The Destitute Queen || h.s. au

9. Harry

"Must my birthday be such an expensive occasion?" I ask Father during breakfast. My birthday isn't for almost two months, but he's already ordered the servants to make preparations.

Mother answers for him. "It's not every day a young man turns eighteen, my son. This calls for a celebration."

"But Liam and Louis didn't get such a big party," I say, pointing my thumb to where Liam and Louis are sitting.

"Well, it's not just your birthday we're celebrating," Father speaks up. "Duke George's daughter finally turned eighteen years of age not long ago. I miscalculated how young she was, though. I thought she would have turned eighteen sooner. Nevertheless, she's eighteen and will be married to Louis. This party celebrates their engagement along with your birthday."

I sigh and pick at my eggs. Father thought Belladonna was a few years older than she actually was, but when he found out that she was seven years younger than Liam, he decided it would take too long to wait until she's of age. I look across the table at Princess Tadia, Liam's wife of two years. She's twenty-three, only two years younger than Liam, and her father is Baron Nathaniel of Alba. I remember their wedding like it was yesterday.

Liam looked anything but happy. In fact, he looked like he was going to be sick. Tadia is kind and she loves him, but I can't say the same about Liam. I'm the only one who knows about his secret love with one of the servants whose name I can't recall. I saw the way he glanced at her as the priest joined his and Tadia's hands together. She kept her head down the whole time, unable to even look at him. My heart aches for the both of them, because now she has to serve the woman who is married to the man she loves. Liam told me about the two of them before he was married, and he said he had even planned on running away with her. I don't know why he changed his mind, though.

Now Louis has to get married, as well. Although, there's a difference between Louis and Liam. Louis is perfectly fine with an arranged marriage, he doesn't believe in love. He was always annoying and cruel, but it's gotten worse with age. It's almost as if he doesn't love anything at all, not even his own family. The only thing he might love other than himself would be Father's crown. I've always known how badly he wanted to be the King after Father passes, and how much he resents Liam for being the one to replace Father.

"Well, the celebration is for Harry's birthday," Mother states. "The engagement is merely a quick announcement at the ball, it's not the main event."

"Gen, our son is to be married," Father replies, using his nickname for her. "It's a joyous occasion."

"Hm," she merely says. "It's only joyous because you get to replace Duke George once they move to the palace. You never liked him."

"Of course I never liked him," Father scoffs. "He was appointed as a Duke by my brother, not me."

"But, why did you give him Birilia if you don't like him?" I speak up.

He glances at me. "Because there is no higher rank than that of a Duke, not including us. He was the only Duke of Birilia at the time, so I had no one else to put in charge. But the responsibility has given him a swelled head, he believes himself to be the King."

"Isn't he a king, in a way?" Catherine chimes in. "He rules a kingdom, he should be called a king."

"I'm the King, darling," he says. Catherine is the only one of his children he's not stern with.

"But I learned from Louis that you rule the whole empire, wouldn't that make you an Emperor?" She asks. "Shouldn't there be five kings for the five kingdoms, and one emperor for the whole land?"