Chapter 3 - The Engagement Day (3)

Avra's the only one who takes the clue and looks at her eyes before smiling warmly, hoping it would seem warm in Edra’s eyes.

"Thank you for having us today," Avra said softly, Edra nodded and gestured for them to walk inside to the hall. The servant had prepared a long table of food with various type of delicacies Suttern could offer, lights filled the white-colored hall, fragrant flowers with different vibrant colors and types scattered around the room, windows kept shut but the curtain remains open, no one besides the Qye, Arax, and Edra inside the hall.

"Where're the others!" Arax shouts for the servant to hear. Yoani, a servant that used to help Byrl inside the castle, comes to the hall and bows her head, showing full respect and submission before answering The King's question.

"Crown Prince Rydan was seen heading to the forest half an hour ago with Lord Zandic, Prince Aevin and Ahron inside the library at the moment, Princess Deair is in the middle of painting the wall of her room blue this time and Princess Lorra was seen playing with a horse, Your Majesty,” Yoani answered, she took a quick look around the Qye, catching a quick glance of Elleryn, her new master to serve.

"A library! Aevin and Ahron! Do you expect me to believe that?" Arax shouted, making Yoani whimper in fear.

Apparently, it was impossible to truly believe that the twin princes were inside the library, they were indeed too lazy to read something.

Arax sighs before he turns around and dismisses Yoani, giving her order to get them all inside the hall right away.

Yoani nods and takes a step backward before she runs to get all the Princes and Princess, as well Crown Prince.

Edra sigh, she then instructed the Qye to take a seat. Arax and Edra take a seat on one side of the table.

Leor takes a seat opposite Arax, Avra at his side. Elleryn follows beside her, Ladon next beside Elleryn. Fabin and Kyzen were right beside each other, while Ezana sits beside Kyzen.

Silence decided to make itself presence before Ezana raised her hand.

"Can I ask you a question, Your Majesty?" Ezana said. Arax looked at the girl, feeling a little bit surprised that a 10-years-old would dare speak up in front of him. He doesn’t have time to answer, because she had decided to stand on her chair, it is rude of course. But Ezana didn’t care. She wanted to make an impression that she is the tallest one, she took a quick look at her family before her blue eyes glanced at Arax.

"What is a coward?" she said.

Fabin choked his own saliva, Kyzen snorts, Avra and Leor stared with disbelief, Elleryn cracks a little smile, while Ladon takes a glance between his brother and sister with confusion on his face. Something has happened, for sure.

Taken aback by her question, he stilled. But within a second his expression turned cold, maintaining dark countenance. He clears his throat and looks at her with a dark expression, intended to scare the little girl, but she has seen far worse creatures than an old man making a funny expression towards her. Dragons, ogre, giant and other creatures were one of her many friends, a werewolf King could never scare her.

Arax takes a deep breath, dealing with a child will be easy, and the best manner to answer that question is to look as wise as possible.

"Cowards are filthy and disgusting beings that are shaken in fear in front of its weakness," Arax explained. Ezana decided to take a seat after hearing the answer to her question, Fabin takes a deep breath, feeling relieved he will not get scolded, and Kyzen snickers at him.

Ezana thinks for a moment before she asks once again.

"Are you a coward, Your Majesty?" Ezana asked as if those words are safe to say and not resulting in her doom.

Fabin snorted, Kyzen couldn’t hold his laughter anymore, Ladon sent him a disapproving glare, urging him to stop laughing, though he had a hard time to hide his snicker. Avra seems frustrated at her daughter and son, Leor, however, smiles at his daughter, disbelief still, but he seems relieved. Somehow, his daughter was able to pull off something that he could not even do, insulted the King.

Elleryn tries hard to suppress her laugh, trying to view this matter as serious as possible, but she can't. A 10-year old just mocks the King, the ruler of Suttern, with a straight face without sweating in fear, for sure such entertainment will never occur in another century.

Arax became furious, especially after hearing Kyzen laughing in front of him, at him. Edra takes a deep breath and takes Arax's hand, trying to calm him down. She doesn't want someone to end up killed inside the hall, especially if that someone is a naive little girl like Ezana.

One thing Edra isn't aware of, Ezana is far from naive, she secretly knows what she is trying to do, it's protecting her big sister.

"And what exactly makes you think Father is a coward?" a voice cut through the thick tense atmosphere.

Princess Lorra walked across the room towards her Mother with a raised chin, black eyes sharp staring like an eagle at Ezana, challenging the little girl, expecting her to cower in fear, but she didn't. She smiles at Lorra, accepting whatever challenge she offers.

"Fabin said he is, he said the reason Your Majesty Arax chose the engagement day in this season was that my big sister would weaken, and she couldn't do anything to the castle," Ezana stated, smiling at Lorra.

"Apparently you didn't hear the news about the death of Lady Byrl aren't you?” Lorra clicks her tongue, glaring at her with contempt. Lorra continued, “she died last month, a month of mourning is what she needs, and the marriage of another Daughter of Qye will not be postponed, even if it so happens to be around winter," Lorra grit her teeth, eyeing Ezana with malice.

Ezana was just smiling, showing her dignity far beyond anyone.

And Lorra hates that smile, as someone two years older than Ezana, she should be the one to show her dignity, but she fails to do so.

Avra chooses this time to apologize.

"I'm sorry. It is rude of Fabin to talk about Your Highness Arax in such a way, and it is wrong of Ezana to even ask such a question in front of you, even to challenge Princess Lorra. I'm deeply sorry," Avra said, she takes a look between Edra and Arax.

Arax takes a deep breath while Edra nods and smiles.

Prince Aevin and Ahron choose that time to walk inside the hall, immediately feeling the cold tension that rushes through their veins, this is the first time they felt cold inside the Palace. Aevin bet even the guard outside that stand guard away from the hall could still feel it as well. They knew today wouldn’t be a memorable day, definitely.