A week had already passed since Ras and Fiarca arrived in Barlama. The opening feast was now upon them, and Ras still had no clue as to the identities of the conspirators plotting to assassinate Princess Tishna.
That night was the unofficial opening ceremony of the Shrumland Alliance summit—a feast to welcome all member-state dignitaries and their entourages. In the royal palace’s banquet hall, tables were overflowing with culinary offerings of the highest caliber, and the party itself was in full swing. At the height of it all, the king of Charlgia called Fiarca and Tishna up to the stage to announce the marriage of Auriol Ref Argenteia, crown prince of Argyll, and Tishna Lumedienne Charlgiana, Princess of Charlgia.
“I count myself supremely blessed to be able to stand here and share this news with you all tonight,” he declared. “I sincerely hope that this will serve to tighten the bonds between our nations, and, dare I say, those of the entire alliance.”
The crowd erupted into cheers at his high-spirited announcement, only dampened somewhat by the fact that many of those present had known what was coming for some time.
“It’s over already. I thought there would be more of a celebration,” noted Kanalayka, speaking to Ras on the outskirts of the party. Since Tishna was Fiarca’s partner for the night, Ras was left to accompany the imperial legate instead. In her black dress, Kanalayka outshone many of the other women at the party with her tall, slender, yet womanly figure.
“Nobody’s surprised,” said Ras. “The leaders of the Shrumland Alliance have been planning this marriage for over six months now.”
“I thought at least somebody would be upset.”
“Tishna’s the black sheep of Charlgia. At most, this is a wake-up call for Agarte and Darrol to send off their own daughters as Auriol’s concubines.”
“It’s not a very happy state of affairs, is it?” said Kanalayka, her displeasure written all over her face.
The marriage of the battle-scarred Auriol to the kingdom’s Wicked Princess was fraught with difficulty from the very beginning. Perhaps that was partly to blame for the lukewarm response.
“We’re lying about the prince’s true identity,” Ras shot back. “We can’t exactly talk.”
“That’s true…”
Kanalayka cast her gaze down at the ground, searching for a response. She was party to the lie, effectively deceiving every last person at the feast tonight. She was in no position to be dissatisfied with how the public reacted.
“But enough about that, are you not going to eat?” Ras asked. “I don’t know what kind of meat this is, but it’s damned tasty.”
“That’s dragonfish from the Orange Ocean,” Kanalayka replied. Ras was a little taken aback. Charlgia was a landlocked country, quite far from the sea.
“Well, I’ll be. How do they get it so fresh? You’re not telling me they airlift it here via Caladrius?”
“It might be due to the latest technological advancement to come out of Kidea,” suggested Kanalayka.
“And what is that?”
“I heard they were developing a means of using ice auramancy to freeze fish while they’re still alive, allowing them to reach their destination fresh,” the legate explained, attempting to recall the memories of her youth. “They were still figuring out the logistics when I was there, though,” she added.
Approximately four years prior, Kanalayka had studied at a Kidean academy just before entering the military. The continent of Kidea was ruled by two powers, and aura technology was said to have reached a much higher level than it had on the northern continent of Danakil. This new preservation technology was surely one of those advancements.
But freezing produce with auramancy required a high level of skill, and there were not many practitioners who could perform it. Just gathering the personnel necessary to perform experiments surely cost a pretty penny.
“That’s big news, if it’s true,” said Ras. “I wonder how much one bite costs.”
“A fortune, I’d say. I’m a little curious to see how the taste measures up. May I?”
“Of course.”
Kanalayka smiled and opened her mouth to be fed.
Ras cut off a bite-size chunk of meat and offered it to her. When she ate it, Kanalayka apparently found it so delicious that she squeezed both her cheeks in delight. It was such a childish way to react that Ras couldn’t help but smile.