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

[Cinyras]

King Loudovíkos nodded his head to Grand Duke Ivan and gestured him to follow a waiting valet, Zissis Rellas, to wait on him and lead him to the Great Hall. Loudovíkos bid his wife a friendly goodbye as he remained, repaired to greet the next arrivals.

---

The Great Hall of Geroskipou Palace was breathtaking, and was not even the greatest of its many many rooms and halls. Made of marble and covered in gold and jewels, millions of astartes had been spent in order to dazzle the guests of the King. So grand and magnificent it was that a single tile in the floor was worth more than the average Cinyroite worker could make in three years.

High above, the previous king had commissioned the very best of Cinyras’ artists to create a grand painting of the old Cinyroite gods, with the royal family of then taking up the place of the major ones. The late King Enrikos I and his wife, now Queen Mother Ionna, were depicted as Dyeus, the great Sky Father, whilst Ionna was send as Hērē, the goddess of marriage whilst the then crown prince and princess, now the current King and Queen were seen as Poteidas, god of the sea and Damate, goddess of earth. Their two children, born after they ascended to the throne had been added to the painting as Apollon and Artamis, the twin god and goddess of the sun and moon.

[Great New England Confederation]

William nodded with a smiled and said "Indded it is my dear" he then said "I was also meaning to discuss with you at some point the possibility of constructing a new palace back home. However that conversation can wait for the moment"

[Ryurik Rossiya]

Catherine, while walking admired the Queen's dress.She could expect that she's a bit younger than her uncle's, but definitely older than herself.She gently hold on to her right hand, like a child holding a mother's, making sure she's not falling behind herself."Wow, I love your dress, auntie.You look beautiful!", compliments her gleefully.She took a few seconds to observe her surrounding.The walls, the ceiling were magnificently made, it seems like her life is just like Catherine's, with the exception of marriage.A sudden thought dawned on her mind, she turned her head to ask."So auntie, I was wondering if I could stay here for a while?My uncle won't mind I guess, I would love to know you, uncle and the rest!", proposes her to the Queen.Meeting a more older version of herself couldn't be more thrilling and exciting for her.Out of mutual feeling, she took her previously right hand and kissed it tenderly.She really felt that she's her new mother;considering both of her parents had already passed away;whom her father did 3 years ago, and her mother followed suit a year and a half later;concluding the reason why her uncle is her supervisory guardian when she's outside.Unnoticed, she shed away a few tears of joy and memory, her face still in a lovely expression, not wanting to reveal her orphaned condition and past at a young age.

[Polonge]

Queen Sara, while she had immediately taken a liking to the tsarina, she was surprised at how quickly the girl seem to latch on to her. She was like a duckling who has imprinted on her. It was quite adorable if the queen did say so herself, but it made her ponder the nature of Catherine’s personal life for her to be so quick to find a new figure to look to. She also appeared very to act much younger than Sara had originally thought.

“I think that we’d need to discuss that with your uncle first naturally,” Sara said with a regal tone, “but I think that it would be a lovely thing to have you stay with us.”

As they entered the Great Hall, Queen Sara gave her queenly smile to the other guests, turning back to the young monarch and noticed a slight glint in her eyes, though it was contrasted to her joyful face. The Queen’s heart was pulled towards her, her motherly instincts kicking in.

“Your Majesty—, uh, Catherine, forgive me, but how old are you?”

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Geroskipou Palace
Nikosia
Kingdom of Cinyras

The lovely Kingdom of Cinyras was another country that the Crown Princess could add to her growing list of the various places she had been to in her short life so far. 22 in the summer, this was normally something that would fall to her father to attend to, but of course he had more pressing matters to attend to back home, such as making sure that she would eventually actually have something left to reign over whenever that timer would come. He did not really dare risk his absence from Connuriste given the events of the year so far, if she called it a torrid time she might be understating it.

Besides, it made sense that Crown Princess Emily made herself more of a regular fixture at these kind of events. It would be useful to know at least some of the people she might spend most of her life associating with before her time as Empress of Connuriste came. The quicker this kind of thing became second nature to her, the better. It was not so much of a chore anyway, the grand celebrations might offer her a chance to think less of the rotten luck her family and country had endured over the past six months or so. Even royalty, the most blessed and privileged of all people in the world, had their moments of being down and fraught with worry. Emily at least had her man to lean on for support, which she appreciated maybe more than she could show to him. Today, she was without him, but she at least had her sister, Princess Charlotte alongside her. Emily and Charlotte had a strong relationship, which one might expect between siblings, but Emily especially valued Charlotte because they shared particularly similar priorities. Charlotte, who would turn 18 later in the year, stood sixth in line - which afforded her more freedoms to do what she wished, though what she wished was ultimately the best for her country. That alone was enough reason for them to be close, Charlotte always had an opinion on the things Emily would have to concern herself with.

This was pretty much a first for Princess Charlotte, her first major event outside of her own nation's borders. Normally the sons and daughters of the Emperor and Empress were not expected to do all that much before they turned 18, but she was close enough to get her first taste. Whilst people had long spoken highly of her eldest sister as a very pleasant and intelligent young woman, Charlotte was not always so famed for her friendliness, being more so detached and reserved in social spheres. She wanted to sign up for the armed forces in September when the recruitment window opened, and if she was successful in that endeavour then she would be left a few years behind in her development around royal circles, which was part of the reasoning for her slightly earlier start. As a matter of fact, it had been a career path considered by the Crown Princess, though for Emily that had been in the sense that if she would one day be in charge of everything, then it was relevant for her to gain some sort of military understanding. Alas, she had found herself occupied with different priorities, mainly musical, and still had no shortage of ways to serve her country. Charlotte, however, was more of a nationalist, always bothered about safety and security, and an avid fan of shooting. She didn't quite know for sure where all these sentiments had came from, but probably from being robbed of her twin brother by the Mad King many years ago.

The pair of Princesses had had plenty to chat about on their journey to the magnificent and opulent palace, a lot of it about their father. Charlotte was worried about how well he was holding it together, but Emily being older remembered more clearly that he was better at keeping himself sane and useful now much more so than he had been a decade ago. Charlotte had built up walls, intentionally or not, and had grown to see overt displays of emotion as moments of weakness. Attachment was the root of all suffering and she liked to see herself being above from getting too invested in the peaks and troughs of her feelings, although she would do well to remember that apathy could be the root of all evils, or at least the fertile soils in which it grew. On the other hand, Emily had been glad to see her father invest himself deeper into his work, it was doing him good. When her father had been her age, he had been a bright-eyed young man that always sought to serve his country in the best possible way and later he had taken steps back from such a method, though it seemed now that he could still do it when his hand was forced. He had his struggles in private, and with the incapacitation of his wife and his friend the Chancellor he had found himself confiding more often in his eldest, even going to the lengths of sharing with her a collection of letters sent between him and her mother that he took comfort in, particularly the ones with Alexia in. Her father had also been smoking more often, and liked to spend his free time relaxing in the parks and gardens of Lausanne contemplating life, or spending it in hospital obsessing over every little minor change in the condition of the comatose Empress, holding her hand and talking to her even though she didn't say anything back, it was what he had found therapeutic. Emily identified with her father perhaps more strongly than her younger sister who she was here with today, and maybe that was because she was the favourite as some liked to say, but it was also because she was sad too, though her therapeutic pursuits were limited more to being close with Rafie and playing music. Charlotte had less tolerance for it because she was the type of person to suppress and bottle up her feelings and pretend she didn't feel them, although to be fair she was good at channelling her frustrations and anger into her hobbies, being fiercely competitive and enjoying herself in the pursuit of an adrenaline rush. It hadn't been the most joyous of topics for conversation, but it wasn't every day they had privacy to themselves and at least it was out of the way before they arrived here, it was not an appropriate topic to bring up at a time of celebration.

The time had come for the pair of royal sisters to make their entrance, both of them glad that the anticipation of waiting to actually arrive was over. Princess Charlotte stood marginally taller than her older sister, though she doubted anyone would get them confused. Emily by virtue of simply being the Crown Princess was likely more recognisable, a brunette like the last three monarchs of Connuriste. Her eyes were a beautiful dark brown that contrasted with her red lipstick and deep blue dress, whereas her sister Charlotte was a natural blonde with blue-green eyes who had dyed her hair a rich auburn colour, opting for a lighter shade of pink lipstick.

Crown Princess Emily of Connuriste


Princess Charlotte of Connuriste

As the pair of them approached King Loudovíkos they curtsied, unintentionally almost in complete synchronisation. The Crown Princess assumed that the Queen of Cinyras must have been elsewhere occupied with either other guests or some other task that needed attending to, although for the time being she and her sister would have no issues keeping each other company.

[Cinyras]

Cannons fired off in the distance to mark the arrival of the Crown Princess of Connuriste and her sister. More cannons than that had fired for the Princess of Aogau, but still less than for a monarch. Loudovíkos was a bit of a stickler for proper honoring ceremonially for all of his guests. The black stockings herald cleared his throat quietly and announced the arrival of the two princesses, Emily and Charlotte.

King Loudovíkos gave a small smile to the Crown Princess. He, like the rest of the world, had watched in horror at the series of unfortunate events that had unfolded in Lausanne over the previous months, from the attack on Chancellor MacDonald to the lovely Empress Charlotte falling into a coma. He pitied the girls, as even he had heard the gossip that they were cursed. He didn’t think so, but simply very unfortunate.

But he wasn’t going to cry over Connuriste’s misfortunes. This celebration was about him, and how amazing he was. He would not play second fiddle to a foreign sob story. “Greetings Your Royal Highnesses. You look so lovely. I thank you for coming to Nikosia and I hope that you enjoy your stay.”

[Ryurik Rossiya]

Catherine took a few seconds to answer, still a bit staggering from the previous moment."Auntie, you can call me Kate preferably.And I am, twenty one, auntie Sara", Catherine wasn't shy about her personality compared to her age, but she seemed to remembered a striking moment from the past.For her, she wanted to embrace het lovingly as she wants, but she doesn't want to make it a sad event in return.But seeing how she acted, Catherine decided to blurt it out."I really love you, auntie.You're just like mother", exclaims her, embracing her for a short moment before looking to her face back up.

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Luckily for the King of Cinyras, the sisters from Connuriste were not seeking a pity party or anything of the sort. It was not befitting behaviour for anyone of their status to do such a thing and Connuriste had been through darker days and emerged on the other side just fine, they would do so again. The road to glory and prosperity for any nation would be strewn with obstacles and setbacks, and it was the mark of greatness to overcome them.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. It is truly an honour and a privilege to be a part of such a wonderful celebration that will surely go down in Cinyroite history." Emily told King Loudovíkos. Out of the pair, words were her strength, whilst Charlotte had more of an affinity for actions. Emily was glad that she had asked her to keep her company, she was more confident with someone by her side than she was on her own. They complimented each other quite well and if her younger sister would be on board with it, she was sure that they might be a pair seen commonly together in her future adventures.

[Polonge]

Queen Karola considered this, the construction of a new palace.

“It might make a nice residential home, and then we could open up sections of the palace in a Boston up to the public, which could increase tourism. Ooh and there can be a little gift shop... Tourism is perhaps one of the greatest none-political industry that we can benefit.”

Business plans swirled in Karola’s mind as she said this.

---

Queen Sara was not prepared for being hugged by Catherine, or Kate rather (it seemed that they became more and more familiar by the minute). Nonetheless she couldn’t help but hug her in return. Sara was no psychologist, but she could clearly see that Kate showed signs of stunted emotional development for a young lady of her age. It was probably nothing major, but this, despite her age was but a girl in personality.

“T-thank you Your Maj— Kate. I am very happy to have you call me auntie.”

[Great New England Confederation]

William nodded and said "indeed, not to mention the construction process could provide jobs as well, even if only temporarily" he then said "plus it would be a chance to get away from the negative enviornment of the old palace, especially given what has happened there in the past"

He then said "Perhaps we could build one on New Boston, it would potentially be the first off world royal palace, and would also give us room to do truely special things with it."

[Cinyras]

King Loudovíkos looked over at Crown Princess Emily, the lovelier of the two sisters in his opinion, an by fact the more talkative one. He suspected that this was because she was the heir and the future empress, which made perfect sense.,

“Yes, I do hope to make it marvelous.” King Loudovíkos raised his hand in a mock whisper with a great smile in his face. “I have already commissioned the commemorative medals.”

With that the king of Cinyras gently waved for the Crown Princess and her sister forward towards their own valet for the duration of the celebration period, Vissarion Mitros. Nitros bowed lead them bothbto the Great Hall as the king prepared for his next guest.

[Racraigua]

Inside the great hall of the beautiful palace, which to be far more grand than the one back in Racraigua, the King and Queen of Racraigua stood near on another looking to the Queen and a young wonan who was hugging her.

“Is that Loudovíkos and Sara’s daughter?” King Jonatan XI asked. Queen Coralie swinger her eyes slightly as she was amazed to see how similar they looked.

“I believe so, the Princess Adeline I believe is her name.”

Meanwhile Prince Jonatan and Prince Roderic had spilt up. Prince Roderic made a bee line across the Great Hall towards the beautiful Princess Siola’a, looking to introduce himself.

“Excuse ma’am,” Roderic said, “are you loss? Because heaven is a long way from here.”

[Aogau]

Siola’a tilted her head at Roderic as he spoke to her, is attempt at flirtation flying right over her head. She didn’t know what it was that he was trying to say.

“I don’t think I understand? Why would I be loss?”

[Les Etats Connuriste]

The Crown Princess smiled politely at the King of Cinyras as she and Charlotte moved on into the great hall, following their valet. The Great Hall was a room that was breathtaking in its splendour, and jaws would have been well and truly dropped if they were to learn it wasn't even the height of all the attractions at Geroskipou Palace. Emily could have stopped and stood for several minutes in an effort to take in all of its extravagance, though she wished not to dwell on how expensive this must have been especially when there were other guests to mix with, she wanted to see firstly who she recognised and if she had actually met any of them before. Charlotte subtly glanced at her sister with a mildly bemused expression, it seemed she did not wholly approve of such a reckless employment of resources, members of the Cinyroite royalty portrayed as Gods in some of the artwork - it seemed that they thought quite highly of themselves. For a second, she thought about all the other things a nation could spend millions on, although she conceded that there must have been a lot of artists and architects and builders who had gained from such an investment. Charlotte didn't think less of them for such an overt display of their wealth, it had just surprised her.

Emily was quick to spot the King of New England, who she had previously noticed at the International Gala for Peace in Selesburge, where he had seemed to be getting acquainted with her grandmother, the Grand Duchess Auguste. That was indeed a while ago however, she knew that William had gotten married, widowed and then remarried in the time that has passed since. Nevertheless, she didn't want to disrupt any of the conversations that may already be taking place, it could be awkward at best and rude at worst. She nudged her fiery-haired sister as she looked across at the Princess from Aogau, a young woman that was about the same age as them, though it seemed the exact moment she did that a young man had made his move to approach her. She chuckled as it seemed that even the most insignificant and whimsical of plans were being foiled, maybe her family was cursed as some liked to say. Of course, she knew that was nonsense - if lady luck truly had a vendetta against them then she'd have been long dead by now.

"Who's that?" Charlotte asked her, racking her brains. She knew who most of the major members of royal families from larger nations or those that Connuriste particularly dealt with, but it was not her area of expertise. Emily, however, might as well have been a walking encyclopedia on that topic, if only because being in her position and having no clue who anyone was would just add an extra layer of difficulty to being sociable.

"She's a Princess from Aogau, and if I'm not mistaken, I think that's the youngest Prince of Racraigua."

"Oh, are they the ones father was negotiating an energy deal with?"

Emily nodded as she asked the valet if they could have some drinks. "I hear he's somewhat of a thrill-seeker, you know."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, it seemed that whilst they had just each other they could at least talk about some boys.

[Ryurik Rossiya]

While walking with the King and observing guests and alike, Ivan took a few moments to address him."My friend, I can expect clearly that your wife and my niece will definitely get along.I can actually see the Queen as her figure or some sort", Ivan took a few seconds before continuing."You see, for as much as happy, and childish as you might see, she's actually very different inside.Her father had passed away 3 years ago, followed suit by her mother a year and a half later.For such events to be happening around this age, it is quite unbearable.Anyhow, I would hope for the Queen to understand her need for such a parental figure", explains Ivan to the King.He won't be surprised later on if things between the two comes out just like how he expected, a mother-daughter relationship between them.

---

Catherine couldn't exactly remember the last time she ever saw her parents again.It's not that her uncle's not in good terms, but she missed her parents more logically.And now, she had found a new person, looks just like her, and who she thinks as a mother.She lightly took her and kissed her on the cheek for a moment.Indeed, if the Queen does knows, having a mother being taken away from you at a young age is very hurting.She finally let go, her tears shed to prevent public crying and asked, "Can we go eat, auntie?"

[Dutch-Empire]

The motorcade of the Imperial Family of the great Dutch Empire pulled up to the grand Geroskipou Palace with the Imperial standard of the House of Wessex and the flag of the Netherlands flapping in the wind. Empress Anna Charlotte had a bit of a habit of making a show wherever she went, and between her daughter Stephanie, a fleet of cars and vehicles were needed just for their things.

All quite unnecessary as far as Prince Christiaan was concerned. Christiaan was the second to youngest son of Empress Anna Charlotte and her husband, the King of Espana. Christiaan’s father, Henrique II has been unable to attend this celebration, too busy he was trying to hold his own kingdom together. The marriage of two monarchs for some seemed to be incredibly beneficial and was designed naturally to bring their kingdoms together, but between the reality was quite different, especially when they were such different and far flung empires. Whilst Christiaan’s mother has her wealthy and strong empire wrapped around her figure, his father was in a constant struggle to keep his kingdom from imploding on itself.

This meant that Henrique rarely had the luxury of attending events such as this, and ever since the Carlists uprising, the Carlists being those who supported the former king of Espana, Charles III over Christiaan‘s Father, that had taken place in his absence he was terrified of leaving for too long lest the Carlists strike once again. So Anna Charlotte came without her other half, politely and in preparation for her own Silver Jubilee next year.

As limousine carrying the Empress of the Dutch stopped, a piece of music was played in her honor as she stepped out. The Empress, recently reaching her 55th birthday had long black hair, coffee colored skin and lovely brown eyes. She wore a red and pink gown with a bright orange sash across her chest. A diamond and amethyst tiara glittered on her head, matching earrings swinging from her ears.

Behind the Empress came her favorite daughter, Princess Stéphanie of the Netherlands, as imperious as her mother, with even more of an air of importance, if self diagnosed, than even the empress. That was a feat not easily reached. Stéphanie wore a pink and white dress, designed by her older sister, the famed fashion designer, Elizabeth Percy, stylish and modern as always. Her hair, famously long and curly that she normally wore in an Afro was pulled back into a braid that looked around a stylish bun. A golden tiara with the design of roses and thorns. She was known as the Rose of the Empire, beautiful as the flower and just as sharp as it’s thorns.

Behind Stéphanie, as she’d only ever let someone like a monarch walk in front of her, followed her older brother, Prince Christiaan of the Netherlands who was dresse smartly, in a suit also designed by his older sister. Christiaan was said to be the most handsome of Anna Charlotte’s sons, having previously been left in the background, he had blossomed into a young man of killer looks, with light brown skin, waving dark brown hair and sparkling golden eyes. Christiaan had always found that his golden eyes were his best feature, more striking than the rest of his family’s boring brown eyes.

Christiaan however, was not the vain narcissist that Stéphanie was, even if he did care about his appearance. He was the most laid back and informal of the imperial family. He walked behind his mother and sister, and while their noses were pointed skyward, Christiaan looked around, taking in the display of the King of Cinyras. He wondered which spent more on such displays, his mother or the King.

Empress Anna Charlotte shook King Loudovíkos’s hand As she approached him with Stéphanie and Christiaan flanking her. “What an honor it is to be here on such a great occasion Your Majesty.”

[Polonge]

Karola shrugged her shoulders, she was neutral as to the idea of an offwotld palace, and she supposed that it would be nice. She cared only superficially of the jobs that the project might provide.

“I suppose.”

---

Queen Sara smiled politely at Tsarina Catherine. She shook her head and took a step back, noticing the King and Queen of Racraigua looking over at them. Sara felt for Kate, but she couldn’t allow the girl to bulldoze her with their childlike ways.

“Not yet I am afraid, though come, allow me to introduce you to some of the other guests.”

Queen Sara walked towards King Jonatan XI and his wife with Kate in tow.

[Cinyras]

King Loudovíkos smiled brightly at Anna Charlotte, one of his favorite royals a d onevof his guests that he had met before, though it had been some time since they had.

“There is no need to be so formal! Oh it is so great to once again see the the most beloved royal in the world! And what beautiful children you have now!” Loudovíkos said as he looked to the Dutch prince and princess. “I’ll be sure to make sure you meet my son and daughter.”

[Great New England Confederation]

William nodded, noting that she wasn't particularly excited about the idea, and said "Its not something that has to be decided on now, it can wait a while, its not like it's going anywhere."

William took an account of the other guests mentally, putting mental markers on the ones he knew of, and making a note for each that he didn't. He then requested some nonalcoholic cider for himself and Karola, William had refused to drink anything alcoholic in front of her while she was unable to, however he had been staying away from it before then as it was, so he didn't mind that much.

William noticed the two Connerian princesses, he kept his eyes off them though, mindful of his wife standing next to him. He then said "I have been working on something for the baby, I haven't painted it quite yet, not until we're sure wether it will be a boy or a girl"

[Dutch-Empire]

Princess Stéphanie’s eyes brighten at the mention of the crown prince of Cinyras. She stepped forward with the look of a soldier about to engage in a holy mission, victory determined in her eyes. Her icy expression melted away to a honey sweet smile.

“What a lovely home you have Your Majesty, it is true what they say, that your palace is the most beautiful in the world. Like you have created heaven on earth. And with such a lovely family. It would be a great pleasure to meet the Crown Prince, and uh, his sister Your Majesty.”

Anna Charlotte glanced at her daughter. Stéphanie was always quick to make clear what she wanted. And she always expected it to be given to her. Christiaan held back a chuckle as his sister, but otherwise stayed quiet behind his mother and sister.

“You are too kind Loudovíkos. You yourself have aged like a fine wine. I am sure you shall dazzle us all. I do hope that I can compare next year.”

[Cinyras]

Loudovíkos smiled at the Empress and the princess brightly. He was no fool and knew fair well the machinations that the Dutch has designed, but he was not going to be the one to discourage them. After all the Dutch Monarchy was filthy rich, making even his own vast fortune seem small in comparison.

“I cant wait to see, though I warn you, I’m a hard man to beat.”

Loudovíkos laughed and with that, ushered the Empress and her imperial children to their valet, Dimitris Eliopoulos, who bowed to them and lead them inside to the Great Hall, taking them through the grand gold and marble and glittering halls of the palace.

---

Within the Great Hall, Queen Mother Ionna, the 99 year old mother of King Loudovíkos and widow of the late King Enrikos entered into the grand room with her grandchildren and an army of servants in tow.

Queen Mother Ionna was a robust and rotund woman who didn’t look a day over 70, as people often flattered her. She had coffee color skin, darker than that of her son or any of his children. Her short hair was gray with streaks of white from age, hidden mostly by a traditional white Deritain mourning shawl. She wore a light blue gown with lined with pearls collected from the waters in the harbor of Nikosia. Ceremonial medals and pins decorated her chest as she walked with her golden cane.

Crown Prince Enrikos walked behind his grandmother. He was 21 years old, born after his father had already sat on the throne for four years, and had been praised as a miracle baby as he would continue the line of kings and the fact that his father had been so old by the time he was born. He had blond hair and dark brown eyes, so dark people sometimes thought they looked black. He was dressed in a tuxedo, a sky blue sash across his chest.

Princess Adeline, the youngest child of the King and Queen of Cinyras and their only daughter was smiling brightly as the sun as she stepped into the great hall. She was 18 years old, with natural blond hair, cut so that it just barely touched her shoulders though she had had it dyed so it was now even lighter, near platinum. She had mocha colored eyes and wore bright pink lipstick. She wore deep royal blue color dress with a sky blue sash across her chest. A small diamond and sapphire tiara was on her head.

The waiters meanwhile floated around the Great Hall, each dressed in traditional Cinyroite costumes, looking as if they had been dipped in gold or silver, colored in their respective color’s glittering body paint. The ones painted silver carried trays of drinks, golden cups marking the alcoholic beverages whilst silver cups marked the non-alcoholic ones. A silver painted young woman offered the drinks to the King and Queen of New England, not daring to hand the cups to them, they were strictly forbidden from placing their “filthy commoner hands” as the king would put to anything that a royal would put to their lips.

While the silver painted servants carried drinks, the golden painted ones carried platters of hors d oeuvres, selected by the King to be traditional Cinyroite foods. There were platters of saganki, a fried cheese, stuffed peppers with feta cheese, dakos (which went great with drinks), crab cakes that were decorated with bright red claws. The golden painted waiters, like their silver counterparts didn’t speak, the King loathed servants who spoke, as they offered traydcto the guests. They were meant to be seen, not heard.

[Dutch-Empire]

Anna Charlotte laughed with Loudovíkos as she went to follow the valet.

“We shall see.”

Stéphanie followed her mother, the two of them wrinkling their nose slightly at having been ushered away. After, what guest could ever possibly compare to them? Anna Charlotte was curious to what sort of spectacle that Loudovíkos had in store. But Stéphanie was quicker to twitch her mind, over to Crown Prince Enrikos. She had seen pictures of him in preparation for their arrival and she hoped to make a good impression on the handsome future king.

Prince Christiaan meanwhile was more interested in the palace than he was in whatever show that would be put on for the king’sgu Or whatever boy with a crown that his sister was interested in this month. The palace was gorgeous. Ridiculously so. He’d never seen such opulence. And he had been to Gênes. As his eyes looked over the marble and gold and paintings he couldn’t believe the scope and scale of it.

Christiaan looked to the valet, Dimitris, with wide eyes.

“How the hell do you clean this place?”

[Cinyras]

Dimitris looked at Christiaan in horror. Dimitris was a young man who had worked for the Geroskipou Palace Household for barely eleven months and he didn’t think, not once, had anyone of importance ever spoken to him, much less a prince ask him a question. He’s barely seen the royal family, and when he did, he was most a spectator, instructed by a hierarchy of household staff in how to obey the orders of the Royals. He had been given strict orders, lead his assigned delegates to the Great Hall, and not to talk to them or do anything that might offend them. He was got off guard by question and stated at the Dutch prince with terror as his brain cells panicked.

“They put brushes on the maid’s shoes and they skate around.” Dimitris blurted out, feeling like he was going to pass out.

Meanwhile, across the room of the Great Hall, Princess Adeline’s sunshine like smile was wiped away. She grabbed her brother’s arm and ducked behind him. She glanced from behind his back and felt a shiver go down her spine. “Oh no... it’s her.”

[Dutch-Empire]

Christiaan stared back at Dimitris as he looked at him like he was a ghost. He looked like he was going to pass out and Christiaan was genuinely concerned as to what to do if he did. He didn’t want his first impression on the global royal scene to be “Dutch Prince breaks Cinyroite valet”.

“Um, are you—”

Christiaan was then interrupted as the valet blurred out a response. Christiaan blinked and snickered at the imagine of maids skating across the room with brushes in order to scrub the floors. He couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not, but it seemed funnier if it wasn’t one. Stéphanie rolled her eyes and nudged her brother in the ribs.

“Stop conversating with the help. Do you see Prince Enrikos?”

Anna Charlotte shot her daughter a disapproving glance, but Stéphanie paid her no mind. The Dutch Empress sighed and picked up a golden cup to drink.

[Cinyras]

Dimitris felt his face burn with embarrassment. He gave a hasty bow to the prince and princess and retreated from the great hall as quietly as he could muster. Oh god he hoped he was not going to get fired.

Crown Prince Enrikos meanwhile looses back at his sister in confusion as she hid behind him. His sister wasn’t exactly one to use him as a hiding spot. “What are you doing?”

“Hiding, duh.”

“I mean who are you hiding from. Who is ‘her’?” Enrikos asked, mimicking the contempt that Adeline had displayed. “And why is she so bad?”

“It’s her.” Adeline repeated, pointing at Princess Stéphanie. “The wicked witch of the Netherlands.”

“Oh come on, she can’t be that bad.” Enrikos looked at Stéphanie from across the room, watching as she looked around and jabbed a young man who he assumed was her brother, in the side. A smile appeared on Enrikos’ lips. “She is practically bite sized.”

“She is evil.” Adeline insisted.

“Nothing that beautiful can be that evil.” Enrikos said. “I’m going to talk to her.”

“Noo!” Adeline hissed, but it was too late. Enrikos was already grabbing a pair of golden cups and walking towards the Dutch pair while Adeline attempted and failed to hold him back.