Summoning Our Country - NHS Kai

Chapter 27.5: Internal Dynamics

The sound of a fork landing hard against the plate echoed like a bell being rung across the room. The king froze just as he was about to put a cut piece of lamb into his mouth, his eyebrows twitching every now and then. Semira, fearing this, gently put her utensils down as she prepared to try and shut down the conversation as Alila, unfazed by Lumies's escalation, continued to munch apathetically on her food. Before the silence could set in, Taara ceded his manners, wiping the sauce that had splattered onto his beard from his fork falling onto the plate before proceeding to lean towards Lumies's direction, his index finger extended towards her like the barrel of a gun. His tone, however, remained composed as it was.

"I..."

He paused to swallow, but in reality, he's run out of ideas. His daughter had a point, but there was no way he was going to concede on the Barezan incident–no, he doesn't even regret it, no way...

"Your mother would not like the tone with which you're speaking against your father, young woman."

Semira and Lumies sighed; whereas the eldest held a peeve to their father bringing up the memory of their dead mother in an argument, the youngest, having no memories of their mother, fond or not, lamented the pitiful state their father is in.

"Mother isn't here now, Father. Don't bring her up."

Lumies's eyes widened as she failed to stop her mouth from running its course. She's said too much. For the first time in this discussion, she turned her gaze to meet her father's, but what she saw was nothing like her dear father; eyes wide open and irises agape, his breathing has become uneven and the veins on his hands almost at the point of bursting. At this point, he's even discarded his composed tone–perhaps his self-control with it too. He lashed out like an angered lion.

"You dare set aside your mother, child?! What have I done to incur such disrespect from you?!"

Taara was now standing up, appearing like a rabid predator ready to pounce. Semira, seeing this, put her hands on the table, itching to stand up to try and get between her angered father and her sister. On the other side, Lumies, recalling the disregard with which her father has always treated their opinions, also had enough. Standing up to face her father, she pinched herself so as to try to remain reasonable, even as she was about to blow her own fuse.

"I've done nothing of the sort, Father! Don't insinuate something so egregious based on anything but fallacies! If anything, you are the one tainting mother's memory! Alienating our allies due to some nonsensical decision to coerce the Siosans in a useless bid to try to 'get back' at the Parpaldians?! How could you do this to Altaras?! To us, Father?!"

"That's enough, Lumies!"

Semira, too, had had enough of it, raising her own voice against her own sister to stop the discussion in its tracks. She had a point, but she was the one escalating the mood after all. In response, Lumies shut her mouth, acutely self-aware that she herself had said too much; Taara, however, didn't heed Semira's attempt to stop the discussion.

Pushing aside his chair, he walked directly towards Lumies.

How dare his daughter, of his own blood, speak against him? In spite of everything–the gifts, the overseas trips to the Holy Mirishial Empire, the education he's given her, and the values and discipline he's instilled into her–why is she like this?! She could never hope to understand his goals–none of them do! It was the Parpaldians' fault for destroying any hope of diplomatic amnesty between their two nations! It was the Parpaldians' fault for undermining Altaran sovereignty and right to economic glory! It was their fault for Barezan; for the countless lives being gutted by lynch mobs in their streets and Esthirant's; for the innocent lives incarcerated or sent to the gallows due to their spies being everywhere. For why she doesn't have a mother to call on; for why she has to be taught a lesson this instant! How could she not see this?!