The Duty of a Secret Regent

Chapter 9

Five years have gone by, as I continue masquerading as King Miron. Queen Petra still continues being my greatest support in this kingdom, as she faithfully rules the land beside me, blissfully unaware of my identity even now. Prokhor and Anoushka, I never understood how, slowly gained access in my heart, possibly due to Petra's backhanded efforts.

I was listening the annual harvest report from Konsta, who was sitting across me on the oval table, when I heard a nearly imperceptible knock on the door of my office. 

"May I come in?" A childish little voice rang out like the sweet melody of a harp subsequently. Even though I knew who it was, by the nature of the knock, I looked up towards the small figure who darted inside and smiled and her. 

"Of course my dear." Konsta replied in my stead, standing up from his seat, bowing at the princess. 

"Back so soon?" I asked with mild surprise. 

"Yes papa!" Anoushka gave a toothy grin, a few of her teeth missing because of the growth phase. 

 "Miss Miriam finished my music lessons early! You know, she appreciated me for learning the new song!" She squealed happily, and without anymore ado, scrambling on top of me with the dexterity of a squirrel had soon snuggled in my lap completely, into a fluffy ball of golden hair and warm woolen clothes smelling of fruity shampoo and the singular childish scent. 

Anoushka, the quieter of the two always made a place in the hearts of all wherever she went, because of her elegance and nobility she held herself with. The only exceptions to this rule were Petra, me and Konsta, to whom she was just a mischievous squirrel pulling tricks all the time. She had grown quite a bit in the last five years, but neither her nor her family members ever thought she had grown as we continued adoring her the same way as we did before. Recently she had been very upset due to her milk teeth falling off, wailing she would become ugly, so every time a tooth fell off, I had secretly made sure she received a bowl of her favorite pineapple custard along with some gorgeous bows, so now she seemed quite delighted whenever she lost one. 

She was swaying gently on my lap, still completely snuggled in there, enjoying my embrace when she asked again, "Papa can we go to a picnic soon?"   

"A picnic?" I asked, making a quick eye-contact with my chief adviser, seated across me. 

"Just mum, you, I and Prokhy!" She made her demand in a determined pose now, which almost made me giggle at. 

"Hmm...Seems good enough. I don't see why not." Konstantin instantly barged in, disregarding my warning glare at him.  

"Erm... the thing is, my dear, I'm far too busy for such outings, how about you go without me? I really am drowning in work right now." I had to be heartless about my decision. I was determined not to associate myself with them to have a deep impression in their lives. I had decided to rule as a secret regent and then leave altogether, I could not afford to keep such deep intimacy with the children beyond parenting and raising them for the basic parts. 

"You never listen to us! Never go out with us! Never!" The child shrieked in her high pitched voice, hurt and angry. But I knew I had to stand my ground. 

"A king does not have time for such foolishness, Anoushka. I'm the guardian of the country, not some free peasant in one of the remote lands. I cannot afford such things, ever. You must understand this, as a princess." I answered sternly. 

I was completely unwilling to take up teaching them too, fearing that would deepen our bond of familiarity, but the way Petra had looked at me, that frail-looking woman who used to be completely hopeless and lifeless when I met her, who had turned to a ferocious lioness over the years ruling as a valiant queen, I could not help but fear for my life and dignity, so I had to nod in assent. 

There was a prevalent rumor in the lands, that the king had miraculously metamorphosed from a tyrannical ruler to a strict but generous one over the years, and strangely enough he had become a complete rag-doll in the hands of the queen, the mother of the nation, which I found quite unfortunate nevertheless an accurate description of me. 

Anoushka, deeply hurt, looked at me for the last time, with tearful eyes; possibly trying to ensure if she had any chances to win me over. But I was a woman and a woman is rarely ever won over by another because of our superior knowledge in female psychology, so I wasn't affected one bit by it.

"If you have finished with your work, please go and play with your brother or meet your mother. As you can see, I am in the middle of an important report right now. As for the picnic, feel free to go in one, just take sufficient guards  and exclude me from the company of you three." I made myself lucid about the issue and gently placed her on the ground from my lap. 

"I hate you, papa, I hate you forever!" The little child shrieked again, slapped my arms away from her form and sprinted away. But right at that moment, while running off before I could scarcely even open my mouth, she knocked herself unceremoniously on the edge of my work table and rolled over on the ground, knocking herself on the adjacent side table, which toppled over further and the whole glass structure shattered with a loud crash.

It did not completely hit her as I had in the last moment, realized the impending disaster, leaped upon her and covered her with practiced ease, drawing her into my tight embrace so the crashing heavy glass top instead landed and crushed on me with a sharp hit on the back of my head as a fire set alight in my entire backbone, followed by a million needles of excruciating pain lodged upon me and I felt my senses freeze by that impact.

At the very last moment of my consciousness, the only thought in my mind was protecting the child, so I just held onto her in my iron-grip against my chest and closed my eyes. The last things I thought I heard were a brief scream of a man's voice and a child's pitiful wail before pitch darkness descended upon me as I felt myself drown in a sea of blissful silence.