No way was I not gonna latch onto that. I set down my own sandwich and looked back at my father.
“It’s about Hugh Roberts. I wanted to ask you some questions.”
Father surely knew everything that had happened the day before, during our survey, so I could skip the preamble.
“Aha… Roberts.”
Either he was expecting the question…or he wasn’t… His reaction could have meant either.
“Where was he relocated to?”
“…” No answer.
“The decision was made after meeting with Sirius, correct?”
My father sighed deeply and shook his head. “I can’t tell you where he is. And, Octavia, you aren’t the only one. The only people in the castle who know Roberts’s whereabouts are myself and Sirius.”
“Then…please at least tell me this: Did you take him to the same place where the people who raided the junior ball are being held?”
Ordinarily, if a prisoner was moved from the dungeon, he would be moved to a similar location like the one I’d just suggested—the prison tower where the raiders had been sent.
That’s right… Hugh was the one who told me about the practice.
“No.”
“Then is he in a holding area in preparation to go there?”
What I really wanted to know was: Is he in prison?
My father sighed again.
“I know what you’re trying to find out… No—is that what you want me to say?”
“Father!”
My father paused and asked, “Did that Sirius say anything to you?”
“Well, he—”
…gave me a letter…
“That” Sirius?
It almost sounded like my father had grasped that Sirius had issues with his memory. Did Sirius (with memories) explain this to him when he was making arrangements to relocate Hugh? How far had his explanation gone? Would the ruler of a kingdom just take that at face value? I suppose that could make sense if he already knew about Sirius’s condition to an extent—
“I take that as a yes…,” my father said. “In that case, what he said to you is everything. Trust Sirius. He doesn’t want you involving yourself with Roberts, and neither do I.”
I looked down and bit my lip. Trust my brother (with memories), he said…
I thought back to the conversation I had with Klifford in the Great Corridor. But I still couldn’t say with full conviction that I trusted my brother.
I thought there was an eighty percent chance that everything would be okay…but if my trust led to horrible results, I wouldn’t be able to accept it, and I didn’t want to regret that.
He continued, “But if you still insist on knowing…”
My eyes darted up.
“The day you introduce your lover to the family is almost here.”
He abruptly changed the subject. But how is that connected—
“After the formal introduction.”
…………The formal introduction?
“After your lover is formally introduced to us, I will tell you where Roberts is, if you wish.” My father released his crossed arms and retrieved the documents at his side. And perhaps because there was no reaction from me, he asked, “Is there a problem?”
I gave the only answer I could. “Of course not. I appreciate your consideration, Father.” I embellished it all with a Princess Smile.
And, so he wouldn’t pick up on my emotions, I picked up my egg salad sandwich and chomped—rather, daintily bit into it like Edgar. Before I realized it, I’d eaten the whole thing.
Okay, Octavia. Organize your thoughts.
Good news is, you have a way of knowing where Hugh was relocated. Also, you know he wasn’t sent to the prison tower with the raiders.
That’s one step in a good direction.
It’s just… How many days are left until the formal introduction? The clock is ticking!
Even now, there’s still no shadow or shape of him—my beloved! (Fake-beloved, but you get the point!)
Rust, my first choice, didn’t work out for me because of that damn face of his. Then my next target, Guy, turned me down…
Not as a palate cleanser but as a mood cleanser, I took a sip of unflavored sparkling water. Mmm, nice.
I guess I have to buckle down and finally come up with a solution…
I decided to ask my father a question regarding a tactical withdrawal.
“Father, what would you do if I said I wanted to keep my lover a secret?”
In other words, what if I ditched Meet the Parents?
My father cast me a sideways glance from his documents and said, “Then I would take that to mean he does not exist.” Then he tapped the desk with his left index finger. “However—if that were to happen, then I wonder what would become of the drums of betrothal marching your way.”
The drums…of betrothal?
I had no fiancée. According to Esfian law, if a princess has not found a fiancée by the time she is of marriageable age, then a partner most beneficial for the kingdom will be chosen on her behalf. And since I was sixteen years old, that conversation should have come up by now. But it hadn’t…until today.
“Gentlemen from Khangena and Valjean have both submitted requests.”
Um, aren’t we being a little too casual about this, Father?!
“Well…this is the first I’ve heard of it.”
For real, tho!
“To be sure. There were whispers of it for some time, but the formal requests came in two days ago.”
Isn’t that, like, way too recent? Here I am, unable to find a fake boyfriend on my own, while meanwhile, I’ve got game in a sport I’m not even playing…?
My father produced two sheets of paper from the documents next to his breakfast. “From Khangena, it’s fourth prince Kamil. And from Valjean, it’s third prince Yarsh.”
My father slid two resumes across the table at me. These were the basic sort of dating profiles suitors filled out when submitting a request. They contained stats and pictures.
Kamil, fourth prince of Khangena. Age: Thirteen. Dude, he’s younger than Alec…? According to his profile pic, he looks like a rebellious blond beauty, and he’s got purple eyes.
“King Liam…,” I murmured.
“Exactly,” my father replied. “Due to his looks, Prince Kamil is hailed as King Liam’s second coming.”
In the neighboring kingdom of Khangena, the monarch’s power was absolute. Esfia and the other kingdoms had powerful monarchs, too, of course, but not nearly as powerful. And there was a clear reason behind this.
It happened just before King Eus ascended the throne in Esfia.
Due to an incompetent Khangenan ruler, the monarchy there was overthrown for a time. They had a revolution, and the people instilled what we would call a democracy. But the democracy didn’t last forever.
“Let the will of the people decide.”
It was majority rule, but bribery was rampant when it came to voting. Stubbornly clinging to the royal family’s conviction, even the young princes and princesses were publicly executed.
They did as they pleased in the name of revolution, but even revolutionaries got burnout. It was like, toppling the monarch was their mission, but they hadn’t thought about what came next? Also, they weren’t an organized unit—that was their other problem. So there was fighting among the revolutionaries.
Fast-forward only a few years of corrupt democracy later, and some of the proletariat began to say they wanted their monarchy back.
So there was a second revolution.
In the first revolution, the surviving prince’s vassals helped him escape. Then, after the storm passed, he returned to the former royal capital with an army containing Adjutants. The tables were turned and the revolutionaries were sent packing.
Restoring the monarchy, the prince was crowned king of Khangena. And luckily, he just so happened to be a natural-born leader.
Even today, King Liam was the most popular figure in Khangenan history. While he was admired in Esfia, “If only King Liam hadn’t been on the throne…,” was a common gripe in our history books.
Then again, from their POV, it was like, “If only King Eus hadn’t been around…” Both sides can conclude that if their periods of reign hadn’t overlapped, the present state of both kingdoms would be much different.
And one other thing about King Liam—he was a hottie: a dazzling beauty with silvery hair and violet eyes. The letters sent to me by my pen pal Cissy were chock-full of King Liam stories that set my little fujoshi heart ablaze! King Liam had a staff officer, you see, and under a keen eye, that officer’s relationship with his master was hella fishy…