Power Plays

Inside the office of Duke Saint, a slightly tan and fierce-looking middle-aged man can be seen sitting at his desk, and right next to him is an older, elegant man. The man is Duke Saint or Elias Saint, and the older man next to him is Benjamin, his butler, the one who has been serving the Duke household for two generations.

"In two weeks, the birthday of Michael Dacre is coming, and your presence is required," says Benjamin.

"How am I, a Duke, required to attend a birthday party of a noble of lower status?" asks the Duke with apparent irritation plastered on his face.

"Even the king recognized his talent in the sword and magic; reports say that even His majesty may attend, so most certainly every noble in the kingdom will attend this gathering," says Benjamin, like he's teaching his son how to conduct himself.

"Okay then. Also, notify Alice since she would probably like to go."

"Yes, Master," says Benjamin and proceeds to leave his office, not before asking another question, "Should I also notify the Mistress?"

The Duke takes a moment to think and answers,

"I don't believe she would like to go, but you can still notify her since my presence is enough, but you can still ask her."

"As you wish," bows down the butler and leaves.

*************

In another room, two women can be seen sitting at the table sipping their tea.

"Have you gotten the invitation to the party, mother?" asks the younger beautiful-looking woman.

"Yes, don't worry you will go and see your childhood crush Anne," says the slightly older-looking woman teasing her daughter.

"He was not my crush! We just spent some time together when we were kids, so I consider him a friend," says Anne while she is slightly blushing at her mothers' previous words.

The older-looking woman is Countess Maria Rosewood who got her title after her husband's death. Even though she got this position out of necessity she still managed to run her fief without any significant issues.

The duo is quite alike since both of them have dirty blonde hair coupled with light green eyes; coupled with their beautiful looks, they can easily make any man turn their head.

"Ha Ha, I was just kidding. No need for that kind of reaction, Anne," answers Maria playfully to her daughter.

"Okay, okay, let us just drink our tea," says Anne as she takes a sip of her tea still slightly blushing.

**************

Similar situations can be seen in every major noble household since the party is not only about congratulating the host but also a way to form a connection and maybe expand your influence.

So even though everyone is discussing the upcoming party in every noble household, the one that stands out the most is inside the King's castle. More specifically, the king's court.

-At the royal court-

"Your Majesty, the sixteenth birthday of Michael Dacre is getting closer," said a robust middle-aged man while kneeling to the king, Eric, who is currently sitting on His throne with a bored look on his face.

"Hmph, was that the kid who broke through at the age of 14 to E rank?" asks the king.

"Yes, Your majesty. You instructed me to inform you about his birthday since it's the one before his admission to the academy," replied the kneeling man.

"Good. I shall attend this gathering. Maybe I can even turn him on my side and support the crown prince since the Duke seems to be on the move the last couple of years," said the King with a slight glint in his eyes.

"As you wish, your majesty. Should I notify someone else besides the crown prince about the gathering?" he asks again.

"Hmph, maybe calling Helen would be a good idea. Let's see if we can get them closer to each other to improve our ties with him further."

"I shall notify the second princess then."

"You are dismissed."

The robust man stands up, bows again, and takes his leave, leaving behind the king sitting on his throne with his hand supporting his chin and a bored look on his face despite the unusual glint in his eyes that maybe is hiding something more.

`I hope you won't disappoint me.`

About ten minutes after the man who informed The king about the event, a young girl with sharp facial features, blonde hair and green eyes, and a medium stature of around 1.65m in her latish teens barges inside the royal court.

"Father! Are you going to sell me off so you can gain a strong hand in your political schemes?" Shouts the young girl named Helen, the second princess, with visible anger in her voice.

"Your majesty, forgive me for not informing you about her arrival," says the guard stationed outside the court's gate.

The king dismissively waves his hand at the guard and says,

"It's okay; I know she can be a handful," replies The king, and the guard takes his leave.

"Helen, I didn't sell you off to anyone; I said you should accompany me, meet him, and you can get his attention. Either way, I don't think having a strong and handsome man by your side is such a bad idea," finishes the king with a more affectionate tone towards his daughter.

"You always knew I wanted to get married out of love and not an arranged marriage, with a man I have never met and don't know anything about! Mother also agrees with me!" She says, still screaming but with less anger in her voice.

"I never said I arranged a marriage. I said you should come with me and meet him since both of you will attend the academy at the same time and may as well be in the same class. Now stop shouting like that." Commands the king with a slightly raised voice.

"Okay, I'm also going to visit mother, so we all know that we are on the same page," says Helen as she storms out of the room.

"Sigh, what did I do to deserve this," sighs the king as he massages his temples, probably waiting for another earful, this time from his wife, the queen.

*************

A girl can be seen practically running through the spacey corridors with a determined look on her face.

"Mum, dad wants me to marry someone I don't know!" says Helen to the woman sitting at her table while drinking her tea. Someone may even confuse them as sisters since both of them look very much alike, just that the woman sitting has a more mature vibe to her. The woman is Azariah, the queen.

"Ohh, come on now, Helen, I know your dad would never do something like that," says Azariah with a condescending look on her face.

"But mum, he already made me attend the party," she says while waiting for her mother's hug

"Whose party?" asks Azariah.

"Michael Dacre." Replies Helen.

"Hmph, he would indeed be a good choice," she says with a smile.

"Mother!" yells Helen as she breaks from the hug, looking at her mother angrily and slightly panicked.

"Come on now; it's okay. You can just meet him at the party if you like him you can stay friends with him since he seems like he has a bright future, or if you don't like him you can ignore him after the party and keep the usual etiquette when greeting him. And also you won't have to worry about anything else; I will talk to your father about this." Calmly replies to the queen to her daughter.

"Thanks, mum, you are the best," says Helen while smiling and going again for the hug.

*************

"How are you so good at this game? I can't win even once!"

"Don't worry, sis, while losing, you learn more," says the young man laughing.

"Young mistress and master, the lunch will be served soon," comes a voice from outside the room.

"Let's go, Liz," he says, extending his hand.

"Okay." She replies, grabbing his hand.