Year 12.328 After the Founders. Autumn 34

In any kingdom of this era, personal relationships rather than formal ones formed the backbone of politics due to how feudalist society worked. Who you knew and were friends with played a key role in the balance of power, which is why nobles usually sent their children to “learn” at the courts of their de jure liege.

With this, young vassals would make relationships with their future liege, increasing their future prospects. In contrast their future liege would obtain more loyal subjects.

A system where great households held all power over their land, where nationality had yet to set in.

And it was exactly this type of socializing where Diaz found himself in a bit of trouble. Despite being a Emperor back in his world, he was a constitutional monarch, where most diplomatic talks were done through embassies and only the most serious ones came his way, as such he was a pretty introverted man.

It all started when his father visited Diaz’s private room in the royal ward, a place as big as a mansion that was but a part of a large citadel.

When his father, the king Kniva the first, a tall lean man with broad shoulders, brown curly chestnut hair and a van dyke beard, entered his son's bedroom together with some servants at his side, he was greeted to a modest room that although large had little furniture.It contained a small well polished table, a chair, a big wardrobe, a double sized bed, some bookcases, a sofa and decorated windows.

He found his son sitting on the sofa, reading a small book in his hands with his nanny Matilda standing a bit away from them.

“Your Majesty”, said the small boy rising from the sofa and bowing respectfully.

“My son”, responded the monarch, “Are you still not done with your classes?”

“I am, Majesty. I was simply entertaining myself with this”. showed the young boy his book about basic magic theory.

“I see… Have you now…” Awkwardly said the king, seeing how abnormally his son called him and carried himself, being overly formal with his own biological father.

‘I have been too distant haven't I? ’ thought the king, in a bit of regret about neglecting his own son because of his duties.

It's not like the king desired it so, but unfortunately the realm he ruled was too unstable.

Constant skirmishes with the neighborhood nations and the dismal relations that his household has with most of the powerful dukes of Lusian made Kniva’s head and stomach scream to the stress.

All of these problems mostly started from the time of Diaz’s Grandfather, Eurick the Second, so called “the Harsh” due to his neglect of the traditional aristocrats.

So much did the high nobility hate king Euric at the time that they abandoned their ruler during a major battle, where he was defeated and came to pass after 2 weeks of much suffering due to the wounds inflicted on him.

This left Kniva to deal with the fallout of his father's policies, a truly precarious situation where he could not even avenge his father because he lacked the power and support to do so.

Now Kniva was so busy dealing with plots and placating his vassals that he barely had time for his children, focusing what little he had on his oldest ones, like his heir Roderick.

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Still, swallowing his emotions, Kniva focused on what he came here to do.

“Diaz, i came here to summon you to a feast, do you know what it is about?”.

“That would be the “Golden Fields Festivals”, correct ?” Responded the boy stoically.

“Indeed, it is to commemorate the abundant harvests in the entire kingdom, as such in this date we invite all vassals and their retinue to this court in order to celebrate”

‘I see, tax yields' thought the young prince. In this age of feudalism the greatest economy was that of farming, as such during the bulk of harvest it was the time that most aristocrats would have their pockets full, as such it was also the time with the most economical activity, as well as the time with were many skirmishes would unfold in the front, for technically they were still at war.

“”Accordingly ”, continued the king, “ I came to tell you personally that you shall attend it at my side as my second, together with your brother Teia and your mother”.

When his older brother was mentioned what came to mind was a boy older than him by 2 years. Taller, with dark glossy hair and green eyes, with a bit of a quick temper.

In the case of his mother, he remembered a beautiful, slender and charming woman with similar features to his brother Teia, or more correctly, his brother had similar features to her.

“Also, I would like you to take care of the younger children of the aristocrats that will be coming to the feast, since all vassals will come, there will be plenty of them, and your brother Teia won't be able to handle all of them.”

“ As you wish for your majesty, I have received the order”, confirmed Diaz, bowing in respect.

‘I had hoped that you would at least call me father’ whispered the king, feeling a bit lonely.

Kniva didn't have to come and call his son personally, still he did so out of worry due to the rumors he heard about Diaz from his servants. Using the feast as an excuse, he dismissed his ministers and advisors and went to see Diaz and perhaps bound a little, something DIaz, without meaning, had cut short by being so formal.

“I see,when ready , meet me at the backstage of the main hall. Matilda makes sure Diaz is well dressed but not overly so, we don't want to intimidate anyone today.”

“As you wish your Majesty, i will make it so the young master looks more friendly,” confirmed the nanny.

“Do so” said the king, directing his gaze back at the prince.

For some time, Kniva and Diaz stayed still just awkwardly looking at each other. He had hoped his son would show some form of longing or childish behaviour when he implied that he would soon be leaving, thus the awkward silence. Alas nothing he hoped for happened.

“Then… I shall take my leave…” said the king with a feeling of defeat.

““Yes your majesty”” respondent Diaz and his Nanny seeing the king off.

Before Diaz could start to prepare for the feast however, his nanny had a few words with him.

“Young Master, I believe there is nothing wrong in being selfish from time to time.”

a bit confused, Diaz asked:

“What do you mean, miss ?”

“I believe his Majesty desired your attention” affirmed the nanny with a bit of a sad expression.

“But he had my full attention tough” said the boy, wondering what he had missed.

“I mean he wanted your attention like loving a son to his caring father, not as a subject, my prince”, told the nanny to her young protegee.

“Did he, now… i… did not notice…” Said the boy, feeling a bit guilty for now Kniva's actions made a bit more sense to him. Diaz forgets, but in this world he IS his son after all.

Diaz, when a child in his world, had no father presence in his life and his mother had died in childbirth, so he had, so he had little idea how to interact as a son to father, he only knew how to act as a father or grandfather.

“ Well.. nothing can be done now my prince, so how about we think on how we can amend this in future ?” asked Matilda in a bit of a happier mood, now that his protegee was showing a bit of worry over his family.

“True… i will depend on your help miss Matilda” said the prince in a bittersweet smile.

“I will do my best my prince, now we need to make you ready right? let’s have a look at your clothes” smiled Matilda while looking at the clothes inside the wardrobe.

And so the first socializing challenge of the odd and introverted prince DIaz came out as a defeat, by making his father, King Kniva the first, quite lonely.