Alex grumbled(aww he's scared) as he wiped his grubby hands on his bedspread and dragged himself out of bed and waddled to the door. Furious that his haven was being intruded by an uninvited guest and scared of his own mother.
He opened the door for his mother. She looked at him in disdain. But there was something different in the air, the way she didn't scold him just yet(she usually starts screaming at Alex before Alex can even open the door).
"I need to speak with you, Alex," she said, stepping into the room with all the grace and authority of a queen. The second she entered, the atmosphere shifted, and Alex instinctively took a step back.
"What is it, Mother?" he asked, his voice laced with disinterest.
Queen Vivienne didn't waste time with pleasantries. "Sit down," she commanded, pointing to the chair near the window. "Your father and I have made a decision."
Alex hesitated for a moment but took a seat. "What decision?" He was too tired for this—he just wanted to relax.
His mother looked at him with a mixture of disappointment and cold determination. "You're going to be the next king."(Wait..what? what about the anime running on the TV behind you, Alex?).
Alex froze. Not in happiness but in extreme despair and shock. (What the hell was happening, I don't know.)
Finally, he broke out of the shock. Blinking, "What?"
(And, as is if on cue,) "You heard me." Her tone was final. "Your father and I have decided that you will succeed the throne. There is no room for debate."
The Queen stared at him as if this was the worst decision ever and even telling him was a big mistake.
"Wait, what?" Alex stammered, his mind reeling. "What about Lorelei? Or Julian? Or Seraphina? They're the ones who actually know what they're doing." (Yeah, what about his anime running on his TV behind him?)
His mother's face remained unreadable(but observably annoyed). "No. They have their own paths. Lorelei is too focused on her own ambitions, Julian has his work in the digital realm, and Seraphina is… too valuable in her own field. You, Alex, have been wasting your time. Now, you will pay for that." (Yeah, well done Alex, you've successfully ruined yourself. What a bad reputation you have there to be belittled by your own mom)
Alex's stomach twisted and he felt as if the world was crushing him and the heavens were laughing at his newfound realisation of despair. "But—I don't want to be king. I've never even wanted to be king!" He stood up, voice shaking. "This isn't fair, you can't just dump this on me. I'm not cut out for this. I—I'm not them!"
"Not them? No, you are not," Vivienne snapped, her voice like ice. "You are our son, and you will do as you're told. There are no other options. You will assume the throne." (Her own tone gave a hint of: I didn't even want you to have it but here we are. Oh Piggy, how I pity you)
Alex's mind spun. It couldn't be real. How could it be real? He hadn't prepared for this. He had no idea what he was doing. It was supposed to be them, not him. (Yeah, what about his goals to be the Empire's biggest leech?)
"I—I refuse," Alex said, though his voice wavered. He knew it was a futile protest, but he had to try.
His mother's expression softened for a split second, just long enough for him to think there might be a sliver of hope. (She was just playing with you, bro. Stop getting your hopes up.She probably softened because she thought the same as you---I mean who in their right mind would name you the heir?). But then she said, "You have no choice. We're done being patient with you, Alex. You will be crowned. It's time for you to start paying back for the life you've squandered."
With that, she turned on her heel and walked out, leaving Alex alone in his room.
The weight of her words settled over him like a heavy fog. There was no escape. He had been living in a fantasy for too long, and now the real world was crashing down. (Welcome to hell, welcome to pain, welcome to your imminent suffering~)
But there was something else, something deeper inside of him—a spark, perhaps, of anger or maybe a shred of determination. He would not go down without a fight. (Yeah well, let's see how long that determination goes, Piggy. I think this decision is out of your hands)