The feast begins

Later that night, Riekan was leaning against a wall on the luxurious ballroom of the Ruby Castle. His green eyes scanned the room, his parents really had summoned all the prominent lords and ladies of Kinend, including the Volnesses, their oldest daughter Cecilie gushing at every word Roghan said.

What surprised the young prince, though, was the presence of royalty and dignataries from other nations on their country that night, making him more curious than ever about his father's announcement. His parents, King Albran and Queen Amalie, and his sister Adallis, were in deep conversation with Tolfin Crowslaw, the regent of Falbrein, and the current leader of the Zabrar clan, rulers of Sandhaun, a man whose name he forgot. An emissary from the Arcans Republic and a stoic-looking female elf, probably an ambassador from Anglurea, also stood nearby the group. The Archbishop was absent from what he could see, the only high religious figure present being the bishop of Kinwald.

All the Crimson Lions currently in the capital besides his brother stood guard in the room as well. It wasn't a surprise, given how many important people were present in that room. General Devall and Vestia were near the King, the Queen and the princess while Zaax discreetly patrolled the place with a couple of knights.

Riekan's gaze then fell on a young redheaded girl sitting by one of the tables, demurely sipping from a golden cup while flanked by people he supposed to be her advisors. He had heard tales about the beauty of Sarine Crowslaw, future queen of Falbrein, of course, but seeing her in person **** him to think that the stories made her no justice. The green-eyed prince debated the idea of trying to make some conversation, but he quickly shot that notion down in his mind. He couldn't know how she felt about Kinwald and its people, given the role his nation played in deposing her father years ago. Well, for her to be accompanying Tolfin, the man who was the ultimate responsible for her parents' downfall, she can't be too...,

His train of thought was interrupted by the huge doors of the ballroom being opened, causing his attention to shift to it. Two knights stepped into the room, being followed by the strange contraption that carried his oldest brother nowadays. Reywan Lionwell, the 24-year-old prince who was the first in line to the throne of Kinwald, entered the ballroom in his wheeled chair, being pushed by Riekan's previous handmaiden Tina; he didn't know she had been assigned to Reywan's care. She threw him a quick smile, making him remember about the fun afternoon they had with Alicia, his current handmaiden.

At once, King Albran walked over to the small platform at the far back of the room, causing the entire ballroom to fall silent. "Lords and ladies of Kinwald, dear friends from Sandhaun, Arcans, Falbrein and Anglurea," he cleared his throat. "Before we feast, I have a very important announcement to make."