Crown Prince Bel’s betrothal ceremony was mere hours away and his outfit needed to be perfect. He frantically rummaged through his closet but could not find matching dress slacks for the shirt and jacket on his bed. The maid android behind him, oblivious to his mounting frustration, methodically made his bed. Finding its progress hindered by the clothes, it dumped them onto the floor. A cleaning android picked up the clothes and deposited them into the hamper. Bel spun around. “No! Stop. Those are clean clothes. Put them back on the bed.”
“Apologies, sir. They were on the floor.”
Bel gritted his teeth. “Because the maid droid knocked them onto the floor.” He waved toward the door. “Both of you out. You can clean after I leave.”
The androids left the room and Bel went back into his wardrobe. Just as he found a suitable pair of slacks and placed them on the bed, the door swung open. Another android stuck its head through the doorway. “By the many gods, I said to go away until–”
The royal attendant android interrupted. “Your highness, the king and queen request your presence in the royal bedchamber.”
“Tell them I am dressing and will be there shortly.” The droid closed the door and Bel hurriedly changed into his dress clothes. He grabbed his royal sash on the way out and strode quickly to the royal bedchambers.
Queen Charanpa-sha greeted him as he entered. “You look very handsome. Impeccable coordination...” Her eyes drifted down to his feet. “Although you should reconsider wearing slippers.”
Bel looked at his slippered feet and grimaced before changing the topic. “I was told you wanted to see me.”
The queen leaned over the bed and dabbed a wet washcloth on the king’s forehead. “Your father had another dizzy spell and fell.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
King Ajeet-mar pushed his wife’s hand away and sat up. “I am fine. A little nap and I will be ready to go.”
“You will do no such thing,” the queen said as she firmly pushed him back onto the bed. “The royal physician wants to run some blood work and has prescribed bed rest.”
The prince crossed his arms. “Which means he will miss my betrothal ceremony, like every other major event in my life.”
Charanpa-sha wagged a finger at Bel as she approached him. Despite being two heads shorter than him, he felt small as she chided him. “That is not fair. You know how difficult it is to survive on Doaba II. Your father works harder to make this colony planet successful than anyone. He may have to take a rest, but the work never does. Which is why–”
“You will not be attending either,” sighed Bel.
Her voice softened. “You know how happy we are for you and Lady Nordhi. I have been looking forward to your betrothal ceremony for weeks.” Her eyes misted up. “I even had a custom gown made for it. As royalty, sometimes we have to put our duty above our desires.”
Looking morose, Bel said, “I understand. I will pass your apologies on to Nordhi and her family.”
“Do not forget to take the scarf for the ceremony,” Charanpa-sha said while pointing at a gift box on the dresser.
Bel grabbed the box while checking his phone. “Why can’t I get hold of any of the chauffeurs? I have to leave soon.”
“All the human staff have the weekend off,” his mother replied. “Did you forget we rescheduled the 153rd Landing Day Celebration to this weekend due to the solar flares?”
“Father, can I borrow a hoverbike?”
His mother glared at the king, discouraging him from speaking, while addressing Bel. “No, you may not! You will be chauffeured so you look perfect when you arrive.
Bel’s face darkened to match his sour mood. “I am the prince, and this is my betrothal ceremony. This is one day I should be able to demand a human driver.”
His father coughed before speaking. “Listen to your mother. You need to learn to not take your privilege for granted.” He winked at his wife. “This is one of the happiest days of your life after all. Only two men in the entire kingdom are fortunate enough to marry the most beautiful woman of their generation.”
The king was right, and it galled Bel to admit it. Their position provided great privilege, but he’d heard duty used as an excuse by his father too often. “I will be sure to tell Nordhi that, after I tell her you cannot attend.” Bel gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and returned to his bedroom to change into his shoes.