King’s Silver Jubilee (IC|TG to Enter)

[Great Hyruke]

Cece looked at the sights of Nikosia with amazement as her limousine winded through the streets up to the magnificent Geroskipou Palace that seem to act like the crown jewel of the capital city of Cinyras. She was greatly impressed. Darlington was nothing in comparison, blending in quietly with the rest of the buildings of Londres. Here however, the palace seem to appear like a paradise come down to kiss the earth.

Cece bounces in her seat in delight, her lips pulled up into a virtually permanent smile. Cece, the new Princess of Éirea and future Queen of Great Hyruke has been sent to Cinyras in order to represent her aunt, Queen Caroline. Her aunt would never admit it, but Cece knew the truth, she was paranoid, with a near zealous mistrust of society. She directed it in her holy war against terrorism, but it made her distrustful of those outside of Great Hyruke.

The young and lively Cece however had none of those reservations. Called the kingdom’s delight, Cece adored people, she adored traveling, she loved to be seen and have new experiences. She was nervous, naturally as this was her very first foreign visit as the Princess of Éirea, it was kind of a big deal. She was not just here for the Silver Jubilee of King Loudovíkos, to whom she was to present a gift from the Great Londres Museum, but for political reasons as well.

Cece was tasked with gaining a strategic alliance with King Loudovíkos, with the two kingdoms becoming allies. Auntie Caroline was never fun simply go to something, even sending a representative without an ulterior motive. It was rather pragmatic, but that was just how Auntie Caroline was. But Cece was still excited. She was ready to have fun, go on an adventure and complete her goals.

With Caroline came her date and her date’s chaperone (Auntie Caroline’s new succession act had not simply changed the law of succession, but had brought back new rules across Great Hyruke). Among this rule was that a young man could not be with a woman of any age without a chaperone, least his “fragile emotional constitution” be threaten by the woman, and as such another had to be there to prevent such things.

“Your Royal Highness,” the chaperone, Julian Blackthorn, son of a former Secretary of Foreign Affairs said, “We are here.”

Cece looked away from the window and refocused on the pathway that lead up to the Geroskipou Palace and the waiting King. What a pretty display! She admired the uniforms of the young heralds and waiting valets that flanked King Loudovíkos.

“Ooh, this looks so cool!” Cece declared happily, clapping her hands together as the limousine pulled to a full stop and a page girl, another change down by Auntie Caroline. Cece practically jumped out of he limousine, as gracefully as a deer, her long platinum blonde hair fluttering around her. Her bright sapphire blue eyes shined in the like that seemed to bounce out of the palace.

Princess Cece waves get hand to the heralds and any waiting press. She had been forced to dawn a white glittery fascinator hat, following royal outfit etiquette. Cece wore a need length lily yellow dress, it’s hemn weighed down with weights, with white heels. Cece had refused to mimick her aunt’s affinity for dark blacks, reds and greens, and instead preferred happier pastel colors.

Cece wanted to represent a new generation and new age of the monarchy, young and modern. Though she had been forbidden from revealing her shoulders. Following Cece came her friend and date for the Silver Jubilee. Meanwhile behind them came her chaperone.

Chaperone was not the word that Julian Blackthorn would have used. The second son of a former cabinet minister, Julian felt terribly out of place among the royals, the world leaders and future world leaders. Nor was he truly a supervisor of Cece. He was only a few months older than her, and he’d been personally selected by her because they were associates, he a third wheel in her relationship.

Julian, as he was ever self-conscious about, lacked the famous black Blackthorn hair, which he blamed on his blond mother. Instead his had blond hair so light that practically everyone thought that it was white. Part of this was his fault, as he tended to add dye to it. If he was going to standout, go big or go home he supposed. He was dressed in a suit, naturally for the occasion. He followed quietly behind the Princess of Éirea.

Princess Cece smiled brightly as she walked up to King Loudovíkos and curtsied politely. As she rose she shook his hand. “I am so happy to be here Your Majesty. It’s a wonderful day for such a wonderful occasion. And oh my god, your palace is absolutely beautiful.”

Cece, Princess of Éirea


Julian Blackthorn

[Communist Espana]

Prince Charles, Duke of Alicante escorted Princess Cece down the pathway from the limousine to King Loudovíkos with a small smile on his face. He and Cece had only been dating for a short period of time and had been honored that he was being included in their visit to the celebration of 25 years on his throne. An impressive length Charles guessed. In his own ancestry he couldn’t think of anyone in the past few generations that had ever ruled for quite so long. Though Charles was pretty sure that he was a cousin of Loudovíkos. Though royal bloodlines could be confusing and sometimes intentionally obscure.

The Duke of Alicante

Charles glanced over his shoulder at Julian, his god-brother and his favorite person in the world. If Julian hadn’t been friends with Cece as well, he would have insisted that he join them on this trip. Charles did understand Julian’a nervousness to royals, but he felt that the only way to fix that was to further emerge him in the world of crowns and thrones. Charles wore a dark black suit with a dark blue tie that brought out his deep cerulean eyes, his hair, usually much darkner, near black like his mother’s, was light in the sunlight of the warm climate of Cinyras.

As Cece curtsied to Loudovíkos, Charles let go of her hand and bowed shaking The King of Cinyras’ hand.

”It is nice to meet you Your Majesty. Congratulations on your Jubilee.”

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Charlotte barely noticed the cup fall nor the submissive servant who struggled to do his job of keeping the place immaculate. She had told herself that if he made his move she would not fight it, though that didn't mean she was going to quietly say yes to and accept every single thing that he might have wanted to do to her. Whether it was just this evening or something greater beyond that, it was going to be a two-way street. And whilst she wasn't ideologically opposed to the employment of the tongue in general, it was not going to be for use in the Great Hall where everyone could see. As nice as the Crown Prince seemed on first impression, she was not going to become an exhibitionist in front of a royal audience - at least not yet, not until she could figure out more about Enrikos and evaluate how much trust she could invest into him. She was flattered by his interest but she did wonder how seriously he saw her, if it was anything beyond a plaything for his physical pleasures. Maybe the Princess was cynical in that regard, but she preferred it to the naivety of merely assuming that he had her best interests at heart, the mistake of fully believing you knew what someone's motivations were from circumstantial evidence.

"Let's not put too much of a show on for the spectators." she suggested coyly. "Not unless we start charging them to watch."

[Dutch-Empire]

Prince Christiaan smile at the lovely stammering Princess Adeline. He had seen many girls in the recent years stammer just like her on there first meeting of him. He was flattered naturally at the act, the display of such innocent shyness. Christiaan bowed lowly to the Cinyroite princess, taking her hand so that me may kiss it.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Your Highness, Blue is a lovely color on you."

Anna Charlotte nodded her head in agreement with Queen Mother of Cinyras. She had reigned only a year or so less than Ionna's son, and she, as any monarch, wished to have a long and prosperous reign.

"God save the King they say. I am sure that he will go as far to celebrate his own golden jubilee. His rule has been a successful one, you must be a very proud mother."

[Cinyras]

King Loudovíkos smiled at the arrival of the lovely Princess Cece, whom he had heard such wonderful and hopeful things about, the 'kingdom's delight' of Great Hyruke as she had been call in the news that had celebrated her. Loudovíkos himself could agree. He had had the misfortune of meeting her father, the great buffoon that was Prince Philip some years ago. Not an evil man, nor a cruel one, but simply a foolish one. The fat prince had come to gamble aboard the King's yacht and had been a boisterous and drunk nuisance. It had not helped that Loudovíkos's father and Philip's father had been of the most bitter and cold of enemies, not that the King was all that attached to the opinions of his family members.

Nonetheless, despite these disconnections from the personal interests of family, King Loudovíkos couldn't help but suck in his breath slightly at the sight of the Duke of Alicante. The young duke was one of the many children of the late Mad King, Charles II of Espana. Not more than a year ago another son of the Mad King had tried to seize a throne from Queen Adelaide II, herself a granddaughter of the mad king. Loudovíkos had tried to take a neutral position in the issue of the Carlists and Henrians who currently fought in Espana's civil war, and he could only assume that the Duke was a Carlist, but interestingly enough if was not that conflict that Loudovíkos was fearful of.

The duke was a son of Marie of Wied, the great rival of Anna Charlotte, whom King Loudovíkos was whole hearetdly a supporter of. He hoped that the unexpected arrival of the Duke of Alicante would not lead to trouble with the Empress of the Dutch and her children. He had no desire to be mistaken for a support of the so called heirs of the She-wolf of Wied. He should have more carefully pried when he had been told of the guest of the Princess of Éirea, for he had assumed that she would bring with her, like her brothers, a selected homegrown Hyrukian noble. As for the striking Julian Blackthorn, King Loudovíkos paid little attention to him as he forced a smile at Princess Cece and the Duke of Alicante.

"Your Royal Highness," the King of Cinyras said, "it is a greet honor to have you come to Cinyras as your first foreign visit, though I must admit that I am somewhat..." Loudovíkos trailed off looking to the Duke of Alicante and then back to Princess Cece. "Surprised, by your companionship with His grace."

---

Queen Mother Ionna chuckled slightly. She love her son, she did as much as any woman. He was also her only child, making him all the more precious to her. But the queen mother was still a realist. "My son may be the one to wear the crown, but it is the Cardinal who rules us." She said in reference to the Chief Minister, Cardinal de Iskelieu who had been her son's closest adviser since she had been pushed aside not long into his reign. It was the Cardinal who maintain the Catholic Church's hold on the upper elites of Cinyras whilst the majority of the country prescribed to different belief systems. "But he makes great strides, if they are few and far in between, though that is probably for the best. The Monarchy should be seen, not heard."

---

Crown Prince Enrikos could sense the hesitation in Charlotte as she pulled away, a flash of annoyance once again running across his mind. He couldn't care less about a little exhibitionism, not that had any particular inclination towards it in the first place. After all what was wrong if people saw them? In the days of ancient Cinyras, men had worn little to nothing whilst women had been known to display their chest for all to see. Whatever prude had ruined such a marvelous practice, Enrikos would see erased from history. He looked at Charlotte, noticing for the first time that they were practically eye-level to one another.

"How much would you start the price at?"

---

Adeline blush deep, a band of red stretching from her cheeks to her ears as Chrisiaan kissed her hand. She was speechless for a moment, lookinf down at her dress, smoothing it out like it was the most interesting thing in the world. She didn't think she could look up at the Dutch prince without squealing in delight. "T-thank you. And that is a handsome suit on you." Though a part of Adeline wished to see him without said suit. Now that would be a delight. "Though I suppose that must make sense considering you are related to Elizabeth Percy. It must be nice to have the queen of fashion as a sister."

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Charlotte hadn't quite expected Enrikos to interpret her statement so literally, but it made for a continuation of their entertaining back and forth. It was a question she did not have a ready made response for and it did prompt her to really think about it in some depth. In truth, money itself meant little to Charlotte, her allowance was more than generous. And the things she did want that she couldn't buy already, it was less a matter of money and more of a matter of access. Things such as information and favours were often a far more valuable currency in the social lives of the elite. Those things could be quite exclusive, unavailable to many customers even if they had no lack of wealth. It was about who you knew and less about what you had. She tried to think of an amount to start from, but why dictate your own price when you can see what someone is willing to give and then continually push for more.

"I'd wait and see all the offers, and then I'd be tempted to ask for something more." she explained. "So I either get the best possible price out of them or we get each other completely to ourselves."

[Communist Espana]

The Duke of Alicante smiled at King Loudovíkos, choosing to ignore the not so subtle shock at his joining of Cece. Charles was somewhat used to people developing their own prejudices on him due to his parentage. It wasn’t that easy being the son of the Mad King and the She-Wolf of Wied. But hey, life had dealt him his cards and he just had to play with them.

“Life is full of pleasant little surprising, don’t you think so? I tend to find them cool. Oh, hold on, uh, May I?”

He pulled out his phone from this pocket and took a step towards the king, before Loudovíkos could respond. Charles pulled Cece with him and putting an arm around her as he took a selfie with the King of Cinyras. Charles stepped back and began posting the picture to his snapgram account, he loved to post pictures. He also went to his messages and sent the picture. All of this took perhaps a fraction of a second, his fingers typing alarmingly fast.

Charles looked back up at King Loudovíkos, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

“I’m sure my followers will love it. I’ll bet you’ll be trending.”

[Great Hyruke]

Princess Cece smiled into Charles’s phone as he took the picture. She then looked back to the King of Cinyras with a brilliant smile, clasping her heads together. His uneasy look at her boyfriend went over Cece’s head, she was along with most Hyrukian, entirely neutral in the dynastic spilt between the Henrians and Carlists. To add to this was that, as far as she was concerned, Charles was basically a Hyrukian, raised there with the Blackthorns since he was a child.

“Surprises are marvelous.” Cece said as she bounced with joy. “Speaking of surprises, I have one for your Your Majesty. I know that in the past that things haven’t always been super friendly between Cinyras and Great Hyruke, but I thought that it would be a positively marvelous thing for an extending of the olive branch in friendship.”

Cece waved Julian forward, who had been quietly watching the trio of royals, who handed a trophy like statue of an marble woman standing nude. She presented it towards King Loudovíkos, holdingit up for him to see.

“This of course is just a model of the actual statue, but it is the Aphrodite of Ierafni and has been the Londres Museum for the last eighty or so years after it was taken by overeager archeologists from Ierafni here in Cinyras. I honor of your silver jubilee, and our countries’ friendship, and my aunt, I wish to return it to you.”

Cece grinned with delight, proud of her masterful plan. “You can rename it the Venus de’ Milanes.”

[Cinyras]

Loudovíkos looked over at the Duke of Alicante in a bit of amazement. He wasn’t use to being in pictures that were not staged and formally taken. But he was made a bit more comfortable in the fact that Charles was not, at least for the moment, the menace that his mother and father had been on society.

“Oh... How.... nice.”

King Loudovíkos then looked to Cece as she handed him the Aphrodite of Ierafni. He had been told by the Cardinal that a number of artifacts from Cinyras’ many ruins had over the decades been stolen by rounds of people starting with the Spanish, then the Russens, Hyrukians, Deritains, etc.. However the King wasn’t all that concern with old ruins, but lovely statues, that was a different thing.

“How kind and thoughtful of you. Cinyras is a nation of great culture, and she,” He gestured to the statue, “must be so happy to return home.”

[Dutch-Empire]

Christiaan chuckled as he looked down at the pretty little Cinyroite Princess. He liked watching the red band spread across her face, they reminded him of the petals of a rose opening up in spring. He could resist poking some fun at her.

“Is it all too bold to assume that I have some fashion sense of my own?”

---

Empress Anna Charlotte took a mental note at the words of Queen Mother Ionna in regards to the nature of how Cinyras worked. She smiled inside her head, taking a sip from a drink. To be honest the fact that he, the King, was virtually a puppet of his own creation and subject made a lot of sense. Few absolute monarchs could be absolute for long.

“So... will this Cardinal de Iskelieu be making an appearance?”

[Cinyras]

Crown Prince Enrikos was tempted to poll the crowd right then and there about what would but their attention, though he hesitated, not quite sure that she was serious. Besides. That might be bad form as one of the hosts. But the idea did bounce around pleasantly in his head.

“Well,” He rubbed his thumb around the back her palm gently. “I know who I am picking for when I need to start a business.” He smirked playfully, “ you know, if this whole ruling a kingdom thing doesn’t play out.”

---

Adeline felt her face grow even redder. She hadn’t meant anything like that by her comment to the prince.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that, I am sure that you are marvelous in fashion in your own right.”

---

With a slow roll of her eyes, Queen Mother Ionna nodded her head. “Oh he’ll be here. Probably try to make us remember our sins, praise our lord and savior and remind us that my son is the chosen representative by God, blah, blah. I’d watch out. His Eminence doesn’t strut in, he sleathers about.”

[Les Etats Connuriste]

"You can always have both, rule a kingdom and a business." pointed out Princess Charlotte. "Even a King can't have too much money." she added, but she was sure he was very much aware of that already. She found herself thinking more positively about the Crown Prince as time passed, although she had been hesitant at first about how much of a scene they might make in the Great Hall. Now, however, she had arrived at the conclusion that she would rather do something and regret it than not doing something and always wondering what if.

She matched his playful smirk as she looked across at him, how she wondered what he was thinking of her, where might the rest of the evening go.

"Some things money can't buy, but still you can't have enough of a good thing."

She hoped she might prove her point to him as she moved to kiss him, more enthusiastically and for longer than before.

[Great Hyruke]

Cece clapped her hands together in delight at Loudovíkos’s acceptance of her gift and his slightly warmer words towards Charles after their picture together, which was a good sign in her opinion. Overcalk it was a net improvement. It was such a wonderful way to start their open dialogue and friendship between both them as individuals and with each of their nations that they represented.

“I’m so happy. Congratulations once again on your long reign Your Majesty, and I hope that it continues on for an equally long time in the future.”

[Cinyras]

Enrikos was pleasantly surprised by Charlotte new enthusiasm as she kissed him. And yet moments again she had been the one to halt for fear of causing too much of a scene, yet know she held their lips together, not that Enrikos mind in the least. He rather liked the change. He liked her playful wit and her slow break down of her inhibitions. They were tedious things that were much better served when they were tossed aside and people went where ever the passion takes them. He wished to follow that path of passion down with Charlotte.

When they did separate, Enrikos took a breath as he spoke in a low voice. “Trust me, anything that feels this good can’t possibly be bad.” He thought on her comment on the limits of what money could or could not buy.

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Charlotte was unsure how well the Crown Prince's statement applied to all situations, right off the bat she could think of many good things that were bad. Not even just like food, but alcohol and other assorted narcotics. Of course, she wasn't going to get pedantic about it with him. She was perfectly capable of reading the subtext embedded in his words. Charlotte knew herself as someone who tended to go back and forth between being as bright as the sun and then being as cold as ice, but whilst the sunlight still shined on her she wished to bask in it.

Maybe it was enough of the word games, she felt as she closed the short gap that had emerged between them. There was plenty of room for some witty or suggestive return, though perhaps it was time for a more firm and direct approach. The Princess could only wonder whatever Enrikos had in mind but he had shown his intentions rather openly and it was only right to speak more clearly herself, even if it would be easy to keep the conversation (and drinks) flowing for a long while yet, she would rather see what he can do sooner rather than later.

"Sounds to me like it's worth putting to the test." she began, before adopting a sultrier whisper. "Try and prove it, if you can."

She smiled as she started to pull back just the slightest bit, she definitely did not speak like a Princess should, at least some would say. Not that she was overly concerned about decorum and other mundane things anyway. She was different, at least in comparison to someone like her elder sister, definitely less concerned with doing what is seen to be proper. But right now that seemed to be working in her favour.

[Racraigua]

Jonatan grinned. Stéphanie. What a beautiful name for such a beautiful woman. She was gorgeous, and just talking to her, with her adorable accent, and her cute laugh, Jonatan could feel his hear beat a little faster in his chest.

“What a lovely name for a lovely young woman.”

[Dutch-Empire]

Christiaan tilted his head to the side as he listened to the stammering and flushed Princess. She seemed rather surprisingly easy to tease, and her face was getting redder and redder by the moment it seemed. He laughed a little.

“No need to worry about it too much. I do have style of my own though. But no need to get so worked up, though,” Christiaan let his golden eyes linger over Adeline before looking away. “You look rather nice when you are nervous.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Stéphanie continue on with her conversation with Prince Jonatan. She felt a flush of pride in how he liked her name. She put her hand to her chest and looked up with her noses up towards the ceiling with her lips curling up into a smile as she spoke.

“Thank you, it means crown you know.”

[Cinyras]

Loudovíkos nodded once again at Princess Cece, as well as Charles and even the barely significant Mr. Blackthorn, directing them inside of the lavish Geroskipou Palace. Aherald in traditional dress, Tassos Vasilakis, who lead them inside and to the grand hall. As they left, King Loudovíkos handed the statue off to be put in his office.

---

Enrikos’s blue eyes glowed with a intense glint at her playful challenge. They silently roared like a stormy sea, threatening to dash a ship a shore. His arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close to him till she was practically pressed up against him, reversing her pull away from him. The time for whispered flirts was drawing a close between them.

Enrikos naturally knew exactly what he wanted, and he knew how to get it. He probably should have been more concerned with decorum and the image of himself as the future King of Cinyras, but he honestly wasn’t. At least not in the perspection of it all. In his mind the monarchy was absolute and all powerful like it should be. What did it matter then what others thought of him? Besides, shouldn’t they praise every action he did?

To add to that was the fact that it excited him. The idea of breaking the rules, the idea of others catching glimpses, since what was not to like when it came to him? However he did try to consider the feelings of Charlotte who didn’t seem to be the type to enjoy that sort of thing all that much. He pressed his lips against Charlotte’s in a soft kiss.

“I’d love take that test. Perhaps we can go somewhere and you can be my... proctor.”

---

Princess Adeline gasped, covering her face in embarrassment. He couldn’t possibly real. His eyes were breathtaking, and that face... And here she was blushing like a idiot tomato. She could have swore that she wasn’t this much of a dork. She let out a weak laugh, her words coming out in a tumbling mess. “N-nervous? Me? I-I...I...I... don’t know what you’re talking about.”

[Great Hyruke]

Princess Cece bounced down the hall of Geroskipou Palace as she followed the Cinyroite herald down to the Great Hall. Cece had spent most of her life coped up Wattingham Palace by her aunt, especially after Queen Caroline had decided that she would be her new heir. She loved visited the rest of the world, and Geroskipou was exactly the kind of place that dazzled her.

“It’s so beautiful!” Cece said as she swirled around, looking up at the ceiling. It was spectacular. She spun to a stop at as they entered the Great Hall, her weight lined dress swirling around only slightly before coming a uniform stop. She scanned the hall, seeing the elderly monarchs chatting whilst the young royals mingled.

“Oh, Enrikos!” Cece waved her hand as she saw the Crown Prince of Cinyras. She pulled Charles and Julian along with her as she quickly crossed the room to see her old friend, not noticing Charlotte till she made her way over to them. She slid to a stop, throwing Charlotte a wave. “Hi.”

[Ryurik Rossiya]

Catherine, with one hand still clinging to the Queen's, gave out the other one to the Racraiguans."It's good to see you, sir, ma'am", exclaims her politely.For a few who can anticipate it, Catherine's politeful and conservative-like attitude might had came from the fact that she is the only child of her parents and that she was taught greatly on how to deal with people around her.She flashed a beautiful and a child-like smile towards the older monarchs

[Racraigua]

King Jonatan XI looked at his wife with the slight raising of a white eyebrow. He was finding it difficult to understand the young tsarina in her mannerisms, however he didn’t wish to be rude. Queen Coralie gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Is this your first time in Cinyras?”

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Great Hall, Prince Jonatan smiled at Stéphanie, finding her mannerisms mildly humorous.

“Well, your smile easily outshines any Crown Jewels.”

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Charlotte was stood so close to Enrikos that she could more or less feel every last movement his body made, the rise and fall of his chest every time he took a breath, and she was sure that it was a phenomenon that worked both ways. She was also sure that he'd notice the way she reacted as she heard his words, how the pump of heart quickened, how her smile gave away the thoughts crossing her mind, about how to best administer such an examination like he was suggesting.

She also wondered who might have been watching them from across the room, and could only guess at what they would think of her and the Crown Prince of Cinyras. She wondered especially of what her older sister might have to say about it. Or of what it would be like to watch Emily and her boyfriend from the other side of a room some time. It probably wouldn't be as interesting as this moment right now.

"Let's go somewhere." she replied in agreement. "Then we could discuss the test rules... if there should be any."

The next second or so was when she heard someone call for Enrikos, a girl's voice to be more precise. She looked away from Enrikos momentarily as her eyes searched for where it had came from, before they fell on the Princess from Great Hyruke, who wore a pretty yellow dress. Charlotte studied Cece's features and noticed her striking blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. She then proceeded to pay attention to the boys with her, one of whom had dark hair and the other who for whatever reason gave her a vague sense of familiarity, a light haired boy whose shade of blonde was not so dissimilar to some of her brothers and sisters, even Charlotte herself had light blonde hair when she did not dye it. For the time being she thought nothing of it, it wouldn't be the first time that she felt like she knew someone from somewhere for no reason.

She nodded politely and smiled nicely as the entourage made its approach towards them, getting a better look at the members of the group as a consequence. Charlotte didn't really know what to say to them and besides, she figured that Cece had came over here to speak to Enrikos. So the Crown Prince himself could be the one to answer her as far as she was concerned.

[Cinyras]

Enrikos was, for a moment, entirely engulfed in Charlotte’s presence. He felt as if all that matter was the two of them in the world for all that he cared to think about as their bodies pushed and pulled at one other with the rise and fall of each one of their chests, the swift pace of their hearts set forth by excitement. However, before Enrikos could take her away as he planned, he heard a vaguely familiar voice called out his name.

His eyes changed from a stormy sea to a deathly calm one as he glanced over to see the lovely Princess of Éirea bouncing her way over to them. She looked beautiful, he had to admit, having growing into a mature young woman since he had last seen her, as dazzling as a ray of sunshine in her yellow dress and with her ever present smile. However he wasn’t all that pleased to see his ‘friend’ Cece.

She was annoyingly cheerful, it seemed all the happiness that alluded the rest of her family was packed into her. Even worse, she had come at the worse possible moment, like a little ill-intent fairy. If he hadn’t known any better he would have sworn Cece did it on purpose. But he flashed her a smile, noticing Charlotte’s silence. He would entertain Cece quickly and get rid of her.

“Cece,” He said with false, but convincing, friendliness, “how nice to see you again, nice dress.” and arm-candy he thought looking at her two companions, one dark and one light. He felt a pang of envy. Cece would be a lovely addition to his and Charlotte’s fun if it weren’t her desposition of a wide-eyed chihuahua high on sugar. He smiled, truthfully this time, at the thought of himself with the two princesses.

[Ryurik Rossiya]

King Jonatan XI looked at his wife with the slight raising of a white eyebrow. He was finding it difficult to understand the young tsarina in her mannerisms, however he didn’t wish to be rude. Queen Coralie gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Is this your first time in Cinyras?”

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Great Hall, Prince Jonatan smiled at Stéphanie, finding her mannerisms mildly humorous.

“Well, your smile easily outshines any Crown Jewels.”

"Um, yes..", right after she said so, she turned to Queen Sara beside her, whom she gently pulled down to her head-level and whispered, "Auntie, is there something wrong?"

[Great Hyruke]

Cece smoothed her dress, though there was no real need for her to do so, with a brilliant smile. She lookec up at Enrikos, though she didn’t have to look as far up as when she spoke to Charles, he was closer to Julian’s height.

“Oh thank you,” Cece said as she glanced at Charlotte, noticing that she hadn’t said hi back to her. Had she done something wrong? She hope she hadn’t. Cece looked back to Enrikos, happy to see him again. “It is very nice to see you to. You must be so proud of your father, not every monarchs gets to have their Silver Jubilee you know.”