death is the only ending for the trash queen

Part 3

Alberu was sporting a headache.

He usually had the remnants of one after corralling the nobles like the aimless cats they were and directing them towards appropriate goals with catnip hanging at the end of a stick.

Very few of them had worked out that the catnip was attached to a stick that could very easily be used for some inadvisable animal abuse.

The metaphor had escaped him. Now Alberu was imagining actual cats getting attacked with a stick and it only made his headache worse.

The point of the matter was that they all lived in blissful ignorance of their own powerlessness and that was how Alberu intended to keep them. Chasing after catnip while doing his bidding and thinking all the way that it was their own autonomy that had led them to their goals.

It wasn't that Alberu didn't find fulfillment in orchestrating the discordant orchestra of disgruntled cats. It was just that his nerves had been somewhat frayed of late.

Penelope Crossman was an accident.

Alberu had about as much intention of having children as he'd had in taking a bride.

The first night was never supposed to happen.

But that was a story for another day. Alberu might have never had any intention of having a daughter but he loved her just the same. He wanted to offer her all the love and support that his father hadn't provided. He wanted to be the sort of father who deserved those bright eyes looking up at him affectionately as she called out "Papa!"

There were just a few problems interfering with that particular goal.

The most pressing one being the dysfunctional orchestra of cats that thought of themselves as nobles.

He was required to orchestrate each movement, so that the sound that echoed across the kingdom was a smooth symphony. It was the best way to keep his kingdom, his people, and his daughter safe.

Alberu had never really mastered the art of delegation. It wasn't that he didn't delegate, he did with great alacrity and an innate skill for finding the right man for the task, he'd just never reached the final step of delegation which was to ensure that the amount on each individual's plate was equal.

Sure, his attendants all had equitable shares. It was just that he didn't include himself in that equation.

So Alberu always took on the absolute limit of what he could manage. Sometimes far more than he could, sacrificing sleep and health to ensure that the symphony of peace flowed flawlessly.

This left him with very little time to dedicate to his young daughter. Which was a big problem if he wanted to shower her in love and affection and give her the best possible childhood anyone could ask for.

Then there was the secondary problem.

"Your majesty. The queen has entered the library." A loyal attendant said, dutifully announcing the queen's movements and most especially her movements when she neared the king's office. "The princess is with her."

Alberu's calm expression didn't twitch one iota. He remained as calm as anything as he stared down at the paperwork in front of him and his headache mounted.

If there was one thing Alberu really needed to figure out, it was how to separate his daughter from that insane woman without causing any further damage to the poor girl. He'd seen how cold Cale was around their daughter, heard the whispers in the halls, and seen his daughter's thousand yard stare that looked far too mature for a child of her age.