Vergil's OneShots (DMC Fanfiction)

A Royal Pain In The Ass (Part Two)

A/N: There will be some focus on Isadora and her father here, but things will get better in Part Three :)

[A Royal Pain In The Ass (Part Two)]

"Daddy, are you well these few days?" Isadora asked, not out of politeness as a princess to a King, but out of concern as a daughter to a father. Her father always tended to take stress the wrong way, and it had unfortunately shown many times on his body. Dora had heard from some of her father's personal assistants that when her father was still a prince, he had been a fine, young healthy man. But ever since being crowned, and losing her grandparents as his mentors, the health of Dora's father had only gone downwards.

The King of Havencrest was supposed to be 55 years old, but he looked close to his seventies at the moment. His health, unfortunately, also revealed an approaching-seventy year old status, given how susceptible he was to illnesses and the number of stress-induced diseases that he had been collecting. If the list of achievements that Dora's father had done during his reign was long, then the illnesses and diseases that he had collected along the way was almost equally long.

"I'm fine, Isa." Her father smiled, clearly still shamelessly lying to her even though she was already 24, and could tell a healthy man from a not-so-healthy-looking one. Her father was also the only person in the entire country to call her Isa instead of Dora. "Tell me about your trip to Silverport. Did Prince Lewis make trouble for you?"

"Daddy," Dora cut through her steak politely without making a sound, stabbing it cleaning before bringing the small bite-sized piece to her lips daintily. She had been taught table manners since she was very young, and even though the only people at the dining table now were her and her father, she was still used to be eating politely. "I want to tell you that it was good, but I don't want to lie to you. Prince Lewis was a pain."

Her honest words made her father laugh, the mirth starting deep within his belly. Dora looked down at her steak, doing her best to hide her smile as well. It was a good thing that at least her father felt nice enough to laugh heartily. With the recent mess concerning her little brother's birthday and her father's naming an heir, Dora hadn't been sure at all if her father would be able to smile or laugh.

"Don't tell Matthew." King Ethan looked around, as if the king of Silverport would suddenly appear by his side eavesdropping. "Matthew likes to think that his son is one of his proudest achievement, but you and I know that Lewis has more water than brains up there."

"Of course I wouldn't tell King Matthew." Dora answered. "Wouldn't it be rather terrible if the daughter-in-law that he always wished he had turns out to be the one who completely ruins his son and heir's confidence?"

"You always did have your way with words, Isa. I am surprised that Lewis is still alive after your two weeks there."

"I have a terribly great capacity for tolerance." Dora answered confidently, chewing another piece of steak. "But enough about me. Other than time spent with Prince Lewis, the state visit went very well, and I have made sure that King Matthew and I discussed many things on my agenda list –and more. Linny will send a report to your office as soon as she can, so let us talk about other things, Daddy. How have you been?"

"I have been very fine, Isa. You don't have to worry about me."

"You taught me not to lie." Dora answered with a small frown. "I am old enough to know the truth."

The heavy sigh from her father came as the reply to her insistence, the pretence falling apart quickly.

"You don't know how many times I have wished that you were a fine young man in just this week alone, Isa. I am sure you also don't know how many times Daddy prayed silently in his mind that Alex would mature just a little bit more and learn from you." The honest words spoke of her father's lethargy, but these were things that try as she might, she could not help with.