The Queen's Wife (girlxgirl)

35. About your past

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"So... is everything well with you?"

Maud begins to wonder if this truly is her brother, when he sits down on her new waiting room sofa and asks how married life is treating her.

Despite the king of Blue Knight being the only thing on her mind lately, nagging at her like a shrill voice in her ear, it is first the following day after the coronation that she actually gets to see him. With Alaric in her arms, Maud has greeted her brother by the door of her's and Adelio's quarters in the central palace, and led him to the queen's waiting room further inside. Adelio is off working in his office, much further down in the inner palace, and he probably has no idea that their meeting is even taking place. It's for the better, Maud thinks, as she grumbles about how he didn't care about the Makai matter during the coronation, nor should he now. And yet still, through her awkwardness and anger over the situation, she still finds time to be surprised when Makai quite casually asks how she is doing. Something which, may she remind you, has never happened before in the two months that she has lived with him.

So it takes a while for her to answer, as the queen of Red Lion racks her brain for any proper answer that Makai might be looking for. Which in retrospect might have only enhanced his worries more. The thing is, Maud has no idea why he is suddenly acting so differently, it makes him suspicious. Why is he not acting so overly confident and smiley, with a hidden amount of evil capability shining in his eye like always? Has something changed in him during this past year?

"I am doing quite well, brother. I understand that things back home are good as well?"

Maud smiles hesitantly, basically ignoring Alaric as he attempts to climb up her red long dress. A red dress which, if Maud remembers correctly, Makai quite quickly frowned at when he walked into the room. He managed to hide his expression nearly the moment she caught it but the memory of it still remains in the queen's mind. It could be that he is still hateful over this country that he has been enemies with for so long, but something tells her it's about more than that. Makai isn't the type to show his petty distaste that openly. Maud hasn't bothered to wear a veil in front of her brother, since they are meeting in private anyway. But she is starting to regret it, as her brother's eyes pierce into her soul, almost as if they are looking for something.

"The kingdom is doing wonderfully, of course-"

Makai sounds bored as he talks about it, waving with his right hand to signal that it's an unimportant matter. Instead his eyes fall down to Alaric, and Maud fights the urge to hide her son from her brother. But she even feels a little bit of guilt in doing so, as Makai's expression is nothing less than innocent to any evil that she might be expecting from him. Alaric, who is quite a curious baby, stares right back at his uncle. It's quiet for a while, until Makai suddenly speaks, his eyes a little unfocused.

"He seems to have gained all of Adelio's features, the darker hair and eyes...I don't think I see any of you in him"

Makai seems to be a bit lost in thought, as he stares at the crown prince. Maud swallows a bit uncomfortably, but she quickly calms herself down. Makai can't be hinting at the fact that Alaric is adopted, since nobody has any idea of it, let alone a guy who has lived a whole kingdom away for nearly a year. It's not about him trying to blackmail her or something, he is being genuine in what he is saying. Genuinely upset. Perhaps because he doesn't like this kingdom, perhaps because Alaric is his heir. Or maybe just because he doesn't like that Adelio is the father of his nephew, which might Maud remind him is entirely his fault to begin with. The queen struggles with finding a good answer for long enough for him to say something first.