King Louis strode into the meeting room, his ministers bowing low as he took his seat at the head of the long table. His daughter, Princess Daisy, followed behind him, her presence causing a palpable tension in the air.
The ministers greeted the king with forced smiles, but their eyes flicked nervously to Daisy.
“Your Majesty,” one of the ministers spoke up, “may we begin?”
King Louis nodded and turned to Daisy. “Tell us, my daughter, what challenges face our people?”
Daisy cleared her throat and began to speak. She talked of how germs were devastating the crops, and how bandits were stealing the harvests. As she spoke, murmurs of discontent began to rise from the ministers.
King Louis slammed his fist on the table. “Silence!” he barked. “This is a matter of utmost importance! Show respect for your future queen!”
The ministers cowed, but Minister Lucas spoke up. “Your Majesty,” he said, “Princess Daisy is not yet our crown princess. The ministers have not yet agreed on it.”
The room fell silent as King Louis stared at Lucas, his face growing red with anger. “How dare you!” he shouted. “My daughter is the rightful heir to the throne, and you will show her the respect she deserves!”
Minister Lucas maintained his composure. “Your Majesty,” he began, “I understand that Princess Daisy is also a rightful heir to the throne, but we cannot ignore the fact that Princess Aurora’s absence is emboldening the bandits.
Furthermore, my sources suggest that she may still be alive and can be rescued from the community where she was enslaved. We owe it to our people to consider all options and choose the best leader for our kingdom.”
Daisy’s anger surged as she heard Minister Lucas speak highly of her step-sister, yet seemingly undermine her abilities. She had always felt that Aurora was favored over her. “What exactly are you implying, Minister?” She challenged him.
“That I am unfit to rule?”
Lucas tried to backtrack, “No, my princess, I didn’t mean-”
“You mean to say that I’m not fit to be a leader? That I lack the qualities of a leader and only Princess Aurora possesses them?” Daisy’s voice was edged with anger and disbelief.
Minister Lucas hastened to clarify. “No, Your Highness, that’s not what I meant. I simply think that Princess Aurora might be better suited for the role of crown princess. While you are a capable leader, in matters of kingship, we must choose the best candidate.”
MiiKing Louis stood up, his eyes blazing. “Guards!” he roared. “Take Minister Lucas to the dungeon for disrespecting the king and the crown princess!”
The guards quickly entered the room and apprehended Minister Lucas, who offered no resistance. Daisy was seething with anger and wanted to confront the other ministers, but King Louis placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
“Stay composed, my daughter,” he advised. “Let justice take its course, and let this serve as a warning to anyone who would dare disrespect the crown.”
As he turned they stormed out of the room, King Louis was seething with anger. He banged into the queen in a daze chamber, and she immediately sensed the tension in the air.
“What’s happened?” she asked.
King Louis shook his head, his eyes blazing. “Disrespect,” he muttered.
“Disrespect from those who should be loyal to the crown.” King Louis uttered angrily.
Then Queen Adaze reached out to pet her husband’s arm, but he yanked his arm away and glared at her. “Can’t you see what your daughter has caused?” he barked.
“The ministers dare to challenge my authority because of that tramp Aurora. I told your daughter to kill her when she reached Uruk, but she chose to keep her alive. And now the ministers have found out she’s still alive!”
Queen Adaze tried to speak up, but King Louis cut her off. “No! I don’t want to hear your excuses. I gave your daughter one week to kill Aurora and bring me proof of her death. And if she fails, there will be consequences.”
With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving the queen standing there, stunned and hurt. She knew that her daughter had made a mistake, but she never expected this kind of reaction from her husband.
As she tried to compose herself, she heard Daisy’s voice coming from the hallway. She quickly wiped away her tears and tried to put on a brave face.
“Daisy, my dear,” she said, opening the door. “What brings you here?”
But King Louis, who had been walking down the hallway, caught sight of Daisy and his face darkened with anger. He walked past her without a word, leaving Daisy standing there confused and hurt.
“Mother, what’s going on?” she asked.
Queen Adaze took a deep breath and tried to explain the situation. “Your step-sister Aurora is still alive,” she said. “And your father is very angry about it. He’s given Nneka one week to kill her, or there will be consequences.”
Daisy’s anger was palpable as she recounted the events of the meeting to her mother. “Mother, you need to see what Nneka has caused. The ministers dared to challenge me because of Aurora. If only Nneka had listened to me and killed her when I asked, they wouldn’t be clamoring for her to be their crown princess now.”
Queen Adaze looked concerned at her daughter’s outburst. “I’m sorry, Daisy. I don’t know why Nneka would do such a thing.”
“That’s not even the worst of it,” Daisy continued, her frustration mounting. “Nneka cut off our informant in Uruk. Those people were helping us to bring down their economy, but Nneka chose to side with them over her own country.”
Adaze’s eyes widened in shock, but she quickly composed herself. “Don’t let your father find out,” she cautioned her daughter.
“I’m still keeping it away from Father until Nneka chooses the right path. Maybe then, I can face him and tell him,” Daisy declared.
Queen Adaze nodded in agreement. “I will speak to Nneka, send her a message,” she said.
As the conversation between Daisy and Queen Adaze was winding down, Daisy began to turn to leave the chamber. But just as she was about to exit, her curiosity got the best of her and she turned back towards her mother.
Daisy paused and turned to face her. “Are you certain that Aurora is truly our father’s biological daughter?”
Taken aback by the question, Queen Adaze paused to collect her thoughts before responding.
“Why do you ask, my dear?” she inquired.
Daisy shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just that sometimes I wonder why Father hates her so much.”
“I have also pondered on this, my daughter,” the Queen replied. “But your father warned me never to bring up the topic of Aurora’s parentage. So, we can only guess.”
“I see,” Daisy muttered as she turned to leave. “Thanks, Mother.”