The Death of Oberion

Chapter 3- Dabria's POV

"Welcome to Le Chaplane, misters. Come on in." He walks as fast as he can to the baking room to fetch Bela. He comes back with her, her apron full of flour, her hair up in a bun, with a cake or is a tart? Whatever it is, it smells like strawberry.

"Hello Mr. Chaplane, so glad to be here and finally meet you in person." Dabria must need to have her eyes checked. The sight in front of her is unbelievable. It can't be, right?

"Yes of course, your highness, the pleasure is mine." So it is. Tristan Rioga. The youngest brother of the King, well his twin, but he's still younger. What in the devils is the youngest brother of the King doing in Torex? "So how may I help you, your highness?"

"Yes well my brother is in need of a bodyguard for his eldest son," he pauses, glances at everyone in the bakery and lowers his voice, "truth be told, the public has pressured my dear brother to retire his crown and title."

"Oh my, well why not pass it on to you?" Mr. Chaplane has always been one for gossip, it is a surprise to Dabria to know he had no idea about the King's retirement.

"That would be stepping out of tradition. The rules of Oberion state that, would the King or queen of the kingdom have younger siblings, at the moment of their retirement or passing the crown must be passed onto the eldest of their offsprings, not the siblings. The whole family agrees that Sephtis should be crowned king, neither of his siblings  nor I have anything against the decision or him personally." Even though he states he has nothing against the decision, Dabria can tell he would have liked a taste of the power.

"Alright, the rules as well as tradition must be respected in honor of our elders and the King himself." Mr. Chaplane answers.

"But," Bela speaks for the first time since the conversation began. She never interrupts, but there is a first time for everything. She continues, "excuse me for the interruption, your highness, but, why on earth would the eldest son of the High King need a bodyguard?"

"Ah yes, of course, the eldest of the Divine sisters. Curious are you? Well Sephtis, is troublesome if you would. He has been sneaking out of the castle for hours a day. The King is getting worried. He wants to know his son is ready to accept the crown." Dabria's suspicious side of her mind turns on. She furrows her brows, narrows her eyes, and fixes her gaze on the King's twin brother.

"Yes, well now that this question is answered I have another one. Why is your highness at a local bakery in one of the poorest and most forgotten villages of the kingdom?" Dabria practically spits out the words. She isn't the nicest of the trio, that would be Eileen.

"Dabria! Tone it down a bit, will you?" Dabria can barely hear the words come out of Bela's mouth as she whispers into her ear, but she knows Bela isn't the nicest either when it comes to Eileen or Dabria herself.

"Mm, well the King wanted me to recruit all females over the age of 18 from all around the kingdom." Oh no, Bela is 18. But why does he want her? As he continues her questions are answered but doubt takes over, "Apparently he wants a female for the job since 'Sephtis needs to socialize more with the opposite gender'. So he wants all females of the age 18 to 21 to join a competition. Certain judges, including the King himself and the crown prince, will elect whoever passes all tests and obstacles of said competition. So in conclusion, I am here to-"

Bela's patience and temper have gotten the best of her, "So basically you're here to take me from my sisters, my job, and my life, to get me to 'audition'" She emphasizes audition big time, "for the High King and his irresponsible son, so I can watch over him and make sure he doesnt leave his rigorous playpen. Am i close?"

"Yes well... that is why i'm here." The younger failure of a twin experiment lowers his gaze from where Bela's eyes had him fixed in, to the plate Mr. Chaplane served him of strawberry tart during the explanation. "I have to admit you're a talented girl, beautiful too, and your physical appearance says a lot about your physical skills. You'd be great for the job, and your talking skills work too. Even your strictness everyone has told me about fits the application. So what is your answer?"