As the merry laughter continued on the dance hall of the castle, Siros and Pierre were on edge. They had gathered all the prominent forces of the city in this hall, and they were all waiting for a word from their lord commander, prince Siros.

Pierre glanced at Siros who was currently sitting on his private chamber, looking intently at the mirror, and couldn't help but feel a strange way. His lord was properly dressed for the occasion wearing his most elaborate and outstanding clothes which were lined with pure gold and purple. On his hip a short sword with the hilt being a lion head . This showed that he was more than a mere noble of the kingdom and held a military position in it. He was the figure of perfection, as a scion of nobility should be, but one thing broke that figure....the constant tapping of his foot on the floor. It broke his calm persona and made him seem like a commoner, but Pierre couldn't bring himself to judge his liege. He even subtly smiled for a second as it reminded him of the first time he had gone to battle.

"Pierre , are all who have received a letter arrived at the ball? " swiftly said Siros as he tried to keep his composure, and Pierre immediately forgot about what he was thinking and answered.

"Almost my liege...but the ones who didn't come wrote of ailments that prevented them from attending, but they have indeed sent someone to represent them."

"I see... then it seems it is time to put the plan into motion. Bring me my robe!" exclaimed Siros as he finally got up from his comfortable chair and took one last look at himself on the mirror as Pierre put a priceless purple robe on his shoulders, and Siros couldn't help but scratch his neck. ' Hmph...it would be such a waste to loose it so quickly.'

His mind replayed his plan again and again , but he forcefully expelled those thoughts and took on the persona he had created for this occasion. He closed his eyes slightly, ruffled his hair just a little bit and even used some wine to rinse up his mouth. These were subtle signs ,but the ones he had invited were masters of etiquette, so it would definitely get their attention.

*creek...

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The doors of his chamber were opened and Siros left with a big stride making the soldiers who were nearby to stand attention. Pierre followed just a step behind him , his hand on his sword pommel. He was ready to draw it at a moments notice, if anything ever occurred. The two of them were like a wave of unseen force as they moved forward until they arrived at the entrance of the dance hall and the Lord Stewart greeted them.

"Your majesty Siros, everyone is expecting you." said the aging stewart as he bowed with the outmost etiquette. He was about 50 years old with graying hair, but his body was straight and strong like that of a young man.

"Indeed, then let us not make them wait any longer."

"As you will, your majesty." acknowledged the stewart as he opened the big double doors and stepped forward into the dance hall. As soon as he did, the sound of a bell was heard clearly by all the guests present making them stop their chatting and turn towards him.

"Hear ye!

All bow before the second prince of Galancia, the proud lion, and lord commander of Toro city....his majesty, Siros!" the stewart yelled the last word's making them resonate inside the big hall and the person in question came forward. Siros calmly entered the dance hall and all the nobles , knights and merchants bowed in respect towards him. Without any haste Siros moved a couple of steps forward and took a look at all his subjects. He felt a burden on his shoulders like never before, but it wasn't enough to make him forget.

He raised his hand and his voice was clearly heard on the hall. "Raise your heads!"

As soon as he said this all of his guests did as he told and immediately moved their gaze towards him. It felt like he was washed over by a wave as more than fifty pair of eyes looked on at him.

'And so the game begins..."

"Your majesty, you grace us with your presence!" said one of the nobles ladies nearby as she did her best to show him her ample bosom, but Siros ignored her and just replied with a simple 'indeed'.

"Your majesty...

"Your majesty....

After her many other guests came to greet him and he was fully surrounded by the guests. They did their outmost to make themselves as friendly as they could, especially the few females there who were quite obviously tried to seduce him. Pierre was surprised by such a direct display, as usually the noble ladies were quite more subtle, but he quickly remembered his masters words. 'Indeed, hope is such a great motivator.'

The price was swarmed by his guests as they vied for his attention, but one person amongst them seemed uninterested. He had short curly hair and black eyes, and those eyes were focused on Siros. They followed his every moment with fervor, not even even blinking for a second.