Dominic used the food as an excuse to give himself a moment to think.
"So, what you’re saying is that it would be best if a marriage alliance united myself and the Ninth Princess, but you would most desperately like to tear my arms from their sockets for harbouring such thoughts about your little sister?" He asked.
The Crown Prince chuckled softly. "I like it when a man understands the position that he is in. You know, most of the lesser Nobles would have immediately agreed and suggested the marriage themselves, then taken their well-earned beating as the price of victory.
However, I am disinclined to dismember you for all those nights spent alone in the Strategy Room, so long as there is no child involved."
So, he still didn’t believe that Dominic was telling the truth about their relationship.
But no beating sounded like a good start.
After all, the Crown Prince might not be as powerful as the second Prince when it came to magic, but he was an accomplished General, and well known for both his physical strength and his magical acumen.
A Palace Maid placed tea in front of Dominic, who politely took a sip, and then paused as he tasted Dragonberries.
"Oh, that brings me back. Now, is that tea just for me, or are things going to get interesting here as well?" Dominic demanded, flaring with magical power as he prepared to keep the maid from fleeing.
It is simply a test prepared for you, to ensure that the rumours of your Royal Lineage were fact and not carefully crafted fiction." Claudius demanded before Dominic could do anything to harm his staff.
Dominic sighed and took another sip of the tea.
"I do love the taste of Dragonberries. Yes, I have enough Wavemates Dragonkin lineage that the berries won’t harm me, even if I eat them as a side dish. But I suppose that you knew that already.
Claudius gave him a smile that promised great pain.
"Now, my father has insisted that you will be part of the marriage alliance search for my dear sister Alexis. The trials will be announced tonight and begin either tomorrow or the day after, depending on how violently the Princess reacts."
"Who are the other candidates? If you can tell me, that is."
"So far as I know, the options are the third son of Duke North of West Keria, Marquis Bridgegover of Midfield, the younger sons of six Cygnia Nobles, and yourself. There were three Dagos Nobles who had written formal petitions for an alliance, but they all perished in the war." The Crown Prince explained.
Dominic nodded. "Does a Marriage Alliance between Dagos and Cygnia currently exist?"
The Crown Prince laughed. "Oh, indeed there is one, though it may be some time before my naughty wife is suitably contrite for her role in withholding information about her father’s plans from me."
He sounded like he was not nearly as upset about his wife’s duplicity as Dominic expected. But by land area, Dagos was their largest neighbour, so it wasn’t shocking that the First Prince was married to a Dagos Princess.
Dominic was about to speak when the door to the garden slammed open and Princess Alexis stormed into the room.
"Claudius, did you know? Our Father intends to force me to marry!
Plus, look at the list. Marquis Bridgegover is nearly fifty, the third son of Duke North has already had two wives disappear under mysterious circumstances, and the Earl of Lytesin is an asshole."
She flopped down on the sofa beside Dominic, and instinctively opened her mouth to be fed when Dominic picked up a small tart.
The Crown Prince’s expression told Dominic that he didn’t believe a single wholesome moment between the two had ever occurred.
But the pastry did silence the Princess long enough for her brother to speak.
"Earl Lytesin is dead. Unless they’re going to replace his proposal with his heir, who is currently twelve, I believe that you’re safe on that front. Also, there is a new Marquis Bridgegover. Son of the man you are thinking of."
Princess Alexis got back to her feet and paced around the room, grumbling about marriage alliances, while the Crown Prince’s annoyance with Dominic slowly morphed to amusement.
"You do know why those particular names were chosen, do you not?" Claudius asked.
"Of course, I do. They all have connections to Nobles from Wavemates. Cygnia will be demanding half of the territory as reparations, and we need a bloodline connection for the locals to recognize our claim as legitimate."
"And where else might we find a qualified former Wavemates Noble that would give the Crown a proper claim to the territory?" The Crown Prince replied.
Dominic was being railroaded, he realized.
Not that he had any objections to the Princess, quite the opposite, actually. But she had proven to be an excellent friend, and this could make things incredibly awkward.
Princess Alexis turned and pointed at Dominic.
"If that’s the case, we’ve got another option, don’t we? I mean, uh. You know what, let’s talk about this later."
Then she turned and walked back out of the room, while Crown Prince Claudius tried not to laugh.
"And still, you deny that anything happened?" He asked Dominic once Alexis was out of sight.
Dominic sighed. "I said nothing that could lead to pregnancy. Don’t underestimate the strong bonds that two admirers of fictional literature left unattended can form."
The Crown Prince recoiled in mock horror. "Oh, you’re one of them. No wonder my Second Brother spoke so highly of you. But it might be for the best. Consider it, and don’t rule anything out.
You are her advisor, after all. If you give the role of husband to another, you will have to deal with them for the next half a century or longer."
Crown Prince Claudius looked like he was done with the topic, so Dominic finished the Dragonberry tea and then wiped the cup out with a napkin so that nobody got accidentally poisoned.
He got to his feet. "Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness. I will come to a decision by morning."
The Crown Prince nodded, then motioned for one of his assistants to come forward with a message, clearly dismissing Dominic.
Now, all he had to do was wrap his head around the idea that he really might be about to get himself completely embroiled in Royal Politics in the most irrevocable way.