"It's Phienna," the woman told me, all of a sudden.

"Sorry, where is Phienna?"

"Not where, my name." She said, "Phienna vis Viscount Dauyle."

"Ah, I'm sorry. Tilvrade Feles," I responded and nodded my head. I thought she was just a lord's wife, but she was wife of a viscount?

Mother returned to her seat just as the servers came to take some of the dishes away. She gave me a look as if I had done something bad.

"Do you have something you want to tell me?" She whispered low enough not to be heard by the others around us. My eyes shifted around a bit as my thumbs and knuckles rubbed against each nervously. Was she mad that I snuck a sip of the amber? Or did she hear about Clous? Or... "I just overheard someone say you had introduced yourself to the Elafoz."

Or that.

"It wasn't really like that..." I said, thinking of what more to say, "the Klisimian envoy saw what I was reading and then-"

"What? Ahum," Phienna had turned to us when mother exclaimed a bit louder, perhaps wondering what caused the question, "please don't mind us, Lady Dauyle, my son was just telling me about this accident with the wine."

She then looked back at me, "you showed that book to his excellency?"

"No, it's not like that, he didn't get mad or anything. He just told me how Klisimians and the Church were not on the best of terms and-"

"Enough," mother interrupted, "as long as he wasn't offended. There are enough issues for your father already without your grandfather thinking we ruined this bizarre new alliance with Klistoss. Let me talk with your father."

I cringed, why didn't I follow Brendal to the children's banquet in the back?

"Your mother just told me you were talking with the envoy and the Elafoz. What did you say?" Father leaned over mother a bit to ask.

"He just went to meet the envoy and I was there and I had to say something. All I did was kneel and introduce myself and then leave."

What else was I supposed to do? I had never been told what to do when meeting the crown prince.

It wasn't as if I didn't know that my father saw grandfather's ties with the Elafoz as foolish and risky. The Elafoz was next in line to become the king, and being his ally would be a boon and a safeguard when that came to pass. But the king was not dead yet, nor were the Elafoz's rivals and enemies. If it was risky for grandfather who had the authority to fend for himself, then it was idiotic for the son of a disgraced lord.

I had hoped that with the relative emptiness of the balcony, no one would have paid attention to that brief encounter, but if mother had already heard about that meeting, then I had a sinking feeling that there was no one of importance, either in the duchy of Efeles or the royal court who wouldn't know my name by tomorrow morning.

For better or for worse, my parents were now in a hushed conversation of their own. I hoped that that meant I was out of trouble, but knew it was only delayed until we were back at home.

There was another server who came and dropped a large bowl of a crimson red conserve in the middle of the table, scooping a bit of it onto a spoon which he ate with a walnut and crispy golden wafer from a wicker basket.

Although these were just brought to the table there were people starting to get up and walk around the hall. There didn't seem to be any particular order to the evening or announcement, but groups of smiling nobles started to cluster and one of them had surrounded our table.

It was like a dense pressure and heat pushing on the back of my head with the occasional knock or excuse me as someone backed up into my chair, but I tried to keep my head down and eat the final dessert without any further commotion.

"That one is from the South too, conserve of pomodoro," Lady Phienna said, still sitting beside me.

The crimson jam had a familiar taste that was at the tip of my tongue. It was sweet but very thick and fruity.

The name [pomodoro] meant nothing to me though, in the language of Lucia or what I had come across here. Maybe because it was a conserve, the taste was obscured just enough that I had trouble remembering what it could be.

"The Elafoz has a bit of a sweet tooth, you know," she said, "until now, he has always had a taste for the South, but I hear there might be new trade with the Klisimians."

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"Mmh, that's why Sir Barker went to-" I looked sideways at her.

"... when he becomes king, Lord Feles!" a man was rumbling happily to my father.

"Hear, hear, it is only right Lord Feles inherits..."

Lady Phienna had been trying to impress me all night and talk of her daughter. I thought she was just being kind or a friend of my parents', but she was now bringing up the exact same topic of the Elafoz and the envoy that had mother and father so bothered.

Seeing that I wasn't going to continue speaking, she broke the silence.

"Ah, yes. Quite a tragedy what happened to the old knight and Viscount Phrans, for them to be assailed by bandits like that right in Bridgewater."

A dark spot grew on the white tablecloth where a tear had dripped off my cheek. Sir Barker's death was hard on me. Even though he was old, it had been unexpected. He had been fit and hale and gone off for a couple months last summer to help Viscount Phrans train some of his knights.

It shouldn't have been dangerous, but he had been killed in a bandit attack on the Viscount's carriage when they went out to the village.

Still, I didn't want to cry. It had only been a couple sips, but maybe it was the Osbec amber from before that made me so sad.

It looked like Lady Phienna was going to talk again but father placed his hand on my shoulder and I noticed that the nobles around us had cleared a space around him and mother.

"We should get going. It's a late night already for you and your brother."

I looked around but the room didn't seem any less crowded than before. Father must be trying to make an escape.

"Lord Feles, I do hope we can see you again in Fulbrian. It has been far too long since you last came."

A portly middle aged gentleman with a moustache said to father as I stood up, putting the last bite of the pomodoro conserve in my mouth.

"It has been a long time indeed, Viscount Dauyle," father responded. This must be Lady Phienna's husband who I hadn't really talked to as he was sitting to father's left. Father responded positively, but Viscount Dauyle grimaced and looked away from us for some reason.

And then mother took my hand and we followed father away from the dining tables to the shadows between the torches on the walls, shielded from the larger chandeliers by the overhanging balcony.

"Let us get Brendal and then leave," father said. "This is really quite a mess. They are all trying to find out what I know about Klistoss and if I'm back in favour with my father."

We made our way to the back of hall where a woman was standing outside double doors.

"Please bring our son Brendal here. We are preparing to leave."

I was alarmed as I saw Brendal crying as the woman brought him back to us.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Not me, but my mother asked him.

I looked across the hall of children, many of whose eyes were turned towards us as the door shut. There were some boys who were running around and in another corner some girls who looked to be quite a bit older sitting around a tea table. They looked to be not Brendal's age but quite a bit older.

"I don't wanna leave..." Brendal whined, "Igdrian was just showing us his magic artefact. It can-"

"Let's go," father cut him off. As soon as my parents realised Brendal hadn't met any harm or bullying they decided it was time to get going.

I took a deep breath of the night air as I stepped out behind my parents, but just before we went down the stairs, a familiar voice called out,

"Sivis and your boy, come bid me farewell."

It was grandfather standing not far away inside the doors.

I had seen him before stepping outside. As usual, he was surrounded by his vassals and the families of his wannabe heirs, eager to leave a last word before they went back home.

We weren't to greet grandfather. That was made quite clear by father before.

It seems that he had previously tried and been quite categorically ignored. Grandfather still sullen over history long past, and father not particularly trying to find other ways to mend that rift.

But then why would grandfather speak out now, in front of all these guests?

I looked at the carriages lined up in the distance wistfully. I just wanted to get home now.

I didn't move though, as father had just stopped where he was on the stairs. He was taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly, preparing for whatever it was we were wanted for.

"Tilvrade," he turned around and walked by me.

I wriggled my hand that mother was clenching a bit too hard.

"Just follow your father and do what he does, alright?" My mother told me. I was about to say yes, but our voices sounded so loud, the nearby buzz from the party going silent around us.

I just nodded and then scrambled a bit to catch up to father on my shorter legs. Then, I almost bumped into him as he came to a sudden stop inside the door.

"Duke Feles, we humbly thank your grace for the invitation and offer congratulations and well wishes for your continued health and office."

I copied father's bow as we stood, still a few meters from the duke.

"Ah, yes. There he is, handsome boy." The duke said, not even acknowledging father's bow. "Come here." His bony finger beckoned me forward.

I looked at him, and at father who was still bent at the waist, and back at the duke who looked at me with eyes of flint.

It was harder than I thought to take those few steps away from father, my shoes clacking against the marble floor much more loudly than I thought they would. I took a deep breath, realising I was standing here now, for better or for worse at the centre of attention.

Grandfather looked at me, up and down and I looked back at his eyes with a confidence I did not feel.

"Duke Feles," I made up for nerves with strength behind my voice, "this one is Tilvrade Feles, son of Sivis Feles. Please accept our congratulations and well wishes for your continued health and office."

I heard a gasp from who I now knew was Lady Miladona and a murmur of voices. I don't know why... I just introduced myself and tried to say something similar to father like mother told me to.

But grandfather watched with interest.

After a moment of awkwardly standing there, I decided to continue, "If you did not have anything to say, we would be grateful if you gave us our leave," I pressed him, perhaps the tension or the remaining amber in my head had enough with all of this family. I just wanted to go home.

I felt father's hand touch my back and some of the warmth in my cheeks evaporated.

But grandfather made a thin smile.

"I expect to see you on Thursday. It seems we might have some things to talk about after all."