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For Prince Alexander Revonhelm, the time passed very slowly on his birthday.
In every hour that passed, he was getting more excited; in the morning, he finished his lessons on history quickly so that he could start his preparations but was sent by his father, the king regent, to check the palace grounds along with some men. He abided, and after surveying the vast vicinity, ordered one of his companions to return his horse to the stables. After that, he took a long bath and got dressed for his birthday, which was still hours away. He was excited at the prospect of meeting his future bride at the party.
To pass the time, he read a book, but its words never reached him. He found himself rereading the same sentence, and eventually, got lost on which part he should read next. He put down the book, paced back and forth, looked outside through the window, sat down, and then paced once again. Finally, he saw a carriage.
Three servants came and helped the prince get ready for the event once more; one of the servants presented him a new set of clothes.
"The King had this made as his gift, my prince," said a servant, before he could ask. "Does it not suit your preference, Your Highness?" the other servant asked.
"I did not mean that," said Alexander, "It's just... well, just carry on then."
His attire was completely different from what he usually wore on parties; instead of the long sleeved, knee-length coat and a waistcoat, he wore a long sleeved, dark red doublet embroidered with golden leaves. Its sleeves were puffed and slashed up to the elbow area. From the waist down, he wore a pair of dark red breeches on top of the hose, and a pair of low heeled shoes. Two of the servants helped him dress up upon layers of clothing, while the other fixed his wavy, golden hair.
Alexander was almost done when he heard knocking on his door. The prince beckoned the person to enter, and saw the head butler. The butler bowed, and the prince asked, "Is it time already?"
"Not yet," answered the butler, "The King summoned you to his chamber and I will escort you, Your Highness."
"Very well," the prince said, "I'll meet him after."
"He requested for your immediate presence," the butler added.
Alexander ordered the servants to make haste of their task, after which he headed to the king's chamber along with the head butler.
Along the way, he saw servants busy with the final preparations for the ball; some cleaned every nook and cranny of the palace halls, others set up the chandeliers, while a handful of the maids arranged the flowers in the vases along the hallways. After a few turns, Alexander arrived before the king's room.
The prince entered the room and saw two men seated by the hearth. His father, King Reginald and his uncle, Duke Theodore Castalier of Eselia, appeared to have been in the room for some time, as he observed a half-filled decanter and two glasses of spirits. He stood before them.
The duke greeted Alexander with a bow, and said, "My warmest greetings and congratulations to you, Your Highness. I wish you all the happiness in this world."
"I do hope it will come true, especially tonight at the party, Your Grace." Alexander said after he bowed. Then, he turned to his father and said, "You sent me, father?"
"I did." The king regent replied. "Take a seat," the king added while gesturing to the prince to sit down on the chair in front of him. Alexander politely declined.
"As you wish," the king said, "I've been meaning to ask you, Xander: have you met the noble families before?"
"I had the pleasure of meeting them during parties," the prince replied.
"All of them?"
"I'm afraid not," Alexander said and then added, "But I did learn their names during my lessons. The tutor was-"
"Are you well acquainted with the daughters of the nobility?" the king interrupted.
"Not very much," Alexander answered, "But I was hoping to do so, during the ball."
"Good," the king remarked.
There was a moment of silence. Perplexed, the prince asked, "Forgive me, father, but is this what you meant as a matter of urgency?"
"Not quite," the king answered, "however, it is regarding your future courtship, and eventually, your future wife and queen. You will only choose between the daughters of the dukes, and since your uncle had no children, he recommended the Starlings as one of your choices. That would be all. You may go back to your room and wait for the ball to start."
But Alexander just stood there, dumbfounded. He was as confused as before; he tried to think all the possible reasons of his father's statement. 'Was it a joke?' he thought, 'it might be. Or father's a little drunk… yes, that might be it!'
"Oh, I nearly forgot," King Reginald said, "Your first dance should be the daughter of Duke Laerhen of Ilseo."
Upon hearing his father's demand, the anger within Alexander grew. Vexed, the prince remarked, "This is getting ridiculous."
"Come again?" the king said.
The prince struggled to contain his emotions, and in a more calmed manner, hoping to convince his father otherwise, said, "Father, you taught me before of the importance of connecting with the lords of Grantheim, and as prince and the future king, I should get on their good side and secure their support. Don't you think this would jeopardize that?"
The king fell silent. For Alexander, the silence was uncomfortable, especially due to the king's piercing gaze at him. He saw the seriousness in his father's face, yet it did not show anger or any emotion; it was rather a lack of it.
Finally, the king broke his silence, "Would you like to explain yourself, my dear son?"
'Ah, he was just contemplating,' Alexander thought, 'father probably realized its absurdity.' Alexander felt victorious, in the account that he made his father to make up his mind about the silly request.
"Well, other than celebrating my birthday, this party was held as a way for the noble families to get to know families from another duchy, and most importantly, as a chance to associate themselves with us, the royal family," Alexander explained.
"Go on," the king said.
"This event is a wonderful opportunity, especially for me, to be introduced and get acquainted with everybody, and most importantly, to create an alliance through marriage," the prince said, "But since I have limited options in choosing my wife, of which, as you said earlier, I only pick an eligible daughter of a duke, or in Lady Starling's case, a marchioness. Don't you think, father, that it would undermine those whose ranks were unfortunately lower, and that the chance they thought they had was actually a lie?"
"Is that all, Alexander?" King Reginald asked. The prince nodded in reply.
"Very well, I should tell my reasons," the king said, "Your saintly grandfather, the late King Arturo, once promised the Duke of Ilseo an alliance through marriage of one of his daughters, while the other, was promised to my father, which resulted to my marriage to your mother. However, under unfortunate circumstances, the promise was not fulfilled. As a form of respect, and the late king's will, I intended to keep the vow, this time, through you."
It was apparent that Alexander was horrified at the king's statement. Exasperated, he stamped towards the king and said, "Can I at least wish not to make this day, my birthday political?"
Suddenly, the king rose and walked towards Alexander. Upon seeing his father's cold expression, Alexander realized quickly his mistake; his blood ran cold, and his body trembled in fear. He instinctively backed out, until he stumbled and fell on a chair. The king continued to walk closer to his son, until he was a few inches away from him. With a piercing grey eyes and stern voice, the king said to Alexander, "You will choose Lady Kara Laerhan of Ilseo, as your partner. You are to do as you're told, Prince Alexander." He then ordered the butler to escort the prince back to his room. Without a word, the prince bowed and left the room.
As Alexander entered his room, he quickly poured himself a glass of liquor and drank it fast. He tried all his might to calm himself down, but to little avail. He paced back and forth, and thought about his exchange with his father, and the possible reasons for his unreasonable demand. More importantly, he thought of his mistaken assumption of his father's silence. It wasn't because of contemplation of the 'ridiculousness' of the command; it was his own foolishness that lead to the exchange. "The king's orders are absolute," was something he learned all throughout his life.
All of his anticipation for the party was gone.
He wished that he had not spoken against his father. He wished to escape from the palace, or more precisely, the reality he was in.
He thought long and hard for a way out, yet nothing came into his mind.
Suddenly, Alexander heard a knock. The butler opened the door and said, "It's time, Your Highness."
Alexander walked anxiously out of his room and to the hallway leading to the ballroom, silently praying to the gods for a sign, for something, or someone, to come and save him.
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