Raziah had no other choice than to keep her husband from attending that dinner somehow, but Aragon and Octavius have been talking for a while now and it doesn’t feel like they would end the conversation they were having any time soon. Raziah was very uneasy as she sat down in her room at the palace of Naria, which was just as she left it.
The pile of books sitting in almost every corner. The well-arranged bed and sheets rapped on top, the soft feel of the mattress, and the cupboard that had so many plain dresses she was used to putting on. She kept tapping her feet frantically on the ground, hoping time would move slower so she can find time to calm her nerves and think of a good way out of this.
Raziah was still in deep thought when a knock came on her door. Answering the door, she saw the middle-aged woman standing there, "Dinner is ready," Ms. Ophelia stated, looking at the Princess who nodded back at her.
"Thank you," Raziah responded, stepping out of the door and closing it behind her as Ophelia lead her over to the dining room. It’s like the woman already knew Raziah didn’t know her way much around the palace and kept guiding her here and there. It didn’t go out of the princess’s notice how stiffly the woman behaved around her, and the considerable amount of distance she was putting in between them.
"How is Malcolm?" The woman inquired on their way.
"He’s doing just fine," Raziah replied. Though the injury in his neck was still healing and hurting, he’s always on his feet.
"He’s contributed a lot to the kingdom since he came here. Every warrior around acknowledges his strength, and he was the only one close to you," Ophelia continued softly, which had Raziah wondering where the conversation was heading to.
"You always seem better and looked much more alive whenever you saw him, so I thought if he visited you, maybe that would make you feel better again,"
Now Raziah understood what the woman was trying to say, and she almost frowned. She didn’t want to be having this conversation, or even any type of conversation with anyone, "Is that why you’re keeping your distance? Because you’re afraid I’ll blame you since my condition has gotten worse than before?" Raziah questioned back.
When the woman didn’t reply, Raziah did frown this time.
"That night when I chose him, I knew I saw you and Malcolm talking to my husband after the celebration just before we were about to leave. The both of you knew he wasn’t human, and I was left in the dark."
"Malcolm asked me not to tell you anything," The woman replied, finally glancing at the Princess whose frown was only getting worse by the minute, "He had this weird idea that he was the perfect man for you, and also regarding the way you chose him as your husband... The dance... Malcolm said it was all too familiar,"
"Perfect..." Raziah mentally shook her head at the word. Just how perfect has he been for her? And as for the dance, if she had known whom he was right from the start then that wouldn’t even be in the picture right now.
"I hope Prince Theon didn’t try anything funny," The older woman broke the silence that had filled the both of them.
Raziah glanced at Ophelia after hearing the prince’s name, "The funniest he would try is about to unfold itself. He plans to tell my husband about me during this dinner, and you should be careful around him if you already don’t know... he’s acting stranger than normal," Raziah warned sternly.
"I’m glad you know about this. Is there anything I can do to help? I’m sure you have a good reason for not allowing your husband to know everything about you,"
Raziah shook her head lightly at the old woman, "I’ll be fine. Thank you,"
They arrived at the door to the dining hall and stopped. Ophelia faced Raziah whom could already feel the presence of a number of people behind the door but turned her attention to the woman when she reached out and placed a hand on her shoulders with a tight smile on her face, "This is the longest conversation we’ve had. I don’t know how else I can help you will all these."
Raziah’s twisted mind could only do as much as nod her head again. She couldn’t even bring herself to smile at least because her lips weren’t cooperating with her at all. She felt like a big block of ice that couldn’t be moved anymore, "You looked after me for ten years. I couldn’t be more grateful," She said as politely as she could, even though she couldn’t entirely stop herself from sounding so cold and indifferent to the woman.
Ms. Ophelia didn’t look like she was gonna be leaving her. She simply stepped to the door and opened it so the Princess could walk into the dining hall. A rectangular room with a long table and several chairs sitting in the middle. Candles of different colors lit the room, and there were flowers decorating the table.
King Octavius was sitting at the head table, and Raziah could see other faces she couldn’t recognize but their attire was enough to tell her that they were his other sons.
Aragon was seated next to Octavius, and she took it that the Empty chair opposite him was for her. Sitting next to her chair was another Prince, and then Theon. The last Prince was the one sitting next to Aragon, and dinner was already served on the table.
Everyone turned to her when she stepped in, and the two princes she knew nothing about stood up to welcome her for the first time. They pretended so perfectly like they had missed her absence, so much that someone who didn’t know them before would think they were the closest of siblings.
"Don’t tell us you ain’t pregnant yet," The one called Prince Rhodes teased, and Marcus joined in the laughter as they gently patted her shoulders. Once again, she tried to make a smile appear on her face but there was nothing she could do about it so instead, she kept nodding and replying when absolutely necessary. They seemed like the Almost-perfect-fake-siblings.
"You might be, maybe you just don’t know it yet," And they all laughed again while Octavius was just shaking his head in mirth.
"It’s very good to see you again, dear." The Crown Prince, Marcus Octavius reached out and gave her a light hug before they all sat down. Theon hadn’t said anything for a while, and when Raziah looked at him, she noticed he looked a little in discomfort as she sat there just staring hard at the meal set in front of him.
It was when she took a closer look that she found out what was truly wrong. It was almost unnoticeable, but there was this hard and grueling look Aragon kept throwing in Theon’s direction from time to time which had him unable to say a word since. He couldn’t even raise his head to do anything at all.
"Let me serve you," Marcus insisted, and took Raziah’s plate before she could hold it. He helped her with so many things on her dish, but it was nowhere near the level of what she could consume. Raziah’s jaw worked at the little amount on her plate she could finish in less than five minutes but that shouldn’t concern her much when she still has to keep an eye on Theon and her husband.
Picking up a fork, she was just about to start eating when a hand reached out and pulled the food away from her, leaving her eating utensil suspended in mid-air. She grabbed a fistful of her dress under the table as she watched Aragon fill her plate till it was almost overflowing before passing it back to her, then he picked up another plate and helped another large amount of food on it too.
Marcus looked stricken for a second there, and even Rhodes couldn’t find the right words to say. Everything was just so awkward and the air was only getting tenser.
"Marcus, you haven’t been paying much attention to your sister before we got married," King Octavius let out a burst of hearty laughter, and soon the other two joined in. Raziah only nodded again but kept his eyes firmly on Theon and Aragon, curious to know what was going on between the two men. Did Theon offend him in any way? Or have they met somewhere in the past before?!
"You became such an eater in a short amount of time," Marcus replied with a smile.
"You should pay more attention, Brother," Raziah murmured so only he could hear her, even though someone else would most probably hear them too.
"Theo, You alright?" Prince Rhodes asked, looking at his brother who hadn’t taken a bite of his food. He hadn’t even spoken since he arrived.
Prince Theon looked like he had just been snapped out of a trance the second he heard his name. He looked up at his older brother, nodding his head with a bitter smile lining his lips, "Yes, I’m Good." Then, he picked up a small vegetable on his fork and brought it to his lips.
"Prince Theon," His Majesty spoke, and suddenly the silence thickened to its highest. The ones chewing stopped, and Raziah’s curiosity intensified. Her soul soared like she was dying to know what was going on, when his next words completely plummeted her heart deep underwater, knocking the breath out of her lungs, "How dare you try to unwrap my present for me?"
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