As Xandus had fallen for Soral’s delicious cuisine, he decided that the event all of the nobles would be allowed to greet him at would be a feast. Crystal was given a special invitation to arrive early and meet Xandus before the rest. It would give them time to discuss their plans for the future and how Xandus would be involved in it. There was the issue with Velcorna again, but as this was the Alodan estate there wasn't much Ruena could do about it. As things stood, Velcorna still held the power of duchess.

  "I can't keep doing this," Ruena muttered, immediately drawing both Soral and Taiga's attention, "I'm no good at noble battles. Instead of playing these aristocratic games, I should try taking her on legally one last time."

  "You want us to gather evidence?" Soral guessed.

  "She has definitely committed enough crimes," Taiga agreed, "but finding evidence won't be easy. It will have to be very strong for them to take your word over hers."

  "That may be true, but it is better than walking into battle unarmed," Ruena replied, "I want everything I can get, because I know she will not go easy on me just because I am her daughter. If that was the case, my father would still be alive."

  "I have something to mention about that," Soral brought up, "I noticed when I met her the last few times, she knows I can hear thoughts. Whenever she sees me, she tries to avoid me and deliberately thinks about inconsequential things. There is definitely a secret she is hiding. Something she can't afford to let you find out."

  "If possible, I would like to discover that secret through more provable means," Ruena told him, "Your ability to hear thoughts is useful, but no one will buy your words as evidence when everyone knows we are in a relationship."

  "I won't pry, then," Soral promised, "Gotta make some chess themed desserts for the banquet. Let me know if you need my help for anything else."

  Somehow the head chef had roped Soral into helping with the majority of the banquet preparations. It was good that Soral had won his admiration, but Ruena couldn't help but worry that Soral was being pushed around because of her.

  On the day of the feast, Ruena met Crystal and Xandus in a private parlor to discuss their plans before all the other nobles arrived. The two of them seemed to get along almost instantly, which surprised her. It certainly helped that Crystal willingly began a game of chess with the Valen king as soon as she arrived. She knew that Xandus would gain an understanding of Crystal through the game, but Crystal seemed to gain some of her own before the game was through.

  “It has been wonderful to get to know our new ally,” Crystal began, “but I cannot give you the advice you are looking for. I likely know less about what Velcorna is planning than you do.”

  “In that case, why don’t we wait to see what she does?” Xandus offered, “With the trump card I have prepared, it will not be too late even if she thinks she has us in a proper checkmate.”

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  Ruena had a good guess as to what kind of trump card he was referring to. “Would he really go so far to help Alodan after all this time?” she asked.

  Xandus gave her a knowing smile, ignoring Crystal’s confusion. “That is up to you, the rightful heiress of Alodan. You are the only one who can influence his decision either way.”

  “So long as this trump card does not involve Densooth in any way, I will support this decision,” Crystal surrendered once she realized neither of them was going to explain what that had meant, “However, there is a way I can help. I will stand with you when you greet your guests. Let us make our friendship official and public.”

  “And I will challenge every guest who dares stray from the crowd to a game of chess,” Xandus announced, “In public events like these, I must do my utmost to enhance my chess crazed image.”

  Was it really just an image? Ruena knew the Valen king was smart, but just because he could plot and plan did not mean he wasn’t actually crazy. The longer she knew him, the more she was convinced that his chess obsessed madness was not an act after all.

  “Just try not to scare them off,” Ruena told him, “If they turn you down, don’t stalk them and nag them until they give in.”

  “I’ve only done that a few times since I arrived here,” Xandus assured, “Even I know better than to hassle poor nobles when you need to bring them to your side. On the other hand, you should be supporting my efforts. The more games I play, the more I will be able to tell you who is really on your side.”

  That was difficult to argue with, but Crystal still made sure to put her own warning out there. “They won’t be on our side much longer if they know the crazy king who blackmailed them into a game of chess is part of it.”

  Ruena could already imagine nobles in their overly fancy clothing shivering in front of a chess board as if their lives were in the line and couldn’t hold back her laugh. It would be bad to lose allies like that, but she could not deny it would be an amazing sight. If Soral ever made it out of the kitchen, he might be able to win them back over with his charm and delicious food.

  “We should get moving,” Ruena decided, “The guests could start arriving at any moment now, and I can’t afford to be absent.”

  In honor of the friendship between Alodan and Valen, Ruena’s dress today was red, gold, purple, and silver. She had thought it would be a bit much, but Soral had somehow made the color combination work perfectly together. Crystal was attending in her formal attire as the Royal Sorceress so that no one could mistake who she was and who she represented. As for Xandus, he was wearing what he always wore. Ruena was partially glad he had not chosen to wear the armor they had gifted him when they visited Valen.

  Soon the guests began to trickle in, the lesser nobles first as if afraid to risk being late. The nobles with more pride and power came almost perfectly on time, if even a little late as if it were a sign of peerage. Regardless of when they came or their peerage, every single one of them was shocked to see Crystal by Ruena’s side. While they hadn’t completely dismissed her before, their change of attitude was clear.

  Leopold handled the seating arrangements and made sure each noble was served light refreshments on their arrival so they could mingle until the actual feast began. More guests arrived than Ruena had expected, but they had prepared plenty of extra seats just in case, as well as a separate table for all of Xandus’s unfortunate victims. There was already one there, pushing a pawn forward with trembling hands under his watchful gaze.

  Just as Ruena was about to announce the start of the feast, the door opened for one more. Velcorna waited for no escort as she walked right up to Ruena. “Starting without me?” she asked, “Must you always be so cold to your mother, Ruena?”