Cyrus
I sat with my parents and brother for another minute in silence as they just stared at me. It was a good move on my part to request a pot of tea in addition to the wine. Tea is more calming than wine for me. It is lucky that this teapot keeps the tea warm for quite a while. I will give them another minute before I restart this conversation.It is getting late. I will have a lot to do starting tomorrow if my plan is accepted by them. Halcyon was the first to break the silence. He sat back and looked at me with a considering expression.
"What questions do you have for me, brother?"
Setting my teacup down, I looked back at him with an equally considering expression. Looking at him now, I could see our physical resemblance. We favored our biological mother over our father in looks, but Halcyon resembled him more than I did. It was our minds, though, that showed who we truly took after. My mind was more like Dad's, while his was more like Mom's. Mom had been a good queen and would have been a great one before her passing if she hadn't been so narcissistic in her behavior when dealing with the court and her other duties. Over the past year, with the influence of the Casimir siblings, we all thought he was finally changing that nasty trait, but it appears he hasn't changed enough.
"What is your vision for this kingdom?" I asked him. I was amused that this question surprised him. Like it isn't part of the plan for him to share his vision for the kingdom with us.
"Well, ummm, I would like us to continue to prosper. I would not want to expand our borders. We have what we need, and what we don't, we have good trade agreements with neighboring nations to obtain those materials. With Roscoe choosing to become our ambassador to other nations, I'm sure our bonds will grow, and our exchanges will continue to be fruitful. Anthi is training to become a Premier Singer, so while she is chasing her dream she can also make connections for us in countries we don't directly border." He paused to pour himself a cup of tea while appearing to be deep in thought, but I knew he was actually trying to recall the notes we had given him for when this opportunity arose.
"While Neta just wants to be a princess with no major responsibilities, she promises to assist Mom in keeping an eye on the social scene. You are the only piece of the puzzle I don't have a place for, so I'm hoping we can discuss how exactly you would like to be of service to the Daril Kingdom." Halcyon sat back with a smug smile, clearly pleased with himself, especially since our parents looked hopeful and pleased with his response.
"That was all very well said. It would be even better if you could take most of the credit for everything to do with our siblings' arrangements and your impromptu speech just now." Ah, there it was—the confusion and slight apprehension on his face. "You see, brother, Keziah and I worked out the plans and arrangements for Anthi, Roscoe, and Neta, then presented you with step-by-step instructions on how to seal the deal, as Keziah would say. Your gaping-mouth expression is so lovely, and it does feel nice that helping you helped me. For you see, Dad gave me the same task as you." I did not hold back my chuckle as he looked at Dad with a questioning gaze. Dad shrugged and nodded, confirming that, yes, I too had been challenged to redirect my siblings to other pursuits so that I could bloodlessly assume the throne.
"Yes, I was aware and never felt the need to tell you because, as I said, helping you helped me. I know you went to Keziah for help because you thought that would show her you saw her as a good partner. You were probably surprised that she actually gave you viable plans. She felt it was only fair to offer me help as well. We ended up working together—since I had the connections and she had the ideas. We even came up with the guidelines for the speech you just gave so you could improvise. Great job, Halcyon. Very well done with your response." I spoke with a 90% sincere and 10% mocking tone.
Halcyon looked ready to explode with anger, while my parents seemed entertained by this turn of events. "Moving along, next question: are you willing to give up the throne to be with Keziah? Even though you messed up very badly, I think, with time, Keziah would forgive you. If you told her she was more important than the throne, she would love you again. What say you? Is Keziah enticing enough for you to step aside for the better person to lead our country?" I was honestly curious—especially after today's incident—if he just might take this path.
I knew Keziah had truly loved him in the past, and while she had distanced herself from him, I believed that if he really made an effort to woo her and help her accomplish her dream, he could regain her heart. I loved her enough to step aside for her to be with her first love. I loved her enough to make this country the best it could be for her to thrive and achieve everything she set out to do. I will forever be her #1 supporter.
Halcyon actually took a few minutes to ponder my question before responding. "No, I can't do that. I do care for Keziah and may even be a little in love with her, but ever since I could understand what Father's role in our kingdom was, I have dreamed of following in his footsteps to become king. I don't want to give up my dream for her. I want her to join me in my dream. I think she would make a wonderful queen. I will speak with her. I will apologize and ask her to be mine properly. I will be traveling, but we can write, and she can visit me." He stated this with all seriousness.
Scratching my head, I didn't know what to say in the face of his behavior.
"I see. Well, you are welcome to do that and push her further away from you. I, however, will be backing out of this contest for the throne. I will be petitioning Father and the council to bestow the title of Prime Minister upon me once you are crowned king. I am going to help you guide our country into an even more prosperous era. I am choosing the woman I love over the throne. I will be holding onto enough political power that you won't drive this kingdom into stagnation. This is my proposal."
I stand up and hold out my hand to him. "Take it, and we can have your crown prince ceremony in a month. As your Prime Minister, I will occasionally travel to you to help keep you up to date on our kingdom's matters. This will help us build a working relationship so that by the time your exile is over, we will be able to step into our roles more easily and maybe let Father enjoy an early retirement with Mom."
I kept my hand held out as he stared at it. I could practically hear the wheels turning in his head as he tried to see another way forward for us.
"We both know I'm the better candidate to be king. While you played with your chosen yes-men, I gained recognition and support from the nobles, middle, and lower class—whom you only gave superficial attention to. While you have done well in your academics and kingship lessons, have you tried to put anything into practice beyond what is asked of you? You even delegated the task Dad gave us and didn't follow up at any point. You interrupted Keziah while she was working on her own projects, asking if she was done with the plans, and when she did come to you wanting your opinion on anything, you told her you trusted her judgment."
"I honestly have little faith you would be a good king, but Dad and Keziah seem to believe you can be a good king if we guide you."
For a moment, I let all my irritation and disapproval of him show on my face before I let it fade away.
"So that is what I'm going to do. I'm going to guide you to be a great king as your right hand in the role of Prime Minister. So take my hand so we can all go to bed and start tomorrow with the focus of you becoming the best man you can be for our kingdom."
For a moment, I thought he wouldn't take my hand, but he stood and shook it with an indescribable expression.
"To the prosperity of Daril, I welcome you, brother, as Prime Minister. I couldn't ask for a better man to have at my side."
He pulled me into a hug, then went over to our parents before bidding us goodnight and heading inside.
"That was certainly a checkmate if I ever saw one. Was you becoming Prime Minister a part of the plan too?" Dad asked as I walked back into the palace with them.
"No, it was actually an idea I came up with this afternoon. My plan was to fit where I could, and if I no longer fit here, then I would become a permanent ambassador somewhere," I replied as we reached the entryway of the palace.
"So, you decided to have the best of both worlds—your desire to support our kingdom and to support the one who holds your heart. I hope she will love you as much as you love her."
Mom pulled me into a hug, then pulled me down to kiss my forehead. "You are my son in all the ways that matter. I want you to be happy and have a good life."
"She may not love me yet, but I believe my actions will speak for themselves. I believe there will come a day when I can ask for her hand in marriage. There is no need to rush. We both have goals we wish to achieve before we marry."
I kissed her on the head and pulled my Dad into a back-pounding hug.
"Everything will work out. I promise. Good night, Dad and Mom. See you in the morning for a strategy meeting."
I waved, then departed in my carriage to my palace. Yes, it will all work out.
Patience, Cy. Patience, and then you can have it all.