The First Princess's Birthday-Part 3

It wasn't immediate, but the first princess Elenor looked at Kye Runewalker with a glimmer in her eye. She felt her heart start beating rapidly as she gazed at Kye who was yet to notice her gaze on him. It was not love at first sight that caused this, though one would normally interpret it as such. What it was, was her blessing from the goddess of love telling her that her soul was interwoven with Kye's, almost as if the universe could not concoct a possible future where they were not intimate. As she felt her blessing, a stunningly beautiful female servant dressed in an extravagant royal blue maid uniform took her place next to Elenor. She bent down to whisper in her ear.

"My lady, I believe you have already felt the pull of the blessing, correct? The young man you see now has a connection to you blessed by the mistress of love herself. Your partnership, if you choose to accept it would be blessed by the very heavens."

"Thank you Natalia but I have to see what kind of person this Kye Runewalker is before I make any judgement."

"Certainly. However, I must inform you, he bears the blessing of a god or goddess higher than the mistress. Be careful if you choose to provoke him."

With that, Natalia the greater angel assigned to her by the goddess of love left her side and stood back in the wings of the hall, acting the part of a normal maid. Her gaze flickered too and from Kye Runewalker who had now taken his drink and waited next to his parents for the butler to bring their introduction to a close.

"With the esteemed guests now introduced and their show of trust now complete, I leave the honoured misters and madams to their evening."

He bowed low and the hall immediately erupted in chatter. Some simply went back to their previous conversations but many were talking about the young heir of the Runewalker family, almost as if he wasn't present. Frey put his hand on Kye's shoulder and lovingly shook him slightly while smiling at him.

"Well, if you wanted to make an impression, mission accomplished."

"Ha. As if they expected anything else. Either try to fulfil their expectations and fuel the gossip wheel or be disadvantaged from the start. Damned if I do, damned if I don't."

Layla nodded approvingly at Kye's assessment of the situation. Speaking from a manners standpoint, what Kye did was very rude, however, the nobility was very much demanding a strong showing from the new Runewalker heir and a failure to deliver would make future negotiations very hard not only for Kye but the Runewalker family as a whole. While Kye had made a statement with his actions, it was one of confidence and strength which would at least leave a mostly positive impression on the gathered nobility.

Soon after, they all made their way to a reserved seat close to the back of the hall where the royal family was seated. Besides the king, queen and the first princess, there were two princes and the second princess. Both the princes were older than their sisters at ages 18 and 16 respectively while the second princess was just 9 years old. The first prince gazed approvingly at Kye as they sat down while the second prince scowled at him. The first prince, Justin, was known as a very intelligent and prolific military strategist who had led many victorious campaigns against the kingdom's enemies to the north. He was also known as an exceptional governor who managed his people well and brought in many talents from across the kingdom.

The second prince, Lester, was a slovenly entitled brat who used his parent's money to finance extravagant parties and large orgies. While never confirmed, it was speculated that he protected several criminal gangs ad they brought him large gifts of alcohol, women and illicit drugs from outside the kingdom. Truthfully, he was actually the mastermind of many gangs, keeping them running through discreet slush funds and smuggled goods. Though many assumed him to be dumb and debauched, he was very cunning, using his large substance filled parties to get in good with younger nobility that may be second or third in line to succeed the family and promote them.

It was no secret to the Runewalkers that he was the one that pushed Signus into higher forms of depravity and propagated Evan into his extreme paranoia. Though they could never turn up solid proof of these claims so they never brought them up, Lester's reaction, once he had heard about Kye's instatement as the heir of the family had angered him greatly, confirming what the Runewalkers hand suspected from the start.

Little was known about the second princess, Leane, except that she was very much attached to her father and eldest brother and that she loved sweets. The Runewalkers all approached the main table and Frey stepped forward to greet the king.

"Your Majesty, it has been far too long."

"Yes, my old friend, it has. Tell me, have you been enjoying your recently found prosperity? I believe it to be something your son invented that propelled you to such heights, yes?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, because of my son my territory has regained its lost wealth and gained a prosperous future. I could not be prouder as a father, especially after seeing how my other sons turned out."

"Indeed, it is fortunate that your son woke up. If he did not look so much like you I would have questioned if you did not adopt a genius and raise him as your own, but I know you, Frey. Kye looks and acts very much like you that there is no doubt you share genes. If not for your wonderful wife Alicia, I fear we might have had a younger you running around the kingdom."

The two men laughed while their wives giggled politely at the comment. King Glennor looked at Kye and motioned with his hand to step forward. Kye did so and respectfully bowed.

"Kye Runewalker greets His Majesty King Glennor."

"I accept your greeting, young Runewalker. Now, tell me, how did you come up with Spellweave in the first place?"

"While I was... indisposed, it was more akin to a dream than being unconscious. While I was there, I experimented with things endlessly as I tried to kill the time. Once I woke, I believed what I dreamed of to be possible. So, with the permission of my parents, I began experimenting with the knowledge I had gained from my dreams. With this, I created Spellweave and Weavetech, Your Majesty."

King Glennor sat there with a neutral expression on his face for several moments before giving a short bark of laughter.

"Haha, you truly expect me to believe this tale? Do you take me for a fool?"

Kye raised his head and met King Glennor's gaze.

"Humbly, Your Majesty, I cannot help if you do not believe the truth."

The two held each other's gazes for a few extremely tense moments before King Glennor gave a good-natured laugh.

"Hahahaha, well said boy. If a King cannot accept the truth, then how can he rule? As outlandish as your story is, your eyes do not betray the truth. I hope that you continue to grace this kingdom with your other ideas, you will surely be a great asset to your family and your kingdom."

"Thank you for your gracious praise, Your Majesty."

Kye bowed and stepped back in line with his mothers, his chest swelling outward in confidence. While the chatter in the room was still there, many nobles had tuned into the conversation happening at the back of the room. Now that Kye had been formally recognised by the king, many nobles were preparing their daughters to meet with the new heir to try and get as much good favour as they could with him. While his audience with the king was over, Kye's long night had only just begun.