The dining hall was soon bustling with activity of servants bringing out food, guests helping themselves to the constant stream of dishes, and the roar of chatter among them. Queen Andreeas and Prince Aire sat at the main table with nobility from other important kingdoms surrounding them. Duchess Ashlin sat to Aire's right while his mother sat to his left. The Queen had almost immediately drowned herself in as much alcohol as she could get her hands on, until one servant had even advised her against taking another glass and had gotten promptly smacked in the face.
The Duchess herself was becoming quite past tipsy, whereas Aire had only consumed two and a half glasses of wine. His own alcohol tolerance surprised him, but he still nonetheless began to feel the effects. Duchess Ashlin and his mother were talking and laughing loudly with each other, until the Queen suddenly turned her attention to Aire and began speaking to him with very slurred words.
"Your father was a whore, Ellie," she said, drawing a confused and surprised expression from Aire. His mother had not gotten this drunk since before the passing of the king. "A lying, cheating, ugly whore. Oh, don't look at me like that. Most of the female servant's bastard children are probably his."
Aire hissed at his mother to lower her voice while she took another sip from her wine glass. His face was turning red with fury at his mother's apathetic revealing of this information to anyone who could hear. Of course he knew that, but why was that important now?
"Don't hush me," the Queen scoffed. "I am your mother. I am the Queen." A short, loud laugh erupted from her lips, causing the Duchess beside him to cackle almost maniacally. Yes, the Duchess and his mother were the only ones to become absolutely wasted at these gatherings. Everyone else seemed to possess at least the slightest form of civility.
"I've had sex with your father," the Duchess said matter-of-factly, tilting her glass toward him with a raised eyebrow before winking and draining the last bit of wine. "I've always wondered if his, hmm, size would be passed down to you. Used to try to make guesses when your mother and I watched you in the bath when you were young."
"Please," Aire begged, voice hoarse. "No more. Mother, control your friend, I beg of you."
"Control my friend?" Andreeas scoffed with a mirthless laugh. "You're not the king yet, boy. Count your blessings."
Aire groaned and put his head in his hands, not caring that it was improper to have his elbows propped upon the table. The ginger servant arrived at their table, and he tried to look at her with pleading eyes, but she did not cast her gaze upon him even for a second. The spite in her tone was very evident, and did not go unnoticed by the queen.
"Such a wretch, that Rosemund," the Queen sneered, gazing over at the Duchess. Aire's ears tuned in, taking in the fact that he now knew the servant's name. "That's the slave my son was scolding earlier in the kitchen. Her hair is a disaster. I mean, really, she might be the most insignificant person on the planet, but she could at least try to act like she's worth something. No matter how untrue that is."
The Queen and Duchess both began to laugh, and the servant had just barely walked away from their table. This was the worst gathering Aire had ever witnessed - ever since the passing of his father, his mother had become more and more cynical and overall evil.
"Your Maje-Majesties," came a timid voice. Aire looked up to see the servant who'd been previously slapped in the face by the Queen.
"What is it, slave?" Andreeas barked.
"It is time for the Prince's speech, your Majesty."
"Already?" Andreeas inquired, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Alright, thank you, Joseph. Gather the slaves and ring the bell."
"Yes, your Majesty," Joseph bowed politely and scurried back off to the kitchen to fetch the rest of the help.
Within the next half hour, the dining hall was filled with people of all social statuses, though mostly royalty. Aire stood at the head of the room upon a small platform, all eyes turned toward him. He scanned the crowd as he clutched the parchment in his shaking hands and locked eyes with Rosemund for a brief second before looking away. Smiling faces greeted him, nods of approval and encouragement from various family friends. He took a long, inhaling breath.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "As you are aware, I am the single child born to our Queen and late King, may he rest in peace."
This comment drew sympathetic nods and murmurs from the crowd. Another bell was rung for silence, almost making Aire cringe.
"However, the time has come for me to take the place as ruler of this kingdom. As such, I am compelled to tell you how happy and thrilled I am to be inheriting this position. I assure each and every one of you, be you come from another kingdom or whether you consider this land your home, that security and happiness are both going to be my first priority when concerning the people."
Approving and excited murmurs erupted from the crowd, and again the bell for silence was rung.
"I thank each and every one of you for attending this dinner tonight, and I thank you for the support. I looked forward to working in closeness with all of you. Food is still being handed out, and later tonight music will be playing in the ballroom. I shall be sitting on what will soon be my very own throne in case any of you wish to visit with me. The help included," he added pointedly, though it wasn't written in his speech. His mother looked at him like he'd grown three heads.
"Again," he finished. "Thank you."
As he stepped down from the platform and folded the parchment, the audience began to clap, though he wasn't sure what for. He hadn't said much to be applauded, just stating the fact that he'd soon be taking over the kingdom. Quietly, he slipped back into his seat at the dining table while the others re-seated themselves as well.
It would be a long night.
