Something about the way he spoke irked me, king or whatnot.
"..."
Father stayed mum without response to the king's provocative remark.
"How preposterous, Duke Dawson! The king has given you much grace by allowing you the chance to share Demeria's royal blood. And you dare to make demands!?" Barked the first Prince harshly, wanting to score some brownie points with his father, I assumed.
Contrary to how he carried himself before the king, Father merely cast a brief sideway glance toward the Prince. A moment of gaze from which carried all the words he needn't to say.
Receiving that, the first Prince flushed in rage, gripping the armrest hard as if to crush them to pieces.
"Huhuhu...As expected of the Lion in the North. Your reputation surely precedes you." Commented the Second Prince, shaking his head friskily, capitalizing on the chance to smear his brother's face.
"I thank the Second Prince for the words." Answered Father.
"Oh, you take that as a compliment? Then let me rephrase it better than that guy over there...Until when will the lion stay wild and untamed?" Out of the blue, the playful gleam in the man's eyes was gone, replaced by a grim, almost crazed glint.
"Pardon me, but I don't quite understand what the second Prince is trying to imply. The House of Dawson has been and will always be loyal to the royal family of Demeria. For as long as the teachings of Light be upheld, that will be the truth." Remarked Father, unfazed.
"Hahaha! That's rich. Coming from you, of all people." An unhinged laughter broke loose from the man.
"Tell me, Duke. Is that how you teach your young son? Did he also aspire to uphold the teachings?" Added the second Prince, making a real mess of his hair and clothes.
The man seriously looked like a fucking junkie on his limits.
'The hell these people were thinking, to try and make a prick like this to be a king.' I grumbled in frustration inwardly.
I tried hard to reserve my judgment whenever I encountered someone, but this asshole was making it harder to do so.
On a side note, I noticed the twins trembling due to the situation suddenly taking a turn for the worse. It was quite the contrast to how they were just minutes ago.
"It will be best for all of us if we drop the matter this instant, second Prince." A chilling reply from Father. "Even the most loyal creature in Fysi will bare their fangs if you touch their offspring. Wouldn't you agree so?"
Toward the end, Father's gaze furtively slid to the man sitting on the grandiose throne between the two Princes as if to issue a silent warning. It might be hidden from the people standing in the distance, but that wasn't the case for them. I believe they caught that. Without a shred of doubt...
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And also me, thanks to my dependable enchanted sight.
"Hm...Huhuhu..." A low grating laugh. The king's eyes flashed with a mysterious, maddened glint. Not a speck of joy was found in his eyes.
"Dawson. Oh, Dawson...You people never change. Always so steadfast...Unnecessarily stiff and stubborn," As he talked, his gaze found the twins, who were still plagued with anxiety. "So vexing..."
He didn't need to and shouldn't direct his displeasure at Helena and Howard, who'd done nothing wrong in this. But he did it anyway, fully knowing that fact.
He looked at them as though they were nothing but damaged goods that didn't meet his twisted standards.
"The wedding will take place in the Royal Palace, and both of them must be married before going to Rockfelle. Dawson will also need to pay an increased tax of twenty percent for the next five years. As for the rest...You can have a lengthy discussion with the ministers." Finished the king with a tinge of mockery, which could be heard surfacing boldly in his tone.
Father heaved softly and kept his face calm and collected even in front of such an unreasonable demand.
"I will honor the agreement under the condition that Prince Howard will become an adoptive son of House Dawson." Returned him after pausing briefly, taking the entire ballroom by surprise.
Loud gasps could heard coming from the onlookers.
'Wow...' And I was no different.
It was more than a brazen move to try and snatch someone's son in front of them, and that man just happened to be a king, too...
'Man, talk about having balls!' I looked at the man and felt nothing but pride.
Outrageous as it may be to the rest of the gallery, it certainly didn't seem so for the two Princes. Each responded in their own way, but one thing they shared in common...Silence...
In a way, Father was offering them the chance to take Howard, a potential threat to their position on the throne, off their hands.
They would have one less will card they need to think of and would also get the benefit of binding the House of Dawson with a much tighter leash because Father did agree to Helena and my marriage.
It was an offer too good to pass.
But that question was not for them to answer...It was for the man wearing the crown.
"...Thirty percent." Sounded the king arrogantly.
'What a fucking greedy pig!' I cursed the man.
"May you live long and prosper, Your Majesty!" Returned Father without even a shred of doubt.
He then fixed his posture and saluted the king, cementing his answer to their agreement.
Worried about the twins, I took a peek at them.
Helena couldn't stop smiling and kept fidgeting, unable to contain her elated feelings, looking like a kid who had just got her present on Christmas.
As for Howard, unlike his sister, he openly stared at Father with this lingering look of pure shock.
Too bright for his own good, Howard knew just what kind of unfair agreement Father had agreed to, just to take both of them under his wings.
Helena aside, I guess he never knew that his name would somehow be included, too.
And seeing him like that unknowingly brought a smile to my face. 'Look at you punk...'
Honestly, I didn't know what Father was planning with all this. But for now...It was good enough...
"Hey...Why so surprised...? Aren't you both a set?" I whispered playfully.