"Family" Dinner

"You're late, Alexander. How many times do I have to tell you that the maids aren't there just for your pleasure? They have other duties to attend to."

"Oh my. That explains why his wing of the castle is so much dustier than mine."

A second and sweeter voice chimed in from across the table: Alexander's half-sister, Sharon. Eager to tease her rebellious younger brother whenever given a chance, she had the same golden blonde hair as him, but due to having a different mother, she had bright emerald green eyes and a slight frame.

"As much as I would have liked to spend more time with my lovely maids, I, unfortunately, had to begin preparations for my sudden departure."

It didn't take long for the man to discern who went behind his back to inform the unruly prince.

"Alfred, huh? Can no one keep their mouths shut around here? First, Theo goes blabbing to Lily, and now my own advisor is giving me grief." The older man frowned in contempt while thinking of his loose-lipped court before sighing and pushing the matter aside until later.

"We'll speak more about it in my office after dinner; I'll explain everything to you then."

Alexander just shrugged and looked around the table as he waited for the meal to be served. At the head of the table was his father, King Gregorios, with his current wife, Queen Consort Mary, sitting to his left.

The King had the same golden hair that all his sons shared, with a touch of grey, but unlike the stocky and fit bodies of the first and second princes, he had a rather sickly frame.

The Queen Consort was an older woman in her late thirties with long brown hair braided down to her back and curves that certainly wouldn't be found lacking, even when comparing them to his maid, Victoria. With a body like that paired with her mature charm, it was no wonder she elevated herself from being a concubine to the now official wife.

Three women sat next to her at the table; while all of them were concubines, only two of them currently had children with the King. This side of the table was typically reserved only for the King's women. Still, since Alexander rarely ate with the family and had given his old seat up in an attempt to distance himself, Gregorios had no choice but to allow him to sit near the end.

Of course, that was with a few empty chairs separating them. He was a jealous man and certainly didn't trust his philanderer of a son near any of his women.

To the right of the King was where the first and second princes would be seated, along with their wives.

Theo, the first prince, was the son of the Queen Consort and the full-blooded brother of Sharon. He and the second prince had the golden hair of their father, while Theo had emerald eyes just like his mother and sister. He was fairly handsome and had a solid build that had been carefully cultivated from birth.

His wife, Clara, was a gorgeous woman with strawberry-blonde hair and a near-perfect hourglass body. Clara was a cheerful woman whose smile could light up a room.

She was also the only woman at the table that Alexander got along with, aside from his little sister and sometimes Sharon, when she wasn't being insufferable. Although she was having trouble keeping a straight face after the outburst before Alexander's arrival.

In the next seat was the second princess, Sharon. She sat alone, as no one could be found to marry her. Her mischievous and bubbly personality, in addition to her willful disregard for etiquette, chased off all her suitors despite her beauty.

Usually, the second prince, Abel, and his wife, Laura, would occupy the following two seats at the table. But they were currently away acting as diplomats in some foreign country of which Alexander was unaware.

The following seat was also empty; knowing in advance that her beloved brother would attend the family dinner tonight, Alexander's little sister, the third princess, had long ago abandoned it and taken her place at his side.

The last two seats were occupied by a young boy and an even younger girl whom Alexander had never met. It was reasonably likely that they were the children of one of the concubines.

Last but certainly not least, the one family member that Alexander did not think he could live without. The pitiful little lady now sitting next to him.

Lily had silky blonde hair flowing down to her waist and a face that was so ethereal and pretty when paired with her dainty frame that it was almost as if she were a fairy. She was barely an adult at sixteen, slightly younger than Alexander.

The only reason this unearthly beauty hadn't been engaged to anyone yet despite her being of age was because of his behind-the-scenes bargaining and Gregorios' soft spot for Lily. Her mother was his favorite concubine but sadly passed away while bringing her beloved daughter into the world.

The Queen Consort had nearly gotten her way when the crown desperately needed to secure the aid and loyalty of one of the duchies. It was in such a strategic position that if they had defected, it would have been disastrous.

If not for Alexander taking the fall and agreeing to be engaged matrilineally to the older sister of the heir, the King may have needed to marry his beloved daughter into that nest of vipers.

The food soon arrived, and after a brief prayer, everyone began to eat. The only exception being his little sister.

Noticing her distraught appearance, he took her hand in his and gave it a light squeeze to distract her from the thoughts eating away at her. She recovered from her stupor after feeling his warmth, and after giving him a strained smile, she finally began to eat.

The only sound that could be heard throughout the entire meal was the clinking of silverware, and with the mood already strained before Alexander arrived, not even the Queen Regent dared to start a conversation.

That is until a certain arrogant prince who couldn't read the room decided to shatter the peace.

"So, Alexander. How about leaving that mutt behind? There's no need for you both to go off and die."

Not even the sound of cutlery could be heard, as everyone could hardly believe their ears; even his mother couldn't contain her astonishment. The dunce had gone and said the quiet part out loud!

Alexander struggled to keep his cool at this blatant provocation and only managed to do so after seeing the horrible expression on his sister-in-law's face. Just thinking about the scolding he would get later allowed him to maintain a level head as he responded.

"Don't you think you're being a bit too hasty with that assumption? I have yet to even receive my blessings; it's a bit too early to be distributing my belongings. And if you wanted a pet so badly, you should have joined Grandfather with me during the winter offensive."

Theo scoffed at the suggestion before going on another one of his tirades.

"I had better things to do than trudge through the snow with the old man for months on end. You wouldn't understand, but as the first prince, I actually have responsibilities. I couldn't just drop everything to play in the snow with Grandpa; I have a duty to stay here and produce an heir while I learn how to run a kingdom."

Theo puffed out his chest in pride as if he nailed the response, seemingly not realizing that almost the entire table was appalled at his behavior. His wife Clara, who looked disgusted during his speech, turned somber as he spoke of making an heir. Her first and only pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, straining their relationship for some time now.

Alexander had managed to keep a calm façade until Theo began to disparage the campaign his grandfather had painstakingly prepared as a rite of passage for him.

His grandfather was the only real father figure Alexander could look up to, and his death still severely impacts him to this day. Alexander stood up and slammed the table as he began to rebuke his older brother, much to his sister's surprise, who nearly jumped out of her seat at the sudden display of brother-on-table violence.

"How dare you speak of him like that?! I'll-"

"ENOUGH!"

Gregorios' patience had reached its limit with his two wayward sons, and he decided to put a stop to it before it could devolve into something truly irreparable.

"Everyone out, now! I'll be speaking to you later, Theo. I'm very disappointed in you. That is not how my heir should behave. And Alexander, meet me in my office; we have much to discuss."

Everyone quickly made their way out of the hall, giving both brothers quite different looks.

Mary was burning a hole in her son's back as he leisurely walked out of the room as if he hadn't just created another major falling out. She didn't forget to spare Alexander a venomous glance as she left with the concubines in tow.

Sharon ignored the strife and skipped off somewhere, and Clara was apologetic for the actions of the first prince. After a sincere apology, she left to berate her idiot of a husband, leaving only Alexander and Lily in the hall.

He was still fuming from what Theo had said but felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on him after he saw his sister about to burst into tears again.

"It's okay, Lily; I'm sorry for scaring you." He gently wiped the tears from her eyes before leading her into the hallway and hugging her. He felt ashamed that he fell for his brother's provocations and once again caused sadness to the most important person in his life.

"First I heard you were going away, and now you are even fighting with big brother Theo... I just want everything to go back to the way it used to be... " She mourned the loss of the happy family that died alongside Alexander's mother.

He softly stroked her head as he reminisced about old times, which, unlike her flowery memories, were quite strained already, the only difference being who the Queen Consort was and him and his brothers being too young to feel much enmity towards each other.

"Run along now; I'll come to get you after I meet with Father."

Lily nodded and reluctantly parted from her brother's embrace, repeatedly looking over her shoulder as she walked away, afraid she would never see him again after he left her sight. After sending her off, Alexander began heading for his father's study and soon became lost in thought.

'Even though Father disapproves of my lifestyle, it's absurd to think he would try to off me... Not even the honeyed words of the Queen Consort could have convinced him to send one of his children to their deaths, and judging by her foul mood during supper, things were obviously not going to plan. Something big must be happening outside our borders. The fact that I've only seen my brother Abel twice in the span of years is very telling of our diplomatic situation.'

Alexander soon reached his father's office and readied himself for what was sure to be a rather exhausting conversation.