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“Well, Miss Hall,” Graace said, “you’ll find that I’m a gentle interviewer. No hardball questions, okay? We just want our viewers to get to know you a little since they’ll be seeing feed of you during our palace coverage whenever the Ruler’s children are around.”
“Thank you,” Yasmine said with relief. “And you can call me Yasmine. The children do.”
“Ah, so you have a permissive approach to childcare?” Graace asked.
Yasmine looked up in alarm, but saw that the woman merely looked inquisitive, not judgmental.
“I think the children should feel comfortable with me,” Yasmine said. “There have been so many changes in their lives recently, and there are so many formal demands on them. It’s nice for them to know they don’t have to stand on ceremony with me.”
“Speaking of standing on ceremony,” Graace said, “I understand you committed a pretty serious faux pas on your second day of work.”
Yasmine gulped. She had known that would come up.
“Breathe,” Graace whispered. “They’ll show a clip of you in the head piece here. It will be a quick one and flattering.”
“Yes,” Yasmine said. “I pray to the gods that wearing the Ruler’s wife’s headpiece will be the most mortifying moment of my life. I still can’t believe it happened.”
“I think we’re all curious about that,” Graace said, the corner of her lips twitching up like she wanted to smile. “Can you walk us through it?”
“Pia is fond of hats,” Yasmine said carefully, not wanting to air the child’s fear of showing her circlet.
“Is that Olympia, the Ruler’s little daughter?” Graace asked.
“Yes, that’s right,” Yasmine said. “I had noticed the hat and thought I would surprise her by wearing it. I had no idea what it really was. As I said, we didn’t have a holo-screen back home.”
“Was she surprised?” Graace asked.
“Oh yes,” Yasmine said. “Not for the reason I thought.”
“Did she tell you it was her mother’s hat?” Graace asked, leaning forward as if Yasmine was about to spill a secret.
“No,” Yasmine said.
“And Ajax, did he tell you?” Graace asked.
“First of all, I’m sure they were too stunned to say much,” Yasmine said. “And of course, the Ruler’s children have impeccable manners. They didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”
“And the palace staff?” Graace asked.
“No one said a word to me,” Yasmine said primly. “But the palace staff have very important jobs that do not involve troubleshooting the nanny’s wardrobe. I have no one to blame but myself for the terrible offense I caused. I am new to Ulfgard, and I am doing my best to consider all of its many peoples and cultures. But it’s a whole lot different than Terra-17.”
Graace sat back, nodding and looking impressed. “And the Ruler,” she went on. “He didn’t fire you for such a misstep?”
That was a tricky question. Yasmine wasn’t sure how to answer.
“The Ruler was understandably hurt and confused by my bizarre behavior,” she said carefully. “But when he came to understand that I did not have access to Ulfgardian news and culture back on Terra-17, he immediately showed supreme patience and compassion by letting me know that I would be permitted to stay on with the children. As you said, it was just a misstep. And I think we all have those. The important thing is to stay on the right path.”
“And will you stay on?” Graace asked.
“This is a temporary position,” Yasmine answered without really answering. “But I will never forget my time with Ajax and Olympia Kreed. They are smart, curious, kind, and interesting people, and I am better for having known them.”
“Lovely,” Graace said. “And what should we know about what you’re doing with them today?”
“Tai Chi is an ancient Terran martial art,” she explained. “I find it to be wonderful exercise and excellent for building strength and focus. Ajax and Olympia enjoy it, too. As you can see, they’re honing their skills already. I’m honored that they have taken an interest in learning a bit of my home planet’s culture, just as I have committed to learning more about theirs.”
She watched the cameras pan to the kids and breathed a silent sigh of relief. There would probably be more questions for her, but the hard ones were done.
An hour later, the interview was complete, and Graace had taken all the bonus footage she wanted for her feed. Just as she hoped, the rest of the interview had been more about favorite dishes and celebrity crushes as a kid. Total fluff.
