Jasper had fallen unconscious only a few minutes after his first episode, but his screams of pain had kept going until some time after sunset.
Though she had regained enough strength that she was formally allowed to go back to her daily routine, Sydney had opted to stay near his side at the infirmary. Though it was already well past midnight, and the night staff had been working for a while now, she had not slept, nor had he shown any sign of waking from the nightmares that seemed to grip him. She sighed again, worried. She flinched slightly when a servant came up behind her and touched her shoulder gingerly.
"I am fine. Please leave me." She had no intention of wasting her time arguing with a servant concerned with her health.
"Your father would like for you to speak with him immediately." Sydney bit her lip. There was no chance that she could turn her father down, but this was not a conversation that she wanted to have. With little choice in the matter, she reluctantly left Jasper's side to follow her father's aide. She had expected to find her father in his chambers at this time of night, but she was surprised when the aide instead stopped outside the throne room and gestured for her to enter.
"Sydney. I think you know why you're here."
"Yes, father. Just give Adrian time." Sydney pleaded.
"We both know that it's inevitable. We need to begin planning your coronation."
"No, father! Adrian will be back, and he will be a great king! You can't give his birthright to me!" She argued.
"You will do as I say. Once it happens, I will disown Adrian. Then, you will be crowned queen."
"What about marrying me off to the Illyrian second prince?" Sydney asked.
"I need a worthy successor. If that is not Adrian, it will be you." The current king said coldly.
"Adrian's far more worthy than me! I've told you a thousand times, I do not want to be queen of Uriah! That position belongs to Adrian!" Sydney told him, losing her temper a bit.
"We had a deal, and this incident has clearly broken its terms. Or at least, it will soon. The official announcement will not be made until I am certain that Adrian is no longer qualified as my heir. As for you, check your temper. Do not forget your position here, Sydney."
"My position is as the second in line, father. The throne doesn't belong to me."
"As I've told you a thousand times, daughter. The throne belongs to my worthiest child. If that is not Adrian, it will be you. My mind is made up. You are dismissed."
"What if he brings the Kingstone back?" Sydney asked, desperately searching for a way to change the king's mind.
"He won't."
"But what if he does?" She pressed.
"If- if that boy manages to do something right for once and actually bring back the stone, it will be tainted by his touch. It would therefore no longer be worth anything as the symbol of our nation. I'd rather he simply stay missing." The king told her harshly. Whatever respect Sydney had for him died with that remark.
"Wasn't it you who taught Adrian that a king sees potential where others see garbage?"
"I wish that boy was simply garbage. He's far more than a simple disgrace. There cannot be any potential there to see."
"He's your son! He worked himself to the bone for years to live up to your expectations!" She yelled.
"Quiet. I do not like repeating myself. No matter how much you push for him, the boy has been unfit for my position since the moment that he was born. There is nothing left that can truly change that fact. Accept it and move on. Guards! Escort the future queen to her chambers!" Despite Sydney's protests, the king had already written Adrian off.
As she was forcibly escorted to her bedchambers, Sydney's mind raced frantically. Since the day that her little brother had been born, she'd done everything that she could to ensure that he lived up to his potential and became the next king of Uriah.
Her father was treating it all as if it had simply been some sort of unfortunate waste of effort on her part. As if he had simply been waiting for Adrian to disappear, so that he could have a reason to transfer the succession rights back to Sydney.
She'd seen all of the work Adrian had done over the years. Spending days on end with the castle accountant, studying the economics of the country... Speaking to foreign diplomats... Sword training until he could barely stand, then studying math until he passed out... Adrian had been working to the bone since he was just a child for their kingdom, all without an ounce of complaint. He'd probably done more for the kingdom as the crown prince than their father had done as king.
The idea that someone as full of potential as Adrian disowned for such a stupid reason made Sydney's blood boil. If it wasn't for Adrian, Sydney wouldn't have any qualms about becoming queen, but she wasn't a born leader like her brother. The boy had been exceptional since birth, and the way that the king had called him garbage made her so angry that she wanted to scream.
...
"Finally. I've been waiting for that boy to disappear. Now that I have a reason, I can disown him." The king called a few of his attendants in and gave them instructions, "Tell me when the Hunter boy stops screaming. And double the guards around my daughter's room. It seems that she hasn't quite accepted her right of succession passing her brothers. Make sure that she doesn't do anything that she'll regret when she accepts her role as the future monarch."
She would accept it eventually. As if there was any chance that she wouldn't. Despite her unhealthy attachment to the boy, a monster was a monster no matter how you looked at it.