Alas, a swift hug behind the princess. Behold, there was a gruff voice that tickled her ear. She jolted. "Oh, Bernie~."
"Grandpapa! You startled me!" Berniss slapped her grandfather, Louis II on his arm; it made the elderly man chortled himself. "Uncle Louis, where have you been? Come join us and eat." Viktor said, suggesting his uncle to perch beside Berniss to which the old man adhered.
He and his father's brother personally were not close and not be deemed as associates nor relatives.
But for the sake of the image of their family in the social gathering where everyone judged and be judged, they, by fair means, worked to be civil. "Nephew—ehem, or I shall say—Your Majesty, the old man of yours is just boozing with some of his old pals and a circle of acquaintances, you know, catching up with their lives."
"And there is no such need to fretting on my hunger. Fairly, I am sated by the delicacies the cook prepared for us and the visitors. All of which are tasty and rich!" Louis II grinned, rubbing his belly.
Out of the recreations, a noble could undertake, the elder relished to dine, booze, and sleep. It may be because he was old and gray and no job would not easily tire him out.
He noticed the lady had a look of dejection which alarmed his grandpaternal instincts and so he cheered her up. Since he none had any child of his own, Louis II willingly spent his living with Berniss who he treasured. "My my Bernie, what is with your frowny face? Is the meat not suiting your palate? Tell it to Grandpapa and he'll do anything for you."
"...Anything? For me?" the Masked Princess asked, once again beaming like daylight.
"Mm-hmm."
"Hence, will Grandpapa be able to climb over the walls with me tomorrow morning? I really want to fly a kite farthest from our home," said Berniss, folding her hands as if she begged for a feed.
The question stopped Louis II from prattling. He wheezed and fixed up his black opal jacket, regretting his careless slip. "You do ken I am feeble to do such a strenuous sport, and to that, Grandpapa cannot possibly do it."
But in his head, he inferred what Berniss desired...
An angel passed by the grown-up Rousseaus which deafened Berniss. She began to be bored of hanging around with her kin and wished to walk out from the suffocating atmosphere. It was also a hassle for the princess to put herself into an act of an innocent girl in the public eye; she needed a breather.
"Your Highness, would you mind to dance with a young lad?" Irmigard voluntarily broke the ice, looking at the back of Berniss.
"No, not at all," she waved her hand to decline and sipped her wine.
"It appears to be it was Prince Claus of Frost and his handsome twin that I am recognizing."
"Claus?!" The princess quickly turned her head to the left. As she saw the prince who had a chatter with Prince Alfred, his brother, Berniss formed an O-shaped mouth out of her excitement. "Uh- I have to go, Your Majesty, Miss Thys, and Grandpapa," she bestowed a curt nod one by one and made haste to the ballroom where the Princes of Frost were.
Louis II whistled and plopped his back on the rails of his chair to loosen up, fascinating himself to watch his granddaughter rushed through her prince charming and friend. "Adamant as ever. It clearly runs in your blood," he remarked, thinking of his deceased half-sibling and rival who he liked to hate.
Out of misunderstanding, the Crowned King snickered in his offending disposition. He twisted his mouth into a sardonic smile, hearing what his good-for-nothing uncle inaccurately meant. "Now, I am a bad father."
"Darling! You are not a bad father. Berniss seizes to be ungrateful of her ascribed status, disobeys you, and knows none of what you have done for her like a troublesome child. That is all, okay?" Irmigard cupped her husband's cheeks, butting in.
Louis II scoffed, "Tolerating His Majesty's bad parenting quells him through your agreeable character. What a big responsibility you've handled, Irmigard. I am impressed." He folded his arms, lip servicing the flattered noblewoman who nuzzled Viktor's neck.
"As a mate, it is my duty to support and not hurt him for eternity." The Princess Consort gazed at her husband, expressing her tenderness. "And so is he."
"..." Louis took a fleeting pause, shaking his head. "Great job that it was way too impoverish of you to look good in His Majesty's sight. A new lame trick of yours in sooth." he asserted, never minding what would they feel about his stance.
"And oh, there is one concern, I shall confess. Why you, 'Your Majesty' are not able to allow my Bernie, your offspring to exempt herself away from the castle walls? The mere proof, I shall provide, you have now the capability to unbind her. Is it not hard? Do not you believe it is being... overprotective and unjust?"
He ultimately dared to stand up for Berniss in spite of his rank.
King Viktor rolled his fingers into balls of fury under the table and Irmigard pressed his balled fist to pacify him; his bearing was tested and that he must repress it as there were watchful eyes close by. "That is not the topic I would like to dwell on, 'Your Royal Bastard'. Perchance, it is my chosen path on how I foster and cherish Berniss. I'm conjecturing we both agree on this parental concern of yours, although you had none of a seed. How wretched."
He interlocked his fingers with his wife's hold and firmly squeezed it, getting his composure. Viktor remained to leer on his relative, "They say, 'As a parent, he must pick his poison; preserve the pearl underneath the sea and uncover it at all costs to nobody'."
"Unbeknownst to you, dear Bernie swallowed an ominous venom you've devised," Louis II deplored him, raising his eyebrows. "Truly, you are blind."
"I am your king; Stay on your ground," Viktor warned, gritting his teeth and glowering at his father's brother. The nobles and servants imperceptibly listened to the blatant insults coming from the lips of the Royal Bastard. Whispers and gossips were caused to spread at the party near the Roussseaus. Irmigard sought a different approach to alleviate the family feud in her mind but Louis II warily changed the subject.
Wandering his dark brown eyes to the ballroom where the cadence music commenced and the partners arranged themselves accordingly, he spoke. "Look at your child, isn't she lovely?"
The three Rousseaus directed their lamps to the sweet Berniss who gracefully danced with the First Prince of Frost. Swaying their bodies along with the apt rhythm, the young princess and her partner stood out among the figures. "She is for it runs in the blood," Viktor nodded, being full of himself. "Lo, I may take my word back, Your Majesty." the elder sniffed and Irmigard simpered on her place.
Feasting their eyes on Berniss who smacked the forearm of Claus and surprisingly let out a lilt of laughter (as the prince whispered something in her ear), the couple had a talk by themselves whilst the elder could not care less to associate with them— for Louis II became weary of the pair.
"It seems to me your girl is in high spirits," Irmigard rested her chin on her husband's shoulder. "Indeed," said Viktor, brushing his wife's silky hair through his fingers. "As she will reach the ripe age of sixteen, I may take that prince into consideration to be one of Princess Royal's candidate as her spouse-"
"Viktor! She is too naive of such an affair. What is with a rush?" she rebuked, crinkling her nose. "Cabbage, her happiness and security are in line with my priorities; I seek to have a powerful relation with that emperor from the Land of Frost into the bargain," the king sniggered at the distastefulness on her face.
"Still, I think it is not the opportune moment to send Her Highness away from a foreign domain. A pure maiden as she must be submissive to her man foremost, yet-" she glanced back at Berniss, "She cannot yield herself to you, her Papa. It would be an obstacle for His Royal Highness (Prince Claus)."
"I am conscious of it," he answered, staring down his lap. "For that very reason, you are hereby my side to guide her in the same light that I see for our sweetie..."
Irmigard put her arm around the king's shoulder for a hug and softly spoke, "May it be so."
***
Amid the celebration, Louis II who fixed his gaze on his grandchild felt a tingling warmth on his chest.
An amiable laugh from his granddaughter overwhelmed him with hope. He discerned what Berniss would administer in the fulness of time— chaos and her unimaginable reign— and he nevermore knew what the future should hold in the kingdom and nation.
After all, in the historical record of the royal lineage of Connick, there was none a female monarch. It was only men and men alone.
'But I pray for her ambition, an ambition which shall thrive through a fruitful peace and honor in our name,' he said in his heart, gaping as if his decision in supporting Berniss was the best fit.