Six experienced maids walked in one of the corridors of the palace, carrying the dishes from the kitchen to the Blackthorn family's dining room. When they reached the front door, Mr. Gilbert waved his hand for them to enter and begin serving the dishes.
The Blackthorn Palace's dining room was enormous with a high ceiling which had carved paintings, and from the ceiling hung three chandeliers, carrying burning candles now. The dining table consisted of a rather long table, and as big as the King's family was, there were still a few empty chairs.
At the head of the table sat King William Blackthorn, his hair short on his head. He had a trimmed beard and moustache which slightly tapered upwards on the ends. His eyes, though dull, looked cunning when he turned his gaze at Mr. Gilbert. He ordered,
"Bring the box that I gave you earlier."
"Right away, my king!" Mr. Gilbert bowed and slipped his hand inside the pocket of his cotton vest. He pulled out a decent square-sized box. Coming next to the King, he bowed, while stretching the box forward.
King William turned to his wife Sophia, and said, "I bought this for you from one of the Western countries named Civia."
Lady Sophia sat on the immediate left side of the King at the table, and looked pleased even before opening the box to see what was in there. She lightly protested,
"You didn't have to trouble yourself to bring me a gift, my king," but her hands were quick to open the box. When her eyes fell on the sparkling emerald necklace, her eyes widened in delight. She exclaimed with joy,
"These are beautiful! I have never seen anything like these before…"
The Mother Queen, who sat on the immediate right side of the King, remarked, "If you don't want it, I will be more than happy to have it for myself, Sophia."
Lady Sophia smiled at the Mother Queen and replied, "As the King gifted it to me, it would be rude to not accept it. Isn't that right?" Her eyes roamed around the table, to notice the two concubines of the King holding a look of envy. Of course, they should be envious, Lady Sophia thought in her mind, after all, it was she, who was the legally wedded wife of the King.
But then her eyes fell on the courtesan woman, whom the King favoured, who smiled back at her with a lack of envy, which dampened Lady Sophia's smile a little.
"Sophia is right. I bought it with the intention of it being one of her gifts for her upcoming birthday, mother," King William replied before adding, "As the celebration is in less than two weeks, the invitations have already been sent out to the other kingdoms and important people we would like to maintain relationships with. Also, Dante, did you discuss with the Vizier?"
Dante Blackthorn was the eldest son of King William, who was twenty-seven by age and born into the royal family through Lady Lucretia. Despite being the son of a courtesan, he sat next to the Mother Queen, and his mother sat right next to him.
His smooth straight black hair was partitioned from the left side. The left side of his hair was combed back, while the other part of his hair fell on his forehead. A few strands of his hair were long enough to move past his arched eyebrows. His nose was sharp, which he had acquired from his mother, and he had a strong jaw.
He turned his midnight eyes to look at his father. He replied with his slightly deep voice, "I did. The Vizier believes we will need more soldiers if we are planning to attack Brovia before they do. Brovia has gathered men with unknown abilities and it is heard that they conquered Totus."
King William pursed his lips and stated, "Have the young men who were recently recruited into the base finish their training quickly. It would do well to send out a notice to young men throughout the kingdom to partake in it with benefits."
Lady Sophia remarked, "When Versailles has Dante, I don't think we have to worry. After all, he has won the wars he has partook in, which is a few."
Lady Lucretia's stomach dropped, and only her eyes turned to look at her son, who appeared calm and unaffected. Dante's eyes moved to look at Lady Sophia, and he offered a bow,
"It is an honour to fight the wars for Versailles and our family. How would I be able to receive your praise, which is scarce than the rain in the desert," Dante offered a slight smile, while Lady Sophia returned it with a forced smile.
The Mother Queen softly chuckled and took a sip from her glass.
"It is my duty to look after the unfortunate. After all, you are the only prince who hasn't met the Crux, while the others found it by the age of ten," as sweet as Lady Sophia's voice was, her words held taunt for Dante and the others at the table turned quiet, looking at them.
When a royal family prince reached the age of ten, his soul and body activated the Crux. It offered the prince inhuman abilities. While some received useless ones, a few were gifted outstanding ones. But that wasn't all, as it also allowed the person's soul to be attached to the one he was destined to. Though there were a few cases like King William, who even though had achieved his Crux, he hadn't found his soulmate.
At the age of twenty-seven, Dante had not found his Crux, which had put him at a disadvantage of never being able to be the heir to the Blackthorn's throne. Many of them secretly looked at him with pity as they couldn't do it in front of him, as even without a Crux, his very presence and his words intimidated them.
"I appreciate your concern, Lady Sophia. You seem to be the only one concerned about me not having Crux, while the others don't seem to talk about it. Perhaps they aren't as brave as you," Dante responded to his father's legally wedded wife. His taunt fell on the lady and the other princes who spoke about him behind his back.
The Mother Queen stated, "I believe it isn't just the Crux but a man's sheer will and strength in which he believes that makes him into a fine king. What do you say, William?" She asked her son, who gave her a small nod. She continued, "Regardless of Dante's missing Crux, he has entered the battlefield and has fared well. I was thinking that perhaps, the other princes should take lessons from him. Considering how they seem shielded and haven't fought a single war to prove their worth."
Lady Sophia softly laughed with her feminine appeal by bringing her hand to her mouth. She said, "I don't know about the others, but Aiden doesn't have to step into the War land, considering he will be the King one day."
Lady Sophia had given birth to only two children, her eldest child, her daughter Emily and her son, Aiden.
Prince Aiden was seventeen and only blinked at his mother's words before picking up the glass in front of him and drinking water. He was a laid-back prince, who didn't have a particular interest in taking responsibility for the Kingdom, and if it weren't for his mother, he would have spread his wings and be found in one of the brothels.
On the other hand, King William said, "Sophia is right. When one of the princes turns into a king, they will have ministers and guards to protect them. But if some of them are interested, they can be accompanied so they know how to be prepared." Lady Sophia pursed her lips, but didn't remark. "When we attack Brovia, the princes who are of the age will accompany Dante and me."
The Mother Queen remarked, "To have so many on the field, I think it would be hard to decide whom to protect, considering they have never tried to fight."
"They will eventually learn it. Dante learned it, so the other four of them will take no time to learn the same along with their Crux," King William stated, and the dinner proceeded.
Once everyone finished their dinner, the eldest grandson of the Queen accompanied her for a walk in the corridor, where on one side the torches of fire burned, while on the other side there was no wall, letting the moonlight fall on the ground.
"The night is lovelier than the morning, isn't it? Especially with the temperature that seems to have risen recently," the Mother Queen remarked, watching the stars in the sky, while having her arm around Dante's hand.
"Do you miss the place you came from?" Dante questioned his grandmother.
Compared to Dante, the Mother Queen looked small and frail as he was tall, but her eyes told an entirely different story.
"Sometimes. But the past has become a faded memory that I can barely remember with the life I have lived here for years," the Mother Queen replied as they walked in the lonely corridor. She said, "This is where my life is with my son and grandchildren. And it is where I am happy. I think people I knew do not exist anymore," she softly laughed.
"If you ever decide to visit, let me know. I would be more than happy to accompany you there," Dante responded to her.
Dante had heard about the place that his grandmother came from before she was married to his grandfather. A place where ice fell from the sky for days, covering the lands, trees, and houses.
The Mother Queen smiled before a small frown settled, and she said, "If the other princes join you in the war, you pick the one you like the most and leave the idiots to fend for themselves," she gave him a look that made him slightly smile. She said, "All of them are so lazy it would be a good lesson for them to learn rather than just eat, sleep and talk."
"I think they are quite young to understand it. Some aren't prepared," Dante replied with a crooked smile, taking a turn at the end of the corridor. Sometimes he accompanied her during her little strolls before she went to bed, and sometimes she invited him to join her because he was the only prince she could tolerate.
The Mother Queen waved her hand, "Rubbish. You began your training when you were fourteen, it is only right that the others follow you if they really want to sit on the throne rather than expect it to be handed to them," she said with a grim expression. She asked, "I heard that the concubines were presented with gifts by my son. Did your mother receive one?"
"I didn't inquire, grandmother," Dante replied politely but then felt the elderly woman's gaze.
She stopped walking and turned to him, "Even though you might not have a Crux, Dante, you are in every word a Blackthorn's prince to me. And one who is dear to my heart and not an idiot like the rest."
The corner of Dante's lips pulled, he bowed and picked up her hand. He kissed the back of her hand and said, "I know. You do not have to ponder over such trivial matters that don't bother me."
The Mother Queen stared at the boy who had grown into a man that many feared even though he didn't have a Crux and he made her proud. Though a lot of remarks were passed behind his back, he stood tall and unfazed.
Dante leaned towards her and kissed her cheek, "You should get some sleep now, grandmother. I will see you tomorrow."
"That you will without a doubt. It isn't my time to die yet," the Mother Queen replied with a huff and returned the kiss before stepping into her room. She wished, "Goodnight, dear."
"Goodnight, grandmother."
Dante watched his stubborn grandmother disappear behind the doors of her room before he started to make his way towards his room. Once he reached it, the doors closed behind him.
He made his way towards the desk to read some of the parchments he had to go through tomorrow at the royal court. Dropping it, he moved behind the wooden divider, where the bathtub was.
Moonlight passed through the round window, falling on where Dante stood.
He pulled his pastel orange robe tied around his waist, which loosened and fell off his shoulders before sliding and falling on the floor, revealing deep scars on his body.