"You are late," Lou said, feeling annoyed when he saw Alan. He tapped his feet impatiently as he looked at the Prince. There was no trace of respect in the way the merchant acted, as if he had been waiting for someone of lower rank, instead of the Crown Prince of the kingdom.
He became so smug only because he knew how desperately the King wanted him to start the construction of the magical devices around the capital city. This was also one of the King's ways to reassure the people that everything was still under control and they were safe in the city. It calmed them down a little bit, but they were still skeptical and the tension was still so high.
Especially with the people from the Red Claw pack demanding the King to find the fourth prince as soon as possible. The situation became even murkier than the King could handle, forcing himself to rely heavily on Cane to fix all the problems, by giving him the title of the king's special emissary.