He bowed respectfully to the crown princess while holding the tray up, careful not to make any eye contact. Margaret picked up the invitation from the silver tray and dismissed the royal messenger. She then handed it to Laina.

The golden wax seal had the Everfree Nation’s emblem, a circle of humans holding hands with one another, with a pair of angel wings around it. Laina swiftly opened it and read through its contents.

Margaret was about to say something but Grand General Tobias got a word in first.

“Your highness, this would be the perfect opportunity for you to find a suitable candidate to rule by your side. An alliance that is almost certain to benefit our people.”

His words angered Margaret deeply. But she did not show her emotions on her face. She kept them well hidden.

“Princess Laina, perhaps this is not the best time to attend. You have just recovered-”

Before she could even finish her sentence, the general cut in yet again, “All the more you should attend. This would be a great opportunity to show the other rulers that the heir to Kinshearth is alive and well.”

Princess Laina was deep in thought. The general, thinking that he was one step closer to convincing the princess to attend decided to boost his argument.

“Pardon my bluntness, my princess but your coronation is merely two years away. When the time comes, our nation will need a King and a Queen.”

Grand General Tobias’s words reached the crown princess. She carefully put down the invitation and looked up at the general. He could not reach her emotions at that moment but what she said next gave him clarity.

“I appreciate your concern regarding the empty seat next to me during my coronation, Grand General Tobias. But let me remind you,” she looked at him straight in the eyes.

Her fiery wine red pupils seemed to burn through him. Even for a seasoned warrior like himself, her glare still sent shivers down his spine.

“I am a Solara. I am one hundred percent capable of running our country on my own. I do not need a King to run it with me.”

A grin appeared on Margaret’s face. She knew the princess well enough and she was glad that she did not have to convince her any further. But what Laina said next shocked her.

“That being said, I think attending this event would be a nice change of scenery.”

Margaret turned back to look at Laina.

“But, your highness, I think it would not be wise for you to make the long journey. After all, you have just recovered from your injury,” she advised.

Laina smiled and thanked Margaret for her concern before continuing, “This is a great opportunity for me to meet and converse with the other rulers. We might even be able to form new alliances.”

Over the next few weeks, everything was prepared for the Crown Princess’s journey to the Everfree Nation. Since it was going to be a Masquerade Ball, Laina had a dress custom-made for her.

The fitting would be done when she arrived in the Everfree Nation.

Unlike some of the other royals who needed to travel for days, weeks, or months to arrive at the Everfree Nation, Laina’s journey would be instantaneous. All she needed to do was to activate the keystone portal in the royal courtyard, and she would be there in a split second.

Laina did not want to bring a huge entourage with her, so she handpicked the few she wanted. Margaret would oversee and arrange everything on Laina’s behalf. In her absence, Grand General Tobias and Royal Chancellor Lucinda would oversee Kinshearth.

Minutes before she left, Laina was still giving instructions and orders on what needed to be done.

“Do not worry, your highness, we will take great care of our homeland. Travel safely,” Royal Chancellor Lucinda assured the crown princess with a smile.

With that, Laina bid them farewell and entered the keystone portal. She emerged on the other side with her small entourage. The Everfree Nation looked very different from Kinshearth.

But Laina was not bothered by it. It was a nice change of scenery. As she took a few steps down the platform, a head butler and two of his assistants came up to greet her.

“Crown Princess Laina of Kinshearth, we welcome you to Everfree Nation. We have been eagerly awaiting your arrival,” the head butler announced.

He bowed politely to Laina who pardoned him swiftly. Before he could say anything else, the keystone portal lit up again. Laina turned to look, just as everyone else did. She could not help but wonder who it might be.

Most royals were surrounded by at least 20 to 50 attendants of varying ranks. Some even brought with them more than 100. But the man who stepped out of the portal only had one.

He was wearing a black cloak and a matching fedora while the assistant he brought with him wore a dark blue long sleeve shirt and suspenders. The assistant had a pair of curved horns nestled on his head of black hair.

The man walked down the steps, past Laina and her attendants. She could not see his face, since it was covered by his fedora but something about the man felt strangely familiar.

She could also feel a strong aura of power and strength emanating from the man. When the head butler saw his presence, he immediately greeted him. But Laina was so deep in her thoughts, she did not hear his name.

Before she could say anything else about the matter, the man and his assistant were long gone.

“Crown Princess Laina, my apologies for the interruption earlier on. Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Bastion, I am the head butler who oversees the needs of the guests who are attending the Masquerade Ball.”

The head butler introduced his two assistants to Laina. They were Mr Ramus and Miss Claudite. Both of them would be assisting Laina and her attendants with anything and everything they needed for their stay in Everfree.

Laina could not forget the mysterious man and his assistant, so she could not help but ask for more clarification on who they were.

“Ah your highness, that was King Dante Le Lunara of the Dracona Kingdom. The man who accompanied him is his second in command, Marius. They are both guests of the Masquerade Ball as well.”

Margaret noticed immediately that her crown princess had taken an interest in the man. But hearing that familiar name did not bring her joy. Seeing as Laina’s thoughts were preoccupied, she took control of the situation.

“Thank you, Head butler Bastion, for your kind hospitality. We are most pleased to have met your acquaintance. If Mr. Ramus and Miss Claudite could lead us to our accommodations for our stay, it would be gravely appreciated,” Margaret said.

“Most certainly. Mr. Ramus, Miss Claudite, I leave our most esteemed guests in your care.”

With the formalities out of the way, then entourage from Kinshearth was guided towards their accommodations for their stay. Although the Masquerade Ball was a one-night event, there was still a long list of activities for the royals to indulge in.

The Kinshearth were arranged to stay in the Golden Gate Hotel. It was a hotel fit for royalty. In fact, most of the guests in residence were royalty. The Masquerade Ball was a huge event for the hotel and all of Everfree.

Not only did it bring in wealth for the nation, but it also brought prestige. Upon arrival at the Golden Gate Hotel, the Kinshearth delegation was brought to their very own mansion within the hotel grounds.

The decor of the mansion was homely and welcoming to the Kinshearth delegation.

“I hope the decor is to your liking, Crown Princess Laina. We’ve done extensive research to ensure that you would feel most comfortable here. As if you were at home,” Miss Claudite said.

Laina smiled and nodded, “This is perfect, thank you.”

Miss Claudite and Mr. Ramus nodded.

“We shall leave you to allow you to unpack. But if you have any need for us, all you need to do is to ring this silver bell and we will assist you at once,” Mr. Ramus instructed.

He produced a small black box from his pocket.. In it was a small silver handbell, resting on red velvet.