Soria's words made everyone openly pay attention to the conversation. "Princess, I think what you're saying is harsh." Lyria spoke up from across the hall; her table was next to Lanin and Palari's.
"What's harsh is your master's sister saying that we are pushing our mother towards your master's husband. My sister's words have barely scraped that level of disrespect." Varin said calmly as she poured another cup of wine for Opal.
"Is that not what you are doing? You brought her here covered up like she's some prized possession, circling around her, waiting on her hand and foot. You sit her in the closest place to Kasian and answered his question like it's a mystery." Palari leaned down.
"You want to whore her out, then at least make her look like my sister." Palari threw the pot of wine in her hand at Opal. The wine splashed over the woman before anyone could react.
Opal raised her hand and the clash of swords came from behind Palari. Opal slowly stood up. The crisp slap that landed on Palari's cheek echoed louder than the swords clashing.
"I'll return when the meeting is convened." Those were her only words before her personal guard/maid placed her cloak over her cloak and she began walking out. Varin, Soria and the twins didn't say anything as they followed her.
Rain and Kain sheathed their swords. "No matter how strong you claim to be, if this attack on my mother happens again, I'll kill everyone and their families." Kain promised while looked at Palari. "Without your sister, you are nothing. What happens from now on is something you brought upon everyone." They walked out behind the women and children.
Crown Princess Elira glanced at her brother before standing. Melire stood up and pulled his wife with him. The three of them bowed and left the banquet hall quickly.
"Why did you pull me away?" Lyria asked her husband when the doors closed. "This doesn't concern us. It has nothing to do with Master either. If Palari wants those two crazy wolves on her then let her but your Kingdom, your children, you and I. We have to be safe." Melire told her as they were walking down the hall.
"Melire is right. We've had many dealings with those two brothers, and you don't want to get on their bad side. They seem like all talk but they're not. If you get on their bad side like Palari did tonight, all you can do is wash your neck cleanly and hope that it'll be painless." Elira's words made Lyria shiver.
The banquet hall was silent. Malari and Railin were mostly in shocked silence. Lanin didn't know what to say or do. Kasian remained calm. Kai and Lion exchanged looks. Heri seemed unbothered and Jailin was like his grandparents. Lia was the only one smirking as if she agreed with her aunt's actions.
The silence was broken by a side door opening. The guard Kai sent to the Pendant Tower had finally arrived. It'd been two days and there was no news as if it was purposely being withheld until this moment.
The guard bowed to Kai and gave him the thick letter. Kai opened it and began to read the contents. Once he was done with one paper, Lion picked it up and read.
The two were shocked. It wasn't what they were expecting. Lion did some calculation in his head and sighed deeply. Noticing this, Malari snapped out of her shock. "This is bad. Isn't it?" She asked no one in particular.
"We made the wrong bet." Lion said simply. "What bet?" Palari asked. "To wait until we got our hands on the information before acting. I didn't think you'd do something this crazy." Lion said, looking at Lia.
"What information? Ojun can't defy-." Kai slammed his hand on the table. "If it comes to a war, even if we all team up against Ojun, they will annihilate us based on those two men alone!" He shouted angrily.
"I said not to make any moves. I told you all that. Why didn't you listen?!" Kai glared at Lia and then his aunt. "You want to die, clean your neck and die outside, don't affect the rest of us!"
"Was I wrong? If I was so wrong, why didn't you stop me?! Are you only good for cleaning up messes?" Palari shouted angrily. "Mother once told me not to contradict you too much, wait and see what you were going to do before acting. She said that you can test out someone in unusual ways." Kai scoffed.
"We spent so much time apart that I forgot you're the same woman that told me that I wasn't blood, so I didn't deserve the same things Lion and Lia got. Clearly mother's trust in you was unfounded." Kai glared at her and stood up.
"That isn't the problem. The problem is that your father was looking at that woman with eyes that wished he could devour her whole!" Kasian smirked, he knew Palari would turn it back on him as if he did something wrong.
"I merely looked at the woman and asked a question. You act as though I'm cheating on Ria." Kasian said. "Aren't you? You find her interesting because of her eyes. She didn't look in your direction once. She's no replacement for my sister!"
"I was looking at her but also at those around her. If you'd used the skills that your sister taught you, then you would've known that the everyone was watching her actions and movements carefully." Kasian stood up.
"You just humiliated the anchor of their family. Kai and Lion know. That woman is sick, isn't she?" The two tensed and nodded. "You not only humiliated her, but you threw wine on her. From the way they reacted, with her wet clothes, if she catches a sliver of cold wind from the falling snow..."
Kasian didn't say anything more because the realization dawned on everyone present. "Send a doctor quickly." Malari said. "All of our doctors are healers from the Pendant Tower, and they have a grudge against the Tower, so it's no use." Lion said.
"What grudge could preside over their mother's life?" Railin asked seriously, looking at Lion. "She was poisoned." He answered. "By whom?" Railin asked, his voice remaining calm.
"The poison left her in a weakened state and blind for many years. After the war broke out, she came into brief contact with some people from the Tower once again and fell into a coma. She only woke up last year." Lion explained calmly.
Railin slammed his fist on the table. "I didn't ask you that! Who poisoned her?!" He knew the answer but wanted to hear it. "Mother did." Malari gasped, tears welling in her eyes.