Dinner was served as Nero explained the rest of what would be happening. There were three main things they had been requested to test. First, if Lann understood the value, or at least the purpose, of this alliance. Second, if Lann could work with those he disliked for the benefit of his nation. Third, if Lann could handle being corrected by royalty of another nation. It was overall a tall order, especially if Lann went on a rampage while they tested any of these things. They could only hope this aide could reign him in.

After he finished this, Nero admitted that he had been spying on them to be sure they were trustworthy. “I cannot leave the fate of Tethia in the hands of potential traitors,” he told them.

While Cassandra understood the sentiment, Nero was not one for putting things delicately. That being said, they all managed to leave this dinner in one piece. It seemed it would be another busy period, since they had to prepare for tests on top of a foreign royal. Things got even more hectic when King Nero received word that Beraud’s prince had departed early and was already on his way.

It was frustrating, but there was likely very little the butler who had sent the message could have done to stop him. With that in mind, they had no idea when Prince Lann would actually arrive and spent the next couple of days on high alert. The prince arrived late at night the day after they received the message. Instead of a greeting the first words he uttered were complaints about his travels.

“Why is this supposed border town so far from the actual border?” he demanded, not even opening the door, despite the fact that the carriage had long since come to a stop, “I can’t believe that I of all people had to spend the night in a carriage like some common person.”

“Between our borders lies the Draconis Mountains,” his butler told him, stepping down from his seat next to the driver to open the door for his stubborn master, “Shall I tell your father you were not paying attention in classes after all?”

Prince Lann threw the carriage door open, his butler gracefully stepping out of the way just in time. “You will do no such thing! Draw me a bath and tell them to prepare a feast.”

Cassandra could already feel her irritation rising. Not only had he wasted time arguing with his servant, he still had yet to acknowledge their existence forcing them to wait to welcome him. The next words out of his mouth when he finally glanced over convinced her that he truly had no respect for this alliance or Tethia.

“You’re pretty cute,” he told Cassandra, instantly drawing way too close for comfort, “I was told everyone gathered here are the future leaders of Tethia. Do you have a fiance yet?”

On second thought, perhaps it would have been better if this guy had continued to ignore them. “I am Cassandra, acting Lord of Teber,” she told him with a curtsy rather than answer his question.

She could see the interest he had die off in an instant. “Just a lord? A pity.”

It was hard to say which part was more annoying. His blatant disregard for lower nobility or his clear lack of understanding of Tethia’s system of power. The latter was more forgivable since the workings of Nobility were far from common knowledge. Lann brushed past her and greeted King Nero who had donned his crown for this. If he hadn’t, Cassandra doubted Beraud’s prince would have been able to figure out who the king was.

“It may not be the feast you were imagining, but we have prepared a dinner to welcome you,” Nero told him, “Perhaps a proper feast can be arranged with some more time. Would you like to bathe first?”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Don’t be ridiculous. Preparing a bath takes nearly an hour,” Lann scoffed.

“Perhaps in Beraud,” his butler butted in, “but this is Tethia. They use magic to fill, heat, and drain the water.”

“Shut up, Alvis!” Lann snapped, “How dare a mere butler interrupt a conversation between royals! Have you forgotten you no longer hold the esteemed position as my tutor?”

As Prince Lann continued to ramble, Cassandra was focused on the revelation of the butler’s identity. Could that be the same Alvis who helped found Tethia? He seemed normal enough, with a distinguished butler’s suit and long black hair tied back in a neat but loose fashion. The only thing that really seemed odd about him was his spectacles. With healing magic so prevalent glasses were more of a fashion statement than a tool of sight. Was that the difference between Tethia and Beraud?

It was a testament to the skill of the servants that they were able to continue their duties during such a commotion. Somehow Lann was guided to his room to take his longed for bath. As the butler Alvis followed his charge, Cassandra swore their eyes met for a moment, and she could feel Yuki shift on her shoulders. No one else seemed to notice anything, though.

Luckily the bath bought them some time to finish the stalled dinner preparations and serve a meal that was worthy of a diplomatic envoy. Based on his earlier behavior, Cassandra highly doubted Lann would pass any of the tests, but they could not just skip them. Then again, if things continued like this, they might not have to go out of their way to do anything.

The first and second tests were already teetering on the brink of failure. Lann showed no respect for the alliance and he had so quickly dismissed Cassandra’s existence once he deemed her unworthy of his time. That wasn’t quite dislike, but it didn’t bode well. The third he might squeeze past as he had at least treated Nero as an equal.

What Cassandra found even more concerning was the presence of Alvis as Prince Lann’s butler. Not only that, she was certain he was the aide the king of Beraud had sent to watch his son. Why else would a prestigious royal tutor suddenly take on the role of a butler? Even Autumn had been unsure of the man’s trustworthiness and intentions.

“I don’t like him,” Alois said, taking a seat next to Cassandra at the massively long banquet table they had seldom used since they arrived. They were currently waiting for the freshly bathed Prince Lann to emerge from his chambers and join them.

“You should not speak ill of royalty at their welcoming banquet,” Cassandra scolded, though she had to admit that Lann was a difficult person to like.

“Not him, the butler,” Alois corrected, “It’s not even worth bringing up the prince.”

That took Cassandra by surprise. They had yet to have a chance to warn the others about Alvis and who he really was. “What is wrong with the butler?” she asked instead. She couldn’t bring any of that up here.

“Doesn’t he seem to happy about everything?” Alois explained, “Even if he was sent as some kind of watcher he got demoted and has to follow nonsense orders and take verbal beatings from the prince. Yet every time I see him he has the smile of some kind of schemer witnessing his plan play out perfectly before his eyes.”

“If he really is the king’s aide and the prince’s old tutor, is it possible he suggested this plan?” Cassandra questioned. It would fit the information she did have about Alvis as well.

Before Alois had a chance to respond, the dining room doors burst open and Prince Lann stepped through. Now that he was clean and put together he truly had the aura of a prince. If he hadn’t immediately marched up to Cassandra with a smug expression, it might have even been impressive.

“My butler tells me you are a future princess,” Lann began, “If you had introduced yourself properly I would not have been so cold.”

He proceeded to ignore the seating arrangements and stole the chair at Cassandra’s other side. She could already tell this dinner would be long and painful. However, since Lann had chosen this himself, it would be the perfect opportunity to run him through those tests so they could send him on his way.