24 — Thaddius' Banquet

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Joezand screams out. He's lying on his bed the day after the duel, and his left arm is very much numb. No wonder, since Pult almost broke it.

"Careful, Prince Joezand!" Anneliese says, massaging his limb. "I can't do much if you keep squirming like that."

"It huuuurts..." Joezand whines. Anneliese works out the knots on his arm. He can't help but remember the last time she gave him a massage. Although this time it is clearly just professional. Unlike when they were in the bath...

Looking away from her and glancing at the mirror in his room, the blush on his face becomes known to him. Why did he have to remember about that now...

Anneliese, on the other hand, looks pensive. She's mindlessly pressing on his muscles with her fingers without saying anything.

"Prince Joezand." Anneliese says. "Forgive me for asking, I know it's not proper for a maid to question anything, but... That marble bust of yourself that was on that table. How did it break?"

"Oh... You saw those shards, huh?"

"Of course I did. Who did you think cleaned it? Hmph." She says. "But really, what happened?"

"W-Well, that's..." He trails off, pursing his lips.

Should he tell her?

She clearly doesn't like Cecilia, but is in love with him. If she knew the Duchess tried to forcibly...

He doesn't know how she'll react.

"Was it her?" Anneliese asks.

Except she already knows.

"Y-Yeah." Joezand says. "She came into my room again, the day before the duel. The door was locked, but she broke in somehow." He sighs. "Agatha apparently told her to stay away, which presumably kept her off from visiting until then."

"I see." Anneliese replies. "But what happened?"

"She tried again." He confesses, taking a deep breath. "Just like last time, I was paralyzed. I didn't know what to do. But before she could take it too far, I threw her off of me. I tried explaining to her why it was wrong the best way I could, but she just wouldn't listen. She started screaming and crying. The marble bust was a... casualty of the event."

"You stopped her?" She looks at him with a glint in her eyes. "I-I mean, of course you did. I never doubted you, Prince Joezand."

"I know you don't like her." Joezand says. "And I know my relationship with her before was... Well, I'm not sure, since I lost my memories. But still, it's not really her fault." He claims. "She chose to do these things, but what was done to her in the past conditioned her to act this way in the first place."

"I understand, but where does that stop?" Anneliese says. "I'm mostly aware of what happened to her. We could blame Thaddius for the way Cecilia is, but then we could blame someone else for the way Thaddius acts and that train of thought would never stop. She's a grown woman in her thirties. At some point, it does becomes your responsibility if you choose to do wrong."

"But even so, anyone can change." Joezand argues. "It doesn't matter if someone is at the bottom of the barrel, they can still better themselves. I speak from experience, after all." He says. She looks at him with a confused expression on her face. Oh, that's right. The people here don't know about how he was like in Tokyo. They don't even know about a Tokyo. "I mean, haha... C-Could you see me beating Pult at the beginning of the month?"

"I guess not." She smiles. "You're kind to a fault, Prince Joezand."

"That's part of my charm, I suppose." He smirks. "I think I'll tell Agatha to be the mother she never was. I spoke to her before, and she feels really bad for the way she treated Cecilia. I'll tell her to try to be more present in her life while I'm off to Kivul."

"W-What? What do you mean, off to Kivul?"

"Lorelai didn't tell you?" Joezand asked. "We're going to Kivul on business as soon as possible. And you're coming with."

"M-Me?! I never even planned for this!" Anneliese says. "Goddess, why doesn't anyone tell me anything—"

A knock on the door startles them.

"Hey, lovebirds." Lorelai's voice comes from the other side. "Food's ready. Joezand has a banquet to attend."

"Do I really need to go?" Joezand whines.

"Yes you do." Anneliese says. "Now get up, I'll help you get dressed."

— — —

Anneliese and Lorelai walk by his side as he strides through the expensive hallway. His boots start to click as they transition from the comfortable rug of the hallway to the uncovered marble. Anneliese opens the double door to the dining hall, and he steps inside.

Those gem-studded chandeliers reappear before him, made of solid gold this time. The dim lighting they produce set a mood that would be almost romantic if he didn't know who was organizing it.

His eyes glaze over the expensive drapes and other frivolous decorations quickly until they find the focus. The table. Rich mahogany, intricately carved, and impossibly long. Almost enough for fifty people to sit at to feast.

Speaking of it... Various meats that he doesn't recognize sit atop the table. Some look like beef, chicken, or lamb, but not quite. He wouldn't be surprised if the animals eaten here are completely different or don't even exist in this world. Bottles of alcoholic, fruity, red liquid are also present. Besides that, an array of sides from potato salad to roasted vegetable litter the surroundings of every big plate of meat.

Close to the door sat a bunch of nobles unknown to him, some that were watching his match at the training grounds. They excitedly wave and raise their glass full of wine at him, which he responds with a polite nod. The duel's announcer gives him a wink, which Joezand smiles at.

Walking forward, he sees his family. Thaddius is sat at the host seat, of course. To his right is Agatha, with the first and second seats to her left empty, and Pult on the third. The knight seems to have a pained expression every time he moves his arm, clearly the wound Joezand inflicted on him still hurting. To the emperor's left is another seat which Lorelai sits at, ending up between the Emperor and Duchess Cecilia, who still has a miserable look on her face.

Joezand raises his eyebrow at Agatha, which motions for him to sit second to her left, leaving an empty chair between them. He looked at Pult with an awkward smile, and the knight just sighs. Anneliese stood next to Joezand's chair.

"Hm? Why don't you sit down?" Joezand asks to Anneliese, patting the seat next to him.

"A-Are you insane, Prince Joezand? I need to serve you your food!" Anneliese replies. "B-Besides, how uncouth would it be for a maid to sit with nobles and royalty? We have our own dinner later into the night..."

"But the food is right in front of me. I can pick it up just fine." Joezand says. "Besides, with how clumsy you are... You might just spill the food on me." He smirks at her.

"Hey! T-That's not-"

Agatha clears her throat, robbing their attention. All eyes are on Joezand.

"Nice of you to join us, Prince Joezand." Agatha says. Although she is covertly reprimanding him for suggesting a maid can sit with them, her tone is a lot less strict than the first time he met her. He can't help but smile slightly at that. Agatha returns the gesture. "We'll begin the ceremony shortly. We're just waiting on a guest. You can have a glass of wine or two until then."

Hm. So that's what the empty seat is for. He lets Anneliese pour him a glass, which she does slowly so it doesn't spill.

He takes a sip, and it's... very, very yummy. It's a sweet, fruity taste which is still full-bodied and smoky. He never drank alcohol before. Because he legally couldn't, although he did eye his mother's liquor cabinet back in Tokyo once or twice. He just didn't do it because he was afraid she'd get mad.

"Who's joining us, by the way?" Joezand asks.

"We sent out the invite to both of your siblings." Lorelai says. "Florian had to refuse, but Agnes, your twin sister, told us she'd come. She should be here any minute now—"

On cue, the door opens roughly. A dark-skinned man dressed in a white shirt with a black vest, pants, and shoes. He has a handtowel around his hand, and his smooth black hair is in a long ponytail. He has a rigid expression in his face.

"Agnes von Styria has arrived." He says.

Silence coats the dining room.

A rhythmic sound is muffled by the rug outside, barely audible. It gets slowly louder, until it leaves the rug and hits the floor below. Wood hits marble, as two crutches made of oak come into view first. They drag with them a woman who looks completely, utterly, dead tired.

Her hair seemed like it was cut just like his bob cut months ago, but it's become wild and overgrown since, like she doesn't care about it at all. It's jet black in color, with a sizable white streak coming out from above her left temple. Her dark, sunken blue eyes dart around the room, landing on the empty chair next to Joezand. She limps towards it, being followed by the man, presumably her butler. As she comes closer, Joezand notices that the clothes she wears are very similar to his, only that her robes are white instead of black. Not only that, but her feet are... crooked. Both of them are bent inwards.

"Quit staring." A raspy voice comes from the girl, as her butler helps her sit on the chair. "Let's get this over with." She sighs, as her butler immediately moves to pour her some wine.

"Thank you for joining us, Duchess Agnes." Agatha says. "Now, shall we begin?"

"That's right." Thaddius says, his booming voice echoing in the hall. He raises a glass of his own. "Let the banquet begin."