Albert knocked on the door and entered the King's study.
"Your Majesty, the Princess is here" he said and gave way for her to enter. Ignis entered the study followed by Domi and greeted the King.
Adrian looked like he had lost a considerable amount of weight in a single night. Although his face was neat and glowing, his body appeared leaner. Ignis tilted her head on one side and studied him, from head to toe.
'Was he this thin yesterday as well? Or the shirt is creating some kind of illusion.'
"You are openly staring" Domi whispered in her ears. Ignis noticed a slight smile on Adrian's face. She straightened up.
"Your Highness, Albert said that you have something important to inform me before our meeting with your parents." Ignis asked. Adrian nodded and asked her to take a seat.
"As you know, we had a council meet yesterday. The Council wants to judge you before accepting you as their Queen. I am against the idea, but they are quite adamant. Even the one supporting me, wants to meet you. I do not doubt your capabilities, but I am unable to shake them off. I have agreed to present you in the next meeting tomorrow. But if you are uncomfortable, I will postpone the meeting. I want to know your opinion." Adrian asked, displeasure lining his face.
"If they want to test me then I will take part in tomorrow's meeting." she said, brimming with confidence. "If I perform as per their expectation and earn new allies, it will be advantageous for us in future. I already had the intention of meeting each of them to grow my network. I think this is a great opportunity to impress them. So what do I have to do to please them?" she asked with a smile.
Adrian told her about the recent issue with increased taxes. Though the Kingdom needs a regular flow of funds to operate, putting pressure on the farmers will only negatively affect the economy.
"You have only tonight to prepare, will you be alright?" Adrian looked concerned.
"That is not a problem at all. I already have a few answers in my head. Want me to share?" a smug smile spread on her face.
"My worries were for a naught" he chuckled. "Then I leave everything to you. In case of anything, do reach out to Aldo, he will help you out"
There was a knock and Albert entered the room with the King's royal jacket.
"Your Majesty and My Lady, the former King and Queen have arrived in the garden. They are waiting for you". Albert assisted Adrian to wear the jacket. There was a frown on Adrian's face, since she entered the room and it only deepened when they were about to leave the study.
"Are you fine? You don't look well. It looks like you are not eating properly" Ignis told him when they were out and walking in the hallway.
"I am not sick. I have just decided to lose some weight" he shrugged.
"Why?" Ignis was puzzled. He always looked good, it was unnecessary for him to lose weight.
"Adrian!" Before he could answer, they heard a woman calling him. They stopped and looked back. A woman with silver hair and blue eyes, a little short in stature but elegant nonetheless, approached them.
"Roana!" A big smile spread to his face "I was not notified of your arrival. When did you arrive?" he took a step forward to greet her.
"Have you ever heard the term 'surprise' little brother?" Roana went past him and hugged Ignis. Ignis was taken aback by the sudden show of affection. Holding her hands, Roana took a step back, mouth agape with wonder "You look beautiful". Ignis felt her face go red.
"I am delighted to meet you too, Princess Roana" Ignis curtsied awkwardly.
"We have so much to talk about. We will meet again after this meeting. Go ahead and introduce yourself to your soon-to-be parents" she pushed Ignis towards the garden.
*****
"It's my honor to greet the former King and Queen of the Aqua Land" Ignis curtsied to the Royal couple. Sermon Mari gave her a warm smile, but unlike him, Stella Loram continued sipping her tea.
"Mother and Father, welcome to the Mari Estate. I hope the journey was pleasant for you" Adrian bowed slightly with a hand on his heart.
"Please take your seats. We can talk while having this delicious breakfast. These sauces and jams were procured from our estate in the south" Sermon chirped. Ignis gave him her own smile. On the other hand, Stella continued to ignore other people beside her.
Ignis felt herself in the midst of an awkward situation. She expected the meeting either to be welcoming or with signs of discord. But, the silence was totally unexpected. She was unsure of why the couple was not having a conversation. Will she offend the couple, if she is the one to start a conversation first. She looked at the former Queen, her light blonde hair and honey eyes gave her a regal look. After all, she is the older sister of the current Emperor of Astras. Her husband, the former King, looked like an older version of Adrian, with the same eyes, hair and skin.
Albert and a few maids started preparing their plates. She took a quick glance at Adrian. The more he stayed on the table, the more he looked tired. As if something was sucking his energy. Ignis took a slice of bread and applied a thick layer of butter and jam on it. When the older couple was busy eating and talking with the butler, she quietly placed the slice in Adrian's plate. His eyes widened. He turned to look at her with a soft smile forming on his face. He finally looked a little relaxed.
"The road construction project that you finished last year." Stella said, making both of them face the former Queen. "I am quite impressed with the results. I didn't see any potholes and trees lining the road were also well maintained. It was quite pleasant" though she complimented him, her expressions were blank.
Adrian nodded "Thank you Mother. I will continue to give good results."
"Dear, I have asked you many times to refrain from talking business when we are eating" Sermon said. "Shall we talk about the wedding preparations?" he looked at Ignis. "Are you comfortable here? Let the people around you know if you find anything lacking."
"I am quite comfortable here, My Lord" Ignis reassured him. "Please do not worry - ".
Stella placed her spoon on the table, rather forcefully, and stood up.
"Your Highness, I would like to have a private chat with you in your study" she told the King with a hostile look and started walking towards the palace.
Adrian sighed and stood up. "Please continue with the breakfast". He turned to Ignis "I will meet you once I finish my meeting with Mother". Ignis nodded.
Once both of them left, Ignis turned to her father-in-law.
"My Lord, this jam is luscious. Are you, by any chance, thinking of mass producing it?"
"First of all, call me Father when we are in a family setting. To answer your question, we have only just started to produce it for the family. We do not have big farms to supply raw ingredients for mass production. But we might buy new properties in the future. Nothing is guaranteed yet. We started this just as a hobby after all".
Ignis smiled and looked down at her plate.
"About Lady Stella... It doesn't look like she would accept me anytime soon. But, I will try my best to win her over" she nervously fidgeted her fingers.
"My child, you do not have to prove anything to anyone. We do not know much about you, but, I do know my own child. If he has decided to trust you, then, I for one will do the same. As for Stella, she is a sensible woman, but she finds it difficult to express herself. That is also a trait taken by Adrian. Try to give both of them some time and they will open up to you." Ignis was overwhelmed by his kind words. She saw a father in him that she never had in her life.
"Father..." she controlled her emotions and smiled. "If I could grant you a wish, what would you like to have?"
"Wish?" Sermon rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. A beautiful smile spread his face and his blue eyes crinkled "Take care of my boy, he grew up pretty early for his age. And I never received a letter from him, so, if you will, write me childish letters, fill them with as many complaints as possible. I will take a special meeting with him to discuss those complaints".