"Your Grace!" Adrian hurriedly dropped to one knee after a momentary daze.
The young prince laughed. "I'm sure you're surprised. Lord Sean and Lord Hardinge were the same when I arrived unannounced. Please, rise."
Adrian stood, trying his utmost to hide the nervousness in his face. Noticing his white-knuckled grip, he consciously relaxed his clenched hands.
"Lord Sean." Adrian nodded to him before turning to the other guest.
"This is the Baron of Sandedge, Gale Hardinge," the prince said, introducing the final person.
The Barony of Sandedge territory was above the Whitesand Barony, and both held similar prestige, power, and wealth, at least, that was what Steward Osway had said.
Adrian tried not to gasp as he realized that every person in the room held a higher status than the last..
An heir, a baron, and then a prince.
And here he was, not even a true lord. Of course, he wasn't going to voice that out.
"Lord Hardinge," Adrian acknowledged.
"Lord Adrian," Lord Hardinge replied with a nod.
"We are still missing two forces, so in the meantime, let's not discuss anything too serious yet," the prince suggested.
"Of course, Your Grace," Lord Sean said quickly. Adrian moved closer to the group as a servant brought him a seat. Once he sat, a glass of wine was poured for him before the servant departed.
He turned his gaze toward the ocean and the beach. The wind, the splashing waves, and the vast view eased his nerves, letting the tension seep slightly away from his shoulders.
"You were telling us about a certain beached whale?" the prince prompted Lord Hardinge.
The Baron, perhaps out of consideration for Adrian's arrival, gave a brief summary of the beginning before continuing where he had left off.
It was a beached whale found in his territory that had suddenly exploded, injuring several men. What was truly odd, however, were the strange injuries on the whale, it looked as though it had been attacked by giant claws.
As Lord Sean offered his thoughts, the prince tilted his head and mumbled almost to himself, "Those things have been happening lately..."
Adrian raised an eyebrow. Unbeknownst to him, the group's attention had turned his way. Realizing he had been listening without contributing, he felt the pressure and blurted out, "Your Grace... why did the Maglu people leave their islands?"
A beat passed before he realized the question might not be a light matter. "My apologies, I didn't mean to bring it up so abruptly.." he added quickly.
Lord Sean raised an eyebrow, while Lord Hardinge seemed amused. The prince simply maintained his smile. "It's alright. We have information that one of the island kings came into conflict with another. In the process, a Serena was involved and killed, drawing the Serena Kingdom into the fray."
Lord Hardinge looked surprised, as if he were hearing this for the first time as well.
"Of course, that was only one of few reasons." The prince took a sip of his wine and turned to Lord Sean.
Lord Sean spoke up. "We captured one of the men who tried to raid us. He said strange creatures have been sighted in the South Sea, and it scared the islanders so much that some evacuated."
Adrian was surprised. He wondered if this was related to the whale from Lord Hardinge's story.
The prince chuckled. "The sea is vast, and the Kingdom's control over it is, unfortunately, weak." He turned his gaze to Adrian. "How about you, Lord Adrian? Have you encountered anything strange lately?"
The question caught Adrian off guard because, in fact, he had. "There was a strange creature that haunted our village for a short while."
That caught the trio's attention more than he expected. He told the story of the monsters, though he altered the details, leaving out his background as a woodworker and claiming he simply led a team to kill the creatures.
"Interesting..." the prince mused. Just then, a servant appeared and whispered into Lord Sean's ear.
He nodded and addressed the group. "The third son of the Viscount of Ironmere has arrived with his wife."
"Ah, the Viscount of Ironmere. I met the head of the house once at court." the prince said. "Once they've settled in, have them join us, won't you?"
"Of course."
"Now we only need to wait for the representative from the Baron of Sawhead."
Soon, they were joined by the lord and lady. Judging by their shocked expressions, they also had no idea a prince would be present. Their arrogant demeanors and disdain for the area vanished instantly the moment they saw the Prince of the Realm.
Their attitudes shifted to eager flattery, which relieved Adrian, as it meant he no longer had to force himself to make conversation.
The sun was just beginning to disappear behind the horizon, and night was creeping in when dire news reached the castle...
The Baron of Sawhead's castle had been attacked and seized by raiders.
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"I would have brought something better as a gift for the prince..."
"We couldn't have known a prince would be involved in this," Cenroy replied, "but this is good. You could make a connection with the prince himself."
Cenroy grinned widely at the thought. Who would have guessed that this simple gathering his family had sent him actually involved a prince?
If his father and the overbearing heir were to learn of this, they would be sick with envy and would immediately ride out to join them. But they didn't know.
His wife, Wilona, guessing his thoughts, asked, "Should we send someone to inform the Viscount?"
"We will... but have the messenger take as much time as possible. Make sure to give him a reasonable excuse."
Hiding the fact that a prince was in Whitesand was impossible, but he could delay the news and take advantage of the time while he was the only representative there.
"How about this dress?" Cenroy shifted his attention away from the necklace he planned to gift the prince and toward his wife, who was holding up a gown.
"It's good. Make sure the neckline is a little revealing." Cenroy commented. He gestured with his hand. "Take off your clothes, I want to see you."
Wilona did as she was told and soon stood before him bare. Cenroy circled her, checking for any imperfections.
"Do you think the prince would appreciate my 'company'?" Wilona asked, stretching her body.
"The prince has likely tasted plenty of women, so..." Cenroy began.
Wilona finished for him, "It's about the technique, then. Don't worry." She smirked, licking her lips. "I know plenty of techniques."
Hearing that, Cenroy hugged his wife from behind, one hand fondling her breast and the other moving between her thighs.
"Make sure to do your best," he whispered in her ear, making her shudder. As his fingers moved against her, she sucked in a sharp breath.
"What if he refuses?" she asked, her voice nearing a pant.
"You know how to play it safe. Do it subtly. If he accepts your offer, you will spend the night in the prince's bed. If he doesn't, take the rejection gracefully." Cenroy said, biting her neck before adding, "Remember, this is our chance to forge a connection with a prince."
"Oh, I know." Wilona leaned back, her eyes fluttering closed as Cenroy pressed against her.
"Get on the bed," Cenroy whispered, his desire clear.
As much as she wanted to, Wilona shook her head. "No, not tonight. The prince might smell you on me."
The mention of the prince cooled Cenroy's blood, and he nodded. This was their chance to elevate their status, as much as he wanted her, he couldn't risk ruining the opportunity.
"Alright, just this then…" Cenroy placed the finger that was just inside her to her lips, Wilona rolled her eyes but opened her mouth nonetheless and sucked on his finger making Cenroy chuckle.
A knock sounded at the door. The servants entered, helping the couple dress for the upcoming meeting.
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Adrian sat at the large round table, seated among lords and struggling to hide his discomfort. The room was lit by torches and candles, casting a warm, intense atmosphere over the gathering. The lords sat around the table, most of them hailing from Lord Sanford's side.
Behind them stood the stewards and attendants of each noble house. Behind Adrian stood Steward Osway and Sir Cordell.
Adrian could still remember how rattled the steward had been, and the look of pure shock on Sir Cordell's face, when he revealed that a prince was in the castle.
The steward hadn't even known how to properly receive and act around the prince, he had simply sputtered as best he could before Adrian joined the meeting in his finest attire. Osway had even insisted on buying a better outfit in town, but there simply hadn't been time.
Murmurs rippled through the hall, mostly from the Sanford side. Then, the Baron of Whitesand, Lord Stellor Sanford, rapped his knuckles on the table, silencing the room.
"We sent a messenger to Baron Sawhead yesterday…" He swept his gaze across the room, though it quickly landed on the prince. "The messenger did not return. By the afternoon, we sent another, suspicion had risen within us, so we ensured these were quick, discreet men."
The Baron's expression turned grim. "Of the three, only one returned, injured. He brought word that raiders have taken Baron Sawhead's castle and burned the village."
Dark looks were exchanged, particularly among the sons of Lord Sanford.
"The scout claims he spotted more than three hundred raiders, though fewer than five hundred."
This time, it drew looks of shock from the other lords. Underneath the table, Adrian clenched his fists, despite new to everything around him, he already knew what their next move will be.