brightened. "We're having waffles?"
Sebastian chuckled. "This way," he opened the dining room door for them.
When they walked in the men stood. She sat down next to Leana, and the men resumed their seats. She turned to the elegantly dressed woman. "Have we met?" she asked.
Leana's eyes were bright. "Yes, a long, long time ago. I was your mother's best friend. I was there the day you were born."
Vivi couldn't help but smile. "I have so many questions." A flood of things she wanted to know flooded her mind. She started with the most important. "What was my mother like?"
Leana laughed. "Dutiful, but stubborn. She said that you were the only good thing that came from her association with DuSang."
"How did she end up with that jerk?" Vivi had always wanted to know why her mother hadn't waited for her mate.
Leana's face became thoughtful. "Things were different before Magnus. It was a different era. Your mother lost her parents in the Great War and was the last of her bloodline. She put off mating for thousands of years until she finally caved under the pressure of the Founding Families for to produce an heir."
"Then why didn't she choose Magnus? He was a royal too," Vivi pointed out.
Leana shook her head. "Because Armand was older and he outranked Magnus."
"Outranked?" Vivi asked.
"Yes. After the Great War, Houses Rioux and Ambrosios were elevated to royal standing by the joint councils for their work in preserving life. DuCoeur and DuSang were the original royal families. When it came time for her to choose a mate, House Ambrosios had all but disappeared so it made sense that between Magnus and Armand she would end up with DuSang." She gave Gavriel a sly look. "Though, had Gavriel been around, she probably would have chosen him."
Gavriel choked on his orange juice. Beth laughed and handed him a napkin. She smiled at Leana. "That wasn't nice."
Leana laughed. "A little pay back for last night. I almost swallowed my tongue when I saw how old he is." She wagged a finger at him. "My poor Simon went all to pieces."
Beth winked at Leana. "Men."
"Truly," Leana agreed and then turned back to Vivi. "Your hair must have changed color as you grew older, though that is the only trait of him I see in you. You have your father's red hair, but you look just like your mother. I knew who you were the moment I laid eyes on you." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "It was like Mercia had returned to us." She smiled. "I guess in a way she has. She would have loved the fact that you took the last name of Mercy." She reached out and cupped Vivi's cheek. "I was devastated when they reported your mother's death. I asked about you of course, but no one could find you. It was assumed you had wandered off and died." She let her hand fall and placed it back in her lap. "For all his sins, your father would have never hurt you. You were his heir, so I knew that you had not shared your mother's fate, but as days became weeks, then months, then years without any clues, I gave up hope." She shook her head. "Magnus was inconsolable for months."
Vivi tilted her head. "Why?"
Leana's eyes widened. "Of course you would not know." She giggled. "Your father hated Magnus with a deep-seated passion that knew no reason. However, Magnus and Caspian were the only other living royals, so he chose the eldest Rioux to be your athair. Your mother of course was tickled pink. She adored Magnus and knew him to be a good man." She giggled. "Magnus used to wait until your father left Level One, then sneak over to the DuSang quarters to visit with you. In fact, he is the one who gave you your first stuffed animal. It was a..."
"Pony," Vivi whispered.
"Oh my goodness. You remember?"
Hal chuckled as he walked in from the kitchen with a large platter of waffles. "Remember? She still has that ratty little pony. I never knew Prince Magnus had gifted it to her. When I met her, she refused to be parted with it. I thought she was the first vampire fabric hybrid and that it had grown from her chest. She would scream bloody murder if you tried to take it. I had to wait until she was sleeping to patch the poor wretched thing."