While the servants placed the main course in front of her, Erzsébet sipped at her wine as she observed her companion halfway down the long dining table.
Prince Ludwig had already been in Tark for just over two weeks now, and she had gone through all lengths to make sure he had no reason to return to Ixaidel. He seemed sufficiently distracted by his interest in Stulikya's state of affairs, economy and financial situation. Erzsébet had been more than happy to share what information she could, although she had to avoid letting slip that she only needed five years to empty the Royal Treasury.
While he seemed very interested in Stulikya itself, Erzsébet was having a hard time figuring out Ludwig's intentions and desires. He was a second son, after all, and his brother already had the crown in Ixaidel, so it would only make sense that he'd be interested in marrying into a crown of his own. However, he has proven oddly difficult for Erzsébet to flirt with, and he seems resistant to her charm.
The servants departed, leaving Erzsébet and Ludwig sitting alone with their meals. Erzsébet took a few bites, before looking back at her guest and deciding to break the silence.
"Are you enjoying the quail?"
"Yes, of course," Ludwig answered between bites, "It's delicious."
Annoyed that he was so far away, Erzsébet rose from her seat, leaning forward to grab the edges of the tablecloth. She then pulled it towards herself, bringing Ludwig's plate and table settings closer as well. Once the plate was close enough, she gently folded the extra fabric in layers to sit on the table between them. Realizing what she had done, Ludwig rose from his seat, walked over and sat in the chair beside his new place.
"There, that's much better," Erzsébet chuckled as she sat back down, "It was hard to hear you from all the way down there."
Ludwig gave a small chuckle as well, before focusing on his food again. After a few more silent bites of her own food, Erzsébet tried to break the silence again.
"You know, I am pleased to see you have had such an interest in Stulikya," Erzsébet brought up, "It's not every day I have a guest so curious as to how I run a kingdom."
"Yes, it only makes sense to know the state of Stulikya's affairs," Ludwig remarked, "I do have a question, actually, it might even be a series of questions."
"Oh yes, of course," Erzsébet allowed, "What is it you want to know?"
"I'm curious about the deceased Royal Family of Stulikya," Ludwig addressed, "With the war starting so quickly in Prathage seven years ago, Ixaidel had shut down all its borders for protection. As such, we only heard the most significant rumours about each Royal death in Stulikya."
"Rumours are immune to borders, aren't they?" Erzsébet noted, realizing the bitter direction this discussion was taking, "What do you want to know?"
"My understanding is that you married Prince Ivan before all these deaths happened," Ludwig explained, "That would mean you were there for all of it."
"Ah, I see where you're going with this," Erzsébet figured out, "You would like me to tell you about all their unfortunate fates."
"If you would be so kind, Your Majesty," Ludwig requested, "I understand it may not be appropriate dinner conversation, but -"
"I'll allow it," Erzsébet permitted, "Now, where do I begin?"
She paused to consider what exactly to say on the topic. While some things could easily be explained, there were elements of each death that she couldn't exactly tell anyone about. She would either have to glaze over the issues with white lies, or completely cover up some elements with the fabricated stories she had told everyone else over the years.
"If I recall the timeline properly, Prince Ivan asked you to marry him shortly after the war started," Ludwig prompted, "Antonio, the Duke of Baisicia, said he was here just before that, and he was courting Princess Katerina. Surely your paths must have nearly crossed?"
"They nearly did, yes," Erzsébet fudged, "My courtship with Prince Ivan started shortly after Antonio had to hastily ride back to Prathage. I had arrived in Tark for a royal party shortly after that, which is where I crossed paths with Ivan. Sparks flew immediately, and he quickly asked me to marry him."
Erzsébet sipped at her wine, reflecting on the truth. She was already in Tark, scouting the palace out as a servant, during Antonio's stay. It was after he left that she switched her disguise to that of nobility, making herself able to get closer to the young Prince and seduce him.
"I heard that everyone was surprised by how quickly Ivan decided to marry you. It was only a matter of weeks?"
"Yes, I did face a swarm of drama over it. The King and Queen were surprised, but I eventually earned their blessing. It was a little harder to convince Katerina and Natalya, though. They were very protective of their brother, just as much as he was of them."
Another glazing of the truth. Natalya was suspicious of her from the start, and Katerina agreed on that sentiment. There were many feuds between the ladies, with Ivan only intervening on Erzsébet's behalf because of how infatuated he was with her.
"Princess Katerina's death was shortly after your wedding. It's rumoured that an enchanted arrow was shot into the crowd at her 21st birthday."
"That story is true, I saw the arrow myself. It had been fired from the rampart overlooking the gardens, whipping around the crowd before striking Katya's chest and killing her very quickly. The shooter was never found, nor was the type of magic ever confirmed. The Royal Family was devastated, and they buried her in a glass casket just over there in the royal cemetery."
Erzsébet paused as Ludwig nodded at the grim story. There was no need to ever reveal that Francis was the shooter, deliberately targeting Katerina with the magical enchantment on the arrow. It resulted in Erzsébet having one less sister-in-law to contend with over the throne.
"She was quickly followed by the King and Queen, yes? Leaving the throne to Ivan and yourself?"
"Yes, their deaths came shortly after. Their grief over Katerina's death weakened them both. At least they both passed peacefully in their sleep, not having to suffer that physical or emotional toll."
A nice, peaceful, poison-induced sleep for them both, courtesy of Francis's cabinet of potions.
"Then came King Ivan's unusual death. Kiku and I heard the rumours about the Beast of Bueswood, what is that all about?"
"We have no idea where the Beast came from, or what it even looks like. One day, Ivan heard some rumour about it, and became obsessed with the idea of hunting it down. He rode out of Tark one day, just himself on a single horse with nobody to help him, and he never returned. There were remnants of his belongings found deep in the woods, leading us to believe he had been devoured by the Beast."
Erzsébet paused to feign her grief as a widow, knowing all too well what actually happened to him. The people of Stulikya needed to believe that there was indeed a gruesome beast in the Bueswood Forest, a terrible creature that should not be trifled with.
"I see you are still coping with his disappearance," Ludwig observed, "My condolences for your loss."
"It's been a long five years, I never even got to properly bury him," Erzsébet continued, "Natalya was too young at the time to take the throne, so the court allowed me to remain Queen in the meantime. Perhaps it was for the best, losing all her family at such a vulnerable age may have hurt her mental constitution."
"I beg your pardon, are you implying that Princess Natalya wasn't mentally sound?" Ludwig interrupted, "She seemed certain of herself when I met her briefly at the ball."
"Unfortunately yes, her mind wasn't quite all there," Erzsébet misrepresented, "Delusions of conspiracies, suspicions of what happened to her family, she suffered all of it. I made sure she was secluded from the court all those years for her protection. We didn't need any courtiers getting the idea of marrying a madwoman just to take the crown, after all, so I did what was deemed best for the kingdom and for Natalya."
"I'm sorry, I just find that hard to believe," Ludwig denied, "She seemed perfectly fine when she spoke to me about you. The rumour about her also being devoured by the Beast the same night we spoke also has me bewildered."
"Oh yes, such a tragic conclusion to her story," Erzsébet fibbed, "After I made sure she had left the ball, she left the palace without permission to stroll through the woods, only for the Beast to find her -"
The doors to the dining room suddenly burst while Erzsébet spoke, and Yao barged into the room wearing only his underwear.
"There's been a development, Your Majesty," Yao reported, "The royal taxes I collected from Ivrark today have been stolen!"
"Stolen?" Erzsébet exclaimed, "By whom?"
"Bandits," Yao answered.
"Bandits?" Ludwig checked, turning to face Yao.
"Yes, bandits," Yao confirmed, making a detectable gesture with his hand at his hip, "Very intimidating."
"I'm sorry, I can't take this anymore," Ludwig declared, rising from his seat, "Enough of these cowardly muggers, justice must prevail!"
"Wait!" Erzsébet shouted.
It was no use, Ludwig had stormed past Yao out of the dining room. The head servant stood there awkwardly for a moment, before also slipping out of the room. Erzsébet leaned back in her chair, grabbing her glass of wine and downing the rest of it.
That dinner had not gone well.