Kadin cursed silently under his breath, searching around the ballroom to try and locate the princess. He had promised to keep an eye on her while Alrik was busy with his official duties so that no one could approach her with hidden agendas. Her friends were okay but other than that, he was to keep everyone away from her.

Since she had been dancing with her brother, he'd thought that it was okay to grab a glass of water and a breath of fresh air before his guarding duties began in earnest. However, one of the guards had pulled him into a conversation about training and by the time they'd finished, the dance had finished and the princess was nowhere to be seen.

Alrik was over near the dais, his expression pleasant yet solemn as he conversed with one of the Council members and Kadin felt his stomach sink. If they were bold enough to approach Alrik at his birthday celebration, even if it was under the disguise of just giving him well wishes on this most auspicious of days, then there was no way that they weren't doing the same to Aleydis.

Circling the ballroom again, he nearly groaned when he saw that his assumption was right. Lord Belgrini had stopped the princess when she was clearly headed to see her friends, the small group located several yards away near the refreshment tables. Although the princess was smiling, he doubted that she felt comfortable being cornered by a Council member like this. One that absolutely hated children, if Kadin remembered correctly.

Still, his duty was clear. Even if Lord Belgrini wasn't doing anything besides wishing the princess a lovely day, Alrik had assigned him as her guard, so it was his duty to protect her from anything that might make her uneasy or uncomfortable, no matter who it might be. Although he would undoubtedly be reprimanded for interrupting their conversation, there was nothing that Lord Belgrini could technically do over such an interruption.

He cut through the crowd, picking and discarding a dozen excuses for interrupting them, all of them ringing false to his ears. However, he didn't even have a chance to interrupt them. Right as he reached them, trumpets rang out, signaling that the royal family wanted to make an announcement.

Perfect excuse.

Moving to stand next to the princess, he offered the older man a slight bow. "Lord Belgrini. Please excuse me, but I was instructed to bring the princess over to the dais for the announcement."

Although Aleydis was undoubtedly surprised by his declaration, she thankfully reacted quickly. Offering a tiny curtsy, she smiled at the Council Member, "Another time, my lord. Duty calls, I'm afraid. Enjoy the ball."

She slipped her hand through his offered arm and he quickly guided her away where the man was undoubtedly glaring daggers at his back. He murmured, "Did Lord Belgrini do or say anything that made you uncomfortable?"

She gave a quiet laugh. "Let me guess, Brother asked you to keep an eye on me while he was busy." 

Kadin shrugged, everyone knew how much the siblings cared for each other. "He was worried that people would try to approach you with some sort of agenda. He simply wanted you to enjoy the ball, so I promised to help shoo away any unwanted conversation partners."

Keeping a smile on her face, she muttered, "Were you supposed to bring me over or was that just an excuse to get me away from the Elder?"

Remember how Alrik had sworn him to secrecy, Kadin grinned down at her. "As convenient as that would've been, Alrik did tell me to bring you over when the heralds signaled, there's going to be an announcement about..." He managed to cut himself off before saying anything important, something that would've driven his younger siblings crazy.

It worked on Aleydis too, causing her to wrinkle her nose at him in frustration. "Does everyone know what it's about except for me?"

He teased, "If everyone already knew, what would the point of an announcement be?"

She didn't have a chance to answer him where they'd arrived at the dais. Alrik was waiting for them, his court mask firmly in place. He shot Kadin a questioning glance but thankfully didn't ask, since Kadin didn't want to explain how he'd allowed Lord Belgrini access to the princess. He would undoubtedly have to answer for that in the sparring ring later, but he'd put it off for as long as possible.

Instead, Alrik offered his arm to Aleydis, "Come along, Aley, Mother and Father have an announcement to make, we were just waiting for you."

Kadin offered them both a bow when she moved over and joined the prince before moving so that he was standing in the middle of the crowd who had gathered for the announcement. His job was done for the moment and he didn't want to stand out any more than necessary. The last thing he needed was to be hounded at events like this like Alrik was. He knew that it wouldn't last long, especially with the announcement that was being made tonight. But he'd enjoy it while he could.

Movement to his right caught his eye and he looked over to find his father standing there, looking proud. He reached out and gently squeezed Kadin's shoulder once before allowing his hand to drop and turning his attention to where the royal family was standing. The king must've shared their plans with his father then. He felt a hint of relief as he followed his father's lead. While he would've supported Alrik no matter what, it was a relief to know that his family felt the same way.

The king made a grand gesture and the crowd fell quiet. Smiling, the king's voice carried clearly across the grand ballroom. Kadin knew that even those in the very back of the room would be able to hear him clearly.

"Good evening! Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate the birthday of our eldest child, Prince Alrik. It's hard to believe that he's fourteen already, it seems like just yesterday when I held him in my arms for the first time. Many people think that being a king is the greatest position one can hold. However, I disagree. In my opinion, the greatest position that one can hold is that of a parent."

There were indulgent murmurs at this, the people of Colbini well used to how much the king adored his family. Kadin glanced around but even the envoys seemed to be listening closely to the announcement, smiles on their faces. Good, the mood was very good right now.

"As a father, I have been blessed not once, but twice but such lovely children. I am truly rich. Now, some of our esteemed guests may not be aware, but Colbini's royal succession is different from other countries. All children in the royal family and sometimes even cousins of the royal family are eligible to inherit the throne."

Shocked whispers erupted from a couple of areas and Kadin paid special note to who was in those areas. Not surprisingly, one of the areas was where the Empire's representatives were. Since the Oshen Empire only permitted the eldest son to inherit and no female was permitted to ascend the throne, this was undoubtedly shocking. The other one was from a tiny country at the very bottom of the continent and if he was remembering correctly, they chose their leaders through Tests of Strength, not a hereditary position.

The king continued, undeterred, "Now, most of you are probably surprised to hear me mention this, since one ironclad rule is that no decision should be made until all of the heirs are fifteen years of age, so that children are not caught up in people using them to fight for the throne. Children are precious and need protection. However, there have been a few notable cases where the heir was decided before this. When they are an only child or if their siblings have decided to pursue another route."

Kadin saw the moment the princess realized what the king was getting at, her eyes lighting up with surprise and happiness. She'd probably thought that they'd forgotten all about her declaration, not realizing how hard everyone had worked to find a place where she could both learn and where she would be safe and untouchable.

The king moved over and stood behind them, resting a hand on each of their shoulders. "Princess Aleydis came to us recently and told us how she wishes to support her brother by becoming a diplomatic envoy. We've discussed the matter thoroughly and her heart is set upon this course. Although she still has time to change her mind, she had declared that she had no interest in ascending the throne."

The king took a deep breath as if to steady himself before beaming at the crowd. "Thus, tonight I declare that Prince Alrik is now Crown Prince Alrik. Although it saddens me to be parted, I am pleased to announce that Princess Aleydis shall be attending Constellations Academy starting this fall in order to pursue her dream of becoming a Diplomatic Envoy. May their paths forward be filled with peace and happiness."

As the crowd murmured the expected response, Kadin couldn't help but wonder how things would change over the next several years.