"Sir? Are you okay?"
Alex was pulled out of his thoughts. He stared at himself in the mirror as people took his measurements. He looked behind him in the mirror. "Yes, I'm fine." He said, messing with his hands.
"Are you sure?" His personal servant asked, looking at him. "You don't really look fine."
Alex nodded. "I'm sure, Thank you, Denis." He replied, looking down.
"Are you nervous for the ceremony?" He asked, standing next to him. He picked a fuzz off of Alexs pants and looked at Alex in the mirror.
Alex took a heavy breath. "A little." He turned. "I'm the first.. real ruler since my father died."
"Is that what you were thinking about?" He asked, moving out of the way of the other people measuring Alex.
Alex stared at the mirror and didn't reply, trying to rack his head for a response. "Sure." He cleared his throat. "What else do you need to measure?"
His seamstress stepped out from looking at fabrics in the other room. She looked down at her list. "Just your waist size and your height."
Alex stepped down from the little stepping floor they had made him stand on. "Let's finish after lunch." He instructed. "Okay?"
The seamstress nodded, smiling wide with gratitude for a break. "Of course Sir." She turned to her workers. "Lunch!"
Alex got his glasses from his desk and put them on. He motioned for Denis to follow. "I still need to meet with my Advisors for the remaining repairs and the reverend to make sure my ceremony is okay.." He rubbed his face.
"The ceremony is in a couple of days," Denis replied. "Can't you take a moment off?"
Alex shook his head. "Afraid not." He muttered. He checked his watch. "Crap I'm late." He mumbled. "Can you inform the reverend I'll see him after I talk to my ad.." He shook his head. "After my seamstress is done. Around... 6 Pm?"
Denis nodded. "Of course. I'll go now." He bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Alex turned the other way and made his way towards a longer hallway. He ticked off the door numbers in his head and stopped at the second to last door of the hall. He opened the door, knocking before entering. "Madeline?"
His stepmother sat on the edge of her bed. She rocked back and forth slowly, muttering nonsense to herself.
"Madeline, when did you wake up?" Alex asked, turning on the light.
She didn't reply for a while, she turned to Alex and pointed outside. "Your father would have enjoyed this." She turned and looked back outside.
Alex walked to the window. A big festival was happening in the town. Banners were flying and people who looked so miniature from where he stood. He scoffed softly. "Sure." He closed the curtains. "Dad hated festivals." His stepmother still stared at the window and mumbled stuff to herself. "Are you hungry?" Alex asked.
She didn't reply. She kept staring at the window, rocking back and forth.
Alex stared at her for a moment and sighed. "Just call for a kitchen staff whe-"
"Kitchen boy." She whispered.
Alex stopped. "What?"
"His name is Elijah." She said as if she was quoting someone. "The kitchen boy. Where is he?"
Alex stared at her for a moment. "I don't know." He replied, softly "Why are you bringing him up?"
"He was.. different." She smiled. "I liked him. Can you get him?" She turned to look at Alex. "Don't tell your father." She laughed, softly.
