"Advisor! I demand that you advise me: With my royal reign and divine decree, what could possibly go awry? For I, the kindest and fairest of them all, am in complete control of the kingdom's legislation - and I am infallible!" she declares with a grandiose air.
I sighed deeply, looking at the girl I had been forced into serving for years now. She was such an arrogant brat. Her father had died when she was young, leaving her as the head of his empire. And although I'd done my best to teach her manners, here we were now, where she had foolishly tried to take over everything herself. It would have been so much easier if she just left the kingdom's best to run things while she spent her day eating cake or shopping in the city. But no, apparently being "queen" instead of "princess" meant that she needed to be involved in every detail.
Sitting at a desk filled with papers she didn't care to read, she kicked her feet up on the table, her silk dress rustling loudly in the quiet room. "So! What 'issues' does our beloved nation face right now?" she asked, tapping her foot on the desk impatiently.
I looked down at the stack of paper before me, trying not to look too annoyed by her attitude. "Well..." I began slowly, hoping this wouldn't make her angry again. "The economy seems to be doing well enough... but there are still some issues with the outer provinces."
Her nose scrunched up slightly. "The peasants?! Ugh, why do I even have to bother with the peasants? I mean, this kingdom is already perfect, so what more do they want? Honestly, I don't understand why I have to listen to their problems when I already know everything is great. It's like they just want to complain about stuff that doesn't even matter."
My eyes narrowed at those words. "But your subjects depend on you to fix their issues," I pointed out quietly. "They deserve better than dismissal."
She huffed dramatically. "Why should I have to grant these peasants their wishes? Don't they understand they are beneath me? What could they possibly want that is worthy of my time and attention?"
"Well," I began, grabbing some letters and making my way back to my desk. "Seems you have two options that would satisfy both parties."
"What are they?!" she demanded, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"One option is to send more troops to help those poor people that need it."
She frowned. "Are you suggesting that I spend money on something other than myself?! That's completely ridiculous!"
I rolled my eyes, knowing full well how ungrateful she really was. Did anyone ever remember that she was only royalty because she was born to it?
"...The other option is to visit them, which would boost morale and show them that you actually care. You know, visiting your subjects is a cheap and easy way to improve relations between yourself and the citizens. If anything, it shows that you're willing to put your own needs aside for theirs-and isn't that exactly what they've been asking for all along?"
She scoffed. "You think I'm going to waste my precious time traveling around the country to meet with stupid peasants?"
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, aren't you supposed to represent the people?"
"Yes, but..." she paused, bringing her soft fingers up to her lips as she thought about the issue. "Fine! Honestly, I don't know why I have to go to this stupid peasant village. It's so beneath me and I'm sure it'll be so boring. But if it will make them happy, then I suppose I'll go. Ugh. Whatever."
She stood from her chair quickly, causing the desk to shake as she grumbled and stomped off toward the door. I sighed silently, shaking my head at yet another temper tantrum. At the very least, she had agreed to visit. Now I would have to make sure she didn't screw it up. After all, she was frail, careless, and most of all, seemed to piss everyone off.
***
It took us three days to travel to the small town near the border of the kingdom. We arrived late one night after a long day of traveling. The palace had sent plenty of servants ahead to prepare the rooms for us in the village's inn. Though they had decorated and cleaned her room meticulously, downstairs the inn was filled with rowdy travelers. Many of them were drunk and loud, and as soon as Isabelle entered the place, for the first time in ages she felt uncomfortable and out of place. Despite the vitriol she regularly threw at me, she stayed close behind me like I was her shield, even grabbing onto my arm as we walked through the crowded bar. She paid little mind to the men leering at her or the women whispering to each other. Instead, she focused solely on keeping an eye on me.
We made our way upstairs to our rooms, where the sounds of rabble and drunkenness were at least muffled by the thick walls. Once inside, however, Isabelle immediately turned to me. "This is horrible," she groaned, pointing her finger angrily into my chest. "Who decided that such terrible conditions were acceptable for royal guests? This is outrageous!"
"Your Majesty, this village is... a village, so of course it won't be as luxurious as the capital city," I tried calmly explaining. "Besides, this might be a good opportunity to go down there and see firsthand what kind of situation these people are living in."
She shook her head, sighing heavily before pulling a chair over next to mine. "And here I thought I'd finally get to relax after weeks of being cooped up in this damn castle. Well, maybe I shouldn't have expected too much from a bunch of peasants, huh?"
I had to talk a little past her incessant complaining. "Are you going to go down tonight, or go out into the village tomorrow?" I simply asked.
Her shoulders slumped slightly and she thought hard for a moment, while she stared at the floor. Finally, she looked up.