With my previous blunder in mind, I stepped forward with bated breath, parting the doors. The hinges creaked like lost souls shrieking, alerting the king to my presence as my boots clacked on the tile floor and resounded on the walls.
A man in the center of the room laughed maniacally before he stopped to confirm my status as an unexpected visitor. Subsequently, I met eyes with the king (whose face was cold like his son's) before he smiled.
"Pleased to see you again, Miss Heide." King Inei showed no signs of animosity as I bowed to him.
"Gaeul," he continued, cutting off the spectacle in the center, "I don't think your services as a jester will be needed for this meeting. You are dismissed until my son requests your presence once more. Have a lovely day."
The guards escorted the man out as I stood in place, waiting to be called up. King Inei gestured in my direction and prompted me to come forward as I again paid my respects to him.
"Thank you for allowing me to see you, Your Highness."
The king splayed out across his throne, legs and behind in the air off one arm and head falling off the other. His lavish purple outfit—velvet and silk robes with pieces of amethysts and precious metals stitched into as many threads as possible—was wrinkled and looked unprofessional.
I kept myself from commenting aloud about the hilarity of a disorganized king. (*It puts the "dumb" in the pronunciation of "kingdom"—that's for sure.*) Perhaps this was why his diligent son micromanaged him.
His crown toppled over and rolled away to the middle of the floor before I arrived, golden with emeralds, rubies, and a centerpiece made of a purple stone. I almost stepped on it and punctured my foot as I made my way to his throne. However, the metal merely received a curse and sidestep from me without the faintest hint of bloodshed.
*Next time, you're getting a nice dent.*
"Of course," Inei replied. "I've been waiting to discuss with you the prospects of your future employment ever since your father resigned. Though, there were enough setbacks over the past few months."
He chuckled and spoke in a high and slightly brash pitch, much unlike the authoritative tone expected from a king. That was the first time he lacked a strong voice and demeanor, and his amiability worried me. Maybe it was the calm before he released a storm on me for commenting on his lopsided smile when I was five. Maybe the storm would be attributed to me mispronouncing his husband's name when I was three. I hoped he didn't maintain any vendettas.
"Ah, Seiji, hand me my crown please," he added offhandedly to the man I didn't notice standing beside him.
Seiji moved at the drop of a hat.
"I also have awaited the day with much excitement," I lied. Instead, I breathed heavily and lived in the sea of my sweaty palms ever since I found out I would likely be appointed. It was the long-term version of a nervous laugh.
"Wonderful!" Inei gave me his peculiar, toothy grin.
Seiji then handed him the headpiece. Inei straightened up and placed it in its proper spot, now looking at me dead-on instead of upside-down. The pressure got to me, and I felt like tugging on a side of my collar to give my torso some air. I wanted to curse Leo for giving me clothing made from such heavy materials, though, from what little I knew of him, he likely intended this to be the effect of his seemingly kind action.
*I can't trust that one, can I?*
I waited for the king to speak once more, but there was dead silence as he thought over his words and surveyed me.
"You seem to be much like your father in both appearance and personality," he said, laughing.
I stared at him blankly, hoping for some clarification as I grinned. It was obligatory to maintain the tone of the conversation if I wanted to leave employed.
"I mean that as a compliment, by the way. I can see the gear insignia in your head, you know."
Chuckling it off, I replied, "Thank you, Your Highness." I nodded my head with my hands crossed in front of my waist. "I hoped that was what you intended."
"Yes, yes. I'll have you know I always adored your father for his practicality and charming demeanor. A great addition to the castle. You have the youthfulness he lacks, though, which is understandable given he's older than a middle-aged man like me. You kids might have some funny term for his generation I have yet to hear about. I'm sure Haru will tell me sometime."
I prevented myself from giggling. However, my lip must have tilted upwards, for his next comment indicated an unconscious action on my part.
"Go ahead and laugh! I'm not stopping you." He waved his pale hands to usher me along. "See, there. This isn't an official briefing. I merely wish to talk to you for a minute. After all, I think I should get to know you a bit before you're appointed later today."
*Huh? What's this bombshell now?*
My jaw dropped in disbelief, and my eyes widened.
"Your Highness, you mean you already decided? And tonight? Won't your… uh, strict son throw a fit and go through at least twenty erasers trying to fix your schedule?"
He chuckled. "I don't know why you'd ever doubt how proactive I can be when it comes to decision-making."
I almost burst out laughing. If he was known for being proactive, he wouldn't have a prince keeping his life together and his advisor picking up his crown and organizing his pile of books as we spoke. I knew for a fact, however, mocking such a thing would be overstepping my boundaries.
"And yes," he began again, "my son will throw a fit, but I don't care. I have both parental and positional authority over him. I'll just make him clean the restrooms again, and he'll remember to never complain."
*That's a shitty punishment.*
He straightened his shirt sleeve, and I loosened up. This meeting wasn't as terrible as the months of worrying would have left anyone believing. The king was calm and somewhat humorous in a… more mature kind of way. (I could imagine him popping a dad joke at some point.)
"Would make sense. What are the logistics regarding tonight's appointment, Your Highness?"
Inei took no time to answer. "What are your color, flower, dinner, and music preferences? We'll have a feast to celebrate your appointment under the dazzling moonlight, and I will have Leo create you suitable attire. Dress, suit, paper bag, whatever."
I was shocked a king would give me choices in the first place, but I answered him quickly.
*Might as well get what I can out of this.*
"I like black, no preference in flower, oyakodon with plenty of shoyu in the broth, and I enjoy either dance music or ballads usually, Your Highness."
Inei began cackling.
I blinked. "May I ask what was funny about my statement?" I inquired, getting irritated for no credible reason.
"For someone with the kind of personality I would expect you to have, I'm shocked you like ballads. A bit of a calming music taste for someone with more of a fiery personality, I suppose, but I shall have some prepared for you tonight. My jester is a fine singer if you haven't heard."
My thoughts raced back to the man with plump cheeks and a smiling face who I saw when I walked in. He didn't seem refined enough to fit the bill of a "fine singer" to me, but I opted to trust the king regarding that matter.
Inei added, "The choice of dish is oddly fitting, too, with its name."
I smiled, appreciative of his generosity towards me and willingness to ignore my petty past mistakes. "Wonderful. I shall expect the performances and dinner fondly then."
"Then, I suppose I have some work to do. By work, I mean haggling with Akiyoshi to get the ceremony sorted out within… Ah." He read a small clock sitting beside him, and my face tensed into shock as he announced the expected start time.
*Even school assignments don't have that short of a notice on their due dates!*
"Your Highness, might you be overworking him?" I asked, hoping Akiyoshi wouldn't suffer to arrange what was supposed to be a joyful ceremony.
"Tough love, Ophelia. Tough love. Though," he said as he rested his chin on his hands, "he has Leo to get everything together, so it won't take long. He only needs time to think up the schedule, decorations, and setlist for Gaeul, and they're all ready the moment he speaks them into existence. You know, he can also summon a few things for himself. It's in your best interest to not worry and instead prepare yourself to have some fun." He grinned. "Yoshi needs to learn some more about castle functions if he intends to take this position from me one day."
Suddenly, I was fine with everything. Leo could suffer for all I cared. He did very little apart from bothering me.
"Very well, Your Highness," I replied with a sickeningly sweet voice. "Shall I be off to do that and give everyone residing in the castle time to handle the preparations?"
"Indeed. Please tell my son to come up here when you leave, too." He bowed his head, and his crown slid almost over his bangs. "It was a pleasure meeting you. Officially."
"As it was for me." I bowed back to him at a ninety-degree angle. "I will be off then. Farewell for now."
"Farewell to you as well."
The soles of my shoes were noisy, igniting the trail of my presence as I made my way out and closed the imposing gates I conquered behind me.
*I did it.*
*I got the position for which I waited so many desperate months.*
In the hall, I jumped in joy, keeping myself from screaming as I waved my fists close to me. The marble ocean created far too much clamor already; the sound waves bounced off the long stone pipes and were hardly covered by the rumbling of volatile clouds below.