The Inside interior had not changed much from the blue tapestry that displayed the emblem of the Braxton empire. A few cracked walls to one side that had been sealed up and some bland portraits of flowers unevenly placed. Further down, there were some old armor sets that had been evenly spaced apart and the same old dusty looking drapes that extended from one hallway to another that were a darker shade of blue. She guessed her brother didn’t change any of this even after their mother's death. There even seemed to be some older splotches of what was probably blood still on them, and Leticia felt her mouth dry that perhaps, it was done on purpose.
At the end of the hall, where the walls remained empty of any decoration, was a larger door of wood that had two men in lighter attire standing guard.
“Announce us.” Richard ordered, and both of them bowed before they pushed open the door, where a strong beam of light blinded Leticia for a moment till she blinked a few times to regain focus of her eyes.
“Announcing King Richard and Queen Seraphine!” The voices in the room cheering as they both entered into the hall.
A few minutes passed, as Leticia stood outside the door. She began top pace side to side, as she made those few awkward steps towards the two men who kept bobbing their heads to her each step. They seemed to be following her every move, as if they too admired her in some way.
“Announce me.” Leticia ordered, and they gave a small bow in etiquette.
Back straight. Head high. Feet together. Leticia reminded herself.
“Announcing Duke Fredrick!”
Here she goes! Her eyes closed, and two steps forward till she felt she had gone far enough that she could no longer turn back.
She opened her eyes to look down below the staircase to see a crowd of what looked to be of both nobles and knights. All their hands up in the air with wine, and both the king and the queen doing the same.
“Welcome back.”
Leticia was handed a cup by a knight who had walked up the stairs to greet her. She took the cup and she too lifted her cup to their celebration of her return.
“I thank you all for your kind words.” Leticia rejoiced, as she turned to see that this was the banquet hall that she once remembered.
That large map that was plastered on the back wall had not changed, while the walls on all four sides had been stripped and replaced with new wooden panels. Above them was an empire chandelier that was lit up, while the east and west wall just along the middle had a row of sconce that been lit.
The multiple windows along the wall had been opened to allow for light to come through, as a long rug of red and gold was on the floor. There was a fireplace in the back of the banquet hall with a row of larger chairs on each corner of the room with a large bookshelf in the middle of the south wall where they had entered.
Above, it seemed another level had been built recently, with a pair of elegant vine-like staircases that were put into place. A line of drapes with different variation of colors that represented several different countries were draped over the stairs as to prepare for the upcoming ball and conference.
In the middle of the room, was a map had been displayed as a centerpiece on a long-elongated table that was wide enough to fit several full-grown men.
The environment was warm, with what looked to be to several men converging with their hands pointing down at the map from one point to another between neighboring kingdoms.
It had been common knowledge that the six great nations with five distinct dukedoms within each were close to one another had high tensions. Small skirmishes took place occasionally, and this led to the casualties of the poor. Meanwhile, those of high status had always walloped with riches behind their secure walls.
Leticia wondered if that had changed, as she made her towards the table with cup in hand. She took another large gulp, and placed it on the table.
Did her brother’s rule bring the prosperity that the country so wanted?
She sat herself down to observe her brother who held some paperwork, while he talked intensely till, in a fit of rage, he threw the papers in his grasp into the air. It brought a wave of shock to those surrounding him as Seraphine had gone to his side to calm him.
Leticia could make out a few familiar faces that were a part of her mother's own council at one point in time. It seemed they had been spared from death, which included three counts, a marquis and one duke.
“It has reemerged.” one of the Duke’s mentioned, and it seemed her brother did not want to hear it. Braxton was going through some difficulties from what Leticia had gathered, trade itself was not the issue, but the recent famine that had struck the southern parts of Duke Stewarts territory was. It had strained the relationship between Richard and Duke Stewart. With limited aid, from the King, Duke Stweart had resorted to smuggling supplies from another region. He was caught recently and imprisoned.
Leticia could hear the frustration of how a flourishing economy of trade and farming had started to crumble when it was time for the harvest, as if someone deliberately spread infected crops onto a nearby field and released a new strain of insects.
Who was doing this?
What is their purpose?
Leticia had sat herself in the middle of heavy conversation and placed her hands on the map that had been sprawled on the table. The neighboring countries were the only suspect, but there was no evidence.
Could it be Picmus or Sevar? Her fingertips trailed the layout of those countries.
“He wanted us to hand over grain.” A knight with a scar on his left cheek, and an eyepatch on his left eye had spoken up. His region had also been hit recently by drought which led to a bad harvest. His people had gone hungry, and he had also attempted to outsource supplies but with the approval of the king.
“Was it Duke Stewart?” A count asked.
“It was him.” The knight crossed his arms against his chest, still upset.
“What will happen now?” A few murmured amongst one another, while they eyed the King who had himself leaned up against a chair with his eyes unwavering outwards in heavy thought. The queen silently stood guard by his side, with her hands stroking Richards cheeks slowly.
The conversation lasted for a few more hours between the nobles, with no compromise. With the sun setting soon, there was tension in the air.
“We would have to return back to our territories soon, for we cannot leave it unattended for too long.” They all spoke, as the room now with papers thrown everywhere and unsettled began to empty at a slow pace. A few men had remained behind to drink a few more glasses of wine, before they too would get up to leave.
Leticia, Richard and Seraphine would be the only ones left.
The room carried some tension, but it seemed to slowly dissipate as the last of the nobles stumbled out the front door and the door was closed behind them.
“I am sorry Fredrick that you got to see the worst of us.” Seraphine mentioned, as Richard had now fallen asleep within his chair. “Richard has had it hard these last few days. He is quite exhausted with all the work that has piled up the last few years after he became king. I am no good at my duties as queen, for I have never dabbled in politics.” She added with a solemn expression.
Leticia felt a tinge of satisfaction for his suffering, yet it felt this damn body of hers was not satisfied. Leticia felt forced to state her regrets, “I was away when he needed me the most.”
Seraphine denied Leticia's statement, as she shook her head. “Even if you were away, you still kept contact with us and that is more than enough. It will take some time for Richard to get over his past, for he is haunted by them daily.” She admitted.
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