A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 4: Unexpected Dinner Guest

My soup was getting cold as I stared at the floating vegetables, pushing them around the bowl with my spoon. I was getting tired after such a long day and sleepless night. After dinner I had every intention of heading back to my room to get some rest, knowing full well that I would be haunted by the nightmare once more.

I toss my spoon down and push the soup away. The servant standing behind me steps forward to grab my discarded food. He moves to the servant's door to take my bowl back to the kitchen.

I rub my temples in frustration, fully aware of the absurdity of the situation. The Emperor and Empress haven't been to dinner since the death of their son, so I was always eating on ceremony alone. I sit through multiple courses of food that I barely touch. My eyes wander up and down the long table, scrutinizing the empty chairs along it as I recall past dinners spent here. The hardest chair to look at is right across from mine; Decimus' empty throne. It almost looks duller and less regal since his passing, but that could just be my eyes playing tricks on me.

The servant returns with the second course. He places a salad in front of me and refills my wine glass. I look at the food with disgust, but I take the alcohol willingly.

I turn to the servant with a forced smile. "Could you just bring out all the courses at once?"

He looks at me with confusion, but he doesn't dare question his Princess. He places the decanter back on the table and leaves the room.

I wave to Arlo who is standing on guard closest to the servant's entrance. "Follow him. Bring back two more place settings."

"I don't think the Emperor and Empress-"

"It's not for them. It's for you two."

Neither of them says a word; they just look at me with a sceptical gaze.

I'm starting to lose what little patience I have left for this unnecessary experience. "If you're going to force me to come down here every night to eat dinner, you might as well join me."

Kilgorian takes a step forward from his post to my right. "Excuse me?!" The notion is foreign and unprecedented for him.

I ignore Kilgorian's bewilderment and address Arlo with a stern gaze. "Look, I understand why you're making me do this. You want me to keep up appearances in the palace so the servants can continue to see me as their future ruler-"

"I force you here every night in hopes that you'll finally eat something, Candra." Arlo states firmly. He almost looks wounded by my accusation that he only cared about my image and not my welfare. He continues, "You refuse to eat the food brought to you in the morning, and you always find some way to busy yourself whenever Kilgorian or I offer you something throughout the day. Without the meager amount of food you intake at this table, you would die of starvation."

I clear my throat and look away shamefully. "Fine, I'll eat. But you might as well join me."

Arlo weighs his options for a moment. He comes to some sort of conclusion that leads him to nod in agreement before leaving the room the same way the servant left.

"I won't sit at this table." Kilgorian crosses his arms over his chest in defiance, still unable to let go of the strict rules that he followed his entire life.

"Then you can stand there with your plate."

He huffs, "This is ridiculous."

"I couldn't agree with you more..."

I rest my elbows on the table and press my palms against my forehead. I close my eyes and take a few slow, deep breaths to calm my nerves. I could feel myself drifting off, growing more and more tired with every passing second.