~•|•~
"Dante will meet with His Majesty?" The Queen, who was in her room, could not help but smile when she heard the news from Hannah, her personal maid.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Hannah nodded slowly. "You have nothing scheduled. Would you like me to arrange lunch with Captain Dante?" she asked.
"Of course." Queen Virginia stands up from the sofa. She adjusts her dress, then looks straight at Hannah. "I'll ask His Majesty if he can free himself up to join us for lunch. Ah, and Nox, too. It's been a while since we've seen Dante. Especially since that man has won so many victories on the battlefield. We should welcome his arrival."
Hannah smiled a simple smile. She bows. "Yes, Your Majesty. I will inform the butler and the head of the kitchen." She looks at the queen again. "And there is one more thing I would like to tell you about His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Is it about the Lady of Buford?" Queen Virginia gave a dissatisfied look.
"That's right, Your Majesty. His Highness brought the Lady of Buford to the flower garden of Schubert Palace. It seems His Highness intends to confirm the rumors in the newspaper."
Queen Virginia flinched for a moment. "Let it go. Their relationship won't last more than three months. After all, you know that His Majesty and I have made the best choice for the crown prince."
"So you want to let it go, Your Majesty?"
"Yes. As before," Queen Virginia replied, and she left the room for the meeting room where the king was.
~•|•~
"Ugh, Dante. I was going to challenge you to a fistfight," Lennox said as he straightened his suit before meeting with the king.
"So?" Dante raised one eyebrow with a mocking expression. "You're going to lose again?" He gave a small chuckle. "I'm just glad because I'm going to get your bet money."
"Ugh, it's been a while since I've worked on my body," Lennox said, holding his muscles that weren't as hard as they used to be.
"I'm at Beetheaven until tomorrow. If you want, we can spar boxing," Dante offered.
"Huh?" Lennox gave Dante a surprised look. "You'll only be at Beetheaven until tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Dante nodded slowly.
"Why are you only staying for a short time? What did you come to Beetheaven for?"
"For the Countess's ball," Dante replied, staring at the man. "But I ran out of train tickets. So I'm late."
Lennox was stunned. Is Dante wanting to come to the ball for free?
"The Countess invited me directly when she was at Verthall a few months ago. At that time, I was in the mansion," Dante said, breaking the stare. He was uncomfortable with Lennox's suspicious look at his unusual behavior. "I wanted to deliver a letter too from my father to His Majesty," he added.
"Oh, I see..." Now, Dante's reason for coming to Beetheaven sounded much more reasonable. But Lennox still couldn't shake his suspicions about his cousin. "What if you came to the ball last night? Who was the Lady you wanted to dance with?"
Dante furrowed his brow. He felt a little stunned by the basic question. "Countess of Turin," he replied, which made Lennox burst out laughing as he punched Dante's body, which felt like wood.
Dante clucks in annoyance. "Tsk, what the hell?" He quickens his pace, leaving Lennox behind.
"Hey, Captain!" exclaimed Lennox, catching up with the man. He laughs at Dante with a scornful expression. "The countess already has a count. At least, you should dance the first song with a lady."
Dante flinched for a moment. 'A lady,' he mused. "Was the Lady of Buford your first dance partner last night?"
"Yes? Of course. She's a good dancer and also looks beautiful in her light green dress," Lennox replied proudly.
Dante snorted harshly, then looked at Lennox with a faint grin. "As for you, I'll be standing in the corner while drinking a glass of champagne," he said, causing Lennox to stop walking again and give him a strange look. Dante realized that, so he turned around. "What?" he asked in a snotty tone.
"You..." Lennox takes a deep breath. "Do you want to be single forever?"
"Tsk! Such a fool," scoffed Dante, who resumed his journey to the meeting room.
"Hey, Eunuch Dante! Wait for me! By the way, you're just kidding, right?" exclaimed Lennox in the corridor until several servants turned and noticed the two blond men.
~•|•~
As the door to the meeting room was opened by two guards, Lennox and Dante entered together. They found His Majesty the King in his chair and Her Majesty the Queen beside him.
"Mom, eh? You're here too?" Lennox was surprised by his mother's presence.
"Isn't it okay if I accompany my husband to work?" retorted Queen Virginia, looking strangely at her son. "I thought you were busy counting flower buds in the garden."
Dante snorts in amusement at the queen's sarcasm. He smiled as Lennox gave him an annoyed look. Dante stepped forward first, then bowed for them. "Captain Dante Arthur De Ignacio greets His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen."
"My goodness, look at that, Virginia!" The king shook his head in unbelief. "Even though I've arranged a meeting in a private room, he still treats his uncle like a stranger."
"That's right, Your Majesty." Virgina smiles amusedly.
Dante looks alternately at the king and queen, then smiles faintly. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, Uncle. However, royal manners must always come first. You are the highest people in this kingdom."
"Never mind, Dad, Mom." Lennox approaches. "Even if you sulk, Dante will still stand his ground. Unless you give him orders not to be formal."
The king and queen let out a long sigh, and Dante nodded briefly in agreement.
"I thought you asked for a meeting after arriving at Beetheaven because you missed me. But seeing as you're still wearing your military uniform, I don't suppose that's the case," said King Gustava with a skeptical look.
Dante chuckles dryly. He took out a letter from under his coat, then stepped closer to Gustava's desk.
"What's this?" Gustava picked up the letter that Dante had placed on the desk. It had the Marquess of Verthall's seal on it. "From Sigmund?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Stop calling me Your Majesty, Dante!" exclaimed Gustava, chuckling at the man. He took a small knife and unstamped the letter.
"Alright, uncle." Dante conceded because he had shown some manners earlier. He looks at Gustava, who is reading the letter from his father seriously, then turns to Virginia and Lennox, who look curious.
Throughout reading the letter, Gustava could not stop smiling. In fact, his smile grew wider every second, like a Cheshire cat.
"Hohoho..." Gustava closed the letter that contained his little brother's. Short, concise, and clear content. Then he looks at Dante happily. "You want to know what Sigmund wrote for me?"
"Father never told me that when he gave me the letter. So--"
"Sigmund asked you to stay at Beetheaven for two weeks." Gustava interrupted Dante and smiled happily.
"Yes?" Dante glared in surprise. He shook his head afterward. "Sorry, I can't. I'll only be at Beetheaven until tomorrow, and then I have to go back to the military barracks."
"Geez, Dante..." Virginia complained, getting up from her chair. She walks over to her nephew. "You've come from Verthall to Beetheaven. You should stay here for at least a week."
Dante bows his head slightly. "I know, Your Majesty. But I also have a job."
"Yeah, but what can I do, My dear nephew?" Gustava shows the letter with a satisfied chuckle. "The Fleet Admiral told you to stay at Beetheaven for two weeks. He also told you not to worry about your duties and work. After all, the last battle has left Schubert in a quiet period."
"But, Your Majesty. It is precisely that Schubert must remain vigilant in the midst of that calm," Dante explained.
"The Fleet Admiral said that he would take care of it. And captains in the naval military are not just you, Dante." Gustava looks at his nephew with understanding. "Don't put all the burden on your shoulders."
"Oh, wow!" Lennox exclaimed happily. "That's a rare opportunity, Dante. You rarely take time off during wartime."
"Yeah, you're right." Dante gave Lennox an agitated look.
"And Virginia," Gustava called, looking at his wife with a faint grin. "Sigmund, as his father asked you to be Dante's watcher while at Beetheaven."
Dante immediately turns his head in surprise at Gustava and lets out an exasperated sigh afterward, along with a satisfied laugh from Lennox. It was a declaration from his father that he had given up on asking him to marry soon. So, the Marquess asked Queen Virginia to take responsibility for finding Dante's future lover at Beetheaven, which was during the wedding season.
"Very well. As soon as possible, I will open the main ball at the Schubert Palace," Virginia said, making Dante feel better about returning to Verthall.
———