As another day passed in relative calm for the city  of Toro , an unexpected undercurrent had begun to sweap  through the knights, the wealthy merchants,  and the other powerful or wealthy people of the city. Unbeknownst to them, the prior night had been an eventful one as the lord commander and  current ruler of  the city had begun to write several letters in haste, and  this morning all of them were hastily delivered by servants to their intended destination. As soon as they saw it the letter,  all the recipients immediately dreaded what was written inside. The letters were all showing  the royal seal, a crown and sword, so it definitely was from the second prince.

This of course made them panic and immediately open the sealed parchment from the prince and inside was an invitation to a banquet that the prince was hosting. This perturbed all who received the letter as this was not the time for any festivities. The barbarians were right at their doorstep and the price had the idea of a banquet....this was preposterous. 'When' and not 'if' his opposition learned of this, his name would be dragged through the mud. He would surely be detested and ridiculed for the rest of his life...but for the moment he was still the current ruler of the city,  and even though  his invitation wasn't 'law' , it was pretty close to it.

.................

The night came down once more on the city of Toro , but compared to the dread it's citizens were facing,  the castle situated in the middle of the city was brimming with merry laughter.

"Hahaha...please do tell ne more"

"If you insist....who am I to deprive you of such."

Both high status men and women of the city had gathered here today in response to the call of  prince Siros,  and what a sight it was. All of them were clad in the finest and most vibrant of fabrics, and wore the most shiny and gaudy jewelry they could wear without looking tacky. Compared to most of the time,  the smell of perfume wafted from them , filling the brightly light dance hall with an alluring smell. It was an incredible sight for everyone someone of the 21st century earth,  but more so for a commoner of this world. The closest thing a commoner  could achieve was being a servant in this place.

"Hmmm....this wine is quite splendid. It is definitely a properly aged wine made of the finest of grapes. Hmph , as much as I detest those barbarians,  they at least managed to achieve something good." said a tall and rounded man as he took a big gulp from the crystal glass in his hand. The alcohol managed to flush his cheeks and moist his properly combed mustache , but it didn't break his etiquette in the least. His rough face and physique made him seem like a small bear, but his calm demeanor made him not seem hostile at all, but it couldn't fool the man next to him.

"Indeed ,it is a wine of the most excellent taste Baron Gera. If I was of the prince's place I would have thought thrice before bringing something like this out." said the other man as he took a small sip of his wine. He tasted many flavors and was sure this wine was aged for almost as many years as he had been born. It made him rise his eyebrows slightly as he felt dejected. Although he was the son of a Baron , he couldn't remember the last time he had drank such fine of a wine.

The bear like man saw the action of the son of Baron J'aille,  Felix, and couldn't held rub his chin with a big golden ring on his pointing finger. The barons son was half a head shorter than him ,had short,  brown,  curly hair,  and a pair of jet black eyes. He was slim and properly groomed to the tee, definitely a heart-throb for the young noble ladies of the kingdom. ' Heh...he is indeed a good young man of a good noble stature,definitely a proper Baron in the making, but he lacks the killer instict needed for this situation...or is he just to young? As almost everyone else is expanding their web he is still contemplating  about what to say in this situation.  It seems that a wolf may also give birth to a dog.' Baron Gera took another big gulp of his wine as he fully lubricated his social gears, and moved to his next acquaintance after excusing himself. Other Barons as himself  and also many knights were a here, and he didn't want to waste time on a pup such as Felix.

".......

This left Felix on his own as the dance hall continued to bustle with merry laughter and drinking. He though didn't seem to be as  keen as  Baron Gera to socialize with his other peers, and just continued to sip on his wine. Thoughts of his ailing faller plagued his mind so much he couldn't really enjoy himself." Father....

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