"I didn't expect you to come to the capital this year!" The young man from the Marques family looked very happy as he said it. The others nodded like owls.
There was nothing interesting about the men's conversation. Most just made small talk asking how Andrew was and others asked about the Windsor knights who had been guarding the northern border. The girls, some of whom joined in, openly looked up to him in admiration. Not something he wanted to do for long.
Andrew really wanted to finish all this pleasantries and then take a seat at the same table as Eleonora. But, obviously, it couldn't be that easy for his wish to come true. He hoped that the Queen would open the tea party so that the insects buzzing in his ears would return to their rightful place. However, up ahead, the place that should have been filled by the king and queen was still empty. There seemed to be tension between the king and queen.
