Chapter Text
Once upon a time, in kingdom far, far away, there was a funeral.
No one really knew why it happened- only that over the course of a year, Gregory Edgeworth became frailer and frailer, until he could no longer leave his bed. The man had a son, named Miles, who was only nine years old at the time. Knowing that his child was too young to manage the fortune he had amassed, Gregory Edgeworth gave power of his estate to his lawyer, Manfred Von Karma. However, while it was no doubt his intention to turn over his estate to his beloved son, once he had grown old enough to manage it, in the will that was presented upon his death, there was no such stipulation found. Thus, the Von Karma family alone came to possess the wealth of Gregory Edgeworth.
To be fair, Von Karma did not send Miles out into the streets- a fact which was lorded over the young child every day. Instead, Miles was ‘adopted’ into the family, along with his father’s wealth. He gained two ‘sisters’, Lina and Franziska. Lina bore no love for her newly adopted ‘brother’. Instead, she often treated him as a personal servant, mocking him when he failed to carry out a task to perfection. Franziska, though she was quite young when Miles was first adopted, was quick to follow suit. Her orders and mocking was not much different from that of her elder sister. However, Miles far preferred her. For, sometimes, while Manfred and Lina slept, Franziska would sneak down to the kitchen, where Miles slept next to the fireplace. They would talk, and sometimes, Franziska would bring him trinkets or pastries from a world he was no longer afforded the luxury of visiting.
Franziska insisted on calling Miles her little brother, despite being younger than him. When Miles was younger, he agreed out of fear of his new home. As he grew older, however, he came to view it as a term of affection. Brother. Lina did not call him ‘brother,’ nor did Manfred call him ‘son’. That was fine, because Miles would not call either one sister or father. However, Franziska- Franziska was his sister. His bossy, haughty sister, who was easily influenced by her father and Lina, but a sister nonetheless. It helped him get through dark times.
And dark times they were. For, instead of curbing his daughter’s attitude, Manfred would scold Miles if he did not properly serve his sisters. And before long, Manfred treated him as a servant too. Lina would sometimes call him Ashen-Edgeworth, for all of the ash and dirt which accumulated on his face, from cleaning the fireplace and doing other such chores. For the next fifteen years, that was the life of Miles Edgeworth- a servant in his own home, with a family of masters, and one sister.
It was a rather lonely life.
However, wherever there is misfortune in the world, there is an equal amount of fortune somewhere else. Whereas Miles lost his wealth and was adopted into servitude, there was another child, blessed with not only new family, but new fortune. However, this did not mean that, as that child matured into adulthood, their life would be without any sort of trouble or woe.
“Aw come on, quit pouting Nick,” the princess said, poking her brother’s cheek. “What were you expecting, springing something like that on them? Obviously, they’re not just going to let you get away with it without some sort of compromise.”
“Quit it Maya,” Phoenix said, brushing away his sister’s hand. “And I was expecting some backlash, to be sure… But this is just crazy! Marriage? Are they out of their minds?!”
“Well, that’s the elders for you,” Maya said. “If I were Sis, I’d just ignore all those old fogies. I mean, what’s the point in being Queen if you can’t do what you want?”
“Mia may be Queen, but she’s under a lot of pressure. She’s constantly having to negotiate, just to keep the peace. Still, I don’t know why my actions should play any part in that,” Phoenix complained.
“Hey, your last name might not be Fey, but you’re part of the family, which means you’re royalty,” Maya said. “That means your actions reflect on the royal family, same as any of us. Even if they’re made with good intentions, if there’s a chance it could cause gossip among the common folk, the elders are gonna be opposed to it.”
“Mm…” Phoenix said, sighing. “I wonder if Mom went through the same trouble when she adopted me…”
“Probably,” Maya said. “Mom was pretty strong-willed though. Although, she was married, and she already had a kid.”
“I still don’t see what that has to do with anything,” Phoenix said. “Lots of single parents exist. Who cares if the prince turns out to be another one?” He frowned, looking out the window. “Trucy… she’s a good kid. She didn’t deserve to be abandoned at our gates like that. What am I supposed to do… Just send her to an orphanage?”
“Hey, I don’t disagree,” Maya said. “I’d love to have a little niece- even though I think you’re crazy for deciding to become her Dad.” She sighed. “To be honest, I think the elders just want to make sure you get married off, so that I don’t have an excuse for waiting.”
“Well then, stop using me as an excuse!”
“No way! I’m not ready to get married yet!”
“Neither am I!”
“You’re ready to have a kid though,” Maya pointed out. “I guess the argument is, if you’re ready to have a lifelong commitment like that, you’re ready to get hitched.”
Phoenix groaned. “I guess… and hey, if that’s what it takes to keep Trucy, then I’ll do it. It’s just… It would have been nice to marry for love, you know?”
“Hey, no one’s saying you can’t.”
“Oh yeah? And how’s that going to work, exactly?” Phoenix asked skeptically. “You think I’m just gonna magically find the love of my life in the next few months?”
“Well, you won’t know unless you try!”
“Uh-huh,” he said. “And just how do you suggest I do that?”’
Maya paused, looking contemplative. She rolled her head around, tapping her finger to her chin. “Hmm…” Suddenly, she broke into a gigantic smirk. “...I’ve got it!”