---

Despite how stubborn both her uncle Hafiz and Lorenzo seemed to be, Mayet was relieved to see that even Leo was trying to defuse that situation without any more issues. If Duke Vikena hadn't taken her previous hint for him to change seats, she hoped Lord Leo's suggestion would make him realize what was going on. Looking to Leo, Mayet gave a discreet nod, thanking him for his assistance.

Regardless of the chaos that was currently going on, Mayet didn't miss Charlotte's displeased stare towards her. Instead of feeling offended by such stare though, Mayet simply let out a sarcastic chuckle. To think she would have the audacity to even look at Mayet with a displeased expression, considering everything her father did to insult them was simply amusing, to say the least. Mayet was well aware that Charlotte had no hand in the foolish behavior her father had, but to not only condone such behavior, but to send such an insolent stare towards Mayet simply because she spoke the truth was outrageous, to say the least.

Still, it seemed Charlotte wasn't satisfied with merely gazing towards Mayet and staying silent and instead, she decided to speak out, directing her stare directly towards Mayet and Layla, going as far as also addressing her uncle. Something which Mayet was almost sure would make him livid.

It was after hearing Charlotte's words that Mayet's expression suddenly changed. For a brief moment, everyone at the table noticed that Mayet was incredibly close from just pouncing at Lorenzo and Charlotte and ripping them to shreds.

"Father... I truly admire your patience and self-control." Mayet said with a deep sigh, after taking a moment to calm down as she looked to the sultan.

"I think you aren't well aware of how serious your father's offense was against us, both on the welcoming ball and now, Lady Charlotte. For you to speak about decorum, civility and respect after everything your father has done towards us is laughable, to say the least. I will warn you and your father one last time..." Mayet said, looking towards Charlotte with cold, threatening eyes.

"Do not try my patience." she said, her voice taking a frightening tone as she looked towards them with a piercing stare.

For a brief moment, Mayet said nothing and instead just kept looking towards Charlotte and Lorenzo, her dangerous stare was as much of a warning as her words or the tone she spoke in.

"Do not take my words as an insult, Charlotte. Take them as a lesson to be learned. If you truly care about your stepfather, then you shouldn't condone his errors and be proud of them. You should help him to grow as a person enough for him to be able to act as a noble of his standing. Enough for him to respect himself and be confident enough to present himself without feeling the necessity to act out just to draw attention." Mayet said with a harsh tone.

"Sometimes, harsh words can teach more and be more helpful for one's growth than kindness and sympathy." Mayet finished.

Surprisingly enough, despite his temper, Hafiz's reaction to Charlotte's words proved to be less... 'disastrous' than she thought it would be, with him calming down instead of lashing out at Lorenzo's audacity. Despite his sharp, venomous words, Mayet couldn't help to agree with him, especially as he mentioned that hospitality was a two-way street. After everything he had done, to demand hospitality and politeness was simply absurd.

While Hafiz had agreed to let Lorenzo keep his chair and sat near Charlotte. With that said, her uncle's predatory smirk didn't go unnoticed by Mayet. She knew exactly what he was doing, but for her, it was still better than having him lash out and potentially ruin the dinner, together with Lorenzo, of course.

Unfortunately, Lorenzo did catch up quite quickly to the game her uncle Hafiz was playing and instead of simply letting Hafiz have his small victories, he replied in a similar manner to her uncle, with a particularly venomous reply, mentioning that he was 'second' to the Sultan... Whether by sheer coincidence or due to Lorenzo using his brain, he ended up going straight for the one thing that was Hafiz' biggest issue... His inferiority complex to his brother.

Before anyone could say anything more though, she heard her father loudly clapping, calling the attention from everyone at the table as a clear sign that he had enough of all that. A moment later, he called the servants to serve the first course. A smart move, hopefully stuffing Lorenzo and Hafiz's mouths with food would prevent them from continuing to trade barbs between themselves.
Truth be told, the scent of the spices, especially the grilled chicken skewers were very helpful to calm down Mayet and improve her mood.

"Thank you, father." Mayet said, thanking the Sultan in a low tone with a discreet smile.

"Now please, let us all sit down and enjoy some traditional Alidasht cuisine. I particularly recommend the grilled chicken skewers. While it might look like a simple dish, the spices really give it an entirely different depth." Mayet said, following the Sultan's cue, asking to cease the conflicts so they could enjoy their dinner.

Wulfric restrained an eyeroll when his father missed the point. “Advertising is all fine and well but he needn’t have asked my brother to help with his work,” he grumbled quietly. But it was with the tone of one who knew this wouldn’t be convincing. In fact, none of the reasons he listed were the main one; namely that he had a ‘bad feeling’ about Ezra. He trusted his own instincts – and Wystan’s – but that was the kind of thing which was far too easily dismissed.

He narrowed his eyes as Edin went on to insult Leo. “He is still a lord and the future duke of Stravinsky,” his voice was clipped as he said this, though he kept his tone polite. How easily the king dismissed a nobleman due to an overblown sense of rivalry with their neighbouring country. And in favour of that baker, no less.

Un-fucking-believable.

Or, it would be, if this weren’t Edin.

“Ezra has no business insulting him,” he stated matter-of-factly. And neither do you. But of course, his father continued listing Leo’s perceived faults.

Wulfric returned his attention to the food in front of him. Yet, a mere moment later, he was drawn to meet his father’s gaze.

"The apple never falls far from the tree, Wulfric…Trust me," the old man smirked.

To hell with that.

It had felt like a taunt, but there was no way Edin had the self-awareness prerequisite to turn that phrase on him with malicious intent.

The prince kept his expression neutral, unchanging. He directed a stare on his plate, lowering his lashes before the flare of indignation, offense, hatred could be seen in his eyes. With careful body language alone, he made a show of contrite acceptance.

Still, annoyance crossed his expression at the remark about his sister. “Men stare at her all the time,” he said, as if that was any excuse whatsoever.

Then maybe their eyes should rot off.

Aggressively, Wulfric stabbed a cherry tomato with his fork. The delicate skin broke apart, and the tines sunk into the meat with a soft plop. Once in his mouth, he chewed it till it was mush, then consumed the thing in one go.

With a huff, he expelled all extraneous emotions. Yes, father was upsetting. No, that was nothing new. What point in letting it get under his skin?

When Edin played the age card, he almost sighed. Yes, yes, you are nearly a senior citizen. Congratulations. Too bad old age hasn't granted you the wisdom you claim.

Outwardly, he affected an apologetic demeanour. “As you say, father…I should have known you would never make an oversight. Please forgive my impudence,” he made his tone low and compelling. Still, he knew it’d be better to wait before making serious conversation with Edin regarding the party.

Thus, he excused himself from the table, and approached Anastasia. She’d drawn closer to Ezra’s gifts and cakes. Wulfric laid a gently restraining hand on her shoulder. “Careful until it’s all inspected,” he murmured. He eyed the servants who’d been tasked with ensuring the items were safe to handle.

Time: 6pm
Location: Sorian Park, Princess Sadie's picnic
Interactions: @Tpartywithzombi Violet @JJ Doe △△△ @Potter Sadie, @Mole Felix , @Rodiak Zarai, @ReusableSword Roman
Mentions:

---

"Haha, I'm glad to hear!" Any of John's semblance of formality vanished as soon as the princess just jumped right on him and giving him a big bear hug. "I've been going around town, ya know, looking around. It's...well...been a while. Just catching up on stuff around here."

He wasn't sure if the princess was aware of his Caesonian roots, but it wasn't necessarily secret information. Even otherwise, he's willing to let her in on a bit of the past.

The next few Varian compatriots John gladly gave a bow to as well as offer all coming a glass of water (with a bit of confusion seeing Felix, thinking he had already gone back). Not wine or any fancy drink, quite typical of a doctor's stereotypes. But hey, at least he wasn't offering distilled water, a bland and flat brand with any doctor's approval. John knew of that though, and still sometimes offered that to any visitors around as a joke.

And typical of any doctor, he too was worried upon seeing Zarai's condition. He was briefed recently as he took the position of the head of the Physician Corp, but he wasn't sure how serious until he saw her current state, having to be helped by a helper. But given that they allowed her out to the field, it probably was fine. The resident's blacksmith decided to keep her company now, so John held back from interfering with the two.

"I guess I'll go first then." John eyed those still around the princess lively. "I already said to Your Highness earlier, but yeah I basically just hopped around town, looking for cool stuff, catching up with some old pal." He had no intention of keeping this a secret from others either. "There were some hiccups along the way with patients just soooo happens to be along my path, but hey, good ol' me here can't just outright refuse them, am I right?"

He debated if he should discuss the ruckus at the park this morning or the murder that happened the day before at the library. They were trusted Varian compatriots, so it's not like it's terribly unsafe to share that, but this was also princess Sadie's picnic. Shouldn't ruin the mood with it. "Other than that, yummy pancakes at the park this morning and late night library visit yester-"

Just as that topic was brought up.

He saw Count Fritz, accompanying a hauntingly familiar face. Instinctively, the doctor's eyes twitched and opened wide for just a brief second, right before forcefully readjusted back to his normal friendly face. A trained response, but not one easily recognized.

"Oh no, you're welcomed here, at least on my end." There is active deliberation in his word choices. "Is that alright with you, your Royal Highness?"

But in his head, there was a cacophony of thoughts twirling inside. This has to be a joke. A costume? A look-alike? There's almost zero chance that she would be alive. Almost. He was there when the corpse was discovered. Even if she survived the wounds, there is no way she is back so quickly within a night. That is not medically possible. This lady even looked quite well-cleaned too, in contrast to the bloody mess on the cobblestone. How does that make any sense?

'Calm down.' John thought to himself. The explanation is probably simpler than he feared. But if that scenario turned out true...

"I don't believe we've met." John said to the lady. "May I know your name?"

At the same time, the doctor occasionally looked over to Count Fritz with a friendly smile but a dubious gaze. He had been acting rather strangely this morning.

---

Time: 6pm
Location: Sorian Park
Interactions: @Rodiak Matthias/Zarai, @ReusableSword Roman, @Conscripts John, @JJ Doe Count Fritz @Mole Prince Felix @Potter Sadie @Tpartywithzombi Violet

The fireworks preparations had been proceeding smoothly, so she left the men to it. Needn't be an extra body in the way. She worked her way through the town a bit before she steered herself to the park, to observe the bursting starlight. That's how it had been described to her, and it was an exciting description. As she entered the park, the knight easily fell prey to the wonderful smell of funnel cake, and several other foods, before she finally went to find herself a place to lean and eat and watch the fireworks.

It was quite a satisfying show. The bright, colorful lights that filled the air were a beautiful sight. It went especially well with the meal, somehow. Her belly filled and the resulting debris properly disposed of, the knight drew a fife from a holster attached to her scabbard and began to play. The playful, lilting tones of folk music from the countryside would fill the air, between the bangs of the fireworks. It wasn't completely unlike playing over a roaring fire, though there were some rather staunch differences. She could remember the dances and festivals from her youth, especially during the harvest season. This was not unlike that at all. Just… bigger, more grandiose. This music would never fit in the castle proper, but here, it seemed to belong. She rather hoped a bard or two might join her, though. There must be a few wandering about, yes? Maybe they could even get a dance going.

_{^{L O C A T I O N : Sadie's Party
I N T E R A C T I O N S : Sir Matthias, Lady Zarai @Rodiak, Lady Violet @Tpartywithzombi
M E N T I O N S : Princess Sadie @Potter}}



"Sir Mathias, it is good to see you, again," Prince Felix relinquished a sigh of relief that his good confident had arrived. The day had been something or another, and Sir Mathias was just the man he wanted to see. Of course, he would greet the rest of the guests first.

"The pleasure is all my dear sister's," Prince Felix spoke to Lady Zarai. He made a small bow to honor her own and spoke nothing more about her condition. His sister could make do with her own pleasant charms on this one.

The fireworks boomed in the background. They were a spectacular display, and he thought even better of his sister. It was a delightful idea, and it took his mind from whatever was plaguing it -- at least, momentarily.

When Lady Violet arrived, Prince Felix could not help but feel an instant revulsion towards her. However, for the sake of his sister, he made no ill commentary toward the blood-eyed woman. Instead, he merely greeted her in the same manner as he had Lady Zarai. If perhaps Sadie faltered with the Lady, then he would step in to help her.

Fortunately, a dark-haired woman with astute posture threw her arms around his sister. He sized her up quickly and waited for his sister to make her reply for extending his own.

Riona blended into the dining room walls, her back straight, her face a mask of practiced neutrality. Beneath the surface, however, her nerves were on edge. Every time Shehzadi Mayet or Prince Auguste directed any amount of attention to her, her heart hammered against her chest like a wild animal trying to escape its cage. When she thought there wouldn’t be more reason to be anxious, Shahzade Munir swaggered into the room. She could have sworn her heart jumped out of her mouth.

Thankfully, Riona’s intuition proved correct; the Shahzade appeared to have forgotten all about the maid after their brief encounter on the dance floor. He breezed past her without a second glance, claiming a seat between the Sultan and the Prince. With a measured exhale, Riona allowed herself a quiet breath of relief.

Maybe, just maybe, she would make it through the evening unscathed. But her hope was short-lived. Duke Lorenzo “stole” Grand Vizier Hafiz’s seat at the head of the table. Riona braced herself for the inevitable trouble that would follow. At the very least, she took solace in the fact that any attempts to shift the blame onto the servants for this debacle would need some impressive mental gymnastics.

Riona watched the Duke and Grand Vizier exchange barbs and jibes at each other across the table with mixed fascination and frustration. Where had this version of the Duke been hiding all along, and what was he doing here bickering with Alidasht royalty instead of confronting the real enemies at his doorstep?

While the other dinner attendees did their best to calm the situation, Riona turned to a nearby servant and whispered a few words. The servant nodded and hurried off to gather the items she requested.

As the first course was being brought in, Riona discreetly slid drinks onto the table, positioning them within easy reach of the attendees’ drinking hands. It went against proper Northern Kingdom dining etiquette, but this wasn’t a Caesonian dinner or a typical Alidasht dinner either. It was why, after serving the Alidasht guests their drinks, she changed plans and provided the Caesonians different refreshments, hoping to ease some of the tension building up.

Lady Ariella’s polite smile was delicate as a lace doily, too thin to hide her discomfort. Riona’s heart went out to the poor woman. She looked like she could use a stiff drink to dull the razor-sharp edge of the awkwardness that permeated the room. Though Riona was no expert in the art of fancy cocktail making, she knew that mixing vodka with vermouth was a solid option. She presented the concoction to Lady Ariella with a reassuring smile before moving on.

She didn’t need to ask what Prince Auguste wanted. She knew his preferences like the back of her hand, having served the Danrose family for years. Riona poured him his usual brand of light wine he drank at least once during dinner. As soon as her fingers released the crystal goblet, the maid retreated with a quick, almost imperceptible bow. She knew better than to linger and risk any unnecessary contact or conversation.

Crimson liquid sloshed in the decanter, allowing the vintage Riona’s father claimed paired perfectly with Alidasht cuisine to breathe before filling Lady Charlotte’s cup. Although it wasn’t her responsibility, Riona didn’t want the Vikenas leaving this dinner with a bad impression of Alidasht, compelled to honor her grandmother’s cherished memory of the land. If Lady Charlotte couldn’t enjoy the company of its people, at least she could leave knowing its food was good.

Riona advanced towards Duke Lorenzo with the decanter. However, as she drew closer, her steps slowed and eventually stilled. She gave the older man a critical appraisal, then retraced her steps to retrieve a jug of water. The sound of water cascading into the cup hid words meant for the Duke’s ears alone, “Is there a reason you cannot be as bold as this with Edin or Calbert, Your Grace?” Setting the glass down, she continued in a hushed tone, “They would not trample over you as much if they knew you could bite,” before blending back into the background.

For the last guest, Riona poured the rest of the water into a bowl. She approached Shehzadi Mayet and dipped her head. With a fluid motion, the maid bent down and placed the bowl beside Nala, who was lying at the Shehzadi’s feet. She wasn’t sure of the tiger’s appetite or preference, but she also offered a piece of meat. Riona felt that the patient companion deserved a reward for putting up with all this human nonsense.

As she rose, Riona mentally patted herself on the back for taking care of all the dinner attendees with quick efficiency.

The Varian?

He had plenty of air to drink around him: he didn’t need her to serve him anything.

---

---

Roman watched the two figures slowly start to approach the group, he didn’t recognize count Fritz immediately as they approached but did make out the man’s form. A small thank you from his left snapped him back to his friend. he could only give Zarai a warm smile in return to her thank you.

“a thank you and a smile is all I will ever want from you.” He spoke softly with warmth in his words.

Nodding to the noble knight, his son, and his helper with a smile. “Come now Mathias you talk like that’s a bad thing. Now if we met like this on the field then yes we really shouldn’t be running into each other out there.” Watching Sadie almost throw herself at the small human he brought along with him. The sight was very much adorable. Those moments for him were precious and made him miss home for only but a second.

Sadie’s question and bubbly attitude made him smile even wider with a hardy laugh. “a good gaggle of learners this time, no shinning stars yet but we will find the Dimond in the rough with this batch I’m sure of it. Ill challenge them to see if they can beat even your wonderful craftsmanship at the end of the summer. I’m sure it will catch them off guard especially when you come join us for a lesson.”

His smile never faded as he spoke but again his eyes and attention were pulled from them when the one he thought was violet turned out to be violet? But she didn’t look well, bloodshot eyes, a new scar or makeup on her brow that he did not remember being there before. Perhaps a bruise or a mark from a fight, needing a cane? Must have been a struggle. The pair was at the perimeter of the guards at the base of the hill, knowing the count at her arm could get her through he continued to examine them.

He wasn’t too awful familiar with the man but was aware of the Varian nobility that was on the roster for joining them out here this summer. That was after all part of his job. As they approached, Roman stood from his position, he did not conceal the worry on his face. With her red eyes and the mark on her head she must have been assaulted after the party last night. Trying to remember why he didn’t leave the party with her instead of going with the others made his head hurt and he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt pass through him for a moment.

There must be some sort of serial abuser in the city to have two beautiful nobility assaulted in one night, first Zarai and now her. He would have to have his men look into this matter further when he got back to them tonight. Roman remained silent as he looked the duo over, she was definitely distant maybe she was still stuck in survival mode or shock over what happened to her. Why the hell would her father let her out in this condition she should be recovering in bed if her assailant made it so she needed a cane to walk.

John spoke up first and invited violet to join them, the prince looked otherwise neutral to the new guest and some of the others just looked at her with worry? He wasn’t quite sure. The sudden appearance of a red-haired women that immediately threw her arms around the princess made him instinctively grab the hilt of his sword for just a moment. With violet being here his concentration wasn’t on his surroundings.

A few faces from the crowd locked eyes with him for a moment then went back to whatever they were doing. It was true that Roman had guards tasked to him like the others but his guards were always just out of sight or blending in with the rest of the population so it never looked like he had guards with him. They were making sure they didn’t need to come to assist him, he still gave the guards at the bottom of the hill a glare at their failure to at least question who was joining them.

Relaxing and trying to turn his attention back to lady violet, he spoke with a slight smile addressing the count on her arm first, “Thank you Count Fritz for escorting Lady Violet Damien to our simple gathering.” His smile didn’t fade but his guard was still up with regard to the new comer. “Violet” he spoke with the same curious and cautious tone he had when they were talking on the balcony the night before, “Are you alright? I could not find you after our dance last night at the castle.” Maybe it was then that she was attacked, her father sent her off to keep some of her dignity perhaps? What ever happened to her the night before didn’t sit right with him.

Another man approached them and again he turned to glare at the guards, who at this point could only shrug as the messenger delivered his note to the princess. He may not have authority over them but he was still intimidating. To add to that intimidation, although he looked at Violet with a calm but worried gaze, there was the possibility that those who knew him or knew the signs could see a growing rage behind his eyes and subtly in his body language. The crystal hidden under his shirt glowed almost unnoticeably as these emotions began to grow inside of him. He would find who did this to her and he wouldn’t make their demise quick.