"Your Highness, it is an honor to have you here. I am Duke Albert, the Duke of Mills," The Duke of Mills introduces himself. The last time he met the prince was fifteen years ago. Since the east was far from the capital, Duke Albert did not attend most royal balls. He had a warm smile on his face. The group of noblemen were waiting outside the gate to welcome the prince.
"The capital understands that this is a trying time for the east. My father, the emperor, sent his blessing, " Prince Edward answered. The prince was in the east at the emperor's order to comfort the people.
"We are honored to hear that, Your Highness. Let me introduce everyone, " Duke Albert said. He ruled over half of the eastern region, making him the one with the most status in the east. Although this part has been divided into three, Duke Albert still had significant influence.
"This is Duke Louis of Ode, Duke Ernest, Duke of Yul. Lord Robert of the house William. Lord Fred of House Artistain. Lord.... Duke Albert patiently introduced the ten noblemen around the East.
While Prince Edward followed him with a smile, he responded to each noble politely and kindly. Although he looked approachable, the air of nobility around him did not diminish.
"My prince, it has pleased us that you are here to comfort us in a time like this. We have a small welcome banquet at the great hall. We hope our prince would not despise it, " Duke Albert said. They had been busy trying to hide the mine since they learned of the crown prince's visit. He only thought to properly welcome him when his steward informed him of the prince's arrival the previous day.
So there was not enough time to prepare for something grand. Fortunately, they had the war as an excuse for the poor reception.
"The pain of the East is also my pain. I understand the situation. His Majesty is also moved by your loyalty and hard work to keep the enemies off. He has sent provision for the common people, " The prince gestured to the carriages behind them. The journey from the royal city down to the east should have taken him fifteen days, but due to the fact that he was coming in a large group, the journey was delayed by five days.
"We thank His Majesty for remembering the common people, " Duke Albert said.
The other lords bowed in response. They were all relieved that the prince would not take their poor reception to heart; even if he did, he would not be able to complain openly.
"My prince must be tried. We have prepared the guest house behind the great hall. You can freshen up and relax for a bit before joining the banquet, " Duke Louis said. He felt that Albert was doing all the talking to get on the prince's good side. The prince before them was the crown prince and would hopefully become the next king if nothing went wrong. As long as one did not have eyes for the throne, becoming friends with the future King could only bring benefits.
"Indeed, Your Highness, " Duke Albert ignored Duke Louis's rude behavior.
Prince Edward acknowledged the invite with a nod. He notices the show of power and rivalry between the two dukes and hopes to use it as a breakpoint to carry out his father's order.
The dukes and lord waited for the prince to mount his horse before they did the same and led him into the city.
....
It was already night when the banquet started. The prince's lodge was just behind the great hall. The Duchess of Mills was a meticulous woman, so she made proper arrangements to welcome the prince, even if the notice was short.
The hall was full of festivity music and dancing to entertain the guests.
Prince Edward, as a distinguished guest, was in the middle of the high table.
Duke Albert sat on his right with his wife, while Duke Louis sat on his left. Duke Ernest was seated at another table; unlike Duke Louis, who was always at Duke Albert's throat, he preferred to be neutral. In his opinion, it was better to sit at the head of a table than to lick the feet of the young prince.
The prince watched the dancing on the stage below with a warm smile. Prince Edward was just like the rumored said, he was gentle and refined.
He took a small sip from his cups elegantly. No one could tell if he was enjoying the banquet or not. After all, although his gaze was fixed on the stage, upon closer look, he did not seem to be watching the show.
The first act of singing and dancing ended with clapping and cheers. The prince turned to look at Duke Louis, "I heard the attack of Kurs wiped out a small settlement, " Price Edward said. His voice was laced with concern and heartache.
"Not just one, Your Highness; farmers occupy a few of the settlements at the borders. The attack from Krus was so sudden that over four settlements were lost, " Duke Louis answered. His gaze turned sad, like that of a father who lost his son.
Prince Edwards shook his head, "I thought there was a watch tower built at the border after the last war a few years back? " Prince Edward sounded unsure. After all, with a watch tower, no matter how sudden the attack was, it should not cause so much destruction.
"yes, it just... " Duke Louis was still speaking when Duke Albert cut him off. "Your Highness, the east did not experience good harvest in the past few years, so we decided to venture into the plain lands that have not been toiled for a few years. Unfortunately, this move had created a new root for the enemies to attack us, " Duke Alber said. He was very vulgar about the watchtower. The settlements that were destroyed were not far from the mine that was hidden from the emperor. The truth is those settlements were just for the cover of the mine. So, As soon as the prince started asking questions about the settlement, he(Albert was alert. Moreover, the watch towers were mainly used to monitor the activities of the mine instead of watching out for the enemy, so the surprise attack dealt with them.
Prince Edward frowns. He had directed his question to Louis because he could tell that the man wanted to get closer to him. He also felt that he could easily pry his mouth open. What he did not expect was for Duke Albert to cut in.
"Your Highness, the settlements that were lost are under Mills, " Duke Albert explained his action when he noticed the frown on the prince's face. He could not trust that Duke Louis would not slip his tongue, so he spoke up, forgetting that the prince was not talking to him.
As a Duke, Albert was not scared of the crown prince, he was only worried about giving away some clues.
"I would like to visit these settlements and meet any survival, the times are difficult, " Prince Edward said. If he could not get a breakpoint from the nobles, he would try the commoners.
Prince Edward noticed that Although the Dukes seemed to have internal conflict, their interests were intertwined, making it difficult to gain much from any of them.
When the Duke and lord heard this, they exchanged a subtle glance. "I will make arrangements. When would your Highness like to go for this visit? " Duke Albert asked.
"Tomorrow is a good day, " Prince Edward answered. He knew that the longer he stayed in the East, the more difficult it would be for him to achieve his aim.
"Then I will make the arrangement, " Duke Albert said. The settlement was close to the mine, but the refuge camp was not.
"The prince has the people at heart. The survival would be happy to see the prince, " Duke Louis fluttered. Usually, he would have been offended that Duke Albert cut him off, but he was grateful this time, as he had been careless when talking to the prince a while back.
*Yes, Nexit would be blessed to have you be our next emperor, " Lord Freeman said. A round of fluttering came from everyone on the table, lightening up the mood.