Royally F**cked

VIII: Octō

Delvin mulled over his thoughts as Lavinia left, debating on whether or not he should give her warning. The Queen would be speaking with the maid today. Using coin and status as bargaining chips, she would attempt to sway Lavinia onto her side. Yet, he couldn't deny how good of an opportunity this would be. If Lavinia did as he said, accepted her offer, but reported back to him still, then he'd know he could trust her. He could go further. He could do more.

He was nothing but a greedy man. Delvin would take everything she could give him until there was nothing left. 

But, if she took the Queens offer, and tried to cross him, and he would know. He would know down to the bones, if she did. Then he'd...

Well, he didn't need to say what he'd do. Yet, a part of him denied this, shrewd away from his own cruelty that he'd become so adjusted to, to survive. Somewhere, he knew that even if Lavinia betrayed him, he wouldn't do much about it. Not like the gardener, who'd double crossed him.

Besides that, Lavinia seemed achingly familiar, ever since the moment he met her, something in the back of his brain was ringing alarms. But he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

Had he seen her before? He doubted that. She was a farmhand on the outskirts of the Vespertine Kingdom, some place he'd never even been before. Though he vowed to change that the minute he got the crown. None of the Kingdom would be neglected under his watchful eyes.

He paced around the Magic Tower, as the mages there gave him a wide berth. He had to get his affairs in order before he left for the Havenvale Kingdom. An aide, rushed up to side.

Anthany Wickers, an incredibly small mess of a man, stood besides him. Brown hair, and brown eyes. Plain. Boring. Delvin sneered at him, towering above him.

Used to this, he was unphased, pushing up the glasses that were falling down his nose.

"You asked for these. Though i don't know why, why would you want anything to do with this. Couldn't you have done this yourself, it's so useless..." He rambled, and Delvin drowned out the incessant noise. He plucked the stack of papers from his hands, bringing it to his face.

Then paused. Looking back down at the small man, raising an eyebrow.

"These are the correct ones?" He questioned more than stated, looking back to the forms in his hands. They were standard things, hard to fake, as only Royalty had them. They were simple identification forms. There was one for every citizen of the Vespertine Kingdom. It detailed their family tree, genetic disorders, if they could use magic, family status, their current job.

They were upheld by magic, and would change automatically, as something in the person's life changed.

So why, was the page he was looking at startlingly blank.

"Yes. That's all I could find." Anthany huffed, hands on his hips, before he gave the Prince one last look and walked away. Muttering some insults under his breathe as he went. Normally, Delvin would say something back, retort harshly. But he, for once in his life, was stunned.

Lavinia Artmeris' Identification form was empty. Other than the fact that Linette Artmeris was her mother. Lavinia's own birthday was sans from the form.

'What the fuck?'

-----------------

Delvin, begrudgingly, was right. The Queen had asked for her audience the day before they were set to depart. Lavinia had everything ready, sets of her uniform, casual clothes, formal clothes, wash supplies and a set of chess. For when they get bored.