The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

The grand round table of the Castle of Starlight's courtroom was the center of today's event.

Surrounded by Starlight's most influential families, it glistened with the reflections of the room's light. These families had come in carriages bearing their family crests, in regal attire that spoke of wealth, power, and legacy. Yet, for all their grandeur, inside this room, the air between them was thick with silent conflicts, unsaid accusations, and rivalries that had simmered for generations.

You see, it was the things with wealthy families like those who had worked or had not even worked to reach where they were. It was simply the air of rivalry that existed at the top, and even though sometimes they pretended to be friendly, it always ended up being a farce.

Especially when pushed just a little bit. These rich folks always showed their true colors.

Seated close to the head of the table, Lord Gerion Archelin and his wife, Lady Ardess Archelin, appeared to be inseparable. Lord Gerion, a man of sharp angles, with neatly combed dark hair and calculating eyes, had a subtle but constant habit of tapping his gloved fingers against the table, but his other hand was locked with his wife's who leaned lovingly on him.

Beside them sat Lady Elyse Tavert. The Lady of the respectful family was representing them in place of her ever-busy husband, Lord Javenod Tavert. She was tall and statuesque, with raven-black hair that was bound in an intricate coil behind her head.

Unlike the other wives who sat beside their husbands, she was alone, but she did not seem bothered by it. Her family, after all, trained and educated the best retainers, couriers, and household servants in the Region — an authority that needed no explanation.

Across from her sat the unusual pair of Lord Olvador and Lady Manelva Selvadez. Lord Olvador was a short, red-haired man with a great braided beard that fell below his chest.

His body was thick with muscle, testifying to his family's rigorous training of warriors. His red and green robes did little to hide the sheer bulk of him. Unlike his warm demeanor, Lady Manelva was the coldest presence at the table. Tall with similar red hair braided into a crown, her deep-set grey eyes spoke of an unshakable severity. Though she did not speak, her presence was intimidating enough.

Lord Draco Dravencourt and Lady Julienne Dravencourt sat a few seats away. They were a proud pair. Lord Draco was lean, with shoulder-length silver hair and dark eyes that taunted at the rest of them. Him and his wife shared an arrogance of people who believed themselves superior, and they smirked at every one in an insulting manner.

Lord Edwin Varnel had come alone, and from the way he tapped his foot and checked his golden pocket watch, he was already running out of patience.

Lord Hollunder Vale and Lady Cressida Vale, though seated beside each other, were so distant in mannerism it was as if they occupied separate rooms. Lord Hollunder was an aging but still-powerful figure, his dark violet robes accentuated with golden embroidery. Lady Cressida, however, seemed far more interested in examining her painted nails than participating in any discussion.

Then there was Lord Tobias Farrentail who sat alone, though he cared less about the meeting but more about the smoke curling from his pipe. His appearance was disheveled, but no one dared comment on it. He was rich enough not to care what others thought.

Lord Damon Zorath and Lady Kavria Zorath sat together in silence. The dark couple, with fairly silent expressions, and eyes that were cold and unfeeling.

Their business in rare Beast Cores and powerful materials made them dangerous people to cross. But it was still impossible for Lady Kavria to have any speck of patience as she continued to shift impatiently, muttering to herself.

Finally, at the foot of the table was Lady Seraphina Ivermere, sitting in quiet elegance. She was such an unbelievably beautiful woman with soft, tender but a heavy set, voluptuous build.

Her delicate fingers played with the golden pendant at her throat as she sat silently. Unlike the others, she was very patient, as though she believed she was above petty frustrations. The way she carried herself, playing with the necklace in one hand while fanning herself with the other, she clearly knew she was a beautiful woman of class.

Minutes upon minutes passed and nothing happened. The patriarchs and matriarchs still sat in waiting, but all they continued to do was eyeball each other.

More time passed. Tension started to build. But the silence remained.

Finally, a clearing of a throat broke the lingering silence.

"This is ridiculous," Lord Edwin Varnel huffed. "First, the Son has the audacity to call us here, yet he dares waste our time by making us wait? I don't know about the rest of you, but my business does not run itself."

"A prince who has no respect for time will never gain respect from his people," Lady Kavria Zorath added coolly, immediately hiding her face once her husband shot her a glare.

"Or perhaps," Lord Draco Dravencourt mused, his smirk deepening, "he's simply nervous. Young blood among seasoned rulers — he must be struggling to find the courage to face us."

A few chuckles followed.

Lord Olvador Selvadez leaned back in his chair, his broad fingers combing through his great beard. "Look at you all. Laughing at the Son of our God. Have you thought that maybe he's taking his time because he knows what kind of jackals he's dealing with. I'd be nervous too if I had to face a table full of foxes."

Lady Cressida Vale, sipping from her glass of wine, spoke without looking up. "The dwarf talks. And he speaks of foxes and jackals." She eyed Olvador coldly. "It's funny hearing you talk about jackals, Olvador, when your warriors are known for being more beast than man. What is it that you feed your men, Lord Olvador? Will you finally confess to wrong acts you do in the name of... experiments"

Lord Olvador let out a deep laugh. "Wrong acts? We forge the strongest fighters. The only ones who complain are the ones too weak to survive."

Lord Tobias exhaled smoke through his nose, smirking. "Oh, is that why half your men retire missing limbs?"

The room fell into hushed amusement.

Lady Manelva, unmoved, came in defense of husband, turning to Lord Tobias. "And yet, despite missing limbs, they are still worth ten of yours."

Lord Hollunder Vale, adjusting his cuffs, spoke up, his voice smooth. "Frankly, I care little for these warrior disputes. If the prince does not arrive soon, I will take my leave. My market has no need for delays."

Lady Julienne Dravencourt raised an eyebrow. "That's bold of you. Why haven't your transporters moved the weapons we boarded to your base yet? You are the one delaying our market, Hollunder."

Cressida chuckled. "Your prices are off the roof. 10 gold for a sword, 20 for a great sword, 700 silver for an expert dagger. That is preposterous."

Lady Julienne shrugged. "War is coming. And this is payback for when you hellish mosquitos gave us false returns for over three years."

"You're a greedy whale!"

"And you're a snake!"

Lord Draco joined in. "Considering your market would collapse without our blacksmiths supplying your weapons, I think you should just accept the deal."

"Yes, just as your blacksmiths would collapse without our merchants selling them," Lord Hollunder countered. "To hell with your deal, you parasitic thief."

And with that, the tension in the room continued to rise. One attacked the other, and the other attacked many more.

Lady Seraphina Ivermere finally spoke, her voice melodic but firm. "Perhaps we should not waste our breath attacking one another before the prince even arrives. Or do you all find pleasure in squabbling like children?"

Lord Edwin hissed. "Can someone tell the whore to shut the hell up. Her breath stinks of semen."

Lady Ardess Archelin gasped in a mocking manner, eyeing Seraphina tauntingly. Clearly the two had some kind of hateful history. "Why, Lord Edwin. Lady Seraphina is not a whore. She only sells them."

Edwin sighed nonchalantly. "Like that's any better."

"Ha! Ha!" Ardess laughed. "Lady Seraphina the whore!"

"Oi!" Olvador spoke. "You used to work in the Almond inn before Gerion married you. It seems that you're the whore!"

"How dare you speak of my wife in that manner, imp!"

"Oh, this imp has a much bigger cock than you."

"You fool!!! Let's measure it now!"

"What!"

"Others measure wealth and these fools are measuring penis sizes."

"Look who's speaking, you sell timber! I'm much wealthier than you!"

"Prove it, what was your overall profit this year!

"I made over a million gold!"

"Bastard! I made over twenty million gold!"

"Bastard? You better respect my father or I will cancel all transportation of my goods to your town!"

"I'll cancel mine! I'll place tariffs that will leave you begging!"

Up above, hidden behind a concealed vantage point, Aeric and Ilyon watched the chaos unfold below.

"They're at each other's throats already." Ilyon said. "Don't you think you should go in there and stop this?"

"No," Aeric replied plainly.

"Why not, Master Aeric?"

Aeric's eyes continued to watch the altercation. "Bargaining power, Ilyon."

Ilyon blinked. "Ah."

Aeric gestured to the arguing nobles. "If I had walked in there the moment they arrived, it would've been me against all of them. But waiting allowed the tension amongst them to boil over and spill out. Now, their hidden frustrations have boiled over, and they're competing against one another."

His eyes gleamed. "When I come in with my proposal, because they're so determined to surpass the other, it's going to turn into an auction, and neither of them would want the other family to gain the advantages of the proposal."

"Mind games, Ilyon." he said. "I'm the one that needs their help. But they're all going to offer to give it to me."

Ilyon stared at the Young Master for a moment before shaking his head. "You're more devious than I thought."