“So, His Majesty even invited the king of Granciel...”
“Granciel... A maritime nation to the south ruled by Barbaros zan Grandon...”
“Huh. I’m surprised you know.”
“I ran into him in a tavern in the capital once.”
“A tavern? What was the old geezer doing hanging around there?” It was difficult to tell whether Louise was exasperated or anxious.
Arcus himself felt similarly. Granciel and Lainur were enemies, yet here was the former’s leader attending a royal function. It went beyond odd and into the realm of inexplicable.
“Does Your Ladyship have any idea why he would have been invited?”
“Granciel is a bit of a special case: Their Majesties get along rather well. Besides, ‘hostile nation’ can mean all sorts of things. It isn’t like the Gillis Empire, which is completely antagonistic. It could be that His Majesty just isn’t interested in fighting for the time being; perhaps he’s looking to form a more peaceful relationship. We definitely don’t want Granciel hooking up with the Empire to attack us, do we?”
Indeed, it would be a struggle to defend against both of them at once. Trying to maintain a friendly relationship with the maritime nation would be a diplomatic step toward avoiding that.
“I swear he looks exactly the same every time I see him,” Louise muttered.
“Does he?”
“I saw him when I was much younger too, but he hasn’t changed a bit. Really, he should have one foot in the grave by now.”
This world was filled with such oddities. Even Shinlu looked incredibly young. This was a world of magic and unknown forces, and Arcus had long decided to just accept that there were things he couldn’t understand.
He looked back at Shinlu, who was currently seeing a group whose dress seemed to be a chaotic blend of Chinese and Japanese styles.
“Those would be the scholar-bureaucrats of Bǎi Liánbāng.”
There had been guests from Bǎi Liánbāng at the awards ceremony as well. This group appeared to be particularly close to Shinlu, as, after greeting him, they spoke with him for longer than the other guests. There didn’t appear to be any tension between them either; they were all smiles.
“Bǎi Liánbāng is a friendly nation,” Arcus concluded.
“Maybe, but their motives are far from clear. There’s no telling what scheme that amity might serve.”
“A scheme to hijack our royal family?”
Louise raised her eyebrows. “How did you know? Ah, well, I guess this sort of thing is your forte...”
“I wouldn’t go that far...”
She shot him an encouraging grin. Reluctantly, he started to voice his thoughts aloud.
“The Crosellode family came from the east; its roots are there. Should our royal lineage ever collapse, Bǎi Liánbāng would be able to usurp our kingdom by producing a suitable ruler to lay claim to the succession. That, or use the same claim to start a war. Of course, I’m only speculating.”
“No, that’s it. Their own throne is a playing piece in a power game drowned in blood, so it’d make sense that they’re eyeing ours too. I’m sure Lainur’s technology vastly sweetens the deal.”
Just because a nation was friendly now didn’t mean it had to stay that way. Lainur and Bǎi Liánbāng sat a good distance apart, separated by the Cross Mountain Range, but the latter was a superpower. If it wanted to send over hundreds of thousands of troops, it was more than capable. There was no way its representatives were offering up their smiles to Shinlu for free.
The scholar-bureaucrats greeted Ceylan before turning to two others nearby. One was an extravagantly dressed woman; the other, a child around Arcus’s age. The imperial guard protected them as they did Shinlu and Ceylan. Odds were they were members of the royal family. The child’s face wasn’t hidden to the same extent as Ceylan’s. Its silhouette would probably fall into relief up close.
“Who are those two, My Lady?” Arcus asked.
“His Royal Highness’s younger brother and His Majesty’s first wife.”
“I wasn’t aware that His Royal Highness had siblings.”
“That’s not surprising. His younger brother is not a legitimate successor to the throne. He is never brought out in public and does not participate in political affairs. Most of his time is spent hidden away with His Majesty’s wife. I doubt there are many people who have ever seen him. It’s certainly the first time I’ve seen him.”
“That sounds somewhat extreme.”
“Our kingdom’s tradition is for the royal children to be hidden from public view anyway, but in the younger brother’s case, he is treated entirely differently. But then, both Their Royal Highnesses’ fates were sealed before their births.”
“Before they were even born?”
“Yes. For the sake of the family’s authority.”
Louise’s words reminded Arcus of something Ceylan had once revealed to him.
“Shén zǐ’s birth...”
One of Louise’s eyes squinted, and she turned her sharp gaze on him. “How do you know about that?”
“His Royal Highness told me. He did not go into too much detail, but he shared with me that the purpose of his existence is to elevate the kingdom to a new level of power.”
“He must think incredibly highly of you. It is no wonder you are so loyal to him.”
“Might that be His Royal Highness’s mother also?”
“No, His Royal Highness was born to His Majesty’s second wife. Technically, that is his half brother.”
“Oh.” Arcus knew he sounded unintentionally taut.
Louise seemed to have figured out why. “It’s pretty disrespectful to pass judgment on the royal family.”
“Oh, um, that wasn’t my intention...”
“But I get it. There’s bound to be infighting over the succession in any royal family. It’s not for you to worry about, though; His Majesty has it all in hand.”
“I’m sure.”
Arcus let his gaze wander around the hall again, where it came to rest on a group in the corner. The lords had started mingling again, clearly, but even then it was a very large throng. And this time, none of the Rondiels were at its center.
“Which houses are gathered over there, My Lady?”
“Let’s see. They look like Lainur nobles, but I don’t recognize them. What about you?” She turned to her attendant.
“I believe the gentleman in the center is Lord Lazrael of the south.”
“Oh, Lazrael?”
“Do you know him, My Lady?”
“Yes, apparently his son is famous as a magician of extraordinary talent. He’s gotta be something if even I’ve heard of him. Do you see that brown-haired boy next to Lazrael about the same age as you?”
“Is that the son in question?”
Right in the center of the group was a brown-haired noble and a boy with locks the same shade. Like Arcus, the boy had foregone customary aristocratic dress and was in a jacket and long trousers. He looked quite approachable, like he just naturally knew how to get along with people. The smile he gave to those around him said as much.