The Red King [Book II]

XII

The pile of documents was slammed onto Alex's desk. There'd been no knock at the door, not a polite apology that preceded it.

ㅤAlex, with patient care, licked his thumb and slowly turned a page. He did not grant the faintest of regards, as if entirely alone. His desk rattled with Llwyd's jutted knee. Unintimidated, Alex leant back in his seat and took his work into his hands.

ㅤ'Duke.'

ㅤAs stubborn as Alex felt, it wasn't worth the self-harm of retaining Llwyd's company for longer than necessary.

ㅤ'What's that?' he asked, not sparing a glance.

ㅤ'Do the tutors not teach reading anymore?'

ㅤ'I don't know. Do they not teach manners?'

ㅤWhen Alex looked up, Llwyd wasn't snarling in disgust. Rather, he was simpering in good humour.

ㅤ'Court candidates,' Llwyd finally offered.

ㅤ'Aye, I can read. Anything else?'

ㅤA silent beat passed, one that Alex savoured, but its sweetness quickly bittered.

ㅤ'I just want to say: I do hope I haven't offended you at any point, Your Grace. I think it's amazing that you rose to your position despite everything. King Julian doesn't seem easy. When did you ever win his favour? You must be something special.'

ㅤ'You haven't offended me,' Alex responded.

ㅤ'Ah.' Llwyd blinked. 'I see. I'm glad to hear that.'

ㅤ'Is that right?'

ㅤ'I'm embarrassing myself terribly, aren't I?' Llwyd's smile hadn't coyed. 'I've forgotten Khearian social conventions a little, so it's taking some getting used to. We're an indirect species, aren't we? The Taulumnis are a refreshing bunch.'

ㅤAlex finally gave in to temptation and picked up the candidates list, flipping through them to get an overview. Unfortunately, because of his father's embarrassment of him, Alex couldn't recognise many of the names he was skimming over, let alone know what kind of people they were. It was a sobering reminder of how lacking he was.

ㅤRegardless of how high Alex climbed, he would never become a person that wasn't him. The skills he lacked, the people he didn't know; no matter how many years he dedicated to catching up now, he would still only ever be thirty-one years behind his neighbours.

ㅤHe could never be anything but defective.

ㅤDespite the dismissive silence, Llwyd remained. His pretence was steady.

ㅤ'No, I find it a little surprising,' Llwyd babbled on. 'Julian liked lively people when we were kids. He was very picky. Although...' He looked Alex up and down. 'Perhaps he has changed. Someone who knows him better will have to answer that for me.'