"I don't want to marry." Prince Nicholas argued.

"Good." His father muttered in the corner.

His mother looked daggers at the king. He quickly looked down and pretended to be occupied with his book. With a sigh Nicholas' mother turned back to him.

"But you must. You can't just flirt around with every girl in the kingdom and never marry."

"Flirt around." The king scoffed softly at the queen's misconception, which she fortunately didn't hear. Nicholas, however, heard and he smiled in spite of himself. The queen turned back to the king, confident her son's smile in such a serious situation (according to her) had been his doing. He sat, as innocent as a puppy, silently reading his book. She turned slowly back to her son.

"You're almost eighteen now, and you haven't found a girl you'd like to settle down with. People are starting to talk."

Nicholas sneered. "People always talk. In fact, I'm beginning to think that's all they do. They talk about the nobles and we must oblige by their every whim. Who's ruling over whom?"

She sighed. "It's that damned father of yours. He's rubbing off on you," she grumbled.

Nicholas brushed his dark hair out of his face and regarded his mother with defiant blue eyes through long lashes; two features that made many a lady's knees go weak. His eyebrows were thick, his chin strong and as defiant as his eyes. He had his arms folded and his stance wide. Pure determination covered him like liquid steel.

"I am perfectly happy at my current marital status, Mother."

"Pretty soon all the girls your age will be married."

"Hasn't stopped him before." The king's voice was now merely a whisper, reaching neither relative's ears.

"But Mother, they are all the same! Each and every one of them."

"I beg to disagree. All the young ladies are different."

"On the outside." The king murmured.

"You are having a ball tonight, it is a perfect opportunity to find a lady to court and, eventually, marry."

"You are so absolutely sure that who I court will marry me. You know who would be a nice person to marry?"

"Who?"

"Someone you are not absolutely sure of. Someone who doesn't throw herself at me."

"In more ways than one." The king added softly.

"Someone who doesn't wear three layers of make-up and two pounds of jewellery when they meet me."

"Good luck." The king coughed.

"Please." The queen's gaze turned to pleading.

"No." The prince turned on his heel and walked away. The queen's pleading look left her. She folded her arms sternly and flopped down next to her husband.

"He's your son."

"Don't blame me; I never wanted children."

"So you say."

"Your majesty!" A voice called. "There is something here that needs your attention!"

The queen rolled her eyes and left to attend to her business. The king sat in silence for a minute.

"She's gone." He declared.

Prince Nicholas strolled back into the room and sat sideways on his mother's throne, putting his legs up on one armrest.

"She's not going to give up, you know." His father commented without looking up from his book.

"I know." Nicholas sighed.

"You're just making it worse."

"I know."

"Are you ever going to settle down?"

"Why?" Nicholas looked at his father incredulously. "The world is my oyster. Pretty pearls all round. Why pick one when I can have a necklace?"

"You're getting a reputation."

"I've been 'getting a reputation' all my life. That doesn't stop me."

"It certainly doesn't stop them."

A second of silence followed and the men suddenly burst out in laughter.

"Who was the one last night?" the king asked when they were done.

"You heard."

"Oh, I think everyone heard her. Except that mother of yours, deaf and blind when she wants to be."

Nicholas grinned. "That girl was rather loud."

"'Rather', he says." The king scoffed. "I think our definition of 'rather' differs, my boy."

"Your majesty." One of the queen's servant girls, Jessica, came to the king. "Her majesty requests your urgent presence."

"Coming. the king grumbled, and turned to his son. "Duty calls." He stood up.

His son followed. "Worse, Olivia calls."

"What's the difference?"

They burst out in laughter once more.