The banquet is boring. I can\'t talk with anyone except Ignis because I\'m surrounded by the Royal Family. And I am not in the mood to converse with them.

The rest of the guests are at tables further apart. From here, I can observe the whole banquet hall, though. I\'m sitting on the second biggest chair, right next to Ignis\'s throne-line stool.

The food is also far from my reach. I shouldn\'t bend over the table to reach some meat, so I\'m stuck waiting for someone to help me.

Even if I\'m a Queen, now, I shall act like a lady.

The Queen Dowager, on the other side, has everything so close! Is this a game of hers? Did she instruct the servants just to make trouble?

If that was the case, it would be reasonable to assume she\'s also the one behind the small incidents with the needle in the belt and the blood on the mantle.

She does look displeased right now. But it might have nothing to do with the fact that the tricks didn\'t unsettle me one bit.

On the other hand, the woman that supposedly poisoned her rival wouldn\'t use cheap tricks. It feels too childish for her.

Unless the needle is covered in poison, but I\'ll find out when I take the dress off. Aida will heal me, in that case.

But I don\'t think I would be here, all healthy and crowned if the Queen Dowager was behind it all. It would make more sense if it was Gratia\'s work.

In the end, she is Crown Princess now. And she would lose her title if I had a child.

Oh, what am I thinking about? She\'s ten years old. I\'ve only been here for three days, and I already suspect children.

I shake my head and return focused on the banquet.

My plate is now filled with food, thanks to the gentle aid of my husband.

«Eat,» he orders, and I automatically grip the fork. I\'m so hungry that I\'d devour everything.

But what if people think their Queen is a glutton? That shouldn\'t happen! I\'m here to help my King\'s image, not destroy it for good.

«Eat,» he repeats. His hand reaches out for mine, and he brings it to his lips. He pecks my fingertips like a perfect gentleman.

If only we weren\'t in a public hall, in between so many people. Now, all eyes are on us.

«Do not pay attention to anyone,» he says. «I know you\'re hungry.»

«Not much,» I lie.

I can ask for a snack later. But again, the food is already on my plate...

«Bring the best wine for our new Queen,» Ignis shouts, signalling to the waiter behind him to pour two cups.

The carafe he\'s holding is specially reserved for the King. To avoid accidental poisoning, only Ignis is supposed to drink from there. It has been checked many times.

Yet, I can\'t refuse a King\'s orders. Not in public.

I sip, and the fruity aroma of the best wine of this year makes me moan. It\'s delicious.

Ignis pours some water in his cup while I drink it raw. I know it\'s not a good idea, but it would be a pity to ruin this taste.

«Easy,» Ignis whispers, and I nod at his words. How could it be easier? It\'s so good that I\'d finish the whole carafe!

However, I leave the cup on the table and return to eating as slow and attentively as possible.

The food is exquisite. Just how one expects a Royal Banquet to be.

Having Ignis nearby does stimulate my appetite, but I control myself. A fine Lady, that\'s how I need to be. I can\'t eat too much.

«We\'ll be able to leave soon,» he continues.

«I know.»

«Usually, coronations like these happen together with a marriage. That\'s why we\'re scheduled to sleep together.»

«Oh, I see.»

«Also, we have a duty to provide an heir.»

«I know, Ignis. You don\'t need to explain it to me,» I chuckle.

We can make a lot of heirs. There\'s no need to hurry.

«Yes, sorry...» he sighs. I check his ears to see the familiar blushing, but they are not red.

This isn\'t embarrassing, ah? While a couple of compliments can make him flush.

I bend over, trying to come up with something smart to say.

«I\'ll be so lucky if our children look like my King,» I say. «It would be nice to have many princes and princesses running around in the Palace.»

«Indeed, it would be nice.»

«They will all be so cute, right? How could they not? With a father like my King, they\'ll make many heads turn.»

He seems to catch the compliment because his ears turn pink.

His face stays straight because we\'re still in public. But his hand squeezes mine under the table. He throws me a meaningful glance, even though I don\'t manage to catch the whole meaning.

But I\'m sure he\'s pleased. I would be in his place.

No one dares to approach the King while he\'s eating, so the banquet proceeds as boring as before. When the desserts start to be served, I smile in anticipation.

«The Queen and I will now retire.» Oh, good things don\'t come this easily, do they? «Enjoy the rest of the banquet and drink for Alba\'s future!»

Ignis raises a cup to the sky for the last time. He drinks the whole content before slamming it on the table. The metal makes a funny sound while he gets up. All the subjects do the same, and they stand until we leave the room.

The music and laughing restart as soon as the door is closed.

Only a few servants are following us. Mainly to help me with the heavy dress.

We stop in front of a wooden door decorated with golden symbols and images. The royal lily covers both the wings of the door.

«See you later, my dear,» Ignis says before kissing my forehead.

I walk in, accompanied by Bea and the other two maids. Aida is already waiting inside.

Oh, at least I don\'t need to be wary of everyone. I\'m not sure the pranks are over.

«Your Majesty, shall we help you undress?»

«Yes.» What use do I have of such a heavy dress? I want a comfortable nightgown.

When the maid\'s hands reach the belt, I stop her.

«Wait,» I say.

I take it off by myself, and I show it to Aida.

«It\'s not poisoned,» she says. «There\'s just some itchy powder, but you\'re immune to this one.»

What a relief.

I can feel her magic work under the gown, healing me without touching. When the maids take the lower part of the gown off, they find a few drops of blood but no wound.

«I found out soon enough,» I say. «It didn\'t hurt me too much.»

They don\'t make trouble, so I continue undressing and get ready to meet Ignis. When I\'m done, they bring a silken nightgown.

It\'s black and almost translucent, making it obvious what the point of the whole thing is. The cleavage is chaste, but my bosom is visible nonetheless.

The length is so proper for a nuptial nightgown, but it doesn\'t cover my legs from sight!

It\'s a contradiction in all aspects, but it\'s nice to the touch.

Since I can\'t walk around naked, I wear a red peignoir over the gown. And room shoes.

Bea shows me the way, and she leaves before I can knock on the room. It\'s the room next to mine, so it\'s not a long walk. Still, it seems to take forever to reach it, knock, and then wait for someone to reply.

It\'s not a servant who opens.

«Finally,» Ignis sighs, dragging me inside. He hugs me tightly, making me relax and forget this long day. «I was going to look for you if you didn\'t come in the next minute.»

«Were you?»

«It would have been such a scandal. The new Queen, making his Majesty wait,» he chuckles.

«Oh, I wouldn\'t dare to!» How could I?

«The King is relieved, in that case,» he chuckles. «Come. Let\'s eat something. You must be starving.»

«Just a little.» Rather than properly hungry, I left before the desserts were served. I\'d love something sweet.

Ignis sits at the table, dragging me on his lap. He reaches out the first platter and finds the best bite with utter precision.

He feeds me as if I was a child, but I don\'t mind because his eyes don\'t move away from me in the process.

«Are you tired, my dear?»

«Just a little,» I sigh. «You are the one sweating among us two. I\'ve spent three days resting. You worked.»

And this reminds me how they want to overwork him to death! He\'s too strong to be taken down by force, so they\'ll use these underhanded techniques to make his life more difficult. Oh, but I won\'t let them succeed.

«The Queen can finally get her hands on her King,» I reply. «It\'s time for you to relax!»

«Relax?»

«Yes. While I\'m here, you can sleep.»

«I do sleep in my own bedroom,» he chuckles. He loves to make it difficult for me, doesn\'t he? Every time I can take care of him, he backs away.

«Do you rest during such sleep? I\'m here to help.»

I straighten my shoulders and look him in the eye, to show my pure intentions and stubborn decision to take care of him. In my own way, just like he takes care of me.

«To help?» he says, a wily grin on his lips. Who knows what kind of help he\'s imagining...