The atmosphere in the dining hall was lively, with the sound of bard playing the music and the voices of men chattering, enjoying the party. A luxurious chandelier hung from its ceiling, showering the space with the lights grandiosely.
A long oak refectory table was placed in the middle of the dining hall, full of feasts. Various drinks, food, and fruits were served on it for the party's celebration.
The lord of the fief, who sat on the main seating, had a broad smile spread on his lips. He clapped his hands twice, calling the servant.
"Bring in the dancers!" he ordered his man.
Not long after, five women were pushed into the hall, wearing sexy, revealing clothes. The bard tuned up a new song, and they began to dance.
The audience, who were previously busy rafting gossip, now died down their conversations and focused on the alluring women.
The men began to cheer when the dancers swayed their bodies to the song's rhythm. Some stared at the voluptuous women with drooling mouths, charmed by their ecstatic dance, leading to trance and ecstasy feelings.
The group of Knights of Gerhard and the Knight Commander sat at the end of the table with intense looks. It was apparent that they were not enjoying the party.
"He's deliberately procrastinating us!" Sitting beside the commander, Eric complained with a straight face, crossing his arms on his chest.
Kyren, unbothered by his knights' tense expressions, slowly answered, "Behave. We're in their land now."
"He must have wanted something from us. That's why he's doing this," added Luke, one of the knights.
"What are you waiting for, Your Highness? Please enjoy the meal!" shouted the count happily, raising his drink to the grand duke.
"Yes. Thank you, Count of Abinair. We'll certainly enjoy it," Kyren raised his glass and drank.
"Eat up," he ordered his knights when he put the glass down.
"He's not poisoning us, right?" Drystan whispered, picking up the food on the plate and sniffing cautiously.
"He would've done it on the first day if he wished. Dig in," replied the commander with a flat tone.
"Yes, commander." The knights began to eat at his order.
Five days ago, the captives ran away to the Dracor border. Upon escaping to the kingdom, they were apprehended by the soldiers of the Count of Abinair, one of the Dracor lords.
The knights chasing the prisoners were prevented from crossing the border because they were armed, and at the same time, the count's soldiers refused to hand over the captives. The tension that arose almost led to a confrontation between the two parties until both lords came over and discussed the matter.
The Count of Abinair was excited to know that the knights from Cassian were led by the Grand Duke of Gerhard, a brave and well-known warrior.
Hence, he invited them to his fief, promising to surrender the captives to them if the grand duke and his knights attended his birthday party. To simplify the matter and avoid further problems, the commander agreed.
The celebration that he and his men thought would be for a night lasted three days.
"I believe my birthday this year is the most auspicious of all with your attendance. Thank you for coming to this humble celebration, Your Highness," said the Count of Abinair cheerfully.
"Glad to be here. We are truly in gratitude for the generosity that you have provided us. If you happened to visit Cassian, please drop by Gerhard, and I shall welcome you with the utmost hospitality," replied the grand duke with a smirk.
"Then, shall we have a toast to the new friendship of Gerhard and Abinair?" The count raised his glass.
"Certainly! To the friendship of Gerhard and Abinair!" shouted Kyren, lifting his drink. His men followed suit and cheered,
"To the friendship of Gerhard and Abinair!"
The men finished their whole drinks with a toast. The Count of Abinair couldn't be more than happy that his grin stretched from ear to ear.
Just then, a scream was heard from the dancers.
"You stupid, b*tch!" One of the count's men yelled and slapped the dancer until she succumbed to the floor.
As if the cruel treatment was not enough, he kicked her stomach until her body flew to the wall. All the women screamed in fear, crouching to the ground, and the beaten dancer fainted on the spot.
The bard stopped playing music immediately at the commotion.
Luke, who couldn't hold his patience, stood up and was about to rush. However, Eric's large hand immediately hold his shoulder. The immense strength from the second-in-command knight made him halt his steps.
"Don't," said Eric.
"But, Sir Navin —"
"Sit down and don't cause any problem!" whispered Eric with tensed jaws as he glared at the knight.
Luke sighed a rebel breath. With a sour face, he sat back on his chair. The other knights and Rafe, the healer, glanced at the two. The grand duke calmly ate, eyes fixed on his meal as if nothing had occurred.
"What the h*ll happened?" Noticing the restlessness of the Knights of Gerhard, the count shouted to his man who caused the racket.
"Forgive me, my lord. This slave kicked me when I touched her," replied the man.
From the look of it, he appeared to be one of the count's high-ranking knights.
"I told you not to use that word in front of our honourable guest, you fool!"
The count was so enraged at him that his cheerful face had turned red.
Realising his mistake, the knight quickly bowed and apologised again to his lord and the commander. Rising his head, his eyes turned sideways and gave a mean oblique look at the women. Some of them had started to cry in fear of their next predicament.
"Forgive me for my knight's rudeness. I hope it doesn't spoil your mood for the night," said the count, a crease on his forehead.
Knowing that Cassian was against slavery and the issue of the City of Tarnova slave market had greatly affected their settlement at the border, the count tried to conceal the fact that he owned several slaves from the grand duke.
The count quickly clapped his hands to ease the tense atmosphere, signalling the bard to continue playing the music. The party continued again, and the dancers were led out of the hall.
Kyren picked up the glass and bottomed up in one go. Then, he wiped his mouth with the napkin before throwing it to the table.
"Not at all. Thanks to your dancers ' splendid performance, I enjoyed the night very well, so I will not take heart over a small fuss," he answered.
He turned his eyes to his knight before looking back at the count.
"Please forgive the behaviour of my men too. As you know, we are a nation that values our women highly," the commander added, etching a fake smile on his lips.
"Yes, no problem. Your Highness is truly benevolent, as they said. Let's continue, shall we? We still have a long night to celebrate," declared the Count of Abinair.
His face glowed at the commander's reply.
"I appreciate that, but I think I need to retire early tonight, count. We're all a bit tired. Isn't it so, Eric?" Kyren turned to his second-in-command knight and raised one of his brows.
"Yes, commander! Very, very tired!" Eric shouted out loud.
"What a disrespectful act to your lord! You should be addressing His Highness with his royal title!" the count admonished the knight with a fierce face.
"He's not being disrespectful. For the Cassian army, they will address their leader by the military rank instead of the noble title on the battlefield or frontier," clarified the commander.
The count widened his eyes upon hearing the explanation.
"Is that so?" he asked curiously.
"Yes. Our army, especially the Knights of Gerhard, values skills and ability more than nobility. This sets us apart from the others that put an airhead in charge due to their noble titles."
Kyren chuckled as he glanced at the Dracor knight who kicked the slave. His expressive eyes send a clear message to him without relaying words.
Angry at the commander, the knight could only downcast his gaze, fearing that his lord would punish him if he misbehaved again.
Kyren took the red apple from the fruit basket served on the table. Holding the fruit, he observed its delicious appearance.
The red skin of the apple reminded him of Anna's blushing cheeks, while its fragrance resembled that of her hair, sweet and innocent.
"Such a waste if you retreat now. I mean... tonight is the last day of the celebration. We could chat about new businesses involving the two kingdoms."
Finally, the Count of Abinair revealed his intention. He knew that the Grand Duke of Gerhard was the wealthiest royalties in Cassian after his brother, the king.
"Ah… So this is what it's all about. Well, I'm glad you bring up this. Coincidently, I'm seeking some prospects in Dracor for my investments. But I'm not sure if you want to collaborate," said the grand duke, his eyes still observing the red apple.
Hearing the reply from Kyren, the count almost jumped to his feet.
"Of course I want, Your Highness! I will never waste an opportunity if you put your trust in me. I have several proposals that surely can give you a high income. We can discuss further on this!" he said enthusiastically.
"Let's skip that part since you gave me a tremendous three-day party. Send a good proposal to Gerhard, and it will be endorsed. However, there will be some costs," replied the commander, throwing the bait to the count.
"Yes! I agree! How much are the costs?" the count greedily asked.
In his eyes, he already pictured the grand duke's fortune coming to him.
The 'fish' had now eaten the bait.
"The dancers... If you don't mind, can I have them all as a small token of your gratitude?" requested the grand duke.
"Oh, you want women? No problem at all! I'll send them to your room tonight."
The count smiled and then added," You know… I have a daughter too. She's seventeen this year and of marriageable age. If you are interested —"
Before the count could finish his words, Kyren quickly intercepted, "Forgive me for cutting you off, count. But, I'm afraid I must reject your offer on your daughter."
"Why is that? You haven't seen her yet. She's quite a pretty maiden," claimed the Count of Abinair.
"I recently got married, and my wife is waiting for my return," replied Kyren, soft and calm.
"Married? Since when? I heard that you once proclaimed to be celibate." Kyren chuckled, hearing the count's words.
"Just a few days ago. I did proclaim to be celibate three years back. But, anyhow, God has his way for me," he replied.
"Congratulations, Your Highness. Your wife must be a great person to be able to marry you, a man idolised by many women."
"Well… Let's just say no one captivates me like her," Kyren smiled and took a bite of the apple.
The Knights of Gerhard looked at him in confusion. They were not sure whether the grand duke was merely throwing a joke or really meant what he said.
The conversation lasted a few more minutes before the whole group of Knights of Gerhard retreated from the dining hall.
The knights, who knew the commander had other intentions, quickly approached him.
Eric was the first to ask, "What is your plan, actually?"
Kyren did not stop walking. His long steps kept moving along the corridor. The sounds of his footfalls echoed as he stepped further.
"I'll give him some petty businesses just to appease him," he replied calmly.
"But what about the women you asked? Are you really spending the night with them?" Eric asked again.
The question halted Kyren's steps. He turned to the knight with a disturbed expression. All of them stopped as well and shut their mouths.
"Are you out of your mind or something? I'm a married man!" he shouted at him.
"Then, what will you do with them?" This time, Luke brought up the question.
"Send them all home. We'll escort them back to their families or to the nearest safe place they can be."
"But, it might take weeks to send back all of them," Garin, one of the knights who kept quiet the whole time, finally opened his mouth.
"If we don't do that, they will be caught again. So, let's finish up properly. Aren't we the honourable Cassian men?" Kyren asked his knights back.
"Yes, commander!" All of the knights replied in unison.
"I'll check on the fainted dancer," Rafe, who was among them, said.
Kyren nodded in agreement. This was the least he could do to help the slaves without causing trouble in a foreign kingdom.