Chapter 11: The Celebration at the Royal Palace
THE castle banquet hall was bustling with people, illuminated by opulent chandeliers. But this was different from your average party—there were many rough-looking men among the invitees and almost no ladies adorned in brilliant dresses.
Even the food and beverage options were unusual, mostly hearty foods and strong liquors. The guests ravenously consumed them, and the servers rushed back and forth to bring in even more plates of food.
Although there were guards stationed throughout the room, the guests were nearly all as muscular and strong, so much so that without the guard uniforms, it would have been hard to differentiate the invited guests from the security detail.
This was the customary triennial post-tournament celebration.
Prince Edward, attending as one of the tournament participants, was out on the floor instead of with the noble visitors seated in the back.
Kevin had almost immediately been dragged away by one of his friends, so Edward was alone with Alexander. Both dressed in formal wear, they slowly made their way through the hall, briefly conversing with the other guests as they went.
Edward’s gray eyes, much calmer than they were during his match, widened slightly when they landed on someone who wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Director!”
Alexander followed Edward’s gaze.
“Is that Earl Northland?” Alexander asked, sounding just as surprised.
Earl Joshua Northland was standing there talking to a nobleman he seemed to know, a deep line clearly visible between his eyebrows.
But the only two people from the Northland family who were qualified to come to the party were Harold, the winner of the tournament, and Amy, who had worked as a member of the medical staff. It would make sense if he were here as Amy’s escort, but Amy had sent word that she wouldn’t be attending the party tonight…
Edward quickly looked around, but he couldn’t see Amy anywhere. Now that he thought of it, he hadn’t seen Harold or his team members yet, either.
Many nobles came to the party to offer tournament participants contracts of employment, but it didn’t seem like the Northland family needed hired muscle.
Edward and Alexander exchanged glances and started walking toward Joshua.
The earl noticed them heading over and, after a few parting words with the man he had been speaking to, walked up to meet them halfway.
“Good evening, Director.”
“Nice night tonight, isn’t it, Your Highness?”
“Your face seems to contradict your words…”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m just being forced to clean up my man-child idiot son’s messes, is all—”
“Is something wrong with Hal?” Alec asked impatiently, his long-held admiration for Harold burning as strong as ever. “I haven’t seen him around yet. I was wondering if he got sick or something.”
Joshua smiled, but it looked strained.
“No, nothing’s wrong with him—just the opposite, actually. Even though he had this celebration to go to, he ran straight off to go fight more monsters. He’s already left the capital,” Joshua said with a sigh.
“I see,” said Edward, nodding sympathetically.
Only working adventurers who didn’t need political patronage could prioritize hunting over socializing. In reality, however, not many adventurers could throw away the opportunity to have an audience with the king.
Harold Northland was the only adventurer alive who could casually win a tournament and then leave prematurely. Admiration stirred in Alexander again as he thought, That’s Hal for you!
“All his party members went with him, so it was up to me to come here and explain the situation. His Majesty generously forgave him, but this whole situation is such a headache…”
Joshua rubbed at the line on his forehead, but underneath the grumpy exterior, Edward could see a hint of the pride Joshua had for his son and the love they shared as a family.
“I’ve already said my hellos to all my acquaintances, so I was just about to head out,” Joshua continued. “I think I’ll stop by the lab for a bit before I head home, though.”
“Shall I join you?”
“Hold it, Ed,” Alec protested. “I totally get that this party’s boring, but you can’t just leave me here on my own!”
“Do you want to come too, Alec?” asked Edward
“Do you really think I could understand the math or engineering behind such complicated magical tools?”
Joshua’s expression finally softened, and they all laughed together, until suddenly a voice rang out—
“Earl Northland.”
Suddenly Jahal was right behind Joshua, dressed in white from head to toe in the traditional clothing of the Kingdom of Bakr.
His two team members stood beside him, and the three of them together made quite an impressive sight. Due to Jahal’s elite status as a foreign prince, the people around them naturally stepped back, surrounding them from a distance as they watched the scene unfold.
“Jahal, where have you been? And Letty’s not with you, either.”
“I just got here, Alec. And I would’ve brought her if this were a ball, but I wouldn’t bring her to a party with so many men like this. I heard Amy wasn’t coming, either.”
“I suppose that’s one way of doing things,” Alec said. “So, what do you want with the earl?”
Joshua didn’t know Jahal’s reasons for singling him out, but he was still a royal from a neighboring kingdom, and there was protocol he had to follow. Joshua went to bow to him, but Jahal took a step closer, preventing him from doing so.
“We don’t need any formalities between us.”
“My apologies, Your Highness.”
“I’ll get straight to the point, Earl Northland. I’d like to keep your daughter in the Kingdom of Bakr.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Joshua and Edward’s expressions froze.
Jahal had just dropped a bombshell, but his cadence and expression remained—as ever—lighthearted and unconcerned.
“I didn’t just come to Luducia to study. I also came to find outstandingly talented individuals. Lady Amy’s healing magic is a cut above the rest, and I’d like for her to train the healers in Bakr. That’s right…the length of stay…what do you think about anywhere from a few years to a lifetime?”
“Hey!” Alec said immediately. “What in the world are you—”
“Your input is unnecessary, Alec. Besides, Amy would be the perfect companion for Letizia.”
Jahal spoke unapologetically, but while Edward didn’t think he was lying, he didn’t seem to be telling the whole truth, either. Edward watched Jahal closely, trying to find any hint to his true motive.
“I know this proposal is sudden,” Jahal continued. “I promise she will be treated well. If at all possible, I would even like to invite you as well, Earl, the authority on magical tools.”
“Jahal…” Ed started.
“I’m just exerting the rights allowed to me, Ed.”
Jahal may have been a foreign exchange student, but he was also an honored guest from an allied kingdom. Edward was well aware that diplomacy would crop up at some point during Jahal’s stay in Luducia.
But what Jahal was asking for was not some official diplomatic bargaining chip.
“She’s my fiancée—”
“Candidate, right? Would you risk our countries’ diplomatic relations over the daughter of an earl?”
Edward gasped, speechless in indignation.
“Her healing magic is not the sort of thing Luducia should have sole ownership of,” Jahal muttered so quietly Edward had to strain his ears to hear it.
Edward narrowed his eyes.
Did Jahal notice?
Amy’s healing magic was not normal.
That fact had been camouflaged so far because she usually only treated animals and had so few opportunities to treat severely wounded humans.
Edward had no definitive proof of this, of course. He had thought Amy healing him after his match was a reconfirmation of his theory that she was a Protector, but doubts lingered in him even now.
Jahal wasn’t spectacular at using magic, but he did have eyes. And Amy had healed him after his match at the tournament, too…
Jahal probably wasn’t entirely convinced, either, but his interest seemed piqued enough to want to keep her under his eye in Bakr. It was only natural for royalty to act for the benefit of their own kingdoms, so Edward could understand why Jahal felt he had to do this.