If you were an outsider, and looking from a distance, you'd think Kurt was marking the read lines of an important article about economy that he read on Norta's main newspaper, with a serious and focused semblance. But, since Camille had a priviledged view from the chair beside him, she could see her brother drawing a devil face over Esme Titanos'. A few rotten teeth... The fact that almost no one in the court liked her was almost comedic.

"What has this baboon done now?" she raised a perfectly drawn eyebrow at the vandalism. She could vaguely see the image of their cousin Parthenope. Whatever it was that Esme had caught her doing, it'd beed stupid of hers to leave exposed, she concluded.

"The evil Parthenope is trying to steal the love of Norta's sweetheart." Recited dramatically Kurt, with his best — or worse — ridiculous imitation of a futile gossip show girl. "You'd think prople wouldn't fall for Titanos' circus, but unhappily, we're surrounded by idiots, Cami."

Camille sipped on the black coffee in her china with an expression that said "don't even tell me about it", and it seemed the cue for the other cousin to show up, completely lacking of elegance, respect or decorum for the almost mandatory silence in wich the other Calore started the day.

Ignacia, the fifteen year old daughter of their uncle, was a girl whose etiquette lessons had been nearly a waste regarding her social behavior. She arrived running in the "small" dining room reserved for the family breakfast, almost tripped on a chair, threw two magazines on the table and sat in front of the twins. Dante, sitting by the head of the table as usual, only sighed his bother and kept eating, while Sulpicia, siting on his right and beside their children, wore an expression that spoke of the deepest disrelishment.

"Did you all see it? Parthie is a backstabber!" The girl huffed and fell heavily upon her chair, grumpy and oblivious to the disapproval coming from the rest of the family. "After all she and Esme went through together!"

The twins only exchanged a look that said "there is one of the afamed idiots".

"I will take Ignacia's interruption as an opportunity to regard a subject we shall discuss as a family." Dante inhaled and tidied up, in a way that he seemed done with it before he started. "The Q-..."

"OH, YES, THE QUEENSTRIAL! UNCLE, I AM SO EXCITED, IT WILL ALL BE PERFECT!" Ignacia clapped her hands with a smile. Dante sighed again.

"Ignacia, will you let me finish before assuming for yourself what I intendo to regard?" His tone was harsh and incisive, and she stopped her babbling. "House Calore will partake in the Queenstrial." His tone was decisive and the younger girl couldn't contain an excited squeal. "But it will partake with Camille and not Ignacia. Heath and I have talked about it on end, and he considers the event too dangerous to you."

The twins looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Camille never had the intent to participate, even if the honor weighed on her back. She preferred to put off the incumbency of the conspiracies to Kurt's daughters, instead of taking it upon herself. Ignacia was about to protest, but contained herself. If it was her father's orders there was nothing she could do besides putting aside her infantile delusions of becoming royalty.

"You signed me up without my knowledge." The older girl mulled the words in her mouth as she said them. Her glare carried the resent of many past events. It wasn't the first time Dante tried to control her future. "You can't want to speak of 'discussing as a family' when you have already decided it all by yourself."

Kurt squeezed her hand, made fist under the table. Besides the affection, it was a gesture that begged her to keep control.

"What is there to discuss in the end?" He disregarded the protest with a shrug and a harsh glare at his daughter. "Iolanthe hasn't won, if she even tried to, my aunts haven't either. Does it fit me now to remember you it is more than a matter of honor to put forth a Calore queen? Or have we forgotten about the coup d'etat?"

"The matter here isn't our memory but your decision without Camille's consent." Kurt replied, in the same harsh tone he had used with Ignacia, that, at that point, played with the food on her plate, wishing to be miles away from the front of the war being held between the lord and his offspring.

"It doesn't matter. It is done." Sulpicia announced, as if the voice of the final tie breaker. Dante went back to his plate, triumphant, and both twins got up, Camille first, with a "I lost my appetite" murmur, and then Kurt, staring at their parents in a way that screamed way more than "we're up to here with your bullshit".