***
About an hour after her enlightening conversation with Maria, Diana stepped into the dining hall where she found her father, King Stefan, swaying slightly in his seat and eyeing the roast pork with what could only be termed fervent adoration. He looked up as she walked in, and his face broke out into a grin.
Diana wasn't sure whether it was because of her, or because he could finally delve into his breakfast earnestly.
"Good morning, father," she said, curtsying before him. "Please forgive my tardiness. I was unaware that you were down already."
"All is forgiven," he said immediately, reaching for the platter of pork. Diana felt the corner of her lips twitch as she realised why he seemed so happy to see her.
She slid into her own seat, helped by a guard who tried his hardest not to make it obvious that he was staring. Over the years, Diana had gotten used to this. There were hundreds of men who looked at her in much the same way, and perhaps that was the reason why she felt like men were all the same. They were all a bunch of sad little creatures who would lie on the ground and let a woman walk all over them if they thought she was attractive enough. Diana didn't want to be known only for her looks. She wanted to be known for her strength of character, and how she helped to push Verena forward into a new age.
Looks never helped anyone after all.
"I heard you didn't attend the council meeting last night," King Stefan said as a servant poured some tea into his mug. "Lord Varly mentioned it to me this morning. Might I ask why?"
"Oh, I wasn't feeling well last night," Diana said. "I did send word to him afterwards, but I guess he hasn't received it yet."
It was true that she didn't feel so good last night. In fact, she felt sick to her stomach when she remembered that they just wanted her there so they could discuss the ceremony today. Diana wasn't blind to the fact that these men were so desperate to be rid of her that they would all do whatever they could to make her bend to their will. She hadn't missed the fact that they were always so quick to point out the need for her to choose a husband. And with the council having the power to force a man onto her even if she chose someone else, it was easy to understand why Diana was so resentful towards each and every single one of them.
"It's probably this ceremony," King Stefan said. "Heaven knows I've been just as stressed about all this as you have been. It's not every day that your daughter becomes a woman. But I suppose we both knew the time was coming, and we merely have to find a way to adjust."
"Father, nothing is going to change between us," Diana said. "You're still my father."
"It's different with a man in your life," he said, and for a moment he stared at the roast pork in disgust. "Fathers have to live with the constant knowledge that one day, their daughters will be swept off their feet by another man. It's especially hard with you, not just because you're my only child, but because you will one day inherit the throne. I understand that today is a very important day for you, but it is difficult for the rest of us as well."
Diana smiled affectionately at him. In those brief moments when there wasn't anyone hovering over his shoulder and he was free to be her father and not the king, Diana always felt like their bond grew stronger then. King Stefan was not a man who generally showed his emotions in public. But Diana knew he loved her dearly, much the same way that she loved him. Theirs was a relationship of two people who understood that they needed each other, and it had been this way ever since her mother died.
But the bloody council...
"Do you have anyone in mind?" King Stefan asked. "Anyone you might be considering already."
"Not really," Diana shrugged.
"What about Prince William of Durhan?" he asked. "The boy is a warrior unlike any other. He's well-mannered, and he is of sound mind and body. You might consider him."
"I do not think that Verena needs a king who is famed for being a warrior," Diana said. "We need a man of intellect, and someone who understand what it means to rule."
"So you want a bookworm?" he asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. "A librarian, perhaps?"
They both chuckled at that, and Diana was pleased to find that she could speak so casually about the topic of her impending marriage without feeling like she was going to throw up.
"Prince Duncan then," he said. "Lord Varly spoke glowingly of him the other day, and he has been a very good diplomat in state matters. He helped to bring peace between the Marlay tribe and the Sundunes."
"Rumour has if that he wasn't the chief negotiator in the matter," Diana said. "And I have it on good authority that he cannot wield a sword half as well as he can hold a pen."
"I thought you didn't want a warrior," King Stefan said with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't want a man who is one-dimensional," she said. "I prefer someone who is able to hold himself in any aspect that he finds himself in. Don't you think that's the right thing to do?"
"You should be careful, Diana," he said. "With expectations like that, you might end up rejecting every man that presents himself at the ceremony today."
That was exactly what she hoped for. The truth was that Diana didn't truly know what she wanted. She was torn between duty and self-interest, and it was a very thin line which she would have to walk. Of course she knew that she had to marry for the good of the realm, but she was not so deluded that she would allow herself to settle in na unhappy union just for the good of the realm. She needed to find a balance between a man who was good for the people, and good to her as well. That would be the most difficult part, because how exactly was she supposed to choose a man without knowing anything about him?
"Well, I trust your decision," King Stefan said as he stood up. "I shall see you later, when everything is in order."
As soon as he walked out of the dining room, Diana hurried out as well. When the guards moved to follow her, she turned and stopped them in their tracks.
"I am not to be followed," she said. "Stay here."
"But..."
"No buts," she snapped. "Just stay here and keep an eye out for anything strange or out of sorts. I feel like there is something amiss, and I can't put my finger on it."
"Of course, your highness," the guards said. Diana hurried away, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that they weren't following her. Once she rounded the corner, she broke into a sprint, her footsteps light and silent as she breezed past several bewildered servants.
Maybe she should dedicate herself more in practicing teleportation. So far, she was still struggling with it, and it was perhaps the single most important tool that she would need.
She found Lord Cornwall stepping into his chambers, and she made sure no one was around before she slipped in after him and shut the door loudly. Lord Cornwall jumped at the sound, his hand already reaching for his sword.
"Good heavens!" he exclaimed when he saw who it was. "Your highness, what are you doing here?"
"Sit down, Lord Cornwall," Diana said, pointing to the chair in front of him. Lord Cornwall was a small and timid man, exactly the kind of person who would bend to her will. If anyone was going to crack, it was him. His small, almost beady eyes were always shifting nervously, and his fingers were always twiddling in his laps during the council meetings. Diana had noticed this, and she had heard the rumours of course; rumours which she had turned a blind eye to for so long, but now it seemed that she would have to do something about it.
Lord Cornwall sat slowly, clearly confused by the princess's appearance in his private chambers. Under the circumstances however, he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she was here to speak about the potential of choosing a suitor. He couldn't deny the fact that he had spent several years lusting over her. Her beauty was unparalleled, and he had imagined what it would be like to sit on the throne with her sitting beside him.
Or, preferably, on his lap.
And so, he sheathed his sword and sat eagerly, eyes roaming over the swell of her breasts and the curvature of her lips. He longed to kiss her, to stroke her figure and breath in that scent which always distracted him during the council meetings. If she was here to profess her desire to wed him, then she shouldn't have bothered. He was ready to risk it all for her sake.
Which was why he was confused when Diana suddenly pulled a dagger from thin air and pressed it against his throat. He squealed in horror, but she pressed her knee into his gut and twisted his arm behind his back.
"Y-your highness," he gasped, "w-what's going on?"
"Here's what I've learned so far, Cornwall," Diana said. "You're a simple man. You don't like trouble, and you certainly shy away from anything that could upset you. You're a cunning man, albeit a little foolish when it comes to women. It seems your insatiable need to plunge your filthy self into every woman you come across has blinded you."
"Y-your highness, I-I-I don't understand," he stammered.
"Tell me," she said, "what do you know about Lord Varly's plans?"
"I know nothing," he squealed. "Believe me, he never speaks about his plans."
"But he's up to something, is he not?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said. "P-please, I'm telling the truth."
"Why do I find it so hard to believe you, councilman?"
"I can help you find out," he blurted out. "I can try to find out exactly what he's up to. Please, just give me some time and spare me."
Diana weighed her options. She could do with an insider who Varly would never suspect. He would never be foolish enough to mention anything either around. But maybe if she had someone spying for her...
It could work.
"You work for me now, do you understand?" she said, to which Lord Cornwall nodded fiercely.
"You will answer to me, and you will do everything in your power to find out what he's up to, who he's working with, and what he's hiding. Do I make myself clear?"
"Of course, your highness," he said. "Crystal clear."
Diana released him then, and she waved her hands so that the dagger disappeared. Lord Cornwall watched in shock, his lips parted and his forehead matted in sweat.
"Nice to see we're on the same page," Diana said as she headed for the door. "And if anyone asks where I was today?"
"You were in the library reading the entire day," he said in a weak voice which sounded more like a squeak than actual words.
"Smart man," she said before walking out.
***