Eric, even before he'd been heir and then King, had never suffered fools gladly.
He didn't have the time or the energy to waste on someone who wanted nothing but to cause trouble.
All of high society had known exactly what they were doing when they'd accepted Uncle Francis's invitation before Eric himself had. It wasn't unsurprising that they wanted to test the boundaries of the new king.
Eric's older brothers had spent years ensuring high society knew they wouldn't tolerate such behavior, but Eric hadn't had that time.
Uncle Francis and his wife were still standing as Eric took another step, and he decided if he made it to the middle of the hall before they showed the proper respect it was going to require a much harsher lesson than his father had ever been willing to give his only sibling.
He took two more steps, met his Uncle's eyes across the hall, and saw the man swallow.
Francis was a schemer and a backstabber, though no one had ever been able to prove that conclusively, but he was a coward when faced head-on.
Eric didn't waver. He'd faced enough swords coming right at his face that a stare-down across a dance was nothing.
Francis swallowed again. Next to him, Brigitta shifted nervously as a few nobles glanced their way, unable to resist even though Eric hadn't released them.
Finally, realizing he'd pushed hard enough and that Eric wasn't giving way, Francis slowly bent the knee. Brigitta knelt next to him, furious and embarrassed, because now all anyone would be talking about was Fracnis and Brigitta being disrespectful at their own ball.
Eric had no doubt she would complain bitterly that Eric couldn't have simply let it go for once, especially since they were throwing the ball in his honor.
Never mind, that was their plan to begin with.
Eric crossed the hall at a leisurely speed. Nodding to the few members of high society that he actually liked.
He could hear Eirian and Chenzhou's measured steps behind him.
Francis and Brigitta both stared resolutely at the floor as he stepped onto the dais. They'd draped shimmering golden fabric over the family seat, and Eric stepped around them to take a seat.
Eirian had a distinctly smug look on her face as they joined Eric, and he waved at the nearest nobles to rise and the musicians to start playing. Francis and Brigitta were on their feet in seconds, but the dais was swarmed before they could say anything.
Maybe Chenzhou was right, and it would be in the babe's best interest to be raised at the Camelia.
***
Eirian pulled Chenzhou to the edge of the dais to introduce him to a few old friends.
She was surprised to realize she hadn't really missed any of them. It was nice to see them…well, some of them. But there was no one that she really wanted to talk to. She'd been planning her letters to Finn, Marian, and Mingzhe.
She'd even added a section to Chenzhou's letter to Yuze, and she hadn't written a single person in Aontacht besides Eric and her uncle.
It had never occurred to her.
When she'd been on her first trip to the Camelia, leaving the capital had seemed like the end of the world. The trip back, instead of being one of glee and relief, had been a fog of grief and worry.
And now that her uncle was gone, the only reason Eirian could think to stay was to help Eric, and that wasn't enough to make her stop wondering about everything they'd been investigating back at the Camelia.
She missed her uncle terribly, but all she could do now was cry when there was no one but Chenzhou around, and he'd been far too dedicated to work and duty to be insulted by her split focus.
Speaking of Chenzhou, he hadn't drifted more than a step away since they entered. He was terribly polite and far better at hiding his personal feelings about anything than Eirian.
He might actually manage to survive the court of Aontacht if he kept it.
Eirian hadn't missed the interested glances he'd been receiving. He certainly cut a striking figure among the overindulgence of the capital.
She returned a wave from an acquaintance from school and glanced at Eric to check on him.
He was doing well for someone who had never wanted this kind of responsibility, and her father and Brigitta had vacated the dais to hold court off to the side with their allies.
Eric was ignoring them, and Eirian resolved to do the same.
It wasn't a terrible party. They were serving the good wine her father hoarded, and the food was delicious, and the musicians supremely skilled.
Maybe she'd throw a ball when they returned to the Camelia. A celebration in honor of Eric and her Uncle. Everyone at that estate could use a night of revelry.
She added it to her mental to-do list and figured she'd add it to the letters to Finn and Marian just in case she forgot.
She turned to tell Chenzhou and caught motion out of the corner of her eye that had her fingers digging in his arm hard enough to make him jolt.
"Eirian?" He turned away from the conversation he'd been in the middle of. "What's wrong?"
"Be an asshole." She hissed.
"What?"
"Be an asshole." He blinked at her, bewildered as she turned to face the couple that approached them next.
"Eirian." Philip's gaze swept over her, and a faint memory of the heat his gaze used to inspire rose in her. "It's been too long."
It was on the tip of her tongue to snap at him. To spit out all the ugly things she'd been saving up.
Abigail was at his side, her swollen belly draped in silk.
Chenzhou's hand came to rest against her back, a steady, calming warmth. "Who's this?"
Eirian bit the inside of her cheek to hold off her smile as Philip's face fell and Abigail's smile waned. "This is Philip, husband. Heir to the Barony of Water and his wife, Abigail."
"Ah," Chenzhou smiled pleasantly. "Nice to meet you."
Philip nodded respectfully. "You as well. You are…Lord of the Camelia?"
Technically, a Baron ranked higher than a Lord, but the baronies in Sorrow were tiny and spread across Aontacht, while Chenzhou's lordship was the largest independent estate in the kingdom. Second only to the Soliels, who claimed all of Sorrow.
And Chenzhou was the only person in Sorrow besides the king himself who commanded an Army.
"I am." Chenzhou studied Philip and Abigail. "I didn't realize there was a Barony of Water in Sorrow. Where are your lands?"
~ tbc