Prince Ashburnham steps forward when he could no longer take the pressure Father is emitting from the exchange. He puts his palm on the middle of his chest and bows deeply while maintaining his posture straight without looking stiff. "Greetings to Greetings to Hwan Adrian and Hara Licentia. Greetings to Saridayang Iris and to Her Royal Consort Luna. I am Ashburnham Fergus, twelfth son of King Kong Fergus of Aryela Kingdom." After introducing himself, he greets us again, now using the kingdom's way of greeting — clenching his fist that was already on his chest and bowing his head once more and bending his knee, this time deeper than before.
'I see that these two came prepared. They know how a Damaris person would do in front of their monarch. They even studied my kingdom's language.'
"I heard Brother Kong fathered yet another daughter," Father says, changing the topic.
"Yes, Your Majesty. My little sister was born last fall and is now turning one this coming month. Royal Father wanted to come here and celebrate with you, but he couldn't part from my newborn sister," the Prince answered, going back to using the universal language.
With the topic of his beloved friend, Father's demeanor becomes more calm. He's now able to laugh loudly and relax his stance. "He has always been a fool to all his daughters! Every time we meet, he won't stop talking about Dayang Mia and Dayang Catania. Now that another daughter has been born, I could already hear him boasting about how adorable the youngest is."
"Now that you have a daughter of your own, you would certainly not lose to King Kong, My King," Hara Licentia comments with a smile on her face.
"Of course! I now have my own precious daughter that I could boast of!" Father's laugh booms on the whole banquet.
"Ten years late!" A baritone roar coming from the crowd echoes back.
"Worth the wait, Hamlush!" Father shouts back at Agreveda's Crown Prince in the middle of the ballroom currently dancing with his wife.
Crown Prince Hamlush stops dancing and points his finger at Father, fumes coming out of his nose. "And my beloved daughter is not?! How could you say that about your soon-to-be daughter-in-law?! Field. Now! Let's fight to death– ah! My wife, I was just kidding," he screams in pain and whines at his wife who stomped on his foot in embarrassment. She walks away and he follows her, leaving a, "We are not done yet, Lazuli!" shout to Father who is about to shout a comeback but comes to a halt after seeing the Crown Princess whip her body to face him just to glare at him.
In the end, Father just cleared his throat and went back to addressing Prince Ashburnhan again. Thankfully, the atmosphere went back to normal, and the tension dissipated.
"Brother Kong is really blessed. He has children that could aid him with his work, as well as put his mind at ease. All I have is seven spoiled sons who only know how to play around and cause trouble, five of which aren't even of age yet." He purposely made his voice louder each sentence for my brothers to hear. It seems their life stopped for a split second with Father's comment before laughing dryly and returning to socializing with others.
"How could you say that, Hwan?" the raven-haired delegate asked. "The princes are all well known throughout the land. Muda Lothario recently passed a law that will benefit your people in the long run. I also wish to learn a thing or two about swordsmanship from the second Prince; he's been at the top of the list for a couple of years now," he praised. "The other princes, although still young, all have potential to be great influencers in the future, all thanks to their parents' support and teachings." He sweet-talked, switching back to using my kingdom's language once again. [1]
'What a bootlicker.'
Although Father noticed that the young Prince addressed his sons as Muda and not the proper title, he did not correct the other as he was hung up with the Prince's comment. "Hmph! I'm sure that those aren't the only reasons why this firstborn of mine is known," he mutters.
The Queen clears her throat and starts to dominate the conversation, taking away the topic of her son. "I see that although you are young, you already know how to please your elders."
"Not at all, not at all. Everything I said was nothing but the truth, Hara," he answers.
She then turns her attention to the long-forgotten old man who is clearly fuming on the inside. "Now that we are on the topic of Aryela's newborn princess, may I trouble the Duke to pass my gift to King Kong and his wife who recently gave birth?" she asks. The Queen nods her head to one of the ladies-in-waiting, who then turns her back and exits the hall to get the gift.
"Although it is not as precious as the gift you presented, it is one of the things that I cherish," the Queen continues. "If you could also relay my message that albeit we weren't able to come and see the birth of the Princess, we would like for both Saridayang Iris and Saridayang Tahnia to become friends in the future." [2]
'This Queen! She's low-key telling the man that although I am a concubine-born daughter, she still calls the shots when it comes to my welfare.'
Even though she did not accept the gift, she already acknowledged it by merely mentioning it. This sly woman! Also, asking Duke Abothier to relay her message to King Kong while the King's own son is in front of her means that she acknowledges that the Prince would be staying here longer than the Duke, perhaps to talk about the marriage.
Getting the underlying message, the old man widely smiles. "Certainly, Hara. Although what I say has no worth, I assure you that My King also feels grateful for your gift."
"As a thank you, I would like to accept your gift on behalf of Saridayang," the Queen says.
"Actually, Hara, that is not the only gift My King has prepared."
Hearing this, the Queen lifts her head more than she already has, as if taunting the old man to say more. Duke Abothier clears his throat and nervously wipes his forehead.
"I would not dare say it out loud, but My King strictly instructed me to deliver his exact words to you and not dare replace even a single word of his message." His gaze goes back to Father, not sure if the latter would get mad or give him permission.
Father straightens his posture. "I've been friends with your king for decades; I'm already accustomed to his way of speaking, so don't be afraid and say exactly what he has told you. I won't take offense."
"Then firstly, I apologize to both Hwan and Hara as well as the Mudas for what I would say next." He gulps, looking uncomfortable, a bead of sweat already forming on his face as he continues. "Adrian, we both know that although your land is the most blessed one, I am the most blessed father among us friends. You only have eight children, and although I got married after you, I already have thirteen, three of whom are daughters. I know more about child-rearing than you do, and as a friend, I would like to help you but not to the point of sending my wonderful daughters to you. So as compensation, I'm sending my twelfth son, who's the closest to my lovely princesses, to help you. Young as he is, he accompanies his sisters every day to play; he knows full well how to handle the whims of my delicate flowers. Don't even try to refuse my generosity. You won't be able to rely on your sons as all they know is to break a woman's heart."
Father chokes on his own saliva. He quickly jumps from his seat and points his trembling finger at Duke Abothier. "How bold, that Kong! How could he say that I don't know how to raise a daughter?! Tell him that I, too, know how to raise one. And if I ever need help, I won't ask for his help! Never!" He shouts, unintentionally halting the festivity when people stop whatever they're doing as their king explodes in anger.
The two delegates are quick to ask for forgiveness — the Prince bows his head while the Duke kneels.
Mother, who is only watching the entire time, finally stands up. She looks at the Queen and silently asks for permission to intervene before walking to Father's side when the latter nods her head. "My King, please ease your anger. The Duke and the Prince traveled from far away so please don't chase them away just like that. Also, Duke Abothier is only following his King's command to tell you exactly what the King had said and to not omit nor change any words. Besides, you and King Kong are friends, you know how he talks and I know that you know that he means well and that's just how he is. Please calm your anger so as to not frighten Saridayang Iris." Mother coaxes him.
Father heavily sits back on his throne, his body creating a thumping sound as his buttocks connect to the foam of the golden chair. He waves his hand in dismissal, indicating that he would no longer entertain the two delegates.
Still looking at the ground, the two didn't see that Father shooed them away already. Mother looks at them and walks down the flight of steps. She takes the Prince's hand who then looks at her with hooded eyes and directly talks to him: "The King is only angered for a moment; he would forget everything once he calms down and won't take what King Kong said to heart, so don't worry about their friendship being ruined. None of us indeed know how to properly care for the Princess as this is the first time in generations that our country had one, but we will do our best to cater to her needs. Nevertheless, I am still grateful that my daughter would have a friend like you. It would be nice if both fathers and children are friends. It's late already; why don't you retire first and I would send an attendant for you tomorrow to assist you while you stay in the kingdom?"
Prince Ashburnham nods his head. "It is indeed late. Thank you, Royal Consort Luna, for tonight. I will retire now as you have suggested."
Mother shifts her attention to the kneeling man, still holding the Prince's hand who now stands up straight. "Stand now, Duke Abothier. Thank you for relaying King Kong's message to His Majesty. Please tell your king that King Adrian would contact him soon and catch up with him."
"Thank you, Royal Consort Luna." He looks ahead before bowing his head once again. "Your Majesty King Adrian, Your Majesty Queen Licentia, Princess Iris, Princes, and Consorts, thank you for accommodating us today."
—
[1] Muda = literal Damari term for the word prince.
[2] Saridayang = literal Damari translation of the term young princess used for children ages 0-8. It can also be used as an endearment by noble parents to their daughter.