There were three macarons left on the plate in the middle of the table. A pink one flavoured with strawberry, a dark brown one flavoured with chocolate, and a paler brown one flavoured with maple. Knowing which one his sister would take, as soon as she finished sipping at her tea across from him, Alfred reached over and grabbed the strawberry macaron.
Last night's ball went off without a hitch, in more ways than one. All the guests enjoyed the celebration, the twins received all the attention as deserved, and all the little details had gone according to plan. It wasn't until nearly daylight that many of the guests left the castle, and the guest rooms in the castle saw their occupants turn in after a long night of drinking and dancing. Even this afternoon, the guests who were still here were eager to socialize, which is why this little afternoon tea for just the siblings was a quiet blessing.
The only thing that didn't happen, as everyone was hoping would happen, was having either the Prince or the Princess of Aegaimore finding suitors worthy of their attention.
As Madeline reached to grab the maple macaron, Alfred quickly ate his macaron and swallowed it, before taking the opportunity to break the silence.
"I heard rumours about you sneaking off last night."
"Did you really?" Madeline replied.
"Raivis says you disappeared from the private balcony without a trace," Alfred elaborated, "Two hours later, you were finally spotted coming in from the garden, where nobody saw you go outside in the first place."
"The ball was socially exhausting," Madeline excused, "I needed a break from it, and managed to sneak out there unseen."
"Did you really spend the two hours alone out there?" Alfred asked.
"Yes, I did," Madeline insisted, "Whatever you've possibly heard to the contrary is just gossip."
"You should've brought someone out there with you," Alfred suggested, "Are none of the suitors to your liking?"
"You know as well as I do what my position has to be on the matter," Madeline stood firm.
"Yes, I know," Alfred grumbled, "You can't play favourites with anyone until you know for sure that I've found a bride and will take the crown."
"And how is that coming along?" Madeline inquired, "From what I saw last night, it didn't seem like any sparks were flying for you."
"How is it so tough?" Alfred lamented, "Don't get me wrong, some of those ladies would do just fine if I had to settle, but I feel no spark with any of them. I want the lady I marry to captivate my heart, to enchant me and make me swoon, you know?"
"I understand completely," Madeline assured, "You're certain not a single lady has succeeded in that? And that this is a dealbreaker for you?"
"I'm certain of it, Maddie," Alfred declared, "After all the fables we grew up with, the myths and legends about finding true love, isn't it ridiculous that we might have to settle for anything else? If I am to marry, I want to be marrying my true love. I'm sure you'd want the same."
"Of course I'd want that happiness," Madeline supported, "But how exactly do you expect to find your true love? We've already entertained every noble in Aegaimore, as well as several princesses from other kingdoms, and not a single lady has been to your fancy."
"I know, I know," Alfred fussed, "But how am I supposed to settle for a decent match when there could be the perfect girl out there somewhere? I need to broaden the search, but how?"
"Not to mention how quickly you can do it," Madeline added, "The longer you take, the more vultures start asking about me."
"And it would only be a matter of time until someone tries to take advantage of it all," Alfred continued, "When I am distracted, someone could pull a coup and force you to marry them and give them the crown. That's the last thing I want, Maddie, trust me."
"At least you understand my predicament," Madeline remarked, "We need a solution as soon as we can find it. If only we could see what the future holds."
Alfred reached over to take the chocolate macaron, silently thinking of Madeline's words. If only he knew for certain he had a true love, and how to find her, that would solve all their troubles. If there were some way to look into the future…
But there was, wasn't there?
"What about Arthur?" Alfred asked as he withdrew his empty hand from the plate, his fingers instinctively curling to leave the second finger pointed outwards as if to point at the thought.
"What about Arthur?" Madeline repeated with curiosity.
"Our descendance from the Kirkland fae was prompted by soothsaying magic, right?" Alfred recalled, "Couldn't we ask Arthur to look into my future and see who I marry?"
"I don't think he'll do that," Madeline turned down.
"Why not?" Alfred defended, "He has that kind of magic, doesn't he? Surely he can peek into my future and see if I have a true love, and how to find her if I do?"
"Alfred, you know the family rule for the gemstone," Madeline cautioned, "We cannot summon our cousins for frivolous and trivial requests, and Arthur might see this as such."
"Of course it's not frivolous and trivial, it's the future of the crown at stake here!" Alfred justified, "Finding my true love and marrying her will lock me in to be king. If I don't have a true love, and I am destined not to marry, then we know you will be queen someday and we can work with that."
Madeline sighed as she reached over to take the maple macaron, then leaned back in her chair.
"Well, if you're going to be this adamant about it," Madeline relented, "We could always ask, and give Arthur the chance to refuse."
"That's more like it," Alfred cheered as he finally swipes the chocolate macaron from the plate, "We left the gemstone in Father's old study, didn't we?"
"Yes, the same place as always," Madeline confirmed, "We can summon Arthur for a visit from Yuvalon after we finish our tea here."
Alfred popped the macaron into his mouth, and nodded back to Madeline as she nippled on hers.