Chapter 22: The Kingdom's king?

Clop! Clop! Clop!

The horses seemed to have picked up pace but the carriage remained steady. The view outside the window was magnificent. There was a beautiful view of fountains and a vast well-maintained garden. It was so fancy Théoden could not help but gaze at it. More variety of flowers with a pattern arrangement stood tall towards the sky. It was a work of an expert, art in itself.

In the carriage, there was Marrianne opposite him and Helen beside him. Helen was calmly sited with her eyes closed, utterly uninterested in the view. Her face was stoic and unreadable and her breaths were constant and shallow making her presence diminished.

'This must be one of the things I should adapt.'

Théoden was learning from observing Helen while getting pointers from her at the same time. Professor Gladys Bolinsky, his etiquette teacher said he had thrice as much learning efficiency. Though it didn't seem as much, by her standards it was a lot. Her evaluation was always strict.

Marrianne was, on the other hand, staring at Théoden with a passive expressionless and slightly cold look. Her golden eyed seemed out of view from Théoden although he was looking at her as well.

He could not figure Marrianne out as his curiosity grew. He thought she was a cold and emotionless person at first, but that was her personality at the least. She seemed to treat him with bias compared to others. Evident to that was Helen, his fiancé. Marrianne was cold bordering rude towards her. Helen on the other hand admired Marrianne. It could only be concluded that she was like that to everyone else. That was why most people found her coldness natural.

Marrianne might have been biased in his evaluation, but she was the one who gave him all that he had in this world. She was his mother in this world and that would not change.

To him, she was slightly human. She seemed to be considerate of things he didn't even consider beforehand. During his entire stay with her, he never felt uncomfortable. She was nice in her way.

Théoden looked at Marrianne, it felt like their eyes met despite hers not being in view. Despite being so close the distance between them remained infinitely large. He looked outside slightly unhappy. He didn't understand the irritation in him.

At the end of the endless field, they came to a stop.

"We have arrived, Your Highness."

Théoden got off the carriage with a swift movement. The next one was Marrianne who got his help to alight. Helen was the last. She stood beside him with her arms holding his.

The sight inform of them was a group wanting on them. The King is at the forefront. The King looked…sickly.

The king of the Slevaria Kingdom, Selbach Severa Delia, was a man of merit. He united the kingdom of its states and maintained peace. It was fairly easy since the kingdom had a common enemy, Demons.

Selbach Severa was married to multiple women as a symbol of democracy with the states as they liquidated into one. Thus he was known as a man of many wives. Similarly, he had countless children.

His late years were quickly approaching and he was sickly and weak. This made the battle for the throne more fierce than ever. The man who was passive most of the time to royal affairs got shocked by the crown prince's untimely death. It was a sensitive time for the Kingdom.

The man in front of Théoden was aged with white hair, but had a tall posture and looked tired. His eyes, a lighter shade of Helen's looked happy to receive the Duchess. Théoden stared at the King who his princess suffered under.

Théoden had claimed she was part of his people. It was only right that the King was his enemy.

'No one messes with my people.'

With his knowledge of the royal family, he could easily identify the people standing behind Selbach Severa. There were his three wives and the dukes on his left and his sons and daughters with their spouses to his right. Only those that were married and influential in the kingdom were present.

'I guess some are Helen half siblings.'

There was not much of an audience. It was just as Théoden and Helen preferred.

"Nice to see you again, Duchess Marrianne."

A cheery voice rang out. The emperor gave a bright smile on his face not hiding the scheming eyes.

"It is likewise your majesty."

Marrianne sounded almost sarcastic making Théoden almost let out a laugh. Her eyes which were at her higher wave length looked down on the King with sheer boredom, cold as ice and sharp but lacked any particular interest in the man.

"Shall we then? The preparations are done as you requested. However,...I am hesitant about who my son-in-law is."

Théoden was the only male amongst them to arrive so it would only be fair to know he was Marianne's child. Selbach Severa looked around only to return his gaze to Marrianne, completely ignoring Théoden.

'Is he trying to make a joke of me?'

"You mean my son. Are you so curious about him?" Marrianne smiled, but her cold voice seemed chilly and sharper. Her narrowed eyes spoke it all, she was pissed. The pressure around them became heavier. Like gravity had taken more weight. The air was much colder while Marianne's eyes gained a brighter glow.

The emperor visibly shuddered under the stare. The pressure around him could be said to be much heavier.

"Not at all, Duchess. I just hope my daughter is in good hands, that is all."

The man said with a huge smile. His trembling hands betrayed his flawless act. Marrianne withdrew her pressure and gave an assumed stoic face. Completely unreadable.

'What was that?' A thought that lingered in Théoden's mind.

Théoden had yet to experience power in person but to think that such a powerful person was his mother. So close but he had no clue about it.

"Hypocrite."

Helen, beside Théoden, hissed softly enough to only be heard by his extra sensitive ears. Her voice was filled with loathing and hate. Her gaze remained calm but the slender hands holding him squeezed slightly in an effort to calm down. Théoden ignored that though.

"Welcome," The King said and motioned to follow him.

Théoden caught the greedy stare of the members who shamelessly stared at Helen. Maybe due to the custom of internal intermarriage. In thought, he slid his arm to Helen's waist. Helen didn't reject him. It was a silent agreement to cooperate with whatever intimacy they shared.

The greedy eyes were filled with rage and jealousy. They would not imagine their greed would provoke a new instinct in Théoden. His feelings towards Helen were not love but she was his wife. She was his. Théoden was very possessive.

The only reason Théoden had not taken any action was because Marrianne didn't take action. There was probably a reason she didn't. She was bold enough to not give respect to the king so what of the rest?

Following behind the King while the rest followed behind them, they arrived at a large door. Behind the door was a large room. A room that seemed like an audience hall bit with a large round table at the center.

There was a simple decorative theme of white with red roses. The room was dimmed and made it have a magical atmosphere. The room was particularly different from the hallways they had passed through. It had walls of stone similar to a cave and special magic stone lighting on the walls and ceiling. The thought one would have of the room was, peculiar.

Helen sat beside Théoden to the right while Marrianne was to his left. Opposite Marrianne on the table was the King who was sited beside his queen and beside them his other two main wives. The rest of the space was filled with his three sons and two daughters with their partners. The last in Théoden's group was the three dukes. The northern Duke, eastern Duke, and Western Duke. A total of twenty people occupied the room.

When everyone was settled, Selbach Severa gestured and a woman in formal attire walked into the room. She held a box with several golden engravings. The box needed to be held in both hands but was small otherwise. It had an enchanting mystery to it from afar but seemed even more mystic up close.