The Strand Kingdom.
The capital.
A lively and extravagant banquet was going on inside the resplendent royal palace.
On long dining tables were steaks, roast chicken, pan-fried foie gras, lobster, duck meatballs in rich sauce, herb-roasted lamb, cream of mushroom soup, red wine-braised ox tongue, bread pudding with butter, and many other delicacies. There were also bottles of enticingly colored wines.
The elegant melodies of the band resonated in the hall. Nobles, in their evening attire, raised their glasses and conversed jovially.
In one corner of the banquet, two men from the East Continent, dressed in luxurious suits, were noisily eating and chatting in low voices.
One was a young man with short hair. His handsome features and cold, sharp eyes hinted at a noble background.
