393 A Marriage Talk
The news of Prince Theron waking up reached the King’s and the Queen’s ears first thing in the morning. They could not wait to see their son, and after having their meal together, they shared a carriage to head straight towards the Crown Prince’s residence.
When they arrived, King Esteban and Queen Theodora were led towards the drawing-room instead of the prince’s bedchamber, much to their surprise. The aide informed them that the Crown Prince was strong enough to move around, and was just about to finish his morning meal. It did not even take five minutes before Prince Theron appeared in front of his parents, looking as strong and healthy as ever, as if he never suffered an injury in the first place.
He bowed before them. “Good morning, Father. Good morning, Mother. I apologize that I have once again worried and troubled you both. You should have let this unfilial son visit you instead of you coming here.”
“Nonsense. It is normal for parents to visit when their son is ill.” Queen Theodora stood up from her chair, eyeing him from head to toe. She could not wait to check on her son to see if he was really fine. After wrapping her arms around him, she then held his hand and squeezed it. His grasp was firmer than hers.
“I am glad to see you fine, Theron. But have you truly recovered? Are you no longer hurting? Is it already fine that you are walking around like this?”
“Yes, nothing is wrong with my body. The physicians repeatedly checked. Apologies for worrying you, Mother,” he replied.
King Esteban stood up from his chair as well. He gave a proud father’s hug to his son. “You never fail to make me feel proud, my son. In your first military campaign, you have brought glory to the family and the kingdom.”
Even though the King was masking his true intentions by mentioning the war, the young prince perfectly understood the relief and warmth hidden in those words.
“Thank you, Father.”
They all went to sit down, with Prince Theron facing his parents. The Crown Prince beckoned for the servants to leave the drawing-room. As soon as the three Ivanovs were left by themselves, he heard his father start, “I remember you asking me for something if you return with victory. Tell me what you want and I promise you I will fulfil your wish.”
Prince Theron was glad that his father broached the subject on his own. “Father, I know mother and you are thinking about my marriage and already have candidates in mind to fill the crown princess position of our kingdom.”
The King and Queen glanced at each other with delight in their eyes.
‘Our son has matured!’ they both thought.
It was normal for the royal family to designate the future partner of its heirs during childhood, as this was often a result of a political move to either strengthen the unity of the families serving the royal faction, to put a tight leash on the opposing aristocratic faction or to expand the current influence of the kingdom. For the Kingdom of Megaris, a kingdom that put heavy emphasis on warfare and military might, it was even more necessary for the royal family to have enough power to control the nobles and the newly conquered lands.
When Prince Theron was born, marriage proposals came along with the celebration of his birth. King Esteban and Queen Theodora broke tradition when they announced they would let the first son of the King, the heir apparent of Megaris, choose his own consort in the future. This caused many of the noble households to become hopeful, as there would be many chances for them to impress the prince before he comes of age.
There was a famous saying in Megaris that no matter how good a king was, he could not lead the kingdom to prosperity without an equally good queen.
King Esteban’s father, and even his grandfather, had ruled Megaris this way—they would choose the most outstanding young woman of the same generation within the kingdom to become the Queen, while the other noble ladies who were found to be with outstanding talents or great backgrounds were also accepted into the royal harem of the king.
However, Prince Theron was not one who liked socialization, and from young, he strictly followed his daily routine, rarely interacting with people outside of the royal palace. As the only son of the King and Queen, he focused on his studies and sword training, aiming to become a ruler greater than his father.
Of course, this dedication delighted his parents; however, this also meant that he had refrained from experiencing a normal childhood. As he grew older, he could be seen as a generally charismatic young man, but although he was polite to everyone whenever he attended official events and royal balls, he was close to no one.
When Prince Theron reached adulthood and had his coming-of-age ceremony, he only danced with the young ladies in attendance because they were daughters or relatives of the palace officials and the high-ranking nobles. He would always excuse himself and leave the events early, not giving the ladies a chance to get close to him.
This behaviour from their son caused not only his parents to worry. This also caused the palace officials to beg the King to decide on a partner on behalf of the disinterested Crown Prince. When his parents tried to raise the issue of marriage to him, he would always find a way to evade it and redirect the conversation to work matters. As good parents to their son, they could not force him and had to delay all the marriage proposals that came for him. It had been a few years since then.
“Indeed, we have made an updated list of all the eligible young ladies in the kingdom. Have you decided to talk to us about your marriage, my son?” Queen Theodora said with great joy.