The Chosen Ten

The morning felt blurry as the sun crept through the curtains blinding Cassian's vision. Cassian did his best not to show signs of his still drunken state. Normally he is able to handle a large consumption of alcohol, but he was not used to such strong alcohol. Maybe what he was used to drinking was sparkling water compared to the villagers' rums.

Thankfully, Rupert brought him some herbal tea that tasted revolting but helped soothe his pounding headache. He took small sips of the nasty tea as he sat in the king's study, looking over finances and proposals from members of the ton. Cassian did not understand what he was looking at.

"This is pure garbage," Cassian criticized while taking another sip of his tea while trying to make sense of what was in front of him.

"Oh is that so?" a voice questioned.

Cassian has had his head deep in the documents that he did not hear his great grandfather; the first king Landon Constantin entered the study.

"I'm sorry that I did not hear you enter great grandfather. My head is all over the place especially with these proposals from the ton and other neighboring lands," Cassian apologized, taking a final sip of his tea.

"You need not apologize for simply doing your job, but you do realize that you do not have to sit here struggling trying to figure out these finances. We have people who help us with such," his great-grandfather stated.

"Yes, I know, but I would still like to understand what is happening. It is quite embarrassing for the new king not to understand something as simple as finances or whatever is being said in these proposals," Cassian uttered.

"You are being too hard on yourself, son. It is only your first week," Landon stated as he looked at the papers Cassian had been staring at.

It was true that it was only his first week, but Cassian felt the need to prove that he was a worthy king. He thought he could feel more like a king by making important decisions by dealing with such things as the different accounts and proposal dealings. It was not working well as he had initially hoped.

"These proposals truly are garbage, but that doesn't mean you aren't able to solve it," Landon encouraged Cassian, handing him back the papers.

"Are you sure?" Cassian asked, staring down at the papers.

It took him a few moments as he still felt a little dazed, but he eventually figured it out.

"This proposal is worse than I thought. The Finsters are claiming the mines no longer have anything of value even though we recently pulled out some precious stones a few months back. They are trying to get us to invest in an obvious fraudulent minefield which will only benefit them," Cassian examined as his great-grandfather gave him a proud smile.

Cassian's great-grandfather always did the job that his father failed to do. Landon seemed to be more present in Cassian's upbringing than king Richard. Besides his mother, his great-grandfather was always there to encourage and tell him that he was proud of him.

"I am proud of you Cassian," Landon applauded him.

Those were the words his own father refused to tell him. For he always seemed to find fault in Cassian's accomplishments.

"Nirvana is lucky to have a king like you," Landon remarked, patting his great-grandson on his back.

Casiian didn't realize how much he needed to hear such a thing, for he had doubted if he would make a good king. Knowing someone believes in him allowed him to believe in himself.

"Now come with me for a walk around the garden, for it's better than sitting in such a dark and depressing room all day," Landon insisted.

Cassian knew better than to say no to his great-grandfather, plus he could use a change of scenery.

The two men now walked through the gardens as Cassian struggled to keep up with his great-grandfather. For a very old man, Landon was very active and energetic, for he usually made several rounds around the gardens. It was a vast garden.

"So tell me, how was your visit to the villages? Your father has spoken about it, but I want to hear your version," Landon asked.

"Well, if my father has already spoken about it, you must've heard of how disgraceful I was for spending so much time with the villagers," Cassian stated. "I had a pleasant time with the villagers; most were very welcoming."

"Most?" Landon asked.

"Well, not everyone is fond of the royal family," Cassian replied as one villager came to mind.

The men continued through the gardens when they came across members of the staff outside arranging tables, chairs, and flowers. As the two men walked closer to the commotion, Cassian saw his mother, Anastasia, in the middle of it all, giving instructions to the staff.

"Ah there you are!" Anastasia exclaimed, signaling for them to join her.

"Mother, what is going on here?" Cassian asked, confused.

"Thank you Landon for fetching Cassian for me," Anastasia said.

"So this was all a setup to get me here," Cassian said as his mother and great-grandfather shared a laugh.

"I had no over choice, this is the only way to get you here willingly," she stated.

"Now, if you excuse me, I am going to continue my rounds now that I don't have somebody holding me back," Landon jokes, returning to his walk.

"Mother, what is going on here?" Cassian asked once more.

"Today, we shall be hosting the royal garden party," Anastasia hesitated, "which will commence the courting season."

Cassian's eyes widened at his mother's words.

The courting season is when the members of elite society try to find a suitor to marry by the end of the season. Cassian dreaded the social season, for he was always bombarded with mothers throwing their daughters at him. After all, what these mothers and daughters craved was getting bragging rights that the crowned prince, now king, had chosen them. Though Cassian enjoyed the attention he received from the ladies fawning over him, he grew tired of the festivities that came with it, where he was forced to mingle with everyone. Sometimes the only upside to it all was having ladies doing whatever he asked of them.

However, this time around, he knew it would be more crucial, for he was now a king. Since he was without a wife, he would be under immense pressure from society to marry quickly so that he could provide an heir. But he did not believe he was ready to marry so soon.

"I wish not to participate in this year's courtship," Cassian stated. "I think I should take this year to really focus on being a king without any distractions, that is."

"Your father would not allow such a thing," Anastasia claimed. "Plus, your father and I have already chosen the ten," she uttered.

"The ten?" Cassian asked, jaw clenched.

"The ten ladies of course," she replied.

The ten ladies were those chosen by the king's parents who they deemed compatible with the son and fit for a queen. The chosen ten are not the only ladies he can choose from, but the ten get more personal time with the king, which the others do not. Luckily he does not have to select a wife from the ten ladies.

"I do not know how I feel about father picking a lady he thinks is right for me," Cassian expressed.

"What about me?" Anastasia asked.

"I have more faith in you, for I know you will try your best to pick somebody I might actually take an interest in. you will fail without a donut, but you will try your best," Cassian expressed, giving his mother a devilish smile.

"I don't know if i should take offense to that," she stated.

"Can I take my leave now? I have important work to attend to," Cassian asked, not wanting to discuss the courting season further.

"Just ensure that you attend the garden party so you can be introduced to the ten," Anastasia replied.

Cassian walked back inside the castle without uttering a word.

The castle's library was filled with books that detailed everything one needed to know about the history of Nirvana, its enemies, and the kingdom's most significant accomplishments. Cassian and Rupert scanned through the various books hoping to find something to help them understand the responsibilities of a king.

"I am starting to believe that this was a rather stupid suggestion," Rupert sighed as he closed yet another book. "The royal library is far too big; we shall be here for days if we are to search every book and paper."

Cassian did not respond. Instead, he stared blankly at the books in front of him.

"Cassian!" Rupert shouted, snapping Cassian back to reality.

"This is a library; you are not to shout," Cassian whispered.

"There is nobody in the library except us, I am not disturbing anyone," Rupert said.

"I am somebody, and you are disturbing me," Cassian hissed.

"What made you so upset this morning? Rupert asked.

Cassian ignored Rupert's question and focused on the several books in front of him. They all talked about the different kings and what they have done for Nirvana so far. The one on his father made him sound like a gift to the people of Nirvana who made their lives better just by existing.

"King Richard loved the village people as they held a special place in his heart. Haha, well, that's some bull if I ever saw one," Rupert chuckled as he read the books Cassian was glaring at.

"That's enough nonsense for today," Rupert stated, slamming close the books in front of Cassian.

"Why would you do that?" Cassian growled.

"Because you clearly are upset and these books are not helping with anything. So I shall ask again what is wrong my dear friend Cassian" Rupert responded.

"Today marks the start of the courting season," Cassian sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "And I'm trying my best not to think about the thought of mingling with several women for hours upon end."

"Since when are you not thrilled about having women throw themselves at you and do whatever you tell them to?" Rupert questioned.

"Since I am to marry one of them by the end of the season," Cassian uttered, slumping in his chair.

"So what are you going to do?" Rupert asked.

"I do not know, but I must find a way to escape this," Cassian replied.

"Will you ever marry?" Rupert asked.

Cassian tends not to think about marriage much, but eventually, he would have to marry not because he wants to but because he would have to as a king. Most of his life he spent being in lust with many women. He never saw himself spending the rest of his life with any of these women. But yet he didn't know what kind of woman he could see himself with.

"I would like to marry one day, but to someone that I choose," Cassian uttered.

"Well who's to say you won't find your person in the sea of ladies trying to get your attention? "Rupert jokes, making Cassian laugh.

"You do realize that there is also a ball later this week where you are to dance and interact with all the ladies for the entire night," Rupert said.

Cassian banged his head on the table while Rupert laughed at him.

"Rupert, you're familiar with the villages right?" Cassian asked, rubbing his sore forehead.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Rupert asked.

"Do you know of a lady who goes by the name of Nya in Edinburgh?" Cassian inquired.

Rupert took a moment to think as he seemed to be going over all the people he knew in the village.

"Do you mean Nya Deglassie?" Rupert asked.

"I think so, yes," Cassian responded. "What can you tell me about her?"

"Well i haven't interacted with her many times but she is a great person. Stay away from her." Rupert stated.

"Why? Is she dangerous?" Cassian asked.

"No, she just seems to have a very deep-rooted hatred for the royal family that no one seems to understand," Rupert remarked.

Cassian could have figured that out from their few interactions. For some reason, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He thought maybe it had something to do with her being part of the reason for his hangover as she and other villagers challenged him to a drinking competition, which he lost.

"Rupert, get me a pen," Cassian instructed. "And some paper as well."

The newly trimmed flower hedges seemed to have more life than this entire garden party. At least, that was how Cassian felt. There was nothing special about this event as it looked like all the others. The only real difference was that they were outside.

Cassian's parents introduced him to their chosen ten ladies, where Richard selected his favorite five and Anastasia chose her five. All the ladies came from well-established homes with dukes and lords as the head.

All of the ten were allowed some personal time with the king, where they would introduce themselves. In contrast, the other ladies were not allowed any time with the king today. They were expected to watch the other ladies in envy.

To Cassian, there wasn't much difference between the ten ladies as all of their introductions sounded similar to each other. Almost as if they had rehearsed it together.

A summary of their introductions would sound like this.

I am lady, whoever from the house of whatever. I am the daughter of either a lord or a duke. I am able to play the pianoforte quite well along with other instruments such as the harp, flute, cello, and triangle. I have a deep appreciation for the arts and literature. Reading is one of the many things I love doing in my spare time. I am fluent in many languages, such as French, Spanish, German, Latin, and Mandarin.

They spoke of other things, such as their desire to start a family and their willingness to support their husband. But by this time, Cassian has already lost interest in the ladies' rehearsed presentations. He now has become distracted by the other guests who were drinking more than they could handle. While the other ladies who didn't make it into the ten chatted among themselves, probably about how happy they were not to be having such a boring discussion.

It was now Cassian's time to ask the ladies questions about themselves.

The questions did not help differentiate the ten ladies as all their answers were very dull. Plain vanilla.

It seemed like the ladies had prepared their responses before Cassian could even ask them anything. Cassian wondered if they had practiced their responses beforehand. As the former king did give Cassian a list of questions to ask the ladies, it is safe to assume the ladies were given the same as well.

This entire event was getting more dreadful by the second. Cassian needed an escape. Unfortunately, Rupert always came to his rescue when he needed it, but Rupert was not in attendance at the garden party. Cassian had no other choice than to suffer in silence.

The sun slowly crept behind the horizon as the sky was now colored with orange and pink hues.

Nya finally arrived back at her family's home after a long day on the farm. Her four younger siblings and Eliana resided in the living room area, eating leftovers from yesterday's festival. Nya's stomach grumbles at the smell of food as she has not eaten since early morning.

"Nya, mama left some food for you in the kitchen," Arima said as she noticed her sister holding her aching stomach.

Nya rushed to the kitchen to grab her food, already munching on it, as she went back to join everyone in the living room, where they were deep in conversation.

"Yesterday was so much fun wasn't it" Amira exclaimed as everyone except Nya nodded in agreement.

"Also who knew that King Cassian would be ravishingly handsome" Eliana exclaimed while Nya rolled her eyes.

"I mean, I could've from all the stories we heard about the irresistible rake," Amira laughed as Eliana joined her.

"Oh please you two are acting like all the desperate maidens who had half their chest out hoping the king would even glance in their direction," Nya uttered, rolling her eyes once more.

"But Nya, not even you can deny the king's charming good looks," Amira stated.

"His looks mean nothing to me," Nya remarked.

"Well, clearly, he had you interested somehow yesterday," Eliana teased.

"And last night," Amira added.

"I do not understand how you've literally conversed with the king not once, but twice yet you refuse to speak about it. If it was any other maiden in the village, they would never stop talking about it," Amira stated.

"I simply have forgotten all about that interaction with that man," Nya uttered.

Many of the villagers have asked Nya about her conversation with the king. At the same time, some of the ladies gossiped about what the king could ever say to her. They convinced themselves that the king was repeatedly rejecting her to make themselves feel better.

Meanwhile, Nya was trying to convince herself that her conversation with the king was some sort of punishment.

"Luckily for us, we will never have any kind of interaction with the royal family again," Nya exclaimed with a smile while everyone stared back at her blankly.

Suddenly there is a knock at the front door. Everybody looked at each other confused, but no one moved to answer the door. Nya sighed deeply before heading towards the door while everyone turned their attention to the banging door.

Nya opened the door swiftly, revealing a face she was not too familiar with.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Nya asked.

"My name is Rupert, and I work for the royal family," he announced

"Ah yes, you're one of the king's royal guards," Nya recalled.

"Not exactly I am his personal butler," he corrected her.

"I was close enough."

"I am here on behalf of your majesty to deliver you this," Rupert stated, handing Nya a letter.

"What is it? Have I said something that offended the king so he is ordering to have me beheaded?" Nya jested as she accepted the letter from Rupert.

"No," Rupert replied.

"Is King Cassian the Great having me thrown out of his kingdom for he can't handle having people who dislike him in his kingdom" she sassed.

"Please just open the envelope my lady," Rupert insisted.

Nya broke the seal off the envelope, taking out the written note. Her siblings and Eliana slowly approached her to see what was written on the note. As Nya read the letter, her mouth was ajar as the note slipped out of her fingers and fell to the floor.

It was over. Everyone had finally gone back home, meaning Cassian could relax his cheekbones. Though he no longer had to talk to the ten, he knew it was only the beginning of a very long and dreadful social season.

As Cassian made his way back to the study, a guard approached him, envelope in hand.

"Your majesty… an envelope has come for you," the guard stated, handing Cassian the envelope.

"Who sent this?" Cassian questioned, inspecting the envelope.

"I do not know sir, we received it anonymously," the guard answered.

"Thank you, dismissed," Cassian said, allowing the guard to leave as he opened the letter.

We both know who is meant to sit on that throne next to you.

But do not worry, for I am coming to claim my crown.

See you soon, my love

I miss you.