"Brother, you are here," First Prince Elliot said while smiling. He doesn't like the Fourth Prince, but his mask has always been his innocent face.
"Yes, the king asked me to join you in welcoming the envoys," the Fourth Prince coldly stated.
The officers greeted the First and Fourth Princes very enthusiastically because they wanted to be on their side. There were only four princes alive out of ten, who were the first, third, fourth, and fifth princes. The six princes were killed when they were still young.
The First Prince and Fifth Prince were given birth by the late Queen. The Fourth Prince was of unknown birth mother and lived outside the palace until the age of ten and was taken back by the King and announced to be his son, thus claiming his position as Fourth Prince. He was adopted by Consort Lilia, the mother of the second prince, who died at the age of two. The third prince is the son of Consort Olivia, who is the king's favorite consort and rumored to be the next queen.
The envoy arrived in the afternoon, having Prince Jiro as the leader. He got off the horse and nodded his head as a sign of respect to the two princes in front of him. He was greeted by the officials, and he just pretended to smile.
"Prince Jiro, we are happy for your arrival to our kingdom," the first prince stated, but Prince Jiro just nodded. Prince Jiro just hates Prince Elliot's fake smile. He just can't tolerate such behavior, scheming behind his back.
Prince Jiro looked at the Fourth Prince and sensed a dangerous aura in him. He actually shivered for a moment. He mentally noted that he wouldn't want to be on his bad side.
First Prince was not happy being ignored, but he can't just be angry and just continue to smile. He just noted his name and smirk in a snap, as he will probably take revenge for this time.
"The servant will lead you to the resting place, and the welcome feast will be served tonight. We wish you a good stay," Fourth Prince.
"Thank you."
Prince Jiro, with the two generals, tailed the servant. The two generals were the trusted generals that served Prince Jiro. The officer in court was not sent as an envoy because of the Princess case. They were all under observation and investigation.
"Prince, do you think the first prince or the third prince will inherit the throne?" General Lionel asked. Prince Jiro looked at him and seemed to think for a bit.
"We don't know. It is still too early to say," he mysteriously stated. The two generals seem to see another view in their prince's statement.
"So you think Fourth Prince can also fight for the throne?" General Bunk asked. Prince Jiro shook his head, making the two generals raise their eyebrows. Prince Jiro smiled at them. As soon as he saw the Fourth Prince just now, he already knew that he was not to fight for the throne, but the throne was already his.
"Prince, the appearance of Duke William seems to have something to do with the assassination." Prince Jiro clenched his fist and drank water angrily.
"That bastard is still alive! I will make sure to make him suffer. He already owed us a life and has been free for the past years. This time he will die." The two generals distance themselves from the prince because they know the prince will not be calm after almost an hour.
Duke William is the uncle of the King Philip. He was the brother of the late king, born by a concubine. He was rather the favorite of the late king, thus pampering him and making him the scheming man he is right now. The late king might not favor him as a son, but the king is a good king, thus giving the throne to King Philip.
Duke William just can't accept the truth, and together with his mom, they tried to assassinate the king. They didn't succeed, but they managed to injure the late king very badly. Duke William's mother confessed to her sin and managed to negate her son's involvement.
The late king was devastated but didn't blame his son; instead, before his death, he gave him a token of life. A single-use token where he can save a life in the presence of the king. The token that saves his life when the queen dies. King Philip was just established as the new king at that time, so no matter how angry he is at Duke William, he can't take his life, especially in the presence of the token.
Duke William was exiled from the country as punishment for what he did. Though he was exiled, his connections are still there because some officials are just loyal to him. Though the king can see it, since the officials don't do a thing, he won't have any reason to kill them.
Duke William has always been staying at the Xyphena Kingdom, a kingdom that is a bit far from the Abberhyn Kingdom, but after the princess's assassination, he was seen back in the kingdom. Since he was exiled, it is a crime to come back. Thus, arresting him is just fine, but he can't seem to be seen as he hides very well.
King Philip was very dissatisfied with the late king because of his blind favor towards his brother, Duke William. He is also his son, but he never sees him as a son but as only someone who can follow his every order. King Philip also wanted to feel the warmth of a father, but since he was not given one, he just gave it wholeheartedly to his two sons and his only daughter.
One reason why Prince Jiro gave up inheriting the throne was because of his sudden impulse, and he couldn't contain his emotion for a second. He just acts however he wants to act and doesn't want to be caged in the palace. But one thing that the two brothers have in common is their love for their family, which is solid as a rock, and they won't hesitate to kill someone that has bad motives toward their family. Being a protective brother, only Duke William has evaded their wrath because of the protective token.
Prince Jiro almost broke everything in the room while the two generals were just watching him vent his anger. They can't afford to distract the prince because both of them combined will not be able to handle the prince, and inflicting an injury on the prince will also be a bad ending for them.
After a while, Prince Jiro seemed to calm down his anger and sit in a chair. The two generals were still away and just waiting for orders. They both received a huge blow before in the camp when they took the prince as a kid. They even ended up being in bed for 3 days, which made them shiver and made them respect the Prince not just as a prince but as their commanding general.
The door gradually makes some movement, and the guard enters the room. Upon seeing how messy it was, he kneeled down in fear.
"I am sorry for barging in, Your Highness, but it is time to attend the welcome feast. A servant from the king is already waiting to be your guide," he trembled but still tried to speak at least decently.
Prince Jiro nodded and stood up. He fixed his clothes a little bit and walked out from the door. They went to the banquet hall and were greeted by the court official and the four princes. He stood up in front of the king with the two generals behind him and bowed as a sign of respect.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"It is a very pleasant thing for your arrival."
"Your Majesty, I am delighted to be here. I want to congratulate you on the marriage of the Third Prince; therefore, I brought a pair of the rarest Diamond Doves as a symbol of a new journey for the couple and a wish of happiness and joy to the wedding."
The eunuch took the presented gift from Prince Jiro and presented it to the king. The king was happy to see a dove because those were just rare in their kingdom. He smiled and was very happy with the gift.
"Good. Good!" The King raised his cup and aimed for a toss.
"The toss for a good wedding and a good brotherhood of Shadow and Abberhyn Kingdom!" the king shouted, and the people agreed. They drank a cup of alcohol and thanked the king.
"The feast is just made especially for you, Prince Jiro. Enjoy the food and the play."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The king signaled the eunuch to start the performance they set for the prince. They specifically chose the daughter of Marquis Cian because of her beauty and hoped to capture Prince Jiro's heart. Though Prince Jiro is not the Crown Prince, they knew that they had a good relationship with his brother.
The lady performed very seductively and really tried to seduce the prince, but it seemed like it wasn't working because he didn't even look at the lady but just continued to eat. The two generals behind him are just also eating.
"Prince Jiro, are you not satisfied with the performance?" the king asked because he saw how the prince was uninterested in the lady.
"I am, Your Majesty. It's just that I am a foodie and couldn't contain myself from the delicious food in front of me. The lady is very beautiful, but I am just hungry," Prince Jiro innocently answered.