Pay the Price

Chapter 60- A Gift

The Duke stood from his seat, tapping his glass to gain the hall's attention. Everyone looked over, waiting for his words. As he spoke, he raised his glass of wine, a smile upon his face.

"To the king!" He called, everyone following in unison, raising their drinks. All except Christopher. He didn't touch his glass, didn't utter a word, and didn't take his eyes from the table. He didn't even move. Not a single twitch. "Your Majesty, would you like to say anything to your court?"

Christopher didn't hear the Duke speak. He felt horribly sick. The mixed smell of all of the foods, the alcohol, and the different perfumes made him nauseous. His face paled and he knew he was going to vomit. He covered his mouth, got up, and walked to the bathroom calmly. There, he emptied his stomach into the sink.

His brother entered the bathroom, rubbing Christopher's back as he retched. Connor knew something was wrong when his brother got up, covering his mouth. Soon, Christopher washed out his mouth and just stared at his hands.

"Do you want to go home?" Connor asked, receiving a vigorous nod in response. "Okay." Then he noticed his brother was trying not to cry. "Chris, it's okay." Connor embraced his brother, who cried into his shoulder. "Are you scared?"

"Yes. I am." Christopher answered, going to clean his face. "I can't be a king, Connor. I'm not mentally ready. I just got out of a fight with Andreas, just woke from a coma, and I just got away from the Zandailias' after ten and a half years. I'm traumatised." He almost started yelling, but Connor quickly calmed him.

"I know you are." He said softly, clasping Christopher's shoulder. "I know. I don't know why everything is happening so fast, and I also don't think you're ready. But perhaps it's just a title right now. No responsibilities are attached yet. I hope so, at least." He assured Christopher, taking him back out to the table. "It's going to be okay."

As they walked over, Lujan approached.

"Christopher," he said lowly, "you have nothing to worry about. I know everything is happening very fast for you, but you have nothing to stress about. Until you're married for at least a year, your responsibilities are minimal. Especially now because you're still a child. We, Alejandra and I, will take on the responsibilities for now. But you deserve to be recognised. That is what today is about. Not throwing more difficulties at you. We want everyone to know who you are." Lujan gently guided Christopher away from the table, knowing the crowd wasn't good to be around yet.

Raelene and Alejandra followed behind, intending to see what was wrong. Raelene's hands made it to Christopher's waist, stopping him. He looked over at her, happily going to hug her. She smiled, then frowned empathetically as she noticed he still looked incredibly anxious. Somewhat sick.

"Did you vomit?" She asked, and he nodded with shame. "Don't be ashamed, we all get sick sometimes." She kept a solid hold on him, accidentally stepping on his foot. "Why are you barefoot?"

"Because our royalty is to be as healthy as possible." Alejandra responded. "Shoes may cause damage to the structure of his feet, like causing ingrown nails, injury to the bones, may risk circulation issues, and other discrepancies." She continued. "When you decide to move here, Majesty, a personal servant will be assigned to you, which may also be Lujan, and whoever it is will assist in doing careful skin routines for your face, hands, and feet each day."

"Can I say no to that?" Christopher asked, not wanting someone he barely knew to touch him at all. "I can do it myself."

"Sure. Why not? However, sometimes on the throne, it is required that once a month that you get a pedicure, and Duke Alejandro will be watching intently, so you will have to allow it. Otherwise, the Duke will likely try to throw whoever it is into a dungeon." Alejandra explained, carefully loosening Christopher's corset before retying it. "Lujan and I will give you two alone time."