'God damn it father, why must you make me guide around a child, like seriously… I may look like a ten-year-old, but I'm not, and it's not like I can just say no to the emperor…fuuuuuuuuuuuuck' John thought to himself, as he sat next to the young princess at one of the tables in the banquet hall. The waiters brought food for the two of them, and the princess turned to John, "So John, what do you do in your free time?" she asked with a shy voice.
John, trying to keep a neutral expression replied, "I tend to train, and I don't really get much free time in the first place."
The princess nodded, "I-I see."
John, trying to make conversation, asked the princess, "Well, your highness, I will ask that question back to you. What do you do in your free time?"
The princess, smiled and replied, "My mother trains me in elvish magic, so I tend to spend a lot of my time doing that."
John, nodded and thought to himself, 'Just as I expected, I mean how could I not know what my fiancée did in my last life, our engagement may have broke off, but it wasn't as if I didn't care for her. I suppose I have a second chance at love in this life in a way too.'
Seeing that some nobles had started to gather around himself and the princess, John, not wanting to be bothered with political talk this early in the evening, decided to return to his seat. He turned to the princess and said, "Well, shall we head back to our seats then, seeing as you have finished eating?"
"Ah, yes let us do that. By the way, where is this tea from? I don't believe I've ever tasted it before." she said as she got up, following John's advice.
"It's a rare species of tea found only outside my grandfather's estate. Its taste is unique, thanks to the high mana concentration in the area where it's grown," John replied, as he started to walk forward, causing the nobles who were approaching him to have a disappointed expression.
"The two seem to be getting along quite well, don't they Lord Tarenfal?" the emperor said with a pleased smile.
"Indeed, Your Majesty. It is not often that our shy princess is so talkative with anyone," Lord Tarenfal said with a befuddled expression.
"Is that so? Well, I am glad to know that she has found my son to be a good companion." The emperor let out a small laugh.
"By the way, Your Majesty, have you given more thought to our queen's previous suggestion?" Lord Tarenfal asked.
"As a matter of fact, I have, and I will give you my reply soon after the banquet. I have asked the Prime Minister to examine the prospects of your proposal. If all seems to be in order, we will be able to move forward with the discussions," the emperor said in an agreeable tone.
"I am glad to hear that you are viewing our proposal in a positive light," Lord Tarenfal said as he lightly nodded.
"By the way, I have another suggestion that I wish to make, and for this, I would like to have a conversation with your queen herself. Is such a thing possible right now?" the emperor said as he turned to Lord Terenfal.
"Well, if you could tell me what it is, I would gladly set up a meeting with her highness, and the two of you could talk through a communications crystal," Lord Terenfal replied, his tone curious.
"Well, I was considering the prospect of an engagement between my youngest child and your second princess. They seem to be getting along quite well here, and I am sure such a tie would benefit your nation as well," the emperor swiftly replied, his eyes glancing over to the two young children who were approaching them.
Lord Terenfal's expression became troubled, "Hmmm, I will talk to her majesty about this, but I cannot say anything for sure. Her majesty is quite protective of her children."
The emperor nodded in understanding, "I see. Oh, it seems as if the children are coming back." He turned his attention to his youngest son, "What is it, John? Why have you come back so soon?"
John's tone was curt as he replied, "No reason, Father. We talked a bit, and we ate. I didn't want her highness to get tired so quickly, so I decided to let her rest for a while."
The emperor's expression softened as he replied, "Oh, you are being quite considerate of her, I see."
"It was nothing, Father," John said, bowing his head slightly in respect.
"Well, Your Highness, did you enjoy your time with my youngest?" the emperor asked the young princess, who was now standing next to Lord Terenfal.
The princess replied softly, "Yes, I did." She moved closer to Lord Terenfal, her body language indicating her discomfort in the situation.
"I see. Well, the two of you, get seated. We have some things to talk about," the emperor said, noticing the princess's discomfort. He gestured for them to take a seat at the table, his expression thoughtful as he considered the potential engagement between his son and the elvish princess.
"Yes father, your highness please follow me." John said as he lightly bowed to his father and extended his arm to the princess, inviting her to follow him. The young princess hesitantly took his arm, and the two of them made their way to a quieter corner of the banquet hall.
"I understand that this can be overwhelming for you, being thrown into a room full of strangers like this," John said, his voice low and soothing. "But I assure you, there's nothing to fear here. I'll make sure you're taken care of." The princess looked up at him, her eyes wide with gratitude. "Thank you." she said softly.
As they talked, the banquet continued around them, the sound of music and laughter filling the hall. Meanwhile, Lord Tarenfal and the emperor were deep in conversation. But their discussion was interrupted by a panicked prime minister, who rushed to the emperor with an unexpected message. "Your majesty, your brother the Grand Duke of Valeria has just arrived. How would you like to proceed with this?" The emperor's expression grew dark as he heard the news. "That ****er," he muttered under his breath. "He always had a knack for showing up uninvited."
Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere of the banquet was interrupted by a desperate scream. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, SAAAVE MEEEE" The guard's cry echoed through the hall as the doors were thrown open and a black-cloaked figure with blood-red eyes and a bloody sword entered. The sight of the grand duke, covered in the blood of the guard whose head he had just dispatched, sent shockwaves through the crowd. Some nobles, unused to such violence, fainted at the sight.
"Brother, it has been a long time since we met. I was wondering why I was not invited to a banquet celebrating my youngest nephew's contract formation ceremony," the Grand Duke said with a sinister smile on his face. "Surely the guards from earlier or one of your carriers must have misplaced my invitation, else why would you not invite me to such an occasion?" he continued.
"DANTE, STOP THIS INSTANT!" the High King bellowed throughout the castle. To which the Grand Duke merely smiled and looked at his father. "Father, it's been a long time since we've seen each other. The last time we met, I believe was the time you gave me this scar right here," the Grand Duke said as he pointed to the scar that ran from his chest all the way to his eyes.
"BROTHER, WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE? THERE WAS A REASON WHY YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE AN INVITE," the Emperor shouted as he rose from his seat.
"Eyyyy, don't be like that. I'm just here to see my nephew. I heard he formed a contract with a war god, so I was thinking of taking him with me. You see, the north has a pitifully low number of soldiers, and someone like him could be useful," the Grand Duke said as he let out a slight laugh.
"GET OUT NOW! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE ANY LONGER. I SPARED YOU LAST TIME DUE TO MY PROMISE TO YOUR MOTHER, I SHALLN'T BE SO KIND A SECOND TIME," the High King said as he drew his sword and formed a radiant golden aura around it.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Father, do you truly believe I am the same person I was a decade ago?" After a loud laugh the grand duke sneered as he brandished his sword, a blood-red aura emanating from it. The pressure emanating from it was palpable, causing many of the nobles present to faint on the spot.
"Violet core? It can't be," the emperor muttered in disbelief.
"Indeed it is, brother. While you were living a lavish life as emperor, I was out in the barren wastelands of the north, honing my skills and constantly seeking ways to become stronger. Do you truly believe that even with the same level of core, you would be able to defeat me?" The grand duke's expression was one of anger and disdain.
John, the youngest prince, couldn't help but mutter to himself, "No way…why now?" As if he had heard the prince's thoughts, the grand duke's gaze turned towards John. "So you must be the youngest prince. Hmmm, you do resemble your mother, as I have heard." With a blink of an eye, the grand duke was standing right in front of John. "I shall be taking you with me. I will train you to be a proper man. And father, before you take a step forward, do not fret. I have no intention of killing him. After all, the child is also her son."
"I am announcing it here, I will be training and raising the third prince to be a candidate for the throne. You'd better be prepared. I will make a man out of him." With that, the grand duke departed, taking John with him, leaving behind a path of destruction and chaos. No one could stop him.