Marcus stared longingly at the plate in front of him.

Like the snack he had before, the dinner too consisted of a collection of different types of raw meat, which looked absolutely delicious to him. Moreover, he had just laid a few eggs in his room before going out to join the marquis for dinner, an activity that never failed to make him hungry.

Sadly, his dining companions didn't seem all that interested in actually starting eating for now, and the Vex Queen would feel uncomfortable being the only one doing so, especially since the atmosphere in the room was far from relaxed. In fact, this meeting reminded him more of a war council than of an informal dinner. So he just sat there, trying to listen to the conversation while ignoring his own hunger.

Marquis Eisen and the Goblin General were both there as expected, but Marcus had been quite surprised to find that Yasen had joined them as well. As always, the captain’s presence made him feel quite awkward, but luckily they were sitting quite apart from each other right now, and besides the tone of the conversation was serious enough to keep most wayward thoughts at bay for now.

Apparently, the dinner had been organized as a pretext for the Brettholz leaders to meet with Yasen, who had been tasked by Orr to relay some important information to the trio. And much to Marcus’s chagrin, none of that news was to his liking.

“So you’re saying that the entire Council of Nobles has been invited to this Toathal banquet?” Eisen was asking the Captain.

“Yes.” Yasen replied. “At least those we know about.”

“But why?” The marquis wondered, looking rather confused. “Isn’t that going to make things more complicated?”

“Well, there is a saying that goes: keep your friend close and your enemies closer.” Trakk chimed in, his eyes shining with excitement. The General was clearly in his element while plotting and scheming. “Maybe the king wants to keep an eye on them. Or maybe he wants them to witness something. Or maybe both.” He turned towards Yasen. “What do you think about it, Captain? Do you know anything about the king’s plans?”

“Alas, no. I’m not generally included in those political matters.” The Aura Master replied with a smirk. “His majesty knows well that I’m not cut out for it, so he mercifully keeps me out of it.”

“But you still came here to warn us.” The goblin noticed.

“That was Orr’s idea.” The captain shrugged. “He suggested that since I’m the last person anyone would suspect to be involved in politics, that would make me the perfect messenger. Besides, even I can do something as simple as bringing information.”

“I see.” Trakk nodded. “That is clever. And since it’s well known that you are Marquis Eisen’s friend, no one would find it weird that he invited you for dinner.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it.” The knight confirmed. “Personally I’d prefer to actually have a friendly dinner, maybe accompanied by a couple of beers, but well, some other time perhaps. For now, I better give you the rest of the info I have before I forget something.”

“By all means, do.” The Marquis urged him.

“Very well.” Yasen said. “Orr also wanted you to know that in addition to the members of the Council, pretty much everyone worthy of note in the kingdom has also been invited, plus a score of foreign dignitaries.” He smirked. “I’m actually kinda curious to see how they’re all going to fit in the great hall.”

“Well, the great hall is quite large.” Eisen said. “It could fit more than two hundred people.”

“Yes.” Yasen replied. “However, the number of invitees is currently double that, and still rising.”

Eisen’s eyes went wide at this revelation, while Marcus, who still hated dealing with crowds, couldn’t help but grimace. The only one who seemed to take it well was Trakk, who smiled and nodded with satisfaction, looking like someone who had just solved a puzzle.

“That settles it then.” The goblin announced. “The king has something he wants to show to as many people as possible.” He stared at Yasen for a moment. “Do you have any idea about what it could be?”

“No clue.” The captain shrugged. “As I said, they kept me out of the loop.”

“Mh.” The General nodded. “Very well. What else do you have to tell us then?”

“What makes you so sure I have something else to tell?” The knight asked half-jokingly.

“Well, what you told us so far doesn’t really justify having to organize this little meeting.” The goblin explained. “After all, the list of invitees shouldn’t be a secret, so there is no reason that a servant couldn’t have brought it to us instead of you. Besides, it shouldn't affect our plans anyway. So I guessed that you have some more confidential information to tell us.”

Yasen nodded, looking rather impressed.

“You’re right.” He confirmed. “There are a few more things I need to tell you. For starters, there are going to be a few people from outside the Empire at the banquet, from the Principate of Temnos and the Djinni Dominate. They have somewhat different customs compared to us, so it’d be better if someone teaches you and sir Marcus how you should behave when interacting with them.”

“I can do that.” Eisen said. “Though I’m no expert, at least I know the basics of international diplomacy.”

“Excellent.” Yasen approved. “It’s just to be safe, mind you. I doubt that either sir Marcus or Trakk would cause a diplomatic incident, but Orr insisted that we should try to make them look as good and civilized as possible.” He glanced at the two non-humans and quickly added: “Not that I mean that you are uncivilized or anything.”

“Don’t worry, I take no offense.” Marcus replied.

“Me neither.” Trakk also said cheerfully. “I know the reputation my species has among humans, and to be fair it’s not entirely baseless. But I can use it to my advantage, so I don’t really mind.”

“Very good.” Yasen nodded, looking relieved. “Anyway, there is also something else that needs to be addressed.” He turned towards Marcus. “As is standard procedure for this kind of event, there are going to be a few magical wards around the great hall, and the Magister is worried that you could either trigger or disrupt them if you get too close. So he prepared this map of the room with the general layout of the wards displayed on it, so that you can avoid them.” He took out a folded paper from his pockets and handed it to the Vex Queen. “However, since this is quite some delicate information, I must ask that you burn it right after you memorize it. If this layout got leaked, it would be a serious security breach.”

“Alright. I can do that.” The Vex Queen replied, grabbing the paper. “Though I must ask… wouldn’t this crown I’m wearing hide me from those wards? I’ve been told that it does hide my aura, after all.”

“Maybe.” The captain shrugged. “But Orr probably doesn’t want to take risks. After all, no one with your aura has ever donned that crown before.”

“Alright. I understand.” Marcus nodded. “I’ll do my best to stay out of the wards’ area then.”

There was a brief silence after that exchange, and for a moment the Vex Queen hoped that the conversation would be over and that they could finally start eating. He was just about to grab his fork and dig in when, much to his dismay, Yasen suddenly began speaking again.

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“Oh right. I almost forgot!” He said. “There is another thing I need to tell you, sir Marcus. His majesty has prepared another gift for you. He hired some of Rennhafen’s most skilled tailors in order to provide you with a suitable dress for this event.” He smiled brightly. “They are going to come and start taking your measurements tomorrow morning.”

It took every ounce of Marcus’s self control to swallow back the caustic answer that was about to come out of his mouth. There were few activities that he hated more than trying on feminine dresses, but even he realized that it would be very impolite to refuse.

“That’s… very thoughtful of the king.” He said with a forced smile. “I’ll make sure to be available tomorrow morning.”

Sadly, despite his almost heroic efforts to hide his displeasure, Yasen immediately picked it up.

“Is everything alright, sir Marcus?” The captain asked. “You look a bit tense.”

Before Marcus could formulate an answer, the marquis suddenly replied on his behalf.

“Well, knowing her, she probably just doesn’t like the idea of having to wear a dress.” The nobleman correctly guessed. “She did express similar feelings when she did so at my own palace, if I’m not mistaken. Probably it has something to do with the fact that she used to be a man in her previous life.”

The Vex Queen raised an eyebrow, surprised at how well Eisen knew him.

“Well… I didn’t want to sound impolite, but if I’m being honest then yes, I don’t actually really like wearing dresses.” He confessed. “But as your head maid Olga explained to me, there is actually a good reason for me to do so, so I can bear with it. Don’t worry.”

“I’m glad that you remember Olga’s words.” The marquis nodded approvingly. “She’s a very wise woman, and you can’t really go wrong by listening to her. Anyway, though it’s positive that you’re starting to take politeness into account when you speak, you can still be honest with us. After all, we've known each other for a while, so we won’t judge you.” He smiled encouragingly. “Save the politeness for the people at the banquet. You are really going to need it then.”

Marcus looked at him for a moment, processing those words, and then decided that he could indeed relax a bit. As the nobleman had said, they had known each other for a while, so they could be a bit more informal with each other.

“Thank you.” He said. “I’m still not really used to formalities yet, so it’s quite tiring to try to follow them.” He turned towards Yasen and said: “By the way, sorry for not telling you how I felt right away. I didn’t mean to deceive you, but I was just worried about being rude. ”

“Don’t worry, I take no offense.” The Captain reassured him. “I was just a bit confused by your reaction. But now that I know your circumstances, I can easily understand it. I mean, I would feel embarrassed too if I was forced to wear a dress in public.” He paused for a moment, and then added with a grin: “Though in my case, I wouldn’t look half as good as you in it.”

Marcus hesitated for a moment, unsure on how to take this compliment, but then he decided that it was best to treat it as a friendly joke —mostly because the alternative would have made him feel awkward.

“Anyway, if it really bothers you, I’m sure the tailors could prepare some more masculine clothes for you.” Yasen then added in a more serious tone. “You just have to ask them.”

Marcus considered this proposition for a moment. Not going in public looking like a princess doll certainly had its appeal, but sadly if he was to follow Olga’s advice, that’s exactly what he had to do.

“Thank you, but sadly I think it'd be better if I stick to completely female clothes.” He said regretfully. “After all, if I have to look as harmless as possible, then dressing like a posh little princess is definitely the best way to achieve that. I mean, who would be scared of an innocent, sweet lil’ lizard gal? I might even have to try to act the part too.” He then tilted his head to the side and made a mockingly exaggerated girly pose, while flushing his eyelashes. When he spoke, he did so in a very high-pitched, feminine voice, though sarcasm was clearly detectable in it. “Oh please milords! I’m just a pretty little girl who likes to chase butterflies while prancing around in flowery meadows!”

This pantomime elicited a general chuckle from others.

“That might be overdoing it a little.” Eisen said with a smile.

“Maybe, but she’s still adorable.” Yasen chimed in. “I don’t think she’ll have any problem charming the crowd.”

He winked at the Vex Queen, making him feel once again incredibly awkward.

“Ehm… well, personally I don’t feel particularly charming, so we’ll see.” Marcus stuttered in response. Then he quickly tried to change the subject, asking the first thing that came to his mind: “Anyway…” He turned towards the marquis. “Yasen mentioned people from outside the Empire earlier. The Djinni Dominate and the Principate of Temnos if I’m not mistaken. Could you tell me more about those places?”

“Oh sure.” The nobleman nodded. “Well, they both lie to the east, beyond the Federation, and they are both ruled by non-humans, the Djinni and the Vampires, respectively.”

“Vampires?” The Vex Queen raised his eyebrow in surprise. “You mean… like blood sucking undead?”

“Well, they are not undead, but they do suck blood. Though it’d be probably better if you don’t bring this up when you talk with them. It’s a rather… sensitive subject, diplomatically speaking.” He said cautiously.

“Noted.” Marcus nodded. “So… what are they like? Do they look like pale humans with fangs or something?”

“No, that’s their Ghoul thralls. The ones that used to be human, at least.” The nobleman replied. “I’m surprised you know about them. But anyway, real Vampires are more like… well, try to imagine a bat-like Thulian. That’s how Vampires look like.”

“Alright.” The Vex Queen had no trouble visualizing a humanoid-bat hybrid. He’d read enough comics in his childhood to have a clear mental image of such a creature. “What are these Ghoul thralls you speak about though?”

“Well, they are the Vampires’ servants, created through their blood magic.” Eisen explained, and though his voice remained neutral, it was clear from his face that he found the subject deeply unpleasant. “They obey their masters completely, even at the cost of their own lives.”

“Oh.” Marcus said. “So are they like… slaves or something?”

“Kinda.” The marquis replied. “However, for the most part people volunteer to become Ghouls, as far as I know.”

“Why would anyone want to volunteer for it?” The Vex Queen asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.

“Well, becoming a Ghoul comes with several advantages.” Captain Yasen chimed in. “Increased strength, reflexes and senses, and most importantly an extremely long lifespan, if they regularly feed on other peoples’ blood at least. It’s no surprise that a lot of people are willing to trade their freedom and humanity for it.”

“Indeed.” The marquis agreed. “Though, as with the blood-sucking, this is a subject best left buried when speaking directly with the Temnosians. They can be rather touchy about it.”

“Alright. Then I’ll try my best not to talk about it.” Marcus replied, feeling a bit shocked by this news. To discover that vampires were real in this world was worrying and exciting at the same time. “Just to be sure though… these people aren’t going to try and drink my blood during the banquet, are they?”

“Don’t worry.” Eisen replied. “Though there are stories of blood-starved Temnosians going on a rampage, those who are going to attend the banquet are all nobles and diplomats, so it’s highly unlikely that any of them would attack anyone… unless provoked, of course.” He looked at Marcus with a very serious expression on his face. “Temnosians nobles highly value their honor, and are quick to anger if they think that they’ve been insulted. So I kindly ask that you be careful when speaking to them. And by the way, don't actually call them vampires to their face. They prefer to be called Temnosians.”

“Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.” The Vex Queen said. “Though I must ask: if these vampires are so… peculiar, why did the king bother inviting them? From what you told me, they seem like a handful.”

“Well, that’s because they are allies of the Empire.” Eisen explained. “And for all their faults, they have actually proven to be trustworthy.”

“Yes.” Yasen concurred. “As much as it pains me to admit it, it’s mostly thanks to their help that we’ve managed to stabilize our borders with the Dominate. Since the vampires watch our southern flank, we’re free to concentrate our defenses elsewhere, enough to discourage most attacks from the Djinnis.” He shook his head. “They still give me the creeps though.”

“I think that’s understandable.” The marquis said. “Though it’s best if you keep this opinion to yourself, at least in the presence of the Temnosians.”

Marcus took a mental note about trying to avoid these vampires —or rather, these Temnosians— entirely if possible, and then was about to ask about the Djinni Dominate, when suddenly a loud rumbling came from his stomach, together with a sudden pang of hunger. Clearly, his body had decided that it had enough, and now it demanded nutrients.

“Ooops. Sorry.” The Vex Queen apologized, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Don’t worry.” The marquis reassured him. “We’ve been talking for a while now and we’ve barely touched our food, so it’s perfectly normal that you might get a bit hungry. In fact, so am I.” He smiled and looked at the others. “So, what do you all say about actually having dinner now, and then to actually each go to our rooms? It has been a pretty long day, and I bet we’re all feeling tired.”

“I’d say that’d be for the best.” Yasen said. “It is getting pretty late, and tomorrow morning we’re all going to be pretty busy.”

“Indeed.” Trakk agreed. “Besides, we can always meet for another dinner if we need to speak again.”

“Excellent.” Eisen said. “In that case, let’s enjoy our meal, shall we?”

Marcus smiled, feeling grateful for the nobleman’s consideration, and together with the others he finally started eating. Though his immediate future seemed rather hectic, for this one evening he decided that he was done worrying. All problems could wait until the next morning and for now the Vex Queen simply focused on enjoying his meal, making small talk with his dinner companions before he’d go to bed to have a good night of sleep.