Poloria's POV
"Sister~ I'm back!" Ri bounced into the study happily. I sat behind my desk while the children sat at the table by the window, eating lunch.
She walked over to the table and sat down. "Aunty." Haelion greeted her as he placed a chicken leg in his bowl. Kaelia didn't say anything since her mouth was full, but she bowed her head in greeting.
"My Lion and Lia have grown so much since I've been gone." Ri said happily as a servant brought over a bowl and chopsticks for her to eat with. "It's only been a few months, Aunty. You're being overdramatic."
"Sis, Lion is being mean again." I chuckle softly as I finished writing the letter. I fold it and put it in an envelope before handing it to a servant. "Please enjoy your meal." I nod and stand up as the servant left the room.
As I approached the table, a servant stepped forward holding a basin filled with water. I wash my hands and dry them in the towel before sitting down.
After dinner, Lion went to his room and Lia went to the garden while Ri and I sat in the courtyard. "Ria, what's going on? Why did you send me home for something as trivial as seeing mother and father?" I smile.
"Mother and Father were mostly worried about you. It's been ten years; you should've gone back sooner. Besides, it wasn't only to see mother and father. If you'd stayed longer then you would've known that Regila sent people to the Kingdom."
"For what? To call off the wedding?" I shake my head. "To my knowledge the Jade Prince didn't make any movements. His mother did." Ri looked at me confused. "She proposed the marriage, so what is she doing now?"
"She proposed the marriage for her second born, the King. Mother agreed on my behalf but changed it from the King to the Grand Prince." Ri held up a hand. "Wait. You already knew about the proposal? Why didn't you tell me before I left? Bira told me when I reached the Capital and counting the days, it'll be in two weeks' time."
"The Queen Mother was making a big show of it, thinking that mother would go through with it and I as her daughter would have no choice." Ri shook her head. "This doesn't make sense. Why change instead of calling it off altogether?"
"Getting married has more benefits than calling it off, especially since the pushback from that woman won't be as big." Ri remained silent for a minute. "This still doesn't make any sense to me. You aren't afraid of pushback, so why are you taking her pushback into consideration?" She looked concerned.
"Regila Kingdom doesn't have the nickname, 'Killing Kingdom' for nothing. She has a large number of assassins and mercenaries at her fingertips but she's suddenly pushing for a marriage between me and her son who is the King. She's either wary of me or she has designs on Palk." I explain calmly.
"If she was wary of you then she wouldn't have pushed for the marriage or allowed the compromise, which means that she like everyone else doesn't know your real whereabouts. In that case, she has designs on Palk. Why? Aren't she and mother supposedly good friends?"
I scoff. "Good friends... If only it were that simple. Mother said that she started getting aggressive when she married father, so much so that her father married her off through a distant cousin who was a nobleman of the Regila Kingdom. That is how she married the late King."
"So, the Queen Mother still likes father, and she wants to use you to get rid of mother?" I was about to answer when she spoke again. "No. That doesn't make any sense. It's been five years since she became Queen mother. If she wanted to, she would've done something sooner. There's something more to it. Right?" She looked at me with hopeful eyes.
I nod. "You got it right. There's something more. As the Eldest daughter of the Palk Kingdom, I was always going to be named Queen when the time came. Father announced that when I was born. Nothing changed when Palin or Pikla were born despite them being sons."
She nodded. "That much I know." I look at her. "Then you should know that when wars were popping up all over the Continent, many Kingdoms went to Palk to ask for aid. Kingdoms that were at war even met each other in Palk and yet no one got hurt. There was even a cease fire agreement signed stating that no sign of war would be happening on Palk Kingdom land."
"Power." Ri said as the realization hit her. "We have something she doesn't have which is power. The only way that she can get even a small piece of the power our Kingdom has, is marriage." I nod.
"Although she's the Queen mother, it's just a title because she has no power or allies due to her obvious greed." Ri sighed deeply. "She's trying to use your name as her backing. With this marriage, it implies that the Palk Kingdom is backing the Regila Kingdom and the rest of the Kingdoms will have to be careful with dealing with them." I nod again.
"If that's the case, don't you think she'll try something with the marriage? If she wanted you to get married to the Jade Prince, then she would've named him and not the King. She'll probably think that once you marry in then you won't have a backing. Not to mention no one has seen the Jade Prince's face before. It's always covered with a metal mask." She made a good point, but I'd already thought of that.
"If she didn't try something then she wouldn't have schemed for so long to get this to go through. I already have my people in the Palace. I'll know when she makes a move." Ri smiled. "As expected of you, sister." I chuckled. "You've finally put your mind at ease?"
She shook her head. "Of course not. I heard he has two concubines and three children." I nod. "I know. That's perfect. He'll have more options rather than bothering me." Ri chuckled. "It really is as expected of you, sister. Calculating against your future husband."
I stand up and sigh. Bira placed a cloak around my shoulders and tied it. "I'm leaving to handle some business. You want to come with?" She nodded. "I'll go change quickly." She rushed off. "She acts like those two."
"Only when she's with you, Master." Bira stated and I hummed in response. That much is true, but I think she acts like this on purpose to get her little sister rights.