Chapter Text
When everybody who worked in the palace was called into the main hall, they knew something horrible were to fall upon them.
“So? Which insolent wretch was it!?” The kings voice echoed through the halls as the doors opened. He dragged the queen behind him as weeps mixed with pointless pleas were heared. Once they reached where everybody could see them both, he practically threw her at the railings of the stairs going down at the hall. The queen yelped, barely supporting herself with said raillings.
“Go on? You seemed to have A LOT to say just now, so SPEAK!” The king said and pointed below at the crowd of all the workers of the palace. “Who was it that you would rather be with, huh? As a MARRIED woman, as THE QUEEN of the Milk Kingdom!?” He roared.
An audible gasp raised from the workers. The queen had been unfaithful?! And with one of the “humble” workers of the palace, the ones closest and most trusted by the royal family?
“Please! *hic* I have done wrong, I-I am at fault! *hic* Forgive me just this once, won’t you? Please!” The queen cried out to no preveil. The workers couldn’t even move from the sheer shock and the emotionless gaze of their king. “I-I’ll do better! I prom-“
“Shut up.” The king said, almost whispering. Somehow this whisper was a louder and clearer order than any order the workers had ever gotten. So loud that it left only the queens uncontrolable weeps. The king walked up to the queen.
“I didn’t ask you for apologies or excuses,..DID I?!” He grabbed her hair, pulling her up. The queen cried out in pain.
“Or are you THAT stupid to NOT grasp the situation you are in?” He depricated, a smile creeping up his face. “You ARE the queen so you MUST know right? Right?!” He mocked. “The punishment for adultery, that is?”
The workers flinched in place, holding their breaths. Everybody who worked for any royal knew, the price of adultery in the Milk Kingdom, inevitable execution for BOTH the said royal and their lover.
“NO!” The queen yelled, practically throwing herself on the king. Grabbing onto any part she could reach, hugging, begging.
“ENOUGH!” The king shouted, throwing the queen off him, dusting the filth off afterwards.
“Have you got NO shame? How DARE you embarrass me in front of all these people, let alone TOUCH me with the same hands you used to touch ANOTHER MAN!” He hissed, taking a deep breath and turning his attention to the crowd before the queen could utter another plea.
“How about you lot then?” He smiled. “Any of you MAN ENOUGH to admit to your own doings? Hmm? Hmmm??” He asked. “I PROMISE to reward you for your honesty~!”
“…”
“A death without torture! That sounds nice, no? I mean- COME ON! Dying a painless death with the LOVE of your life. Sounds like paradise to me~” Sung the king, dramatically fluttering his eyelashes.
Moments passed without a single sound made. No one dared to say anything, no one dared to move, not even the queen who was desperatly trying to calm her cries now. The king, eventually growning tired of it, dropped the tone of his voice low:
“Or…you could keep your word and…I’ll torture EVERYONE here ONE. BY. ONE. until I get the answer out? How about that? Is that more fitting for your tastes? Hm?” He smiled, looking down as all the workers’ expressions changed from mildly worried to utterly terrorfied.
A couple workers including the headbutler occasionally seemed to inhale as if to speak up, only to meet the kings gaze and having their not existent rebellion shut down.
The king on the other hand, just stood there, with his unwavering smile. A minute passed, and then a two, with still no exclaims made. But then, just when the king was about to announce his “unfortunate and saddening” decision, the hero of everyone there spoke:
“ ‘Tis was I, my king.” Said the blond jester with a very calm and sweet voice. He moved towards the center of the hall, meeting the kings gaze head on with a frown before dropping his head down, putting his hand on his heart and kneeling down, paying respects to his king.
The king flinched, looking taken aback for a moment with his smile gone, only for it to grow wider than before.
“It was YOU, you say?” The king could only say, before breaking down laughing. “Pfft- ha ha…hahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHA!” He cackled. Everyone except the jester trembled under the kings maniacal laugh. The jester on the other hand kept talking, standing his ground:
“But it was not a mutual agreement no...it was I who forced myself on the queen, my king.”
Finally being able to calm down, the king raised an eyebrow, wiping down a tear at the corner of his eye as the jester continued:
“Therefore, I ask…no…beg you my king. To punish me only, as the queen is innocent.” He asked, now bowing down to the ground.
The thing you see, was that literally EVERYBODY there knew, that the jester was lying. And not just because the jester was not the type to do something as such or that it was not even funny for someone to be able to reach the queens’ headquarters unnoticed. It was because most- if not all the workers knew instead, that the jester, Pure Vanilla, had a one-sided crush on the queen.
It was suprising still, that one would go such lengths for love. Ruining their own name as a well-loved jester just to save an unfaithfull of a queen.
“Is that so..?” The king turned to the queen. “Is that the truth, ...my…queen?” He smiled, patiently waiting for the queens answer.
The queen, in a panic as all the attention was suddenly on her, glanced back and forth at the crowd, Pure Vanilla, and her partner.
“Well?” asked the king putting even more stress on her.
.
.
.
“…es…”
“Hm? What was that, DEAR? You need to speak up more!”
“Yes! I-It was ALL his doing!” The queen hastily got up, throwing her arms once again around Shadow Milk’s neck, hugging him tightly, hiding her head away on his nape, trembling.
“You HAVE to believe me Shadow Milk! I didn’t want to do it.I DIDN’T WANT TO! I MEAN it! I had to because…because! H-he threathened me! H-He…he...” The queen “admitted” before the king “calmed” her:
“Shhhh…it’s okay. You don’t have to tell more.” he said softly, running his hand through her hair, later moving to stroking her back.
The queen magically stopped trembling, probably relieved that Shadow Milk had “bought” the excuse. She couldn’t see however, what everyone else there could see, but wouldn’t dare to point out. She couldn’t see the utterly deranged expression of the king, ironically filled both with amusement and disgust.
The king slowly moved away, his expression now turned into a “worried” one. He cubbed her cheeks and wiped away her tears. He then turned at the crowd with the queen now hiding behind him. The tension had gone down at least and the crowds shoulders too, were relaxed.
“Such an UNFORTUNATE accident.” He claimed, making a obviously-not-fake sad expression, griping his chest as if in pain. “Alas, SOMEBODY has to be punished. You get what I’m saying, right? Jester?” He asked, his voice “hurt”.
Pure Vanilla only then moved after so long. He got up and looked straight (haha “straight” lol) into the kings eyes.
“What may be my suitable punishment, my king?” He asked, accepting whatever was to come.
It couldn’t be said that he wasn’t scared, of course, but whetever it was torture or a public execution or any other thing, he had already made the choice to bare it. He loved the queen, afterall. Not only that, but the queens real lover, one of the gardeners, was a dear friend. They loved each other, and he had nothing else going on with his life, other that being a jester. So if it meant that they could keep living their lives happily together, he was glad to be sacrificing his own.
“First let’s clearify your sins, shall we?” Shadow Milk started, now back a little to his usual “joyous” self. He cleared his throat. “You, Pure Vanilla, an imperial jester. You BETRAYED the royal family by doing an uspeakable act towards the queen, and by implications, the king too. Not only that but you THREATHENED the queen AND snuck into her quarters . Is this right?” He asked
“Yes, my king. They are all right.” Pure Vanilla answered. To which Shadow Milk frowned:
“Moreover, with this commotion, you have caused us to make complete fools of ourselves in front of everyone in the palace!” He spat. Pure Vanilla could only bow his head to that.
Shadow Milk exhealed, making everyone jolt up afterwards by slamming both his hands on the (poor) railings.
“NOT ENOUGH! EVEN DEATH would NOT be enough of a punishment to YOU!!!” He shouted. And once again, the hall freezed with tension. The workers felt like crying, they just wished for this to be over already,really.
After moments of silence as Shadow Milk cought his breath, that damn smile was back on his face once more.
“Oh but I have JUST the punishment for YOU! HA! MARVELOUS! HAHAHAHA! I simply MUST be a genius!” He exclaimed.
Vanilla tensed up. Was he going to bring out an ancient torture method or something? He wouldn’t be suprised, really. This was the crazy king of the Milk Kingdom we were talking about.
Shadow Milk took the queens’ arms of his own and leaned down. Getting a bit more closer to Pure Vanilla’s face.
“How about…YOU~ be my “queen” instead?”