His aunt obviously didn't like his Mother's side stepping response which would make it seem like whoever Timothy chose to marry was something he alone had decided to do. It was smart he had to admit, and he hoped that someday he would be as smart as his Mother so that he would be able to navigate the deadly waters of politics.
"Thank you so much for the breakfast your Highness and Majesty." Sylvester began as he wiped his mouth with the white cloth he was handed by his personal man servant who had followed the King to the Imperial Capital all the way from Salama. "I think it's best I get back to my scribe so that I can begin drafting out the invites and begin to make some arrangements."
"Agreed." Jonathan said as he too wiped his mouth and then stood from the chair to bow at him and his Mother. "Your Highness, your Majesty, if you will excuse me."
"Of course, I will be right behind you even, let me just take the last bite off my plate." His Mother said with an easy smile that both men appreciated before they looked at their daughters and then Timothy.
"Enjoy your breakfast a little longer, then you can do whatever you want to do okay?" Jonathan said as he placed a gentle hand on Elizabeth's shoulder.
"Okay father." Elizabeth said with a grateful smile to her father who looked at him one more time then left the dining hall with Sylvester who gave his daughter similar words.
"Ridiculous." His uncle muttered under his breath before he got up from his seat. "I will go set up the investigating team to look into my brother's death"
"Why, think there's foul play?" Abraham asked in a concerned voice as he wiped his mouth and looked at Andrew who gave the King a thin smile. "The Empress, Anastasia, said there was a suicide note, don't you think it's a little presumptuous to think there is foul play in a clear case of suicide?"
"I don't think it is presumptuous, your Grace." Andrew said with a sigh. "The Emperor just died, a man whom I have known all my life to be a bull headed man that spits in the face of destiny. Suicide is a coward move that he would never take."
"People fight battles that no one ever knows about, Emperors even more so, but I get your point. If you think this has to be done, then I support you. Investigate with the Detectives and see if you find anything suspicious about the Emperor's death. If there is foul play, then we will stop a murderer before they turn their sights to the new Emperor." Abraham said as he looked at Timothy who looked away at the intensity of the gaze. "If there is no foul play, then at least we have reassured each other."
"Don't you agree, Anastasia?" Juliet asked his Mother with a smirk.
As he and his Mother locked eyes after the clear jibe, he had to admit, this wasn't looking good. Having a King becoming invested in this investigation could either swing in his favour or against him. If the King was out to overthrow him and install Andrew, this was the fastest way to do it. All they had to do was to gather fake evidence and dump it on him and his Mother.
However if the King was on his side, then he would hopefully be able to separate fake from real, and prevent his uncle and aunt from having their way with him and his Mother.
"I fully agree to this, it would make me sleep better at night if I can be completely sure that this was suicide and not a murder." His Mother said to the scoff of his aunt who turned her face away to hide her smile.
"Well then, I will go do my part in making sure this burial is done right." Abraham said as he stood up from his chair to look at his daughter. "Now, you will play nice while I am busy alright?"
"When have I ever not father?" Zelda asked with a smirk he could clearly see meant nothing good at all.
"Good." Abraham said before he turned to look at him and his Mother. "Your Highness, your Majesty." With that the King left them room just as his uncle and aunt did alongside the cousins he hadn't even bothered to give any look.
"Once you are done with your breakfast, you meet up with your man servant, he should have your schedule for the day." His Mother said before she left the dining hall herself leaving him with the three women he was supposed to choose a wife from.
At closer inspection he could tell the difference and similarities between the three of them. First of all, Elizabeth was the most beautiful in the room, she had that softness and shy seduction going for her, something that made him willing to leave the dining hall with her to a bed where they could do things, things that were meant for married people.
Then there was Violet, beautiful of course, but she wasn't his type. She was white skinned, like his Mother with blonde hair, unlike Elizabeth who was dark skinned with brown hair. She had a softness about her, but a little too much self doubt in her posture. He needed a powerful wife, someone that was confident in herself and yet willing to be loyal to him as he would to her.
Then there was Zelda, the woman he would rather not share a couple of words with if he could help it.
In the Academy, she had made it her duty to always show him up in everything he could do. Be it sword fighting, maths, sciences or magic.
Green Magic, which he possessed, was not that much of a fighting magic, it was more for defense than offence, defense in the sense of healing and creating shields. Grey Magic on the other hand was for offence than defense, they controlled the earth and used it to deal maximum damage to their enemies, their walls of shield were good and all but most times they did more damage to the user than good.
So yeah, she had always tried to go one v one on him with their magic during sparring sessions, since it was public knowledge that he was only good at Green Magic and was a late bloomer for the Grey Magic. And yes, she spanked him every time, even when he had tried to use spear fighting in the duels.
"I will be off to the markets to buy some of the newest imported dresses from the East." Elizabeth said out of the blue once she was done eating. "I'll be there till lunch time, I have to pick a lot of clothes for the burial and coronation days." She said and stood up. "Your Highness."
"I will be doing some sightseeing around here, I brought more than enough clothes with me." Violet said and stood up from her seat to courtesy at him. "Your Highness."
Once it was just Timothy and Zelda in the room, he let out a deep sigh before glaring at her indifference to his presence. "I guess, even after four years of being the biggest pain in the ass at the Salama Academy, you still have enough energy within you to bring it over to my Tower."
"You remember me? It's been three years since we graduated and for a moment I had feared you'd forgotten about me, since you refused to reply to my letters over the years. Good to see that you still have a place in your heart for someone you claim to detest." She said without looking at him.
"I'm sorry what?" He asked with a scowl.
"Yeah, if you really did hate me and detest me, you should have forgotten all about me by now. But here you are, harboring that same hatred you have towards me." Zelda said before she locked eyes with him. "What's up with you having ginger hair and everyone else on your father's side of the bloodline having black hair?"
Straight to the point I see
"I have more of my Mother's blood flowing in my veins I guess." He said, repeating the same answer he had given countless of times over the years.
"Uhuh." She hummed in clear doubt. "I know why I am here, I know why my father brought me here now, instead of during your Coronation."
"Really, then pray tell."
"You are looking for a bride willing to marry you and overlook the possibility that you might not be… you know?" She asked as she gestured to him and then the Emperor's seat at the head of the table.
Alarm bells immediately rang in his head at full blast as he fought within him the urge to react to the obvious dig at him. This was why he didn't want to be in the same room with her. She had this annoying ability of always getting a rise out of him at her wish. How could he have forgotten just how dangerous that head of hers was, especially when she had on multiple occasions used her head and mouth to force him to fight her when he knew she would absolutely batter him?
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said was he ground his teeth before relaxing into his seat. "However, if I am thinking what I fear you might be thinking… I don't know the exact wordings within the law of Lyvera, but even you will burn for treason."
His words had the exact effect he had been hoping for, seeing as she leaned back in shock, but it didn't last long before she broke out a smirk. "I guess I hit a nerve huh?" She said as she stood up from her seat and walked round the table to meet him. "But you see, if your plan to somehow protect your throne fails on coronation day, and the thrones don't glow green and grey… let's just say you will be the first Emperor to be dethroned the day he is crowned." She whispered to his ears.
Time paused as his breath hitched and her perfume entered his nose sending fear down his spine. She was threatening his life, she was blatantly reminding him of his weakness just for the fun of it. Without much thought, he glared at her from the corner of his eyes before he grabbed her by the neck, lifted her up and slammed her on the table with all his might. No one threatened him, not even a Princess. In one motion, he grabbed his table knife and stabbed her through the shoulder, pinning her to the table.
"Don't you ever repeat what you just told me to another soul… EVER!" He yelled as he glared into her, savoring the fear he saw in her eyes as she screamed in pain.
"I hear you, I hear you." She gritted out in pain as she looked at the knife that he was still pushing into her shoulders, and then at him. "Now let me go!" She screamed into his face, despite being afraid of him.
Good, she had to remember he was still the Prince and Heir to the Throne of Lyvera, he wasn't some boy across the street, he was the bloody Prince! He had power in his Tower, and power outside of it, now that he was even going to be Emperor. She had to remember her place even though a part of him hated himself for doing this.
"Good." He said and let go of her neck before removing the knife from her shoulder. "Now stay still." He said to the girl.
"Why, you want to hide your sins?" She said with a glare as she tried to stand up.
"Stay still." He insisted as he pushed her back to lay on the table.
With a glow of his eyes, his outstretched right hand glowed green before her wounds slowly began to heal until the only sign she had been stabbed was the dried blood and the cut in her dress. Once he was done, she sat up and slapped him as hard as possible.
"Do that one more time your Highness, and I will kill you." She said before she got unto her feet. "And yes I know that is treason, but imagine what would happen to your Mother should I tell them why I killed you." She said as she placed a pointed finger on his chest while looking into his eyes, as if to hammer home the threat.
"A piece of advice Princess, don't you ever threaten me again, or I will cut your tongue and end your entire lineage. Don't you forget, I am still the Prince, my Mother is still the Empress."
Zelda looked at him one more time with a wary look and grudging respect before she settled on a vengeful smirk. "Well then, let's hope it doesn't get to that." She said before she turned to leave.
"Hey Zelda!" He called out as she was about to reach the door. "You got tomato paste on your dress."
"Yeah, that's right." She said and left the room, leaving only Timothy to his thoughts.
She knew, or at least she suspected. Without proof, all she had was just words and she knew it. She only wanted to rattle him and have him misbehave as he always did in the Academy, but she wouldn't win this time, she couldn't win, not when his life and his Mother's life was on the line.
As he left the dining hall himself, he couldn't help but ask the question, why did his Mother have an affair to birth him, why did she? His Mother was the smartest woman he knew so why would she do something not smart? He could ask her point blank, but he was scared. He was scared to have this pedestal he had placed his Mother on shatter. He was scared to find out that maybe, just maybe his Mother had been human and given into her base desires.
"There you are your Highness, I have been looking every where for you!" His man servant said the moment he stepped out the door.
"Really Damian, every where?" He asked with a chuckle. "Or you simply waited in front of this door for me seeing as I was having breakfast."
"You can't prove that to be true." Damian said as they both walked down the hallway.
"I can, I could just ask the guards." He said as he turned to look at the guards who were trying their hardest to not laugh.
"You could, but then they would have to lie against me!" Damian said in an over the top horrified voice.
"Uhuh." He said with a scoff. "So what's my day going to be like?"
"First a meeting with the Imperial Paladins." Damian began. "Then you will have to speak with the Lords of the Crownlands and then you will take a trip to the Orphanage you sponsor before dinner with the three Kings and your family."
"No lunch for me?" He asked in shock.
"Don't be such a wuss your Highness, busy men don't eat lunch." Damian said with a chuckle as they got to the giant stairs guarded by the Imperial Guards on both sides.
"Who the hell came up with a saying like that?" He asked aghast.
"You did."
"I was nervous for my departure to the Salama Academy that day, and that was four years ago, I was too dumb to be making permanent laws!"
"Your words, your Highness, will always be laws." Damian said as he laughed.
Seeing his man servant laugh so easily made him forget about his altercation with Zelda the Bully. With any hope, that would be the last time the both of them were going to be in any room alone.