Thunderous applause around me brought me back to the present and I joined the clapping, trying to make it seem as if I was paying attention.

The Performers stood on the stage and bowed to the audience.

“Bravo!” some cheered.

“Spectacular!” other praised.

I stood up while clapping, and everyone copied me. After a good ten seconds of clapping I stopped, and everyone did as well.

The props were taken off stage and the musicians returned.

Alastor stored the chairs he had produced and approached me. “What does Your Excellency think of the play?”

I looked him in the eye. “I lack words to properly describe what I felt,” I replied with a faint smile. “I have never seen such a display of talent... and I think I will remember it for a long time.”

A satisfied smile formed on his face. “I'll let the Performers know of your praise, Your Excellency,” he informed me with a nod. “I'm glad you liked it.”

The rest of the chairs were taken care of and Gordon walked to the front of the audience.

“What a performance!” He chuckled. “I hope you enjoyed the talents of our Kingdom. The Illustrious House of Theater was founded by my ancestor and nurtured by the teachings of His Divinity Saravia, shaping those who wish to pursue such a fine art. The group you just saw graduated this year, and will soon travel the world in order to spread the marvels of theater in ways only they can accomplish. I hope you treat them well when they visit your countries,” he finished with a warm smile.

“Definitely,” Claudia, the Monarch of Tidon, replied.

Others replied in the affirmative, and soon the socializing resumed.

“Alastor?” I called out to my guide.

He nodded. “Yes, Your Excellency?”

“Could you point me to the alcohol, please?” I requested.

“Naturally,” he replied and walked off. “This way.”

I followed him, and the group accompanying us followed as well.

We reached a table with a respectable amount of bottles on it. A well dressed server was standing on the other side with a polite smile.

“Good afternoon, honored guests,” he greeted us and gestured at the many ingredients and alcoholic beverages before us. “What are you having?”

Afternoon? I wondered. Was the play that long? “Potato spirit, surprise me,” I challenged the bartender with a cheeky grin.

He smiled back and nodded. “Very well,” he said and got to work.

“Your Excellency,” an unknown voiced called from behind.

I turned around and saw Urgun, the Harpy woman who was somehow related to Lapia's incident.

She bowed. “Please forgive the insolence, but could I have a moment of Your Excellency's time?”

My eyebrows climbed my forehead. I turned to Alastor. “Gives us a few minutes, please,” I requested. “I'll ask somebody to let you know when we're done.”

He nodded and turned to the other politicians. “Shall we?”

They nodded and walked away.

Hanna didn't move from her spot behind me.

Urgun straightened and opened her mouth.

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“Wait,” I interrupted her. 'Come,' I sent to Lapia through the Bond. “Do you drink?”

“I do,” the Harpy replied with a nod, then turned to the bartender. “Terrin wine, ninth century, please.”

The man nodded and placed a metallic cup in front of me. “Your order, honored guest.”

“Thank you.” I nodded and took the drink, then brought it to my lips. “Let's see,” I chuckled and took a sip.

The taste had just the right amount of bitterness and sweetness. The flavors didn't mix, refreshing my mouth on their own. The amount of alcohol was a little disappointing, but it was there nonetheless. It tickled the tongue and went down easily.

“Delicious,” I praised and took another sip.

The bartender smiled. “Thank you.” He uncorked a bottle of wine and served a little bit on a glass, then offered it to the Harpy.

Urgun took it and smelled it. “Hmm,” she hummed in satisfaction, then took the tiniest of sips. “Perfection,” she chuckled and returned the glass.

The server nodded and served half the glass, then handed it back.

Urgun received it and turned to me.

Right on cue, Lapia showed up. She looked at Urgun up and down, and a tiny frown formed on her face. “Lady Urgun,” she greeted the woman.

“Lady Lapia,” the Harpy greeted back. “It's been a while. I'm glad to see you're doing well.”

My girlfriend arched an eyebrow, then looked around us. “This is not the place to chat. How about we go out for a moment?”

I nodded. “Alright.”

Urgun simply nodded.

We left the Hall into the gardens, where a few people were mingling about. We walked to a spot where it was safe to assume nobody could hear us.

Just in case, I gave Hanna a look.

The Ork's eyes flashed with a whitish light, then nodded.

“So,” I began, turning to Urgun and taking a sip of my drink. “You wanted to talk with me?”

The woman nodded. “It has come to my attention that some unsavory individuals were after your life,” she started. “And some information has come my way.”

I raised an eyebrow. “About?”

“About Lady Lapia's circumstances when the two of you met,” she declared.

Lapia sighed. “Were you involved with the bandits that captured me?” She demanded.

“To a certain extent,” Urgun confirmed.

Lapia scowled.

I hummed and produced my spear.

“But not in the way you may think,” she added, eyeing my weapon and taking a step back.

I titled my head. “How, then?”

The Harpy looked me in the eye. “I... have met Lady Elena in the past,” she revealed. “And I believe there is a group targeting those who are, or were, close to Halves.”

I rested the butt of my spear on the ground and the shaft on my shoulder. “Go on.”

Urgun let out a relieved sigh. “Lady Elena and I... were not exactly close, but shared interests. Acquaintances, you could say. We had agreed to meet a while ago, but she never showed up. Back then, I thought she was searching for Her Excellency Yulianna, so I didn't give it much consideration beyond sending a letter,” she recalled. “Time, you see... is viewed differently when one lives more than a thousand years. A century passed without receiving news about her, and I thought her busy still. Such circumstances are not uncommon for us long lived. At our age, it's understood that time heals the deepest of wounds.” Her expression darkened a little, but she regained her composure quickly. “Time moved forward, as it ever does, and Lady Lapia arrived to Kelske. I offered her residence while she stayed there, and she quickly departed. Not long after, an Azuuli Luzo by the name of Denuri paid a visit, informing me of Lady Elena's status of missing person. Unfortunately, I had no information other than what I just shared, so she decided to leave as well. This... left a bitter feeling in me. The power I have is not absolute, and Kelske doesn't see much traffic of people either. I decided to approach a few connections and, through them, contacted a group of bandits that roamed the Cradle of Life in order to set an information network. The bandits had a benefactor already, unfortunately, who instructed them to seek out specific people. I offered a large reward if they ever came across a few select individuals I had knowledge of, and they agreed.”

Lapia was deep in thought.

Still, something didn't click in my head. “Why Lapia?”

Urgun gave me a complicated smile. “She taught His Excellency Desseyr, did she not?”

“What would they accomplish with this?” Lapia wondered out loud. “It's not like they sent a message by doing so.”

Hanna spoke up, “Some people just want to watch the world burn. They can't be reasoned with and they don't make sense to us. Sometimes, the only solution is death.”

I didn't expect to hear that line in this world, but it oddly fits, I sighed in my mind. I thought Lapia being captured was a coincidence... but I guess I was naive. There are no accidents, after all.

“Extremists are a fucking pain to deal with,” Lapia groaned.

I nodded. “True.”