The Cursed Tyrant and His Reluctant Queen

At lunch, we sat almost in the same order as yesterday. The only difference is that the table is more crowded, and my siblings have conveniently been locked in their rooms.

Father is at his usual place, mother on the opposite side. I, then Ignis, are on my father's right side. In front of me, a lady I don't know yet, then the Chancellor. After, the rest of the delegation ordered per influence.

Father and the Chancellor must know each other, and they converse in friendly terms.

We youngsters, on the other side, are silent. Ignis is in a difficult position to stare at, so my attention focuses on the two in front of me.

I'm not expecting to understand the Prime Minister with a single glance, so I try reading through the lady. She's sixty, maybe even older. Her hair is braided and then fixed on the head. There's not a single strand out of place.

Her austere face has no trace of makeup, and her thin, pursed lips exude austerity. She's how I would imagine a stern teacher. She just needs a stick to hit the pupils' hands when they misbehave.

It's been quite chaotic lately.

I wasn't properly introduced to almost anyone, and I couldn't hear any names. Am I supposed to know all these people already? Oh, but I didn't recognise our King, for goodness!

«I'll trouble you to look after my daughter, Chancellor Augur. She's too young to survive the capital alone,» father comments at some point.

Since he's trusting the Chancellor like this, I shouldn't be too dubious either. Yet, I can't drag Ignis and potentially the whole Kingdom down just because of my reckless habit of trusting people.

«I don't think our Queen will need any help from a useless oldie like me,» he chuckles. «But I will keep my eyes open, in any case.»

I smile, trying to look polite if nothing else. Luckily, father continues the conversation, uninterested in the way we others feel. He's found someone he likes, so he'll talk for the rest of the lunch.

I bet these two already did talk a little in front of a glass of whiskey. Even if it was morning.

«Don't sell yourself short. I'm more surprised you didn't stop the late King's death with your capabilities... What happened in the capital? All we've heard is gossip. There was no official communication, so all we could do was guess.»

«It wasn't something anyone could expect. And, for sure, I couldn't stop it,» Chancellor Augur replies, a little uneasy about the situation.

Oh, sure. Father is asking him why Ignis is King. I shall remember not to learn diplomacy from my father.

«The Marchioness will be your first teacher, Veronica,» Ignis says, not too loudly. He doesn't want to divert all the attention just to talk about something that isn't related to the way he slaughtered his family.

I should feel a little worried about this. I am his family right now. It's not a guarantee he won't hurt me.

Yet, I can't imagine Ignis hurting me. Oh, I hope that day doesn't ever come. It would be too much. If even mother isn't worried in the slightest, why should I?

She ordered me to go to the capital and help our people. Would she have done that if she believed I could have been mistreated or killed?

Not that it matters. Orders are orders. The Queen of Mages has a nice way of making people believe she's asking for a favour, but her words are literally orders.

She explained it to me once: she can't be stern because her influence is given by tradition only. And her powers. She doesn't have a crown or other symbols for her status. She prefers to be nice and convince people before commanding.

Yet, her requests shouldn't be ignored. It's no joke...

«Veronica?» Ignis murmurs, noticing that I'm staring at the plate as if I wanted to kill it.

«Sorry,» I sigh. «What were we talking about?»

«Your teachers.»

«Oh, yes... Marchioness?»

«Marchioness Crasso will be your teacher. She will explain how the capital works. You shouldn't be afraid to ask her anything that isn't clear to you, all right? Don't feel embarrassed if you've never heard of some custom or event.»

«All right.»

I turn to the Marchioness and bow my head in a brief nod.

«It's a pleasure meeting with you, Marchioness.»

«Likewise,» she replies.

Even if coming from the other side of the table, where two men have started discussing politics like disport, her voice is clear and somehow melodious. Even with her stern looks, her tone was tender even for that single, brief word.

Meanwhile, father and the Chancellor have started arguing over something boring.

«I'll be in your hands, then,» I add. «My education isn't proper for a Queen. It's a relief that someone will help me through this.»

«We all are here to help our King and future Queen. It's for the good of Alba.»

«Sure!» I nod. This is something Ignis told me.

Here we are, the first lesson of a long series.

«The rest of my life will be dedicated to the Kingdom,» I say. «I will represent Alba and assist my King how proper. To do that, I need to learn a lot more than I've known till now.»

«I am sure your formal education is more than proper for any role, my Lady,» she replies. «Knowing Duke Bursio and how your family insists on education, I don't expect to do much work.»

«I have little to no knowledge regarding etiquette.»

«Oh,» the lady chuckles. «Fortunately, there isn't much a Queen needs to know about it.»

Ah, I like her. I won't need to learn how to talk formally, right? Other than calling people with the right title, there's not much respect a Queen needs to show. Except for the few known exceptions.

Under the table, a shy hand reaches my fingers. Ignis is trying to tell me something. I turn to him and find a kind smile.

It's his way to tell he's happy for the way I'm behaving. But, why? I can't throw tantrums: I'm an adult...

Oh, maybe he's thanking me for accepting this situation without further arguments.