|The Imperial Palace|
The Palace felt like a carnival with the ongoing celebrations that followed with the victories of the war. The three days celebration being held at the Imperial Palace was the Emperor's idea of honouring the soldiers that had gone to the dangerous northern borders to protect the Empire. The festivities had gained a lot of attention from the civilians and it served as a means for many young men to acquire highly sought positions in the palace. Under the Emperor's order, many had been granted the position of imperial soldiers while some were knighted.
Although the celebration was mainly to celebrate the soldiers, the third day of the reception was slightly tilted to appease the aristocrats. Numerous noble families were invited to attend the evening banquet held at the imperial palace.
He buttoned up his deep grey shirt, enjoying the peaceful quietness of his chambers that was uninterrupted by the prince's usual chitchat. These sort of events were always such a nuisance to him and he couldn't understand why people seemed to enjoy these flashy parties. It was the third and final day of victory festivity and he wished the day would run faster.
Being a special guest of the royal family, he was hosted in a special suite for the few days. Unlike the rest of the soldiers that were hosted in the main hall, he was offered a place in the crown prince's palace, his room 'coincidentally' being on the same floor as the prince.
He was already dreading the banquet that came with the evening sky. He disliked the cluster of people that gathered around him like swarming bees, their eyes that followed his every moment with fake smiles that sought to garner some sort of favour from him. Tucking their true motives close by while pretending to his face, it was not hard to tell what they wanted from him. They all sought him out for his power and wealth while others were driven by a lustful desire. It had always been that way with everyone that came into his life. Even his own mother who birthed him only did so with ulterior motives.
That aside, he had another reason to dread the banquet even more and that was the princess. For years now, the emperor had been plotting to set him up with the princess and this evening would surely serve to achieve that agenda. The Duke sighed and the mere thought of having to meet the princess wore him. The beloved only daughter of the Emperor- Princess Naomi. She had pursued him since they were young, clinging to him and disrupting his privacy with her childish claims of wanting to marry him. He had thought it was all just some childish joke, a phase that she would soon outgrow but it only got worse over the years. He wasn't sure if it was because he had known the princess since she was a child or if it was because of his relationship with her brother, the crown prince, but he was simply apathetic and couldn't see her as a woman. Not in the way he saw Hina Kudo.
"My lord, the banquet has already begun" his aid primly announced, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Okay," he replied.
"The Emperor will be very happy to see you in attendance" the man spoke carefully, sure not to say too much before the 'cold Grand Duke'. It was no secret that everyone respected and feared the young man at the same time. He was the cold, merciless soldier that had effortlessly slain all his enemies after all.
"Hmm, I bet he will" the duke noted as he fixed his sleeve, sure that the sly man would use this opportunity to encourage the princess' behaviour once again. Truth be told, the duke had no obligation to the emperor to stay and attend the event. He could decide to leave even at that moment but he had given the crown prince his word that he'd stay for the final banquet.
"Do have a good time, my lord"
"I'll try to" he muttered, knowing that the night will be far from good.
_____
The royal banquet was held at the main palace. Huge columns lined the walls as dozens of chandeliers threw dancing rainbow lights against the walls, illuminating the room. There was a steady flow of impeccably dressed men and women who filled the large room while servants wove their way through them, passing out champagne and cocktails.
As he walked through the entrance hall, constant stares flew his way. His exotic appearance made it impossible for him to go unseen, with his slightly tanned skin paired with his rare midnight black hair and those intoxicating ruby-red jewel-like eyes.
"Is that the mysterious grand duke? He's gorgeous"
"I know right! He makes the crown prince suddenly look like a squid"
He tuned out the deafening whispers as he made his way through the crowd, gliding in the direction of the throne up on the dais where the imperial family were seated.
"I greet the sun of the empire"
"It's been a while since you graced the palace with your presence like this, grand duke," the emperor said cheerfully, sitting up in his seat as if he had just seen something interesting. His platinum blonde hair was slowly pairing with silver strands and the wrinkles around his eyes were getting deeper. One could tell that old age was catching up with the silver fox.
"As usual, you've done well. This victory was possible because of you!"
"I'm honoured that you think so highly of me"
"Haha! Of course, of course!" He chuckled, "I assume you two haven't seen each other in a while" the emperor stated, turning to face his daughter seated by his left side.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, grand duke" Princess Naomi said meekly, slightly bowing from her position with a hand over her chest. Her lazy green eyes caught his and she turned away as her cheeks flushed.
"The pleasure is all mine, princess Naomi" he replied, unenthusiastic.
"If it's okay with you, would you care for a dance?" she asked him, still blushing.
"That's a great idea! You two should share a dance. Or what do you think grand duke?" The emperor butted in as expected.
"I'm sorry but I'd rather not. I'm not exactly skilled at dancing, do excuse me" he quickly replied, taking a bow as he walked off.
He departed to the balcony on the far end of the hall to escape the peering eyes, shutting the door closed as he took in the serene atmosphere. These past three days had been chaotic and he had more important matters to deal with. One of them was that he was yet to hear back from a trusted 'ear' he had tasked to find Hina Kudo. As if knowing what was on his mind, the 'ear' arrived shortly.
"My lord" he greeted with a courteous bow.
"You're here. Tell me what you've found so far"
"The only lead I've gotten is the French cafe owned by the Laurent's daughter. The lady in question is said to be a very close friend of lady Rebecca Laurent and she frequents the cafe often. Aside from that, none of the workers there seems to know anything about her and the Laurents are off visiting their home country at the moment"
"Such timing.." he sighed, "have you checked with the city registry to see if you can find out what family she belongs to?"
"Not yet, my lord. With the celebration, most public offices are currently closed-"
"Which implies that you have no new leads for me. Have I assigned you with such a difficult task?" The duke asked calmly, glaring at the man that stood before him in a cloak.
"Of course not, my lord. Please allow me to look into it some more." the man replied cautiously.
"Fine, let me know once you have some good news"
The sluggish footsteps of someone approaching their way could be heard and the duke ordered the figure to go.
As soon as the figure disappeared into the night, the door creaked open to reveal the crown prince. He strode in with a champagne glass in his hand as the opened door swept in the faint noise from the hall.
"There you are! I knew I'd find you here. I thought I heard you talking with someone earlier"
"You must've heard wrong"
"If you say so. Also, have you sent out one of your ears to find her yet?" He asked with a smug. It was annoying how he was uselessly smart when it came to these things.
"...." at the duke's lack of response, he smiled widely, "So, are you really not going to tell me about the woman that has caught your eyes?" The prince lamented, sipping from his glass as he watch his friend's face with curious green eyes.
"Why are you so interested in my business?" He finally asked with slightly furrowed brows.
"Why wouldn't I be? You've never let anyone come close to you, much less a woman. Even my sister has failed to draw your attention despite all her trying years but all of a sudden you're interested in someone first. It's fascinating"
"It's nice to hear that you're entertained by this" his sarcasm was clear as he spoke.
"She must be something special for you to be acting like this"
"I've kept my promise to you so I'll take my leave now." He turned to leave, mentally kicking himself for not leaving earlier.
"Make sure you introduce me to her soon. I'm a good judge of character when it comes to the ladies" the prince said with a smile, watching his cold boring friend depart.
"We'll see"