As the door closed behind me, I stiffened. The visitor, who was someone who should not, no, could not possibly be here, caught my startled reaction and rewarded me with a glib smile.
I swallowed hard.
“Don’t just stand there, Carolina,” my father, Duke Raymond Sanchez, chided with a stern voice. “I have no recollection of raising a daughter who neglects basic courtesies.” He stood imposingly behind our guest on the sofa, his long, silver-white hair tied neatly at the nape of his neck and swaying slightly as he regarded me critically.
Feeling the weight of his world-weary and piercing emerald eyes, I hastily curtsied. “I humbly beg your pardon for my delayed introduction. I, Carolina, second daughter of House Sanchez, am deeply honored to meet...” I took a deep, steadying breath before I continued. “...Your Royal Majesty.”
Before me was King Nathan Phillips, the reigning monarch of Celestia and lord over my father, who was the duke and prime minister.
The king...
My father managed the vast responsibilities of a dukedom while also serving as the king’s most trusted adviser. He was the most capable man I knew, and yet the king was the one person he always spoke of in the highest regard. “Do not think lightly of him” had always been the constant refrain.
The obvious question struck me: why was he here? There had been no fanfare, no announcement of his visit, which meant that protocol had not been followed. Recalling the peculiarities of the day—the unusual deployment of our family carriages and the oddly dim lights of our manor—I pieced it together. First, the surplus of carriages had likely been a ruse to discreetly transport His Majesty from the castle, the guards being unlikely to take the time to check each one. Second, the dimly lit manor was a result of restricting the servants’ access to this wing. More than half of the manor was off-limits tonight, ensuring that almost everyone remained unaware of the royal visit.
Everything pointed to a singular conclusion: that His Majesty’s appearance here was an unsanctioned one, and that my father had moreover been the one to discreetly facilitate this clandestine meeting. His Majesty was infamous for his capricious nature, so I didn’t find it terribly odd that he would sneak out of his own castle, but my father had never once entertained any of his monarch’s whims. In fact, he was always the one who sought to rein in His Majesty when his erratic moods took hold. So what was the game truly at play here? A sense of unease began to settle in the pit of my stomach.
His Majesty fondly narrowed his amethyst eyes, a mark of his royal lineage, and casually brushed a strand of his platinum-blond hair behind his ear in a gesture that was oddly sensual.
“Hey Carolina, long time no see,” His Majesty began, his tone almost inappropriately playful. “How long has it been, a few months? Been doing all right, I hope?”
“I have; thank you for asking. I trust Your Majesty is also in the best of health?” I replied, attempting to maintain formality.
“Absolutely! They say health is wealth, and if that’s the measure, then I’m a rich man indeed. I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve never been ill—not once in my life. Quite the feat, wouldn’t you say?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty,” I affirmed, a little taken aback. “The well-being of our kingdom rests greatly on your shoulders. My prayers are always for both your health and our land.”
He let out a light chuckle. “Then I shan’t let your efforts go to waste. I’ll be extra vigilant about my health.”
The longer this opening salvo dragged on, the more my suspicion grew. Why wasn’t he getting to the point? Surely His Majesty hadn’t come all this way just to make small talk? Although, if he was as impulsive as his reputation would have me believe, then perhaps he might have? But, no... It seemed unlikely my father would entertain such caprice.
His next question took me completely by surprise. “Say, I’m curious. Do you have a special someone in your life, Carolina?”
“A special...someone?” I repeated, incredulous.
“Yes,” His Majesty affirmed. “Surely a lady of House Sanchez has a fair share of admirers? Did any of them confess on the day of your academy graduation?”
My mind completely froze. The king was here to discuss my...romantic prospects?
Just as I began to assume this entire visit was in fact nothing more than a mere social call, my father, silent until now, was moved to speak. “Your Majesty, that’s enough small talk. There are important matters at hand.”
Oh, good. It seemed there was a purpose for his visit after all. As I laid my anxiety to rest, the affable demeanor of His Majesty suddenly vanished, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. “Small talk? Did that sound like small talk to you, Raymond?” His Majesty asked, his tone suddenly serious. “Surely, you of all people understand the gravity of my question.”
My father’s breath hissed through clenched teeth. “Your Majesty...”
“At any rate, you have no right to tell me what I can and can’t do, Mister Prime Minister. Do remember why you’re here—to serve the Kingdom of Celestia.” The typically congenial monarch now wore a stern expression as he stared down his subject.
Left on the fringes of this conflict, I tried to piece together the motivation behind their strained exchange. Just what was this tension? Why such an atmosphere of uneasiness between the two of them?
My father met His Majesty’s gaze without flinching. “Your Majesty, I cannot lend my support to you in this matter. I may be prime minister, but before that, I am this girl’s father.”
“Oh? And you would defy the crown for her sake?”
“I would.”
My father’s answer had been instantaneous. For a moment, the king narrowed his eyes, as if assessing my father’s sincerity. Then, to my astonishment, he broke into hearty laughter. “That’s fantastic, just fantastic, Raymond! To think that you, old straitlaced Raymond, would defy me for the sake of your child!” His mirth devolved into a bout of knee-slapping. When it subsided, he reached up to give my father an approving pat on the chest. “You’ve grown, old friend, you really have. It’s heartening to see such a human, or should I say, fatherly side of you. In recognition of this newfound development, perhaps we can devise a compromise.”
My father’s eyes flickered briefly at the mention of a “compromise,” but he otherwise remained unreadable.
Having dangled the promise of a concession in front of my father, His Majesty pressed forward, “Once I’ve provided some context, we’ll come back to my previous questions. You should find that acceptable, yes?”
Taking a moment to consider, my father gave a curt nod of approval.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. While I still had no idea what they were talking about, I was deeply relieved that the storm seemed to have passed. The last thing I wanted was to be the cause of a rift between the royal family and House Sanchez.
His Majesty sat up straight and turned to me. “Now that we have your father’s consent, let’s dive straight into the heart of the matter. Where to begin, let’s see... Ah, how about with recent events involving our kingdom and”—here he looked at me significantly—“the Empire of Malcosias?”
My eyes widened. That was a name I hadn’t been expecting to hear.
Also known as the Ruby Empire, the Empire of Malcosias was a mighty nation whose territories occupied most of the continent. They were a highly developed country, home to advanced magic and high culture—not to mention a proud, rich history and an absolutely massive military. The empire was a beast that our humble kingdom had no business provoking; if it saw fit to do so, it could wipe Celestia off the map in an instant!
“Now, while we’ve had our fair share of squabbles with the empire, they’ve all been small things—things that both sides are willing to overlook. Our recent transgression, however, was considerably less...overlookable, let’s say. For you see, one of our own managed to commit a slight against a certain imperial duchess—a duchess who just happens to be the beloved sister of the reigning emperor, of all people. I’m sure you’re beginning to grasp why neither side can afford to ignore this incident, yes?”