Chapter Text
Let it be known that Buck was an appreciator of the arts. He enjoyed the stunning landscapes, depicted through the eyes of Nella Foltane. His world was taken apart and restructured into the vivid reimagining of dreams he never believed in, whenever he listened to their nation’s pride, the Diaphanous Symphony. Sleep was stolen away by poems and novels, written by those illustrious individuals who held the sanctity of words within their pen.
Art was synonymous with beauty and Buck was an avid lover of all things beautiful. His love of beauty was perhaps the reason for his current state of unrest. For he could not see the beauty in opera.
When he was younger, his parents would take him and his siblings to the opera. Daniel was indifferent. However, Maddie always enjoyed it. She loved the singers and the stories being performed on stage. Buck despised the opera with all of his heart. Usually, he could get out of going to the opera because another member of his family would attend.
Unfortunately, neither his parents nor his sister were currently available to enjoy the opera. His parents were occupied with something Buck hadn’t cared to remember. Maddie was currently being attended to by her dutiful husband, while she went through the boredom of bedrest.
Sadly, that left Buck to suffer alone in the box seat reserved for four. There had been many times Buck was able to get out of attending the opera, especially after Maddie got married to Chimney. He would never be able to extend all his appreciation toward his brother-in-law for stepping in to fulfill that filial responsibility.
However, he wasn’t feeling all that grateful for him in his present moment. He had nearly begged Chimney to go in his stead. Maddie could bear to be alone for a few hours. When Buck narrowly avoided the shoe his sister had thrown, he reevaluated his decision to ask Chimney to leave her for the night.
Despite all his efforts to get out of this, Buck reluctantly found his way at the opera. His dad sternly told him that there had to be at the very least one royal family member to attend the opening show of Winsome Delights.
Buck loathed the pompous circumstance of it all. There was always someone parallel to his shoulder, wanting to rub against it in hopes that his head would turn their way. Trouble was found in entertaining the men and women, who sought counsel in his chambers. On many occasions, Buck was all for trouble. However, he had another outlet for trouble that he was aspiring to get into tonight.
He couldn’t even be concerned to think that the exclusivity of these regal box seats were enough to sway his former plans to leave. The air within the theater remained stuffy and stilted. Nothing captured his attention enough for him to want to stay.
Sure, the singers were masters of their craft. They knew how to hold the audience’s attention. Some of the opera singers were also fairly enticing. One of the singers would look up toward Buck’s booth, a smile titled on her face as she no doubt recounted their brief and — according to him — forgettable night. He couldn’t even remember whether she was a soprano or a contralto.
Unfortunately, none of that mattered when his mind was several miles away in a place that held the aroma of smoke and heady wine.
He looked down at the program in his hand to see when intermission would be announced. Patience had never been his strongest virtue yet he continued to wait for the intermission. Seconds passed where he debated whether it would be easier to slip out early.
Tilting his head backwards, he could see the bodyguards stationed behind him. They stood rigidly with their hands clasped behind themselves. He wondered if their serious and dim facial expressions were in part due to this depressing opera.
For a moment, he considered saying he needed to go to the restroom. However, it would have been distasteful as a prince to leave during their opening performance. No doubt, there would be articles released tonight that the performance was so egregious it caused the prince to retire early. Although he didn’t like the opera, he would not subject the performers to the ridicule and judgment of people who had nothing better to do with their time.
A headache was brewing at the forefront of his brain, when one singer butchered a note. He winced as a collective gasp was heard as they tried to recover. He didn’t know the reason for such an exclamation. It was their opening night. There were bound to be mistakes.
They continued singing and his headache continued growing. Finally, intermission was announced. He closed his program and began to stand up.
“I need to use the restroom,” he told his guards. He let out an aggrieved sigh, when they began to follow him. “Am I not allowed to use the restroom by myself?”
“Your highness, your parents left us with instructions to not leave you unattended,” one of the bodyguards said, repeating his parents' words to him as if they hadn’t reiterated it several times before he left.
Buck racked his mind, trying to remember this specific guard's name. Was it Calum? Caleb? Callington?
“Listen, Caleb –”
The guard’s eyes fell downward in disappointment. “It’s Harris.”
Oh, okay. So it wasn’t Caleb. His name hadn’t even begun with a “C.” That was a shame. He usually tried to remember the names of those he had…dalliances with. He stepped forward, hand going to rest on the lapel of Harris’ suit jacket. Then his fingers moved to tighten the thin black tie he was wearing. It wasn’t a tie that their bodyguards wore. It didn’t fit their standard. The material was too thin and cheap to have been theirs.
Harris’ eyes found him as he no doubt realized that Buck had realized he was out of uniform. Buck’s lips tilted in a smirk as he drew back. He settled his eyes on the other guard, Rema. At least he remembered her name. He only remembered her name because Maddie told him to be kind to her tonight, since she was loaning her own personal bodyguard to him, since his other one had formally resigned two days ago.
“Listen, Harris. If you want to follow me into the restroom for some fun, all you have to do is tell me. However, I fear that Rema’s sensibilities may be in jeopardy, if we succumb to our selfish desires. Be a dear and wait outside with her. I won’t be long,” Buck promised, patting Harris on the cheek and stepping away.
Rema’s cheeks grew flush. He knew she probably heard the rumors about him, but she had never seen his openness in person. She was more accustomed to the reserved nature of Maddie.
He gave her a wink and then turned around to open the restroom door. He didn’t need to use the restroom, but he did come in there for something. His eyes fell on a person, standing in front of the mirror as they washed their hands.
He walked toward them with a casual look of indifference and arrogance on his face. His lips tilted upward as the man stared at his reflection. He tilted his head curiously at him, eyes perusing his body. The poor man probably thought he was flirtatiously taking him in.
Meanwhile, Buck was measuring the difference in their body types. This man’s shoulders were a bit narrower. He was an inch or so shorter than Buck. However, that wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. His hair was perfectly coiffed, a great contrast to Buck’s wild curls that had grown slightly frizzy from the humidity of the night.
“Hey, handsome. I have a favor to ask you,” Buck whispered, leaning over the man’s shoulder. He smiled broadly as the stranger granted him permission, before he even said what he needed.
“Yes, your highness. Anything for you,” the man stuttered, clearly unaccustomed to being propositioned by a member of the royal family.
"Great," Buck serenely replied.
Later, the two of them were in each other’s outfits. The man looked over at him in confusion, worry tinting his expression. Nervously, he smoothed down his tie and bit his lip.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Buck affirmed, wincing at the discomfort from the tight blazer. “They’ll stop bothering you the moment they figure out you’re not me. Plus, I left a little present for you in my pockets for your help.”
He didn’t want to rush the man, but he did have plans. His impatience must have been clearly visible on his face because the man nodded his head and turned to quickly exit the restroom. He ran out of there and Buck could hear his bodyguards shouting out a name that didn’t belong to the man they were chasing.
Two minutes passed before Buck found it safe to exit the restroom. Evading his royal babysitters, he found his escape. He knew that he would be facing his parents' reprimand. However, that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, his mind was focused on the nightclub down on Edwards and Francis Grove.
He could have called for a car, but his face was far too recognizable. Family portraits had just been published in the morning papers. He didn’t know why they didn’t wait, until after the birth of Maddie’s baby. They would have to re-do the family portraits, once she was born anyways. It was entirely wasteful of both the artist’s time and their materials. However, he supposed it didn’t matter, when his parents were doling out large amounts of money.
He left the theater and felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Rain had fallen sometime between Buck arriving and leaving the theater. The stone walkways were still wet. A foggy haze shone like a halo over the lampposts. Petrichor rose from the ground and wafted into Buck’s nostrils. It mixed in with the fading smell of pastries from a bakery two blocks over.
Withstanding the hot and damp air, he traversed through alleys. He could have walked on the busy streets, but he didn’t want to tempt fate's hand into unmasking him. He wanted to be cloaked in the night. He removed the borrowed blazer and used it as a covering for his head, when rain started to drizzle. It seemed that there was more rain left in the clouds.
He found his way to the nightclub and removed the blazer from his face. Immediately catching sight of who he was, the guard that stood at the entrance welcomed him in. Entering through the door, Buck went inside the venue filled with obscenity and debauchery.
He was soon swathed in aromas of perfume and cologne. The mixing aromas made the headache, he had been dealing with, become more prominent. It was disappointing he had forgotten his medication, before he left for the opera. That was a mistake. He knew he should have taken an extra pill, before he left for the evening.
He hoped the pain would lessen, once he had a drink in his system. Walking past the various people milling around the room, he headed straight toward the bar. He threw the blazer on top of the bar stool, discarding it for someone else to grab.
He leant over with his elbows pressed down on the cherry oakwood table. The bartender made her way over to Buck. She smiled at him and leaned forward, almost touching his nose with hers. Buck leant back. That was one thing he didn’t like with some people. They took certain liberties, thinking that Buck was amenable to everyone.
The bartender leant back with a discrete cough. He knew she was re-calculating how she should approach him. There was no familiarity in their greeting. Buck already had someone on his mind. However, he would spare the nice woman her embarrassment.
“May you get me a Isla Licor and…” he trailed off, distracted when he heard laughter echo in the room. He turned his head around and found one of his old friends. A huff of laughter escaped him. “And then a whiskey on the rocks as well, please.”
“Of course, your highness.”
They were not familiar with one another, but he didn’t require to be formally addressed like that. Unfortunately, she had walked away before he could tell her she didn’t have to refer to him as, “Your highness.”
The drinks were made quickly and Buck found himself walking over to his old friend, Connor. He held their drinks in his hand, only setting them down as he arrived at his table. His friend looked up at him, momentarily distracted from his conversation.
His eyes widened in shock. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the royal highness himself in the flesh. Oh, did you get this for me?”
He sat down and moved the drink over to him. “Yes. I heard your laughter all the way across from the room. I’m surprised to see you here. Shouldn’t you be at home with your wife? I doubt she's forgiven you of your debts this early.”
Connor rolled his eyes as he took a slow slip of his drink. “Kameron is somewhere out with her mother. I doubt she notices my absence. I’ll be home in time for dinner.”
“You don’t seem all that excited to go home,” Buck commented.
He took a sip of his drink, delighting in the berry’s sweetness and the lime’s tartness. His fingers ran down the glass. He drew his initials in the condensation, while Connor went on to talk about the dastardly behavior of his mother-in-law.
“I’m not. Ever since we told Kameron’s mother that we’re planning on having children, she’s been content to over-stay her welcome at our house. Now she’s trying to get Kameron to agree to come back home, so we can be closer to her side of the family,” Connor begrudged.
“I’m assuming…based on your tone that you don’t want that,” he curiously implored.
“It doesn’t matter what I want. It matters what Kameron wants,” Connor sighed. “And I’m still trying to get her to forgive me for taking on that job in Gastaw.”
He nodded his head. “I told you she wouldn’t forgive you that easily. You know Kameron has always been the one to hold a grudge.”
“Yes, I’m well aware. Hopefully, she’ll forgive me in a week’s time or else I might actually find myself having to sell our estate and moving to the other side of the world,” Connor bemoaned. “But please, my dear friend let us retire this topic for the night. I got away from my house, in order to escape my stress for a few hours.”
“I suppose I can relate,” he sympathized.
Connor lifted his eyebrow. “Yes, speaking of…isn’t this the last place you’re supposed to be? I distinctly remember you telling me you wouldn’t be here for a few months. Seeing as though it’s only been two weeks, since your proclaimed vow to lessen your visits here, the vow was either only said for performance's sake or your vowed break must not have been intended to last for very long.”
Buck stretched his arms behind himself and laid them over the unoccupied chairs. He ignored his friend’s inquisitive stare as his eyes fell onto the stage. The band set up their instruments and a singer clad in silk and sequins donned the stage.
She stepped in front of the mic and curled her hand around the stand, sending a lascivious stare over the people watching her. Then her eyes met Buck’s and her expression grew alight with amusement.
“Ah, it wasn’t the place you missed. It was her,” Connor teased.
Buck didn’t bother lying in defense of himself. Connor chuckled and turned to face away from him. The two of them didn’t talk after she came on stage. Eventually, Connor left to go home to his wife. Buck stayed, until the final song.
He stood from his chair as the band continued playing sans the singer. He moved through the club, already knowing how to get backstage to her dressing room. The directions were tattooed to the back of his eyes.
He knocked on her dressing room door two times, before he heard a quiet and sultry, “Come in.”
She looked like she had been expecting him. Her silk dress full of sequins had been taken off. In its place was a thick robe, covering her bare body. His eyes fell to her right leg that she had moved out from underneath her robe. Her tinted red lips continued quirking upward the longer Buck stood at her door, completely and unnervingly attuned to her.
“Ali,” he greeted.
“Prince Evan,” she softly whispered, teasing him by using a name she had long since been given the right to never use.
Closing the door, he walked toward her in three easy strides. Ali met him halfway, standing up from her chair to reach him. His hands fell to the tie keeping her robe together. He unraveled the tie with a deft touch. The robe fell halfway off of her body and he slid his hands under the clasp of her bra.
She breathed slowly as his fingers sought out the small metal clasp. Every breath he inhaled tasted of sweet wine like the one from his great-aunt’s vineyard.
“Buck,” she inhaled through a sigh.
Ali moved her head to the side, giving Buck more access to her neck.
“You looked beautiful up there on stage tonight. You always do. You sang just as beautifully as well. I went to the opera tonight and none of them came close to being compared to you,” he complimented, as her bra straps fell from off of her shoulders.
“No one?” she coquettishly asked, lowering her gaze and biting her lip.
“Not a single person could rival your talent. You’re the only one I’ve had my eyes set on,” Buck avowed.
“Hmm, the only one you say. Am I the only one forever? Or am I the only one for tonight?” Ali questioned, breaking away from him.
“Ali,” he laughingly breathed. “Tell me you aren’t being jealous right now. That's unbecoming behavior. You swore you had an understanding of what this was…what this could only ever be.”
Ali’s eyes grew dim. She pulled her robe back on her shoulders and sank down on her chair. “Of course, I know that. It doesn’t mean I have to like it. Allow a woman to feel a bit disheartened that she’s not the only one you have your eyes on.”
“Ali…” he began, as he knelt down beside her. He began to mouth at her legs, teeth catching on her stockings and leaving a tear that she would later chastise him for. “Why worry about who else has my attention, when you have my pure undivided attention right now?”
“Don’t you want to settle down?” Ali questioned, foregoing giving a reply to his question. “Don’t you want to find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?”
That was the last thing Buck wanted to do, after the fallout from Abby. There were other reasons he didn’t see himself settling down anytime soon, but that was a large determining factor. He had tried the whole serious relationship thing and he shouldn’t have made those continuous efforts to be enough for someone to settle down with.
He wasn’t going to waste time being saddled up to one person for the rest of his life. That wasn’t for him. It might have worked for other people. He had many people in his life, who settled down and they were thriving.
This lifestyle suited Buck better.
“No, I don’t.”
And even if he had wanted to settle down with someone, he highly doubted Ali would be at the top of his list.
“Buck,” she began to say, but was interrupted when she heard the door knock. She tightened the tie on her robe. “Come in.”
Buck stood up as he heard the door open. He groaned aloud as he saw who was at the door. For all his efforts to avoid his guards, he forgot to outrun him.
“Albert,” Ali briskly said.
“Ali,” Albert retorted, eyes mainly focused on Buck. “Prince Evan…”
“Buck,” he reminded him as he went to sit down on Ali’s couch. “Surprised you found me.”
Albert sent him an unimpressed glare. “Buck, I do not have time to be chasing you everywhere. You know your parents are going to be upset, when they learn you ran off…again.”
“Not my fault.”
“It is your fault because you’d rather be everywhere else than where you’re supposed to be,” Albert refuted. “Buck, can you please make my job easier? Could you extend a bit of grace to your guards who are going to be reprimanded by Athena for yet again losing sight of you?”
Ali snickered as she began to wipe away her red lipstick with a makeup remover wipe. “Albert, you and I both know you’re asking for the impossible.”
He narrowed his eyes at her then turned back to Buck. “I do not get paid enough to be your royal babysitter, yet here I am searching high and low for the child that ran off from his parents. May you please act your age? In fact, may you please act as though you’re a prince? Do you know how dangerous –”
“Albert, breathe. I don’t want to say I warned you, but I did. I told you that you wouldn’t want to be my royal attendant, when Chimney suggested you take on this job. I informed you consistently that you would be better off resuming your studies than keeping track of me,” he told him.
He frowned as he thought back to that conversation. Albert had come home from college, bring with him news that he had dropped out. As expected, Chimney had been upset. He told his younger brother that he’d better re-enroll or take on a job because he wouldn’t be financially supporting him, should he drop out.
Of course that threat was not taken to heart. Chimney would never cut his brother off. However, he did make him become Buck’s royal attendant, after his last one quit.
Quitting was a growing theme for people working under Buck.
“Look, I came all the way over here to bring you back home. You know these places aren’t good for my asthma,” Albert sniffed, scowling at the ashtray on Ali’s dresser.
“Well, you can journey all the way back home without me because as you can see I am currently occupied with matters not privy for young ears,” he joked, once again making fun of Albert’s youthful innocence even though they were only a few years apart in age.
“Unfortunately, such matters will have to be placed on pause,” Albert mockingly retorted. “You’ve been called back to the palace. Your parents are expecting your arrival within the hour. I have been tasked to bring you to them.”
“Tell them I’m busy,” Buck waved off, moving back toward Ali.
“Buck…”
“Albert, usually I don’t mind an audience…”
“Buck, I swear. Now is not the time to play around.”
“If we pretend we can’t hear him, he’ll eventually get the hint and go away,” he conspiratorially whispered to Ali, who giggled in return.
“You have to come home. It is no longer a request, but a demand,” Albert angrily groused, the longer Ali and Buck continued to ignore him.
Buck rolled his shoulders back and placed his hands on his hips. “How is this different from any other demands my parents have given?”
“Your father has plans to abdicate the throne within the next two months,” Albert rushed out to say, before Buck could interrupt him.
A deep-seated chill settled in his bones.
Abdicate?
That couldn’t be right. His dad had no plans of relinquishing his title so soon. He was still relatively young. He appeared in good health as far as Buck knew. There was no reason for his dad to make such a premature announcement.
“After the opera, you were supposed to go straight home. He is waiting for you to have dinner, where he is going to formally announce to the family that he is abdicating and that he will be announcing you as his successor.”
“But Maddie…”
“You know the people are still weary of Maddie’s leadership, after…” Albert swallowed his next words. “The people will never submit to the leadership of a queen, if she takes the crown. Maddie knows that and King Phillip knows that as well. You must have known you would be taking your dad’s place, right?”
“This has to be another one of my dad’s tricks to get me to come home,” Buck humorlessly laughed. “I’m sorry you got roped into another one of my dad’s schemes.”
“Buck, I really don't have time for this. Everyone is waiting for you back at the palace. I would love for you to continue your secret rendezvous. You can come back here after dinner if you like. However, I am going to need you to fix your shirt and pants. Then you are going to follow me to the car that’s been waiting outside for almost thirty minutes.”
“I think you should go. I’ve never seen him this serious before,” Ali directed toward Buck.
“Thank you. I am serious,” Albert said, like it hurt to agree with Ali. “Buck, please. Any other time, I would turn an eye. Unfortunately, I can’t do that today.”
“Ali,” Buck started to say as means of apologizing, but was waved off.
“Go. Don’t spare me any apologies. You have your royal duties to attend to. My door is always open, whenever you feel like getting away from those obligations,” she smirked, widening her legs and bringing attention to a rip in her stockings.
His eyes lingered for the briefest of seconds on her as she turned back to face her mirror. He sighed and adjusted his clothes as Albert suggested. Then without a second glance, he followed Albert out of the club.
The drive back to the palace was silent yet his thoughts were loud. Surely, this would be some form of midlife crisis for his dad. He would rethink all of this, once the morning’s clarity washed over him.
But questions and doubts weighed on his mind.
What if this wasn’t a spur of the moment decision? What if his dad had been thinking of handing over the crown for the past few months?
He’d be a fool, if he hadn’t noticed that his dad kept inviting him to more meetings with diplomats and other world leaders. Buck hadn’t attended any of the meetings, but what if that had been his dad’s way of telling him to expect a big change.
They made it to the palace and he followed Albert inside, only stopping at the kitchen on his way to the dining room. Albert sighed at him and then nodded to himself.
“Can I trust that you’ll actually go to dinner or do I have to wait outside the kitchen and hold your hand there?” Albert questioned.
“You can go. I need to talk to Bobby for a second, but I swear I’ll be there. You can retire to bed. And Albert, I’m sorry for having you run around in search of me. I’ll try to make your job as royal babysitter far more enjoyable.”
He scrunched his face up and scoffed. “Enjoyable for who? Me or you? Anyways, goodnight Buck. Try not to do anything crazy tonight or early in the morning. Least you can do is allow me eight hours of rest.”
Buck waited until Albert walked down the long extensive hallways and up the stairwell, leading to the third floor, before he himself headed into the kitchen. He opened the door, eyes immediately catching sight of the one person he knew would give him answers.
“Did you know?” he questioned, hoping that Bobby would know something he hadn’t.
Bobby had been close to his dad, when they were children. However, that friendship became estranged once his dad took the throne. He was never let in to what happened between the two, but it was something neither party wished to rehash.
They were cordial with one another, but that was where their familiarity and good favor ended. After all, King Phillip was Bobby’s king and Bobby was the king’s head chef. Both had the power of death and life, within the palms of their hands.
“Know what?” Bobby questioned.
He moved away from the other cooks, so that he could stand by Buck. He wiped his hands on his apron, white flour showing up as a stark contrast to his black apron.
“Know that my dad was announcing plans to abdicate,” he huffed out, grabbing some misshapen pastry that had been left on the counter. He took a bite out of it and spat it out. “That’s awful. What the fuck is that?”
“Language,” Bobby chastised, moving to grab the tray of pastries that Buck grabbed. “There’s a new cook we hired a few months ago. I’ve been trying to teach him a few things, since he hasn’t quite gotten the gift of cooking. I thought baking might be easier.”
“Obviously, your lessons are not taking. That might be one of the worst things I’ve ever had the misfortune of eating,” Buck groaned, grabbing a napkin to wipe his tongue.
“Honestly, this is a huge improvement,” Bobby said, taking a bite out of the pastry. “At least this is edible.”
“Bobby, why did you hire someone who doesn’t know the difference between sugar and salt? Actually, I don’t care about this mysterious new cook who might give us all food poisoning one day,” he stated. “Back to my question. Did you know my dad was abdicating?”
Bobby looked at him with gentle consideration, probably wondering whether he should tell the truth.
“I’ve heard rumors. You know Athena is much more likely to hear about this news. She might have mentioned this was a conversation that would be brought up in the coming months. However, she didn’t say much else. I didn’t bother to ask for more. I’m assuming, since you’re asking, that the conversation is coming earlier than anyone thought.”
“Apparently, he’s making the announcement at dinner.”
“Ah, so that’s why they told us to hold off on bringing out dinner, until you arrived. I was wondering because they normally proceed without you.”
“I desperately wish that was the same case for today, but alas luck is not in my favor tonight. Guess, I should go out there and face the wolves.”
He made way to the dining room, but heard Bobby call out his name.
“Yes?”
“Athena wanted me to pass on that she’ll be having a conversation with you tomorrow, in regard to your proclivity to run away from the guards intended to keep you safe. So after dinner no matter how the conversation goes, make sure you’re here in the morning.”
“Bobby…” he whined.
“Nope, don’t Bobby me. You made your bed, go lie down in it.”
Buck grumbled all the way to the dining room. He strengthened his resolve, when the doors opened alerting everyone to his presence. His entire family was seated at the table. Maddie and Chimney sat near each other. His mom sat to the left of her husband, who sat at the head of the table.
Buck took his spot beside his mom and bowed his head at his dad. “Apologies for being late. I didn’t know we were having a family dinner.”
Maddie snickered into her cup of water. He smirked as she looked at him. Okay, he wasn’t fooling anyone. There had been multiple occasions where he knew they were having a family dinner. Most of the time his parents required their presence.
Buck had stopped attending, once he turned eighteen. Maddie had only started attending family dinners again, when she became pregnant. He was sure her dinner attendances' would be far and few between, once her child was born.
The conversation was filled with idle chatter about their day as their meals were brought out to them. Food continued to be set on the table. Drinks were poured into their cups. Buck was becoming tipsy as the wine continued to pour down his throat.
He was nearing inebriation, when dessert was brought out. It was a small circular pastry, glazed with honey and strawberries. He bit into the soft cake, delighting in the texture of it. He was so enlightened by the sweet treat that he almost missed his dad’s announcement.
“While I am certain you have heard rumblings, I wanted to let you all know that I will be abdicating the throne in the coming months. I am thinking I will make the announcement sometime in late August,” his dad announced.
Buck choked on a piece of strawberry. “I’m sorry what?”
“My health isn’t what it used to be. I am regretful to admit that I must start scaling back my responsibilities. My doctor and I have agreed that this is a job that is no longer sustainable for me. If I want to live a long and happy life surrounded by my grandchildren,” he paused to send a smile toward Maddie, “I must hand my crown over.”
His mom turned to look at him. “We know it is sudden. However, I want you to know we haven't treated this decision lightly. We have had many discussions with your dad's doctors, royal advisors, and council. We have made the necessary steps to make this transition easy for you.”
“Transition? Hang on. I need things spelled out for me. What is happening?” Buck nervously questioned, feeling everything in his body tighten in tension.
“To become king. You must know that you are in the direct line of succession. I have tried instructing you these past few months, in order to make the process easier for you. Unfortunately, you’ve spent your time avoiding your responsibilities. Maddie isn’t poised to become Queen, yet she attends meetings with the council,” his dad told him.
“Dad, you can’t expect me to become king. I have no desire to lead this country. I certainly didn't expect to lead it this soon. You promised me that I wouldn't have to be king, until long after your bones have grown brittle and the exhaustion has torn lines into your face. Looking at you now, I'd say you have a few more years left in you until that becomes the case,” he chuckled, tapping his fingers against his wine glass.
Sadly, his dad didn't take that statement as the compliment Buck was hoping that it would come across as. Instead his dad pursed his lips together and leaned forward on the table, pushing aside the plate of food in front of him.
“You don’t care for the good will of your people?” his dad asked with a deep-seated frown marked in his features. "Are you implying that you would rather abandon your people in order to leave a life of frivolity?"
It's the least of what you owe me, was what he wanted to say in response. However, he decided to mince his words.
“That’s not what I’m saying. Of course, I care for them. In caring for them, I know I am the worst option to be king. Can’t we somehow find a distant relative to take over? We have third cousins somewhere I’m sure of it. It doesn’t have to be me. Dad, let’s be smart about this.”
His mom sighed in disagreement. "Evan, do not be foolish nor naïve. You are well aware that we have been priming you to take the crown. Were you hoping that somewhere down the line our plans would change? Your childish hopes and expectations have no bounds it would appear. Who should I thank for enforcing such delusions? Maddie?"
Maddie's eyes widened, not thinking that any of them would bring her into the conversation. "Mom..."
"It's not naivety that has me questioning your plans. It is my confusion, brought upon by the abruptness of this decision, that has me questioning things," Buck interrupted, not wanting Maddie to be caught in the middle of his and their parents' disagreement. "You and dad have to be conscious of the fact that I am not in the position to accept this job right now."
"And whose fault is that?" his dad questioned. "I have ordered you to attend meetings, but you've been too busy laid up in the chambers of strangers. While I have been trying to instruct you how to lead, you have been planning vacations. Respect does not weigh heavy on your shoulders, yet you hold your head high as if deserving of other's reverential treatment. A prince holds admiration. A king commands respect. This, my son, is how you will gain the favor of your people. Why would you deny yourself this honor?"
"I have never requested that others blindly respect me," Buck dismissed. "I do not wish to have the crown, if blind respect is what you expect will be given to me. You swore to me that I could live my life as freely as I deemed fit. You have never imparted instructions to me. I do not know why you are suddenly bringing this up, when my lifestyle has never been brought into conversation."
"Because you were a child back then. We could excuse your lifestyle choices because they were those made of someone experiencing life for the first time," his mom tried to explain.
"Excusing my lifestyle choices?" he scoffed, baffled by the insistence that somehow his parents were more involved in his life than they actually were. "You have held no interest in my life, apart from what I could do for you. As long as I haven't publicly embarrassed you or dad, you have never cared to see how I was doing. So how can you excuse something that you know nothing about? You do not know me or the lifestyle choices I have made."
His mom waved off his statement. "That is neither here nor there, Evan. What does it matter to bring up the past, seeing as though we are talking about the future? This is your responsibility as much as it is your given birthright. Despite saying you believe otherwise, you are fully capable of understanding that this title will be yours to bear. You have always been intelligent. Do you want to appear as though your intelligence as well as your good manners have been stripped away from you?"
Buck bit the inside of his cheek. Anger snapped at his tongue, but he didn't let that emotion cost him words he wouldn't be able to take back.
“There is no one else that I will consider becoming king beside you. Evan, you are my son and you will take on this position of leadership with pride. The time to transfer power has come, before either of us are ready. I apologize for that," his dad seemed to sincerely state. "However, I do believe that you will wear the crown well, my son. Now that this is handled, we must talk about marriage. As you know, you will need to be wed. We must think about the optics and given your…laidback attitude with relationships we must tame your image into one of respectability.”
Handled?
Nothing about this situation was handled.
Buck had not agreed to a single thing being said, yet his dad was speaking as though he had just whole-heartedly accepted that he would be king.
“Your father and I have decided to grant you a little freedom in your prospective marital choices. They will of course need the council's approval," his mom interjected, already following her husband's shift in conversation.
Buck's head shot up from its bowed position. His eyes sought out Maddie's first, who was equally surprised by the introduction of marriage into the conversation. She shifted her head to Chimney, reaching out to hold his hand for support since Buck's hands were tightly clenched around the arm of his chair. Buck moved his eyes away from her and back toward his parents.
“Marriage?” he coughed. “Yeah, no. I’m not getting married. This is insane. Everything that's happening right now is insane. Are you going to ask me what I think about all of this? Are you going to ask me if I want to be king? If I want to get married? You are requiring too much of me.”
He tried announcing his refusal. Unfortunately, his words were drowned out. His heart thundered in his chest, the longer his parents talked and didn't show any signs of stopping. His world began to dim around him and sharp stabbing pains of discomfort swarmed into his body. His mouth opened on words he wasn't conscious of speaking. It was as though his body was stuck on auto-pilot, shifting into some form of protection to ward against his parents' strict commands.
While words fell from his lips, his parents ignored him as they continued discussing their plans with each other, instead of with the one person who was the center of their plans. Eventually, he grew tired and his voice became hoarse. Maddie kept trying to get his attention, but he couldn’t lift his eyes to meet hers. It felt like the world was slipping away from him. This couldn’t be happening. He stayed rooted in his seat, unaware of the time stretching on as everyone finished their dinner. His parents were the first to leave. He could distantly feel Maddie pat him on the shoulder, before she left with Chimney.
Kingship?
Marriage?
Those were the two things that Buck swore he would never submit to. Now his dad was telling him he would have to become a king and a husband within a few months.
Fine. If there was truly no getting out of this, he would do exactly as his dad commanded.
And he would make sure his dad regretted that decision with every fiber of his being for the rest of his life.