A pleasant smile graced her lips under her veil. As they neared the port, more of Selve became more visible to her eyes. On the part of the docks where their ship was headed, she spotted a large group of people wearing fancy clothes, surrounded by men in blue uniforms. She understood they were the welcoming party arranged by the royal family of Griven, ready to receive their guests from Megaris.
pAn,D a-n0ve1,c-o-m The elf, Yorian, approached the couple as he also stared at the bustling port of Selve. He was wearing a cloak with a low hood to cover his eye-catching hair and ears.
“Finally, I am going to visit the other of your kind, King Drayce.”
“I believe it will help sooth your curiosity and help you add an entry to your ever increasing archive of knowledge.”
“Mmm, looking forward to it,” was all Yorian could say as his extraordinarily keen eyesight singled out the Crown Prince of Griven in the crowd even from such a long distance. “Definitely looking forward…”
Finally, the ship arrived at the port and arrangements were made for everyone to disembark from the ship.
At this moment, the entire pier area was controlled with tight security by both the city guards and the royal soldiers brought by the Crown Prince so others wouldn’t be able to cause any disturbances to the esteemed guests.
As representative of the royal family, Arlan himself was present at the port to welcome the arrival of the King and Queen of Megaris. Moreover, the guest was his dear friend, so there was no way he would not welcome him personally.
Behind the handsome prince was a troop of knights led by his guardian knight, Sir Imbert Loyset, and further behind them was Duke Selve, the territory lord, and the other high-ranking nobles from the port city.
The flagbearer of Megaris was first to come down, with the commander and vice-commander of the royal knights, Slayer and Azer, leading the way for the King and Queen of Megaris.
The black-haired young man clad with a cold expression, clad in a dignified royal robe bearing the crest of the Ivanov Royal family, was escorting a veiled woman in a luxurious violet dress which made the color of her purple eyes pop out.
Those waiting below them could only wait in bated breath as Drayce helped Seren walk down the wooden gangway to descend from the large ship.
“Welcome to Griven, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty theQueen of Megaris,” Arlan greeted as soon as their parties met face to face. While Arlan, as representative of his family, only needed to give a perfunctory bow, everyone else around them respectfully bowed to the rulers of their neighboring kingdom.
“Prince Arlan Cromwell, it is a pleasure to be here,” Drayce responded formally. “We will be taking advantage of your kingdom’s hospitality. Give my regards to the King of Griven.”
Seren lightly curtsied as a greeting while the two men exchanged pleasantries. She could not help but observe the smiling face of the handsome Crown Prince of Griven and found it hard to believe what Drayce had hinted to her about Arlan.
‘Can he be really dangerous like what Dray said…even more than Dray? It’s hard to believe. Seems like the biggest lie I have heard but I know Dray had no reason to lie to me. I really need to learn to see through people.’
“I hope the journey didn’t trouble you much, Your Majesty,” she heard Arlan talking to her.
“A little but it was adventurous,” she replied.
“Adventurous? I must hear more of this later,” he replied and looked at Drayce. “Seems like we have a new guest, or rather, should I say a friend?”
Drayce knew Arlan had already noticed Yorian. Hearing those words, the hooded Yorian stepped forward from standing behind the King and the Queen as part of their retinue.
Sensing the non-human identity of the robed man, Arlan gestured for the other members of Griven’s welcoming party to give them privacy. The tactful nobles and knights obediently moved away without a fuss.
“Kind and friendly on the surface but wicked and dangerous inside,” the elf commented about Arlan without any fear on his face. His eyes as if they were trying to see through Arlan.
Arlan smirked playfully, “Thanks for the generous praise, elf.”
Drayce smirked at their strange exchange, while Seren could do nothing but stare at them in curiosity. ‘Even the High Elf had such an impression about Prince Arlan. What gave it away? How could Yorian say Prince Arlan is dangerous in a single glance? Nothing about his outward appearance implies that. Now, I can’t help but be curious. Maybe Drayce can clarify my doubts.’
Only then did Yorian bow to him. “High Elf Yorian greets Your Highness Prince Arlan.”
“Yorian? Nice name,” the prince casually complimented as his keen gaze studied the High Elf. “Welcome to Griven, Mister Yorian.”
“Thank you, Prince Arlan,” Yorian responded as he lifted his gaze to observe this mysterious prince who seemed to be hiding himself deeper than he thought.
“I hope you enjoy your stay in Griven.”
“I will,” the elf replied.
“Shall we go?” Arlan said as he returned his attention back to Drayce.
Drayce nodded as their group followed Arlan. It was a majestic sight to see the flags of Megaris and Griven lifted up side by side, not to mention the uniformed royal knights of both kingdoms marching one after another gave off an imposing atmosphere that caused all the onlookers to hold their breaths.
A beautiful grand carriage was arranged for Drayce and Seren, and the royal couple were guided to the best arrangements the City of Selve could offer, the estate of Duke Maxil Selve, the territory lord in charge of the south. The prosperous city had been named after the duchal house of Selve as their family had been loyal vassals to the crown,ruling this southern territory by the sea, ever since the founding of the kingdom.