The Dukes took their places in the order of their ranking while Kieran sat on his throne majestically, lifting his red cape slightly before doing so. His red, sinister eyes ran across the room, taking in all the Dukes' and Ministers' expressions. He was smiling sardonically, seeing right through their thoughts.

Amusement filled his eyes when he heard two Dukes seated at the back conversing about their future Queen. From their tone of conversation alone, he could perceive their shock to find out about it. His smile only widened, making everyone look at him curiously. They had no idea what was running in their King's mind, for his face was as impassive as ever, not giving away anything.

Even Seymour, who was considered close to the King, could not discern his King's smile, and he looked at him questioningly. There was something different about the powerful man from the previous night to now, and Seymour wondered what had happened in this time gap for his King to have changed suddenly.

Not oblivious to the men's thoughts, Kieran marveled at their confusion. To him, the people before him were nothing but mere pawns in the deadly game he was playing. But he had no intention to lose even one among them, for every one of them had a significant role in his plan, especially when he had a long battle awaiting him.

Kieran had already made plans for his life, the future, one which nobody knew about. And the most important person in his life was his Queen, for whom he had been waiting desperately all these years. It was all he needed, and it was her who would help him achieve what he wanted. The girl he loved for years had eventually returned to him, and all he had to do was find her before it was too late.

'Who among the people here could be my Queen's father?' Kieran wondered. 'What if her father does not work for me and is still an aristocrat?' Even though the notion came to his mind, his intuition told him that his girl's father was someone he knew and was close to. But he could not point out who he was.

"Your Majesty," Seymour was the first to speak as he started the session as always. "Congratulations on finding our Queen." As soon he congratulated their King, all the other Dukes and Ministers started congratulating him, making Kieran's smile widen. He could not control his joy, and it was so evident that all the men in the courtroom could see it.

Their King's eyes were unbelievably red, taking such a dark shade that it almost resembled black. Yet, one could see the fire in them. It was the fire of excitement and blithe. There was an odd baleful charm about him that made people wary of him and, at the same time, attracted to him.

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Kieran did not say a word and nodded curtly at his Council, smiling widely. He knew that quite a few people in the court were not happy at him finding his Queen. But Kieran, for once ignored them. He was in a pleasant mood and did not wish to spoil it by dealing with them on the day he had finally found his happiness again. 'I will let you all live another day. But soon, you will all face what you should have met years ago. Death.'

Kieran's eyes flashed but returned to normal before anyone noticed it. He ran his minacious eyes around the courtroom, observing the people who would soon face their doom. 'I have been waiting for this day and can finally seek revenge.' He ran his tongue on his teeth before it halted on his fangs. 'I will go on a hunt tomorrow. Let me see who my first prey will be. Beware.' He thought and fixed his gaze on the only man he trusted in the courtroom.

"Seymour," He just called him, and the old Duke understood what his King wanted of him.

"As we all know that we have finally found our Queen." Duke Seymour started, his voice loud and clear, reaching all corners of the room. "His Majesty has some announcements to make on the last day of the Mid-Autumn Festival. In this regard, I request all the members of the Council to be present at the capital center, and please do bring all your family members on this day.

As soon as Seymour stated all that he had discussed with King the previous night, murmurs broke out in the courtroom, interrupting his speech. But Seymour did not mind it, for he knew that his following words would ensue silence again. "All the aristocrats and their families are to be present, and soon, an invitation will be sent to all the aristocrats of Rothnia."

Seymour's words brought smiles to everyone's faces. Even though they were not as great as Duke Seymour in their reputation and social standing, they were still considered the creme de la creme of the aristocrats in the kingdom of Vlei. To be personally invited by the King himself, their pride was immensely satisfied, and they nodded in exhilaration.

Neither their King nor Duke Seymour had specified the actual reason for the unexpected demand. But quite a few intelligent men in the courtroom already had a hunch about it.

'His Majesty did not reveal who our Queen would be. We only found out that we would soon have a Queen to rule over us. Does that mean His Majesty does not know who she is?'

As soon as the thought came into their minds, the Dukes and Ministers who had daughters and sisters of marriageable age could not stop grinning. Their faces were beaming in delight and they turned to look at the formidable man who was just examining everyone silently.

Kieran let out a quiet scoff. Though nobody had spoken their thoughts, he had already read them and understood what was running through minds. All of them were eager to be relatives with him to gain power, and they wanted to use this opportunity to push their daughters or sisters towards him, in hopes of him taking fantasy to any one of them and making her his Queen.

'Fools.' He thought before he got up and pushed his cape back. Everybody stopped talking at once, focusing their attention on the King.

"I, Kieran Allendale, invite all of you to present here as well as your families to attend the last day of the Mid Autumn Festival. I will introduce your Queen, and an important announcement will be made that day. I hope to see all of you and your families on this special day."