Chapter 70: Children
"And how can I do that?" Shizuo whispered, slightly uncomfortable beneath all those people's gazes as Izaya seemingly searched for a suited counterpart.
"By showing your gentle and protective nature," he added simply as if those words were explaining anything at all and moved to the far right of the room.
Shizuo spotted the new targets Izaya had chosen before he addressed them and frowned slightly.
Three men. Status unknown as well as their names, were standing in the corner and seemingly talking about Shizuo and his wife. Grey hair defined two of them and revealed their age despite their adamant efforts to keep it hidden as they looked towards Izaya with prideful eyes.
"Greetings, my lords," Izaya smiled upon approach and the old farts seemed fairly surprised to have the queen address them directly as early as this.
Even Shizuo was aware that most guests present were probably used to drinking a glass of wine or two before engaging into any meaningful conversations.
Well.
Not Izaya.
Lips curling into a smile, Shizuo looked at the old farts.
No matter what it was that Izaya had in mind, it was surely going to be entertaining.
"My queen, king," the youngest of the three, still keeping a tight hold onto his brown color of hair for as long as it was possible, bowed quickly towards the royal couple. "Congratulations on your marriage."
As if having forced the old farts out of their stupor they suddenly came back to life and quickly joined as well.
"Of course, we only wish you the best," one of them said and the other quickly followed up. "I heard it was a troubled one due to your illness, my lady. So it's even more of a joy to see you healthy today."
Fear stood in their eyes. They might have been talking to Izaya, but their attention rested on Shizuo only. What did they think he would do? Behead them on the spot if they dared to speak a single wrong word?
He wasn't even wearing armor, just a set of precious clothes. It took Izaya quite an effort to not roll his eyes at the sight- not that they would have noticed.
"Thank you very much, it was all due to my husband's efforts that I am able to stand here now as I am," Izaya declared and before Shizuo knew it, Izaya had circled his arm.
A loving gaze was directed at the king with Izaya's obviously best efforts to put on a great show- and Shizuo-
He was supposed to talk. He knew.
Izaya was obviously waiting for him to take over the starting conversation, but Shizuo found himself speechless instead as his heart skipped a beat.
Possible actions flooded his mind, those that told tales of how he would sweep Izaya off his feet and simply carry him out of here in order to spend the rest of the evening with no one but him. But the impossibility of acting on those urges was obvious as the difference between day and night and so he cleared his throat instead.
"Anything for my queen."
He was acting too docile. Too quiet. At least for his rumored personality- but it seemed this time his words at least acted in his own favor as the lordships showed surprised expressions.
"My condolences. Your father, the late king, I hope he found his way to heaven," one of them spoke up next, addressing only what was common courtesy and etiquette, but hearing his father's name Shizuo felt as though someone ripped out his guts from one moment to the next- and it showed.
"I'm sure he got what he deserved."
Izaya heard the words, saw the expression Shizuo was holding, and the grip on his arm tightened just slightly in an attempt to chase away whatever gruesome pictures had been summoned to Shizuo's mind.
"As for the lands and contracts upheld so far-" the younger one of the three suddenly started and was scolded quicker than he was able to finish his sentence.
"Hey-" an elbow to the side was all he received and the fear Izaya had seen in their eyes returned with full force.
It was only natural.
Everyone present was holding ties with the royal family. With Shizuo's father. Reluctantly or willingly but they did.
And now that Shizuo had ascended the throne they didn't know what to make of this new situation. Their families relied on a stable income. And the lord and ladies were all used to a certain amount of wealth and a comfortable life. They were fearing for that to change and Izaya turned to look at Shizuo.
More eyes had turned and listened in on their conversation.
This was the moment Shizuo needed to speak in an adequate manner to convince the people present that he wasn't a sick maniac like his father.
But Shizuo remained awfully quiet.
Eyes filled with hatred for his father and something else Izaya couldn't quite discern, were obviously distracting him more than they should and so he quickly took it upon himself to assure the present nobility.
"You are very welcome to visit our castle in due time to discuss further transactions. But I think the majority of our bonds will remain as they are." Izaya had intentionally raised his voice to a volume that was not only to be heard close by and a row of relieved breaths resounded in between the sweet sounds of a violin that was now being played at the front.
Glancing aside Izaya spotted some of the people who were going to provide new rumors, instigated by him and they quickly scurried away as soon as Izaya's eyes fell upon them.
But that was exactly what he needed.
"We would love to, my queen," one of the elder lords suddenly announced and izaya realized he was still very much part of a more private conversation.
But a quick smile was gladly more than enough to end the conversation and the three men courteously left into the direction of the tables presenting tonight's food.
"We want to maintain our contracts?" Shizuo whispered as soon as they were out of hearing range and Izaya nodded quickly.
"Depends. If you want I can look into what your father negotiated and look for improvement. Right now what we should aim for first is to gain trust and spread relief."
"Relief?" Looking at Shizuo, Izaya couldn't quite hide an amused smile. He was so awfully helpless when it came to directing people's emotions. It was a trait a king should own most of everything else.
But of course to a warrior the skill was useless and the way Shizuo was lacking it due to his pure honesty driven tongue speaking what was on his mind at all times.
It was an endearing trait, despite undermining his royal position.
"Most of the people here think you will cancel all cooperation or behead their children once they mess up a single transaction," Izaya explained slowly and nodded towards a set of guests that had yet to be told the newest gossip about their future transactions. They were showering Shizuo with fearful glances and insecurity. "Showing them how benevolent and reasonable you are will help in future negotiations," Izaya added, but sighed shortly after. "Or at least I would have liked to put you into the spotlight, but somehow it feels like I tamed the beast instead."
"The beast?" Shizuo repeated and Izaya turned to look at Shizuo. A man that was not farther from resembling the monsters of the forests. Especially today.
His personality, his actions, his undying strength used for those he cared about-
Izaya wanted them all to know.
The entire kingdom.
"You need to talk more," Izaya whispered and nodded towards a few guests showering them with avid glances. "They think you are head over heels for me and only here due to my demand. In their eyes I'm probably the woman that managed to charm the gruesome warrior and add some reason to his actions."
A gruesome warrior, huh?
Looking towards the various unknown guests around, Shizuo could tell they were afraid despite the happy occasion.
"And that is bad?" he asked quietly, but Izaya seemed indecisive in his answer.
"Depends, it just means they will try to garner my favor instead of yours. Which wasn't my intention to be honest." A bit of guilt swayed on those words and Shizuo realized yet again how hard Izaya was working in order to try and make him appear as a fitting king.
It was funny. All of this. The way he met Izaya. The conversations they held. The effort he was putting into making Shizuo a better king.
If anything those assumptions were right, weren't they? Without Izaya, Shizuo was sure he wouldn't be half as good a king as he was now, and so he smiled and relaxed.
"I can live with that."
Turning his head Izaya blinked before looking at the king in mild confusion.
"You shouldn't. You are the king. If there is someone they should respect, it's you."
But Shizuo merely shrugged with the sweetest smile in place as he circled Izaya by his hip.
"Why not? It's the truth anyway. They better respect my taming wife, or else they will feel my wrath."
Ah.
Right.
He was simple- and somehow Izaya only realized at that moment that Shizuo wasn't a king, but a warrior at heart. Looking out for his men and folk alike. Someone who would rather do the protecting and have someone else take the triumph in his stead.
And so Izaya closed his eyes for a second as he rearranged his idea of how this evening was supposed to unfold.
"So you want me to lead all negotiations?" he confirmed with the softest chuckle and Shizuo shrugged.
"Why not? That way you can act as you see fit and pressure them with my unreasonable actions in case they try to betray you."
That was actually pretty smart.
Nothing was more threatening than the unknown.
And to these men Shizuo was not only the unknown, but also spiked with rumors intensifying the sensation of dread. In a funny way it was exactly what the late king had done.
Ruled with fear.
Just that this time it was an empty threat that no one was aware of- at least until the point they started to realize that there were no heavy punishments or unreasonable actions to come.
But until they realized what Izaya long had they would behave themselves at least, and wasn't that their number one priority for now?
"You know, you might just be better at scheming than I am," Izaya chuckled after a while and Shizuo laughed.
"Not in this life."
Some women, not too far, heard and saw the king doing so and Izaya noticed their charmed gazes. They seemed only half as opposed to the king than the rest of the audience and Izaya realized that to them Shizuo's appearance far outweighed what they had heard from their servants and parents.
Because right now Shizuo was presenting a more than decent man, both in the way he acted as well as his stunning appearance. They only saw him as a man loving his wife- an act that was perfect for capturing the ladies' hearts.
"Greetings, my king, my queen," one of them circled over all too soon and Izaya quickly recognized her as lord Karch's wife due to the emblem resting on her shoulder.
A crow sitting on a branch. Lord Karch had held a similar symbol on the front of his belt.
"I thank you for your invitation and for hosting this banquet in my father's name," Izaya quickly bowed to the lady of the household as it was expected of him. After all, despite rising in status by becoming the queen, Kururi used to be a simple duke's daughter and this woman was much wiser when it came to experience and age.
It was common courtesy to pay some respect to her, as it was for her to deny it on the spot.
"No, no, it was only natural to do so after our closest allies celebrated your new bond," she quickly spoke and lowered her own head in a polite greeting.
Two women, half her age, were joining her hesitantly from the side. The same emblem as hers was resting on their clothes revealing them quickly to be the daughters of this household.
"If I may introduce you, these are my daughters, Narcissa and Violet," Lady Karch introduced the two and they showed the same kind of respect as they quickly bowed.
Izaya wasn't sure whether their mother had purposely named them like flowers and dressed them in similar colors, but for tonight they certainly served their names.
A purple dress of finest silk was covering Violet's body along with some amethysts that accentuated her smooth skin in a pretty necklace. Her long black hair resembled that of her mother and served an alluring sight overall.
Narcissa had opted for a bright color of gold matching that of her blond locks and Izaya noted with a hidden smile that it was the color Lord's Karch's gray hair had held a few years earlier.
Amber decorated her ears with warm colors of brown and orange and a bright smile sat on her lips as she looked at the king.
"Apologies, my king, I know you were expecting to see the duke today. I hope our presence will make up for that mishap," she chirped with the sweetest voice and Shizuo smiled.
"You don't have to worry."
Gallant, respectful and courteous. With a pleased smile Izaya followed the interaction and the resulting mood.
"Can I fetch you a glass of wine perhaps?" Violet suggested next, but Shizuo was quick to take that duty off her. "I will fetch one for us if I may." And the way she blushed at Shizuo's gentle offer showed what Izaya saw the whole time.
His kindness.
His selfless care for others.
That was the kind of king he had wanted to present to everyone. A single glance was cast towards Izaya as Shizuo nodded towards the tables. "Would you care for one as well?"
Snorting internally, Izaya quickly tried to suppress his amusement over Shizuo's perfect act. "If you were so kind."
And with that he walked off and Izaya was left to look at the family hosting the banquet. They were surprised. In a positive way. He could tell.
"He is such a fine man, completely different from the rumors I heard," the mother suddenly said, speaking what Izaya wouldn't have thought she dared to say and so he smiled with a soft chuckle. "He truly is," Izaya whispered, and he really felt every syllable spoken.
Be it as a king, or as a man, Shizuo was just Shizuo. Perfect the way he was. No matter what happened, no matter the rumors or any obstacles in their way. He was always there, always caring.
Much more than he should.
And suddenly the mother smiled, "I hope you will be blessed with many sons and daughters."
And Izaya froze.
Warmth and soothing as the whole evening had been so far he had relished in Shizuo's presence. In his words. In his glances.
In the way he talked, the way he moved the way he pulled him close-
It was silly, it was stupid for various reasons, but it was intoxicating.
Spiraled Izaya into the belief that he truly was what he was pretending to be.
Only for that fake facade to come crashing down with a few simple words.
Cold of an icy kind, harsher than his father's cane dealt a blow to Izaya's guts as his heart sank.
"Well then, if you would excuse me," lady Karch suddenly announced, unaware of what she had just caused as she headed over to a fresh set of guests arriving at the entrance.
She was gone.
Just as the joy that Izaya had felt and he swallowed hard.
... children, huh?
And it felt as though someone had opened the window of a cellar leading to a nest of gruesome spiders now slowly seeping into the basement.
He was pretending to be Shizuo's wife.
And as long as he was- Shizuo wouldn't be able to find a real wife.
A woman. One he loved and shared a bed with.
They were both men.
Men with urges.
... and somehow that fact left a bad aftertaste.
Izaya wasn't his wife.
He wasn't.
And would never be.
to be continued~
Aye I noticed I mixed up the chapter titles last time xDDDD "children" is meant for this one- for obvious reasons hahaha I forgot what I had in mind for the last one, but I will fix that one in a sec xDDD
Anyway~ This banquett is full of missunderstandings hahaha C: But no worries, soon- .. sooon- C: C: C: Things will take an interesting turn xD