Chapter 75 - Two Kings

Chapter 75: 75 - Two Kings

The guard led them through a part of the Royal Castle Adrien had never seen before. Considering how large the place was, that wasn’t particularly surprising, but this section felt different from the halls he had visited during Oathday.

They eventually reached a wide platform built into the center of a tall stone chamber. Mana lines lit beneath their feet as soon as everyone stepped onto it, and a moment later the entire platform began rising smoothly through the castle.

Adrien looked over the edge as the lower floors disappeared beneath them. "They really built all of this just to avoid stairs."

Lucien glanced down as well. "If your castle is this large, I think you’ve earned the right to."

Vael didn’t seem impressed by either the platform or the height. Amelia stood beside him quietly while Vikir remained a short distance behind Adrien, taking in the surroundings without saying much.

When the platform finally stopped, they stepped into another hall. This one was enormous, but almost completely empty. Black stone covered the walls and floor, broken only by gold patterns running along the edges and climbing toward the high ceiling.

There was only one set of doors at the far end.

’Definitely not where they hold casual meetings.’

Two guards opened them as the group approached.

The chamber beyond was almost as large, though far more carefully arranged. A circular table occupied the center, except it wasn’t truly a circle. It had been divided into two separate semicircles with an open space between them, leaving one side for Sylvamir and the other for Valebrand.

Elven guards lined the right side of the room. Human Royal Guards stood opposite them on the left.

Neither king had arrived yet.

Only a few seats were occupied, and Adrien recognized both people sitting on the human side immediately.

Margaret was the first surprise.

Adrien hadn’t expected her to take part in the meeting, but after thinking about it for more than a second, her presence made perfect sense. Vikir had reached her first. She had seen the documents, heard what happened in Greymoor and brought the information directly to Aurelian.

The second person was far less surprising.

Aurelian Valleroy sat near the center of the human semicircle. The moment he saw them enter, he stood and walked around the table rather than waiting for everyone to take their places.

’Looks like he intends to lead this.’

Adrien remembered their conversation after Gaspard’s defeat. Aurelian had already made it clear that his father’s reign was approaching its end, and Adrien couldn’t help wondering whether this meeting was another opportunity for him to behave like the king before he actually became one.

Aurelian approached Vael first and offered his hand. "Vael Edevane. It’s unfortunate that our first meeting had to happen under circumstances like these. What happened inside our territory affected Sylvamir directly, and for that, you have my apology."

Vael looked down at the hand.

For several uncomfortable seconds, he simply stared at it.

Then he looked back at Aurelian. "I only hope this was worth dragging me all the way here."

He walked straight past him.

Adrien noticed the small change in Aurelian’s expression immediately. It disappeared almost as quickly as it came, but there had definitely been irritation there.

Vael reached the elven side of the table, and one of the guards immediately stepped forward to pull out his chair.

The old elf waved him away before the man could touch it. "I can move a chair."

The guard stopped, gave a short bow and returned to his position while Vael sat down on his own.

Aurelian took a second before turning toward Amelia and Lucien. He greeted them both with a handshake, and unlike Vael, neither of them made the situation difficult.

Then he reached Adrien.

"Thank you for coming, Adrien." Aurelian gave him a polite smile. "I hope we haven’t dragged you away from anything too important."

Adrien returned the look. "After everything that happened, I’ve been fairly busy."

"I imagined as much. We shouldn’t keep you here longer than necessary." Aurelian glanced briefly toward Vikir before turning away.

There was no greeting for him.

Adrien noticed it, but Vikir clearly hadn’t expected one either. As far as Aurelian was concerned, he was still a soldier and a witness rather than someone who belonged among nobles and royalty.

Aurelian returned to his seat.

Adrien looked toward Margaret and found her already watching him. She gave him a small wave from across the table, much less formal than anything else happening in the room.

Adrien answered with a nod before taking his own seat near the edge of the human side. Vikir remained standing behind him.

Across the open space separating the two halves of the table, Amelia sat only a short distance away. They were technically on opposite sides of the meeting, although the gap between them wasn’t large enough to feel particularly meaningful.

A few more minutes passed before the doors opened again.

An announcer entered first and stopped beside them. "All rise for His Majesty, King Osric Valleroy of Valebrand."

Chairs moved almost at once.

Adrien stood with everyone on the human side, while most of the elves rose more slowly.

Vael didn’t move at all.

Osric entered surrounded by Royal Guards, and Adrien immediately noticed the king’s eyes settle on the old elf. The irritation on his face wasn’t subtle.

The humans bowed as Osric passed. The elves offered considerably less, some only lowering their heads slightly before sitting again.

Osric murmured something under his breath as he reached his chair.

Aurelian leaned toward him and said something quietly enough that Adrien couldn’t hear it. Whatever it was, Osric’s expression remained sour, but he sat without saying anything publicly.

The room settled again.

Then the announcer stepped forward once more. "Please rise for His Majesty, King Laurent of Sylvamir."

The doors opened.

Adrien saw Laurent for the first time.

Vael had called him a brat.

Looking at him now, Adrien almost laughed at the thought.

Laurent appeared somewhere in his late thirties or early forties, with the refined features Adrien had come to associate with elves and the calm posture of someone completely comfortable being watched by an entire room.

’Brat. Right.’

Laurent’s gaze moved through the chamber before settling briefly on Adrien.

He gave him a small nod.

Adrien returned it.

There was no need to guess why. Whatever politics surrounded this meeting, Adrien had been one of the people responsible for bringing Laurent’s daughter home.

The elven king crossed the room and took the seat beside Vael. Before sitting, he leaned slightly toward the older elf and said something too quiet for Adrien to catch.

Vael’s expression suggested he wasn’t impressed.

The announcer waited until both kings had taken their seats before stepping into the center of the room.

"With both delegations present, this meeting may begin."