Two

It was to be a regular morning with the king and queen breaking their fast sitting miles apart from each other but it was not. Rather than her mentally marvelling on the tenderness of the beef on her plate, something else was on  Queen Marie's mind.

"Quite a joke you made yesterday, your Majesty," she said, exhaling, then guiding the beef on it's journey to her mouth.

"A joke?"

She tried to stay relaxed and she made a failed attempt on smiling.

'Perhaps, I shall be getting married.'

Those words lingered in her mind since the previous day. Taken aback and surprised by his utterance, she look at him directly in the eye and realized he was staring at the maid, Elaine. There was a certain glint in his eye and look on his face. And more than anyone else, she knew exactly what both the glint and look meant.

She laughed at his statement, her hands finding their way to his shoulders as she laughed. She could hear whispers coming from all corners of the ballroom, everyone seeming to have something to say about the king's shocking and unusual utterance.

Not another word was said after. She feared to even talk about Louis' marriage scared of what frightening words the king might say again. They simply walked around the ball room in silence and later on retired for the day without even a word to each other.

"Yes," the queen swallowed the freshly chewed beef. "The joke you made about wanting to get married. It was amusing but Your Majesty, I'll wish you refrain from making such jokes in the public. I'm very sure the servants are already gossipping and spreading rumors around."

"Then let them," he said as he dropped his cutlery, the Queen's grip on hers tightening. "I meant what I said yesterday."

"Your Majesty-"

"I truly plan on getting married," he dropped the exact words Queen Marie had been dreading since forever. "You can say I've fallen in love, again. You should know very well what that feels like, shouldn't you?"

The Queen's stomach churned. "Your Majesty," she paused for a while. There was no need beating around the bush uselessly. "Who exactly do you plan on getting married to?"

"The maid we met yesterday," he said, this time the Queen's cutlery completely slipping through her fingers. "Elaine, wasn't it? I plan on marrying her."

"Your Majesty!" Marie's voice rose. She glanced at the staffs standing at corners of the room. They were still frozen, acting like nothing was happening. What might be going through their mind, she dared not imagine. "Why on earth would you want to get married to a mere servant?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Cause I'm in love with her."

"Your Majesty," her voice was beginning to sound like she was pleading. "This makes no sense. You're too grown to be thinking of having a new wife. But if that's what you want, fine I accept it. But a maid? Your Majesty, that's a little- There are plenty of fine ladies from respectable families scattered around so you can just pick one from the numerous who would be thrilled to marry you because afterall you're the king. But a maid? Your Majesty, what would everyone think? What would they say about you?"

"That the king is a free man who follows his heart and most definitely does not discriminate  against people with lower social status unlike someone I believe I know," he seemed uninterested in the conversation they were having. "And if anyone has more objections to my pursuit of happiness or any complaints whatsoever, trust me I'll be more than glad to listen to whatever the person has to say. And of course, to give such person something else to worry about other than my personal life."

His mind was made up and once it was, absolutely nothing could change it. Queen Marie sighed, suddenly full with just the few bites she consumed. The king had quite the knack when it came to taking her appetite away, she had to say. "Very well then, Your Majesty. Do as you please."

---

Louis was bored. It was just another day at the palace with nothing to do. Dominique who would have kept him company was out riding leaving the prince to himself and an empty room.

Unable to stay idle any longer, he made his way downtown calling for a carriage to ride him to his closest friend's home.

Cedric Hughes was the first son of the Hughes family. He and Louis met at a ball when Louis was nine. Both uninterested in the ball activities, the left the ballroom to play instead and ever since became best friends. Luckily, he got along with Dominique well thus it wasn't looked before they all became a trio.

The Hughes family were highly respected automatically earning an approval of their friendship from the king and queen. Monsieur Sebastien Hughes, Cedric's father, was a popular and renowned scholar and Cedric was doing well in following his father's footsteps. Being the eldest son of their four kids- three boys and a girl, the pressure was most certainly present.

However, probably the main reason he and Louis were still close was the fact that he wasn't a bore. Though serious minded and had his plans for his future completely drafted, he still made time for himself to have fun. And most importantly, just like Louis, also believed true love existed and searched for it.

Monsieur Sebastien Hughes and his wife, Liliana Hughes were also very friendly with the prince. They enjoyed his company and treasured their friendship. Seldomly, they joked about having their youngest daughter get married to him and Cedric being the overprotective brother he was always dissed it

"Oh, Your highness, it's you," Cedric said as he watched the door to the study open to reveal Louis.

"Please don't call me that," Louis pleaded as he stepped in. "It's scares me when you do that."

"Okay, Louis," Cedric got up to return a book to the shelf. "Why are you here though?"

"Was bored. Still is, actually but that's why I came here."

"How 'bout Dominique?"

"He went out riding," Louis replied, getting up to find something to amuse him. "You don't seem glad to see me."

"You know that's not true," Cedric dropped the book he was holding. "And just until when do you plan on running away from riding? You should ride again."

Prince Louis looked away. When he was 10, he got on a horse and the horse not only totally lost control and ran out of the palace's stable with Louis on its back, it threw him over like a sack of potatoes which resulted in little Prince Louis laying in bed for several weeks with broken bones.

"No thanks," Louis avoided his gaze. "I'd rather not."

"Fine," Cedric replied.

Louis got up and walked towards Cedric. He looked at him straight in the eye like he could read what he was thinking by doing so. "Your countenance is unusual. Did something perhaps happen?"

"Just a little tired," Cedric replied the prince, not meeting his gaze. "I heard about the royal wedding. How are you, Louis?"

"Wedding?" Louis was obviously confused. He paused for a while before laughing. "Come on, Cedric. Was it Dominique? I'm not getting married. At least, not yet.

"Not your wedding," Cedric's voice was calm.

"Then whose? Dominique definitely has no intention on getting married in the next couple of years and luckily he's not under any pressure to do so."

"Your," Cedric hesitated. "Your father. The king's."

"What?"

"Oh," Cedric nodded. "I guess it's just a rumor, then?"

Prince Louis flew from his seat. "What do you mean? What rumor are you speaking about?"

"The King, your father, I heard he has plans on getting married again very soon," he replied, choosing his words carefully. "So I heard?"

"What? That makes no sense!" Louis was stunned. "My father? Getting married? Out the blue...to who?"

"Calm down, Louis," Cedric said to him moving closer to him. "It's just what I heard around here. How true it is? I can't tell but you should know very well that there's no smoke without fire."

Louis kept quiet deciding to use his head instead of his heart. It didn't make any sense but it was very possible.

What was the reason people got married anyways? For love perhaps? Or was it friendship? Or maybe companionship? Or was it to be happy? Or was it just all the comfort they felt in each other's presence that they wanted to never end?

If it was for any of those reasons, it seemed fair for this dad to decide to remarry. He was in a marriage but if it didn't give him any of the reasons he got married in the first place then what was the point?

But no, Prince Louis wasn't going to see it that way. For him, it just wasn't supposed to be like that.

"Louis," Cedric's voice brought him back to reality. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's not fair."

"Louis-"

"It's not fair to the queen, my mother," Louis' voice almost came out in a whisper. "She will be devastated when she finds out."

"Louis, stop jumping into conclusions," Cedric tried to calm him down. "You don't know what really happened or if it's really true."

"Really, Cedric?" Louis shook his head. "You said it yourself. There's no smoke without fire around here."

"Okay.. so-"

"I'm going back to the palace," he got up. "Right, I do not know what really happened so I want to know. I'll find out from the kind himself."

"Louis-"

"Stop it, Cedric," Louis cut him short knowing exactly what he intended to say. "Stop making it look like I'm the bad person here. It's not my fault. He brought these upon himself."

"But he's trying to make things better," Cedric replied in an attempt to meet Louis' eyes, Louis immediately shifting his gaze. He's trying to make things up with you."

Louis paused for a while then sighed. "Well, I wish him all the very best with that."

---

The horses pulling the carriage just had to be horses nominated for the biggest horse parade in Paris. In contrast to Louis' impatience, the horses seemed to be having a good time having their hooves hit the floor slowly and majestically.

After taking longer than usual back to the palace, they reached their destination. Without waiting for the guard, Louis pulled the carriage's door open himself as he impatiently got down. His steps were quick and his fists was balled. Anyone could tell something was up.

Ignoring most of the greetings and bows he received, he made his way to the room that his father was said to be. A part of him told him his anger was right while another told him it was unnecessary.

His eyes fell to the ground, meeting the Queen's puppy wagging as it normally did whenever he was sighted. He groaned, letting the part of him telling him his anger was right take over as he resumed walking.

Without bothering to knock, he opened the door.

"Oh, your highness! It's you, Prince Louis," Monsieur Nicholas Chevalier, one of the king's adviser and closest pals said. "Are you here to join us in the meeting? Cause you are I'd be terribly sorry to tell you you missed as we were just concluding."

"No," Prince Louis replied, his eyes going round the king's advisors and some other men of high social status."I'm definitely not here to join you on your meeting."

"Your highness, why are you here then?"

"I'm here to see the king," the prince and the king's eyes met.

"Oh, Louis," the king shifted in his seat. "What is it? What is the matter?"

"I'd rather speak to you in private," Louis tried to smile. "I'd rather not come in between your discussions."

"Nonsense!" The King exclaimed, testing Louis' patience. "Whatever we were saying can definitely be added to."

"Well," Louis paused to think. "If you insist."

Louis was sure what he was about to say was definitely going to meet the king's guests' expectation as they stared at him making their burning curiosity a bit too obvious.

"I heard you're getting married. Or should I say, planning on getting married, Your Majesty?"

Their whispers should have been quieter.

The king coughed, adjusting himself in his extremely comfortable seat. "You can all go now. We were done with the meeting anyways. Do have a lovely day."

In less that a minute, the room contained fewer people and fewer voices.

"What was that about?" The king demanded, rising to his feet.

"You tell me," Prince Louis fired back. "You're getting married? Is it really true, your majesty?"

"Oh, so it's really true," Louis took a few steps backwards, the king's expression saying it all. "So it's not just a rumour, wow. I guess I thought so too. Just wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth."

"And you didn't even think I deserved to know? Do you even have any idea how I got to know?"

"Louis," king Philippe tried to calm him down. "Of course, you deserve to know and I intended to tell you but it only happened yesterday! I'm terribly surprised on how you even heard about it."

"That isn't the issue here," Louis couldn't see himself calming down. "You're getting married. The King's getting married. Just why are you getting married?"

"Why do you think people get married, Louis?"

"Definitely not because their children do not want them to."

"Oh, Louis," the king sighed. "Don't tell me you're being like this because of Elaine's social status just like your mother."

"What?" Louis was taken aback. "Mother knows already? Oh, heavens."

"It's no big deal, Louis," Philippe placed a hand on Louis shoulder, Louis immediately brushing it way. "You're just being overdramatic. You're surprised? Sure, I understand."

Louis shook his head. "Who are you getting married to anyways?"

"Didn't the rumor include that part of the story?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Elaine."

"And just who might that be?" he already did not like her.

"A maid."

"What?"

"A maid, Louis," the king laughed lightly. "She's a maid that works here, in the palace."

"So you're saying you, the king, are leaving mother, the queen, to get married to a mere servant?" Louis could barely believe his ears.

"Come on, Louis. Don't be like this."

"Like how?!"

"Okay what do you want me to do?!" The King's voice finally rose up. "I'm not letting your mum go, I just want a new wife. What's wrong with that? Marriage with your mum is no fun, you of all people should know that so what's wrong if I want to just make myself happy a little bit? Or because I'm the king or a husband or a father I have no right to do what could make me happy?"

"No, of course not," Louis smiled. "You're free to do whatever you want."

"Son-"

"You said her name is Elaine, is it not?"

"Louis-"

"And she works in this place, does she?"

"Prince Louis-"

"It's fine. You're free to do whatever you want. But trust me, you're not getting married."

"Prince Louis Richard Darius!"

  Prince Louis turned to leave. Not before saying "You can mark my words."