The Great Helianthuses - Pt. 1
SLAM!
King Helianthus threw his ledgers on his wooden desk in frustration in front of Reyna.
"I thought I had told you to watch yourself today!"
"You told me I had to do whatever it took to win," she replied, trying to control her anger.
"Do you know what the people want, Reyna?" He asked his daughter, but she was unable to answer. The King pointed to a portrait of her late grandmother.
"People want someone like your Grandmother! Not some ruthless dictator!" blood boiling with anger, he continued to throw the ledgers at his daughter. She catches it and burns it at the touch, resisting the urge to throw it back in his direction.
"Did I not perform to your satisfaction?" She asked, behind her gritted teeth.
"No, you did not,"
"So my victory meant nothing to you?"
"I'm only acknowledging victory once you've attained the throne." the King reminds her.
"You are debuting soon and Madame Margot just informed me of how much you've been skipping out on her lessons to practice your swordsmanship."
Reyna sighed, about to defend herself when her father cut him off.
"No matter how many battles you've won or how much the people love you, if you can't win the votes of the nobles they will always have some kind of plot to damage your standing. Max Blackwell is beloved in high society and Queen Blackwell holds the presidency. Your attacks are going to be seen as excessive."
The King sits down, hand pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.
"From now on I will put your sword practice on hold so you can prepare for your upcoming debut. We will go about the throne from a different angle, through high society."
Reyna's arms are behind her, but she couldn't stop fiddling with her fingers out of anxiety. The nobles had never seemed to like her ever since she was young so the thought of her having to re-enter that environment felt nerve-wracking.
"I… I understand, Father."
"Good. You are dismissed." he waved her off with his hand, releasing a sigh that seemed to deflate his body as if he were exhausted by their conversation.
She bows and leaves his study.
*
Reyna walked along the long hallway to get to her bedroom when she passed by their family portrait; three figures dressed in formal attire smiling.
She scanned over the portraiture and stopped at herself, staring long enough that she forgot who it was. Then shaking it off, she shifts her focus towards her parents; the King and Late Queen of Helios.