The evening of the banquet had arrived and thoughtfully Edward observed the surrounding events. An estimated one hundred guests had gathered in the hall; to the Crown Prince's surprise, the chiefs had actually remained in town. However, as he watched his father hold diplomatic talks with many different groups, he understood why. Before leaving, as many issues as possible should be resolved to avoid incidents and disputes in the future. However, since everyone was pursuing the same goal, it was comparatively quiet in the room. On the sidelines, Edward spotted Sir Venlan, who had been keeping an eye on his father and him the whole time, but abstained from all conversation.

Prince Edward was sitting alone at one of the large tables, they had already dined and most of the people around him were talking. He himself, on the other hand, couldn't really join in anywhere; after all, he was a spectator most of the time, with no rights to speak. Sometimes he felt like he was just serving his father to show off the kingdom, even though he basically realized that he didn't have much choice either.

A few minutes of boredom later, his father appeared beside him, followed by his advisor, the king's unofficial left hand. King Leonhardt seemed pleased, presumably he had had a successful conversation or his behavior was due to the alcohol in his hand. Silently, Edward watched his father bend down to him, something he would not normally do, and spoke in a cheerful voice.

"The evening is getting even more interesting, the daughter of the second chief Merensen is here."

Immediately, all the alarm bells rang in Edward's head. Aletta Merensen. She was a celebrity far beyond the country's borders. Everyone knew she possessed Holy Mana like her father, and thanks to her rank, mana, and age, she was the perfect bride for many people, if not for chief Merensen's announcement of her engagement to a man of the Heriog tribe a year ago. Since that day, nothing has been seen of her, as if the chiefs were hiding her from the outside world.

"You never guess who accompanies her", the king of Sylve added. He would never use such language in public, which is why Sir Venlan also looked a little skeptically at his superior. Astonished, Edward looked at his father, who was smiling all over his ears. The prince followed his father's gesture to the chiefs of Frignez.

It was downright impossible to miss the group. While they mostly wore dark clothes, the Frignez residents were dressed in a bright white. So was the young girl with short blond hair who was just being embraced by the 2nd chiefs. Compared to her father, she seemed tiny, which made the sight seem a little real, as if the giant was about to crush her.

For a moment, Crown Prince Edward was irritated, why did his father find the escort more interesting than Aletta Merensen herself? But when the chiefs, who had to be taller than Duke of Freigoud, let go of his daughter and took a step to the side, Edward's spit dropped. Politely, Ninett Mersensen shook hands with the young man who was his daughter's escort.

"William."

"Incredible, isn't it? I was just as surprised. I expected the boy to be stuck in Sylve because of the lockdown, but look at that. He's here in Altona, at the Magistrat, at the banquet, accompanying Aletta Merensen!", King Leonhardt announced with amusement, straightening up before taking a sip of his drink.

Edward stared at his youngest brother in amazement. He hadn't seen him for a few years, and suddenly he traded up again at the most unlikely places of all. What happened? How did he became friends with the Merensen family? Where had he been all this time? Wasn't it always said that he would stay in Sylve? Why was he in Altona?

"Go talk to him, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you again."

With a light tap on his shoulder, his father said goodbye to him again. But Edward was paralyzed. He followed how his little brother, who had become a real man by now, politely greeted the surrounding people.

Tensely, the crown prince watched William for a while, feeling admiration for his appearance and behavior. The little boy, who often got into mischief with Marion, behaved in an exemplary manner. An unusual sight, for him Marion and William were still children, but both were over 20 now. A disconcerting thought and that despite the fact that he had a lot of contact with his brother Marion during the last years. From his behavior, Edward could clearly see that his younger brothers were now real adults.

When Grischa Vonstetten appeared behind him in the next moment, Edward was surprised to see his brother bowing to the man. So William knew exactly who was facing him, but High-Magician Vonstetten seemed almost more surprised than Edward himself. From his reaction and gestures, Edward could tell that High-Magician Vorstetten was quickly prompting William to stand up, almost as if he were uncomfortable.

Edward was getting nervous. He had a strong suspicion that his brother was well aware that his father and he were also present. Had he just not noticed them, or was he deliberately avoiding them?

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Edward had no special relationship with his brothers. Only recently had he become familiar with Marion, but William was almost like a stranger. A thought which Edward did not like. He would have loved to have a better relationship with them, even though he was well aware that the blame for this situation lay with himself. As a child, he had simply missed the jump to request time with his brothers, which is why he had this tenuous relationship.

As he watched his little brother talking to high-ranking personalities, Edward suddenly felt a tremendous distance between them. He seemed to have no problem at all talking to people at eye level, unlike Edward himself. He had had to pattern his whole life after his father so that one day he could follow him to the throne. Since childhood, he envied his brothers for not being the firstborn. While he had to study for hours, he could hear how his brothers played, usually there was trouble for them afterwards, but somehow it never really bothered them. In a way, you could tell Edward was angry. Angry at himself, angry at his father, and angry at his position.

Edward could see High-Magician Vonstetten adding another person to the conversation and greeting him cheerfully, for a moment not recognizing the man. But when the second High-Magician turned to William and adjusted his collar, his heart beat faster.

His younger brother was having a conversation with Caleb Leuen.

All at once, Edward completely questioned his brother's life. What had he been up to all these years? How did he know Aletta Merensen, Grischa Vonstetten and Caleb Leuen? Why was William so familiar with the 12th High-Magician of Altona? Did he know about what was happening in Sylve? Was that why he wanted to become an Anuxer?

Edward's throat tightened. He had previously thought that he, after his father, had the most contacts, but his little brother eclipsed all expectations. Wide-eyed, he watched as Caleb pointed his head in his direction, which William followed before Edward's and his eyes met.

Visibly surprised, Caleb Leuen stared at him and his little brother didn't seem much less surprised either. For a moment, neither of them moved, before Caleb gave a quick little nod and bowed. William did the same, which, in a strange way, hurt Edward quite a bit. They were brothers, never in his life would he ask Marion or William to bow to him, yet here they were in just that situation.

Edward was speechless, he wanted to call out to his brother, but stopped, as he had the many times before. The impassable bridge between them made Edward feel abruptly sad. But the moment William stood up again, he was even more speechless.

William smiled at him.

Edward clasped his hands together as he watched his brother talk to Caleb Leuen and then distance himself from him. Inadvertently, his gaze landed back on the High-Magician, who surveyed William with his eyes and then returned Edward's gaze.

He gave Edward a brief smile before turning his attention back to Grischa Vonstetten.

William, on the other hand, meandered past the people and tables, at first Edward was not realizing that he was coming his way. He was so fixated on William that he didn't notice anything else at all.

His brother wore a dark suit, which definitely had to come from Altona, that much was revealed to him by the decorations. Underneath, a noble white shirt was visible, its collar peeking out over the coat. His dark hair had been neatly fought to one side, making his blue eyes shine. Judging by his stature, he had continued to train diligently, and with his size, he should rival Edward by now.

When William was only a few feet away from him, Edward also stood up and walked towards his little brother. From the look on his face, William was pleased to see his brother coming at him. When they finally came to a stop in front of each other, William smiled and greeted his brother with, "Hello, Ed."

The crown prince was a little surprised that William had adopted the nickname, which Marion had developed, and made use of it as well. Not that it bothered him, on the contrary. It made Edward happy.

"It's good to see you, William. I didn't expect to find you here", Edward replied, realizing for himself how strangely distant he was being toward his brother.

"When I came to Altona, one thing led to another", William admitted, almost sheepishly, before glancing briefly at the group with whom King Leonhardt was conversing. For a brief moment, Edward could see his brother's expression darken abruptly, as if he were disgusted or even frightened by the sight of his father. But as quickly as this depressed expression appeared, it disappeared. Edward couldn't help but wonder if William didn't want to see his father.

"Is Benjamin not with you?", Edward therefore quickly spoke up, which made William turn his attention back to the crown prince and smile.

"No, not today. He had no interest in attending the banquet. Not that I blame him, I don't like for such events either."

"Then how come you're here?", replied Edward calmly, but you could still hear the astonishment in his voice.

"Because of you. High-Magician Leuen told me that father and you are in the Magistrat."

Williams made a brief in his statement when he noticed the short shrug from Edward, but did not elaborate.

"Because Aletta Merensen wanted to meet with her father, it somehow turned out that the three of us participate", William added, rubbing his head sheepishly before glancing briefly at the people from the cold north. Aletta was engaged in conversation with her father, while Caleb Leuen and Grischa Vonstetten were talking energetically.

"I didn't know you kept such good contact with Lady Merensen and High-Magician Leuen", Edward spoke up. It almost made the crown prince a little jealous that strangers could maintain a good relationship with his brother, yet he himself was unable to do so.

"You meet all sorts of people once you're out of the palace", William replied with amusement. The statement didn't really help to understand what William had done in the two years and how he had established contact with two well-known personalities from two completely different countries. It felt like it raised even more questions than before, but William didn't really seem to realize that this was the question on his brother's mind. "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Get out?", repeated Edward in wonder.

"Yeah, I can tell you're not enjoying being stuck here either. What do you say we retire and have a conversation just in private for once?"

Edward was a little surprised by his brother bringing out this offer so boldly. Usually he was the one who stayed out of all affairs and behaved almost shyly. It takes a few seconds, however, for Edward to notice that William was very much on edge, even if it could only be seen in his cramped hands.

"Gladly."