Although the castle was only one kilometer away, the group went riding a carriage, the women wanted to stay as neat as possible, and walking wouldn't help with that. Now that Aion thought about it, he never went to the castle before. It would have been weird if he had been invited in any other situation. The atmosphere inside wasn't so bad, but he wished that he could return home as soon as possible...
Once they arrived, Aion saw a lot of other carriages coming and going. A lot of rich families were entering the castle… it was a party like no other. Lexus' family already stands out enough since he has too many wives and a lot of kids, but now they are standing even more because Aion is with them. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was the most famous man of the last five years. The common folk forgot his appearance, but those in power could never forget a possible threat.
"It must be hard to be that famous," George said, patting Aion's back.
"I think feared is the most fitting word here," Aion said. "Rather than that, I am wondering where Henri and the princess will leave after this."
"The princess knows how to rule, and Henri knows how to lead and train new recruits. They will work together to keep a certain territory in the central part of the kingdom in order," Lexus replied.
"The central parts were the easiest to manage. There was no risk of invasion from any sides, after all," Aion thought. "Still, the soldiers in those areas need to stay sharp since they need to move at a moment's notice… in any case, it is good for them. Henri is to become the next head of the family, so he can't be put in danger as soon as he gets married."
Even before entering the castle, the group stopped many times. Lexus was a war hero, and his wives were also ladies of distinguished families, so many people knew and wanted to talk with them. Unlike Aion imagined, his father had good social skills, he was only awkward when conveying messages to his kids.
As far as his knowledge told him, the Zaera kingdom wasn't the most powerful or rich kingdom. Despite that, the interior of the castle sure was luxurious and looked like everything was brand new. Candleholders, statues, and vases made of crystal were used to ornament everything around. There were also many paintings of men and women wearing crowns… they were the kings of old, but Aion didn't pay any mind to them. The room in front was massive, like a massive dance wall. Most of the people were there, but the ceremony was going to be in the throne room.
"I learned the etiquette of this world, but if I could help it, I will avoid this kind of glamour," Aion thought. "I will endure this for my siblings, but I am not really cut out for this."
"Aion, a lot of people will want to offer you some business proposals. I am not good at that, but I am good at reading people," Lexus said. "If you don't want to get involved with some shady characters, you should stay close by."
"Dear me, and I was expecting to see only virtuous rich families here," Aion said. "Well, I don't want to spoil Henri's party, so I made those guys run away."
"I wonder how you made that territory prosper when you refuse this kind of opportunity," Lexus said. "Ah, do you want me to introduce the guys who tried to get your land for free?"
"You knew about that?" Aion asked.
"Naturally, they asked the king to get a cut of your lands," Lexus replied. "The king refused them since he didn't think that they could protect them or that you wouldn't give them a hand if an invasion were to happen."
The king sure was insightful. Aion truly would give zero fucks if that were to happen. In any case, they walked around for a while, and it looked like many people noticed that Aion wasn't interested in talking about business, so they didn't try to talk to him about that. Eventually, they found Henri, who had been staying in the castle for a while. His clothes were different from the others, it resembled a bit of a marine uniform, but it was blue and had some metalic parts over his body like it resembled one armor as well. Regardless, he looked pretty relaxed.
"You guys came… keep me company for a while. It is hard to talk with so many people by myself," Henri said.
"Get your act together," Lexus said. "You shouldn't feel nervous this day. Otherwise, you recall it in the future and feel more than a little embarrassed."
"Putting more pressure on him isn't going to help, father," Aion said. "Just think that most of the guys that came to talk with you are cursing you in their heads for having the chance to marry the princess, and they could die of jealousy at any moment."
"That sure is something that gives me a boost of confidence," Henri said.
Henri seemed more relaxed after that. Thanks to that, he didn't show any more stiff smiles during the day. He was the type of guy who always felt pressured for his status and for the fact that many things in his life had been decided for him, and since he lacked a rebelious spirit, he only accepted them as a matter of fact. Thanks to it, he was lacking a bit when it came to mental fortitude to most things not related to combat.
In any case, the ceremony was about to start, and then everyone headed to the throne room. There were an insane amount of seats there, but the throne room was that massive, so it wasn't a problem. Henri moved to the front of the throne and then waited for his future wife…
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