The thing with Helena and Lady Heliard was far from over. Hell, things just ramped up because Mother and Madam Heliard had joined in on the fun...

It was like watching a mental warfare happening on two different fronts.

While the smell of sarcasm and mockery was fresh from how the two girls carried it, the one with the two experienced women was full of subtleties and hidden gestures.

A minute before, they were praising someone's jewelry, and the next thing I knew, a comment that was implicating an unlawful tyranny or supporting a coup had been made.

I was listening and could catch a drift of what they were saying, but engaging in the craft itself was still impossible for me, all the more so if we were to count all the gestures in which the conversation must be conducted.

'Now that I think about it, I have nothing but respect for Helena. For a wild and unruly girl like her, studying these things that were riddled with so many restrictions and intricacies must be killing her. No wonder she always went straight and had me pat her head whenever her class with Mother was over...'

"Royal Procession!!" A loud call reverberated throughout the whole ballroom, stealing everyone's attention and, thankfully, finally putting a stop to this war of nerve I was stuck in.

Not a whisper was heard, and as the silence gradually sank in and the crowd's attention was gathered, the huge door creaked open yet again.

At the vanguard of the grand entourage, a tall, muscular man with platinum blond hair entered the room. His gait was firm and straight. His face was fierce and sharp. On his hand, the clacking of the Royal Scepter rhythmically hit the ground while the long white regal robe draped along his stride.

And presiding over all that was the golden crown, which was fashioned with all kinds of precious gems.

Following him on each side were the two men who shared the similar, if not the same, majestic air from the former. Be as it may, they look nothing like their father. Two of them had proudly paraded their own style and features, except for that look of superiority, which I dared to assume to be one of the earliest things they picked up from the man in front of them himself.

"You stand in the presence of Voressa Demeria Boreas, the King of Boreas, the rightful protector of the West, the hero of Leporia, The spear of Lorian, and the Wise and the Mighty." Introduced the guard with a roaring voice, ushering the king and his royal family into the venue.

'Dang...how many titles were there...' I mused inside.

"Long live the King!!" The entire audience boomed with salutations right after they finished introducing the king with all his titles.

On the other hand, the man in question himself merely waltzed in, not sparing even a glance or acknowledging the others in the room.

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At least, not until he landed upon his throne in the far front. And the first thing he did was to wave his hand inaudibly for the two Princes, telling them that it was now their time to take their seats.

"Helena. We need to go." Whispered Howard soft, fetching his twin sister.

It was their birthday party, after all. It wouldn't make sense to have them ignore the social conventions at an event this formal.

Then again, them entering with us rather than the king was bizarre enough...

"Tch...I'll be back, Alex." She clicked her tongue and squeezed my hand hard, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Yeah. We'll be here." I nodded lightly in return.

As she walked away, Helena didn't forget to cast a sideway look toward Lady Heliard. That expression of annoyance spoke volumes about what she was cooking in her head in regard to the Lady, to which the latter responded in kind as she subtly slipped in a gesture for Helena to leave quickly.

Helena almost stopped again and gave her piece, but fortunately, Howard was there to get hold of his sister, and Helena herself was exercising a level of patience much better than her old self could ever hope to achieve.

Thus, the twins made their way, side by side, to have their audience with their royal father and also with the rest of their family...

The harp and violins gently chanted their steps from the distance, banishing the awkward silence that attempted to seize the whole venue. Luckily, it was not for long since the distance between us and the king was not that far in the first place.

The twins quickly reached the place, bowing to give their respect.

"We are here, Royal Father." Led Howard.

"Hm..." Hummed the man simply.

"May you live long and prosper!" Added the boy, followed by Helena in tandem.

"..." Seemingly bored, the man kept his mouth tightly shut.

"I believe a word of thank you is in order for both of you, my adorable little siblings. If not for you, we wouldn't be having this lovely family reunion, would we?" Spoke the second Prince, breaking the ice.

"Not all of us, Nathan." Interjected the first Prince curtly.

"Now, now, Troy. The whole world knows that William is attending Rockfelle at the moment and can't make it back. Or maybe you're referring to all the unpure gentlemen you've been hoarding back in your private estate?" Said the second Prince with a tinge of mockery laced in his words.

It was a pure and blunt provocation. Everyone knew as clearly as a day what the second Prince was talking about.

'The king's bastards...' I scrutinized their interactions with rapt attention, focusing my senses to catch everything.

"Careful with your tongue, little brother." A quiet warning came stoically from the firstborn.

"Little brother? A bit late to play the brother's card after all the failed attempts to have me live in bed my whole life, don't you think so, Troy?" Scoffed the man jolly from the opposite side, taunting the other party by purposedly dragging his name.

"Where is the boy?"

A rough and thick baritone suddenly cut through the two Princes's exchanges, seemingly unfazed by everything. With his hand grasping the scepter and the other supporting his cheek, the king finally spoke, much with the same arrogant air that had hugged him close since he came.

No one needed to spell out who he was looking for.

I knew it, she knew it, everyone knew it.

I took a deep breath and gripped the wheel, feeling a mix of its contrasting texture in my hand.

'Well...There goes my cue...'