The Cursed Tyrant and His Reluctant Queen

«I'd like to talk a little with you, but I am afraid you will misunderstand my concerns,» I say. «It would help me a lot, but I won't force you if it's not to your will.»

Malia Quarto nods, accepting without asking a question. Oh, well, better for me.

«You were the Crown Prince's... ehm, lover?»

«Yes, your Majesty. I was his late Highness's mistress.»

Oh, she's saying it so lightly.

«Is it something to admit so easily? For real?»

I can't imagine father having a mistress and mother accepting it. I can't fathom the third party admitting it out loud, let alone with pride. Things work in weird ways here in the Palace.

«The Royal Family has the first duty to produce heirs. Law in Alba doesn't allow the King to marry more than a woman, like in other places, but there's nothing stopping a bastard Prince from claiming his role. Being a lover of the King or the Crown Prince means being second only to the Queen. And your Majesty should know there is an agreement between the Queen and the King's mistresses.»

This is something I will ask Marchioness Verres. She has experience with the King too, and I'm quite interested in how often she used to communicate with the Queen Dowager.

«So, there was an understanding between you and Princess Juliet,» I say, returning to the topic. Let's find out something new today.

«No, of course not. What I told your Majesty regards the King only. The Crown Prince had many mistresses only because he liked playing around. Her Highness, the Princess, didn't have any saying into it. He was just... an infidel husband, I guess.»

«And you're fine with all you're saying? Don't you feel guilty?»

«I do, a little. But the Crown Prince was going to become King. In that case, I would have had a stable standing at court.»

At least, she's direct and doesn't take long detours to tell me something simple. She was direct even when offering to be my husband's mistress, and she might still be hoping for that now that I'm talking with her.

«So, the King's mistress has a standing.»

«Yes, your Majesty. It's better than any title. Also, the King usually presents the ladies serving him with gifts of many kinds. It's better than any boring marriage.»

My marriage is all but boring.

«So, I was hoping to have it easier,» she then sighs.

«Returning to the matter about the Princess... I'd love to hear more. I mean, it was my husband's brother. I'd just like to hear what to expect.»

Does it make sense? To me, not. But Malia doesn't seem to suspect.

This one is just a greedy lady in search of opportunities, and I happen to be one of the best she has had recently.

«His late Highness used to meet many ladies at once,» she says. «If that's what his Majesty likes, I fear nothing.»

Oh, good. There's absolutely nothing the brothers shared, I'd say. My Ignis wouldn't ever do this.

«You mean, all at once?» I ask.

«Yes.»

«Two ladies?»

«Four, five... It depends… on the mood, I guess. And on the number of messages that were delivered. The Princess wasn't happy about the situation, and she used to sabotage his encounters. That's one of the reasons they didn't get along.»

All right, finally some interesting news. Juliet didn't get along with her husband because he had many mistresses, and she liked to sabotage his rendezvous. I understand Juliet, though. I would have done exactly the same, if not worse.

«Once, she killed one of the mistresses since his late Highness was getting attached.»

«And how do you know he was getting attached?»

«Because he called her by name and called her often even in front of the Princess.»

Ah, I see...

«And how was the miss killed?»

«An assassin went into her room and cut her throat during the night. It was a bloody spectacle that ignited the court for days.»

«What did the Crown Prince do after that? Did he fight with his wife?»

«Uh? Oh, no. He found another lover, but that one didn't dare appear in front of the Princess.»

I shall ask how she knows it was the Princess, but...

«How did he call you if not by name?» I murmur. It's stronger than me. I'd sit down and chat about the absurdity of this life. It's like reading a controversial, banned book.

«He called us by number.»

«By... number?»

«Yes. We had a number signalling the order of preference. We used to fight among ourselves to have that number reduced. Now, after all that happened, I feel stupid about all the effort.» Her sigh is tired, maybe a little snickering. Yet, she's not despairing just yet.

«His late Highness sure had the character.»

«That's not all, your Majesty. I haven't told anyone yet, but I think it was the same with the others... His late Highness had a lot of odd requests from us.»

Now, I'm curious.

«Once, he made me wear a collar.»

Oh, I can take the chance and collect a few new ideas.

«He even whipped me, but it wasn't pleasant. At least, it didn't last long. To be honest, it never lasted long. That's why I liked it. I would do my part for a little while, and then I'd spend the day eating delicious food in the Prince's chambers. He didn't want anyone to know exactly how much and how often we did it, so I had to pretend to be... busy? Something like that.»

«Whips are no good,» I comment. They leave signs, and I can't think about any signs on Ignis's skin. Not even for a short while!

Also, Malia says it's unpleasant. I don't want to do anything unpleasant to my husband.

«He wanted us to call him Majesty, which was the hardest thing to do. If someone heard, we would have been charged with disrespected Majesty. Only Kings and Queens can have that title.»

«Oh, he requested you that? How unfitting!»

«Not just that. It always had a different sound. Sometimes, it was his great Majesty. Other times, his giant Majesty. Or his stud Majesty...»

The biggest challenge was not to laugh. Who in their right mind wants other people to call them hilarious names?

Oh, but what if Ignis also likes to hear praises? I might not have it in me to say stud, but the rest is good enough. I'll give it a try when I have some time.

«As your Majesty can see, I have experience in any circumstances,» she finishes, raising her chin proudly.

Oh, sure. I do admire her resistance. She's quick to adapt and knows how to bear with tyrannical people. Still, she's slow at reading the situation.

«I'm so sorry for the Princess, though. She suffered a lot because of this,» I try.

«Oh, as if. She didn't suffer even when she lost her first baby. I'm glad the second is all right and all, I'm not saying anything evil. Just... I don't think she was pregnant the first time.»

«You think it was a lie?» I murmur.

«I do.»

«Why?»

«Because his late Highness didn't have other children.»

«What? How in the world do you know it?»

«What do you think was the ultimate purpose for staying with him? Bearing an heir, possibly a son. Yet, no matter how many ladies spent time with him, not one became pregnant. It would have been such a fortunate coincidence that her Highness had a baby after sleeping with the Prince exactly once.»

«Oh, but there is a baby now,» I point out. «Aestas is the late Crown Prince's daughter, isn't she?»

«His late Highness didn't sleep with his wife while he was with me. I was one of his girls only during the last four months of his life, but I don't think things were different before. Not only he didn't care about his wife, but he also didn't want to talk about it. He said he did spend the night with her, but he was too drunk to remember it. I once made the mistake of asking, and I got a slap with the explanation.»

Not a playful slap, I bet.

«So, the Crown Prince slept only once with his wife and conceived a baby. Oh, it happened twice, in fact.» Even though the first baby wasn't born.

«He never ever did share the bed with her, if not the night when they consummated. And then, when they had the daughter, I guess. I believe the Princess makes use of magic because she did in one go what we were trying with countless attempts. If it's not magic, it's either sheer luck... Or a lie.»

«Your words are dangerous, Malia.»

«I know, your Majesty. But I'm sure it's better if someone tells you. Also, I can assure you: I won't overstep my boundaries with his Majesty. My reputation is long gone, and I won't be able to find a good husband. I won't have any reason to play games, and I will report to your Majesty and take all the precautions you deem fit.»

«No. My husband won't take mistresses,» I say. «But that doesn't mean your life is over. You're not just your body, Malia. There's a lot more, you know?»

She's too young to despair like this! And her life is just at the beginning. She should find some motivation to create something new instead of crying over what happened in the past.. That can't be undone nor changed, but she can learn from her mistakes.