3 The Dinner
1634 Words
Dinner was quiet at first.
Janus was ordered to dinner with the King that very night, just after Madam Padmey decided that Janus was well enough to go outside again. Yvaine also mentioned that she and their two brothers would be in attendance.
This wasn't any ordinary dinner. It was an exclusive meeting between members of the family. No members of the court were invited, not even the King's advisers.
The dining hall was filled with ornate chairs of fine wood, and the table was long enough to serve up to thirty. But only six people were sitting here.
The King was seated at the center, with the four siblings to his left and right. Janus was beside Yvaine, and Marcus and Anders were on the other side. Despite being seated close to each other, each member of his family felt very distant. Except for Yvaine, who seemed to be liked by everyone.
It was hard to be calm after a week of eating the food at the infirmary. Everything there was much of the same. Stale bread that could replace the stones on the wall, soups that were devoid of any flavor, and turkey meat that was dry as leather.
But Janus had to keep his cool, however. He was focused on keeping his place within royalty. He needed to be quick on his wit. Yvaine had something in mind for him. He kept a backup plan, just in case.
The King spoke first. He had majestic silver hair up to his shoulders and a full beard. He had broad shoulders and sat up straighter and taller than anyone he's ever met. The King looked relaxed, but his gaze was intimidating. The kind of father you wouldn't want to disappoint. Janus' thoughts came back to the Prince again.
"So, Janus, are you feeling better now?"
A good opening. It seemed he still have a chance to influence the King.
"I can walk now, your highness. Madam Padmey has taken care of me well."
Marcus smirked. Anders' expression was like stone.
They are the other two who would influence the King. He needed to fight against them with words.
Marcus was first in line to the throne and showed every bit of competence to gain the King and most nobles' trust. He was in good favor to the Holy See and was quickly gaining ranks in the Arcanus Order. Marcus had a sly smile and always looked calm. Marcus would not want to punish Janus badly since he tried to build up his reputation for mercy. But he didn't mind letting Janus out of the capital to firm his way to the throne.
Anders was also a serious contender for the throne. His face had small scars and never wanted to remove them. He had thick broad shoulders and wore his armor's suit, a gleaming red breastplate with elaborate blades twisting at the center. He is the leader of the Crimson Blades -- a military group that could go toe to toe with the Royal Knights. He was as tough as his appearance. For whatever reason, he would be happy to see Janus go to hell.
"And have you thought of the consequences of your actions, son?" King Gregorious asked.
"Yes, Father. I believed that my punishment was in order. And I apologize for attempting to take people's life, no matter the maid's or mine. I have found the error in my ways." Janus replied formally.
Yvaine winked at him. That made it easier to breathe.
"Really? Dear brother? I've heard this a thousand times before. Rumors of your latest misdeed are now spreading across the Kingdom. How many more times should we bail you out?" Marcus smiled.
Andres scoffed. "You couldn't even suicide properly."
Yvaine jumped in. "That's too far, Anders. You know the pressure our brother is in."
"Pressure? Hah! That's nothing compared to the stress of armed combat. He should be sent to the mines to work. That should straighten him up."
"Stop, Anders." Said the King. "Slave work won't bode well for our reputation. It would be a huge insult to the royal reputation."
That was a bad signal. It seemed the King never consider what Janus would suffer. He valued the reputation heavier than Janus's life. Still, Janus realized that he might use the royal reputation to change the King's mind.
"My fault, father. How about sending Janus to be Duke of Levoir's assistant? He suspected that we don't trust him. Janus will ease his worry."
Hell, Duke of Levoir was likely to rebel. Anders wanted him to die! Janus knew he must take some actions to save his life.
"Father, it will be a fatal strike to royal reputation. Duke of Levoir is a hedonist who lacks morals and rejects the Holy See at every waking moment. It will mislead the Holy see that we agree with him."
"I'm sorry father" Marcus chimed in. "I must say I rarely do this, but I do agree with Janus. I would suggest he take clerical duty as an assistant at the Monastery instead. That would fix him up quite well. Make him humble and well mannered. More importantly, we can show our respect to Holy See."
The Monastery was one of the places where Marcus studied to become a mage. In fact, Janus didn't take it as a bad choice if he did not need to give up his name.
"I suggest we enlist him to the Crimson Pikes instead. It's the kind of environment that could turn kids into men. One week of training would be a more physical effort that this boy has ever done in his life." Said Anders.
The Crimson Pikes was a junior affiliate group for the Blades, but Janus knew this was another ruse. The Pikes were a group for Blade rejects and deserters. The Blades were notorious for throwing away squads of Pikes to the front lines as arrow fodder, with no hope of promotion.
The King considered this. His expression kept unreadable as always. Janus refrained from speaking just yet. He learned silence matter in his modern life.
Before the timing appeared, Yvaine stepped in. "Father, I would like to take Janus as my personal assistant. He'd be in charge of doing extra work in matters of diplomacy. He can help me researching and gathering information on the vassals and subjects of the Kingdom, as well as assisting me in reaching out to other races."
There was a roar of laughter at the table. Marcus was close to tears; even stoic Anders was banging the table.
"Janus? Accompany you in negotiations? Remember what happened when he commissioned the thieves guild only to lose more money? Or when he bribed the nobles only to get double-crossed? Come on now, my dear sister." Said Marcus snidely.
"Do you want me to hand you a civil war instead?" Anders added.
Both brothers laughed. They didn't like each other much and rarely agree with each other. But they reached an agreement that the Prince was a loser.
The King didn't look impressed at all. Yvaine had good intentions, but it was too unlikely. It was time for Janus to act. He had to carry out his plan now. Not a good time, but not the worst.
"I have another proposal Father."
Both of his brothers looked shocked.
"You're in no place to make a bargain, after all the failures you've done. You'll only make things worse." Marcus said.
"We also have to settle the matter of Deena's murder." Anders added.
"You mean the maid who spied for you?" Marcus smiled.
"You have no proof, and neither does Janus. She was murdered in cold blood, and that is something I cannot forgive as a member of the Blades."
"And she was a member of your harem." Marcus added.
"You bas--"
"Enough." The King's voice resonated across the dining hall. The light seems to have flickered as he said the word. Everyone fell silent.
"Let's hear it, son."
#
"I will be the first to admit that I was a failure. I am now resolved to make up for it. For the murder of Deena, I will attend her funeral and show my regret publicly. Besides, I will pay her family to soothe their pain." Janus said.
Yvaine leaned in to listen. Marcus looked rightfully perplexed as if they were seeing a different person.
"Save your hypocrisy. She is my subordinate. It's my duty to attend her funeral as the representative of the royal family." But Anders kept furious.
"Indeed. But I will attend her funeral as a murderer, not a prince. My only reason to attend her funeral is to show my great regret."
Anders was silent. And Janus kept talking:
"I apologize for attempting to end my own life. I understand that a cover up is for the Kingdom to help with its reputation, and I am aware that this takes a considerable amount of effort."
The King nodded.
"Therefore, I am now relinquishing my claim to the throne. I will also give up the family name. I've read that this was once done by Prince Remus in 1600 D.C. when he left the royalty to live as a scholar. My only wish is to continue living in the castle so I can peruse the libraries. I will spend my time in pursuit of knowledge until I can find an adequate profession that the Kingdom can be proud of."
The table fell silent. You could hear the howl of the wind outside or the chirping of cicadas. His brothers looked stunned, with mouths wide open. Even Yvaine looked baffled.
There was another roar of laughter. This time it came from the King. Janus had done his best, and now he was waiting for his final sentence.
- Writer
