“How about him?” the king asked, pointing towards one of the servants standing in line.

Tristan watched as the young man of his father’s attention immediately stepped forward with a smile, looking excited for his consideration. He held the same height, same color brown hair, which was held back in a ribbon the same as his, and even a similar jaw shape and physical build. With the proper clothing, he could indeed pass as a princely doppelganger.

“What is your name?” Tristan asked.

“Kurt, sir! Kurt of Henselyville!” the young man replied with a swift bow.

He nodded, liking the strong sound of his voice too. “Very well. You have been chosen.”

“Okay, so that makes ten very substitutes so far! We are making good headway,” his father declared with satisfaction.

“Father, I wish to stop this. Only two or three of these masked imposters are truly needed. Surely, any more than that will be overwhelming for everyone involved,” Tristan replied nervously.

His father rolled his eyes with annoyance, as if he were the adolescent son being put under extreme embarrassment and duress.

“Very well. Pick your favorites from among those we already chose then. I think we have seen most of the eligible candidates already,” he grumbled with disappointment.

Tristan took a deep breath and left his chair to examine all the young men up close. Each one stood there seriously, all hoping to be picked. He could not blame them he supposed, seeing as they would not only be paid handsomely for putting on the act, but would also get the opportunity to dance and party with their fair share of ladies for a whole month. Indeed, Tristan had a good feeling every fellow would be vying for this position, if appearances had not narrowed down the selection so greatly. Which was funny, considering he wouldn’t mind switching with them completely in light of the occasion…

“Evan, Luther, and Kurt. I think you three shall do well enough,” he finally declared.

The three men of his choosing smiled with excitement, while the rest slouched with disappointment, looking crushed by their loss.

“I apologize to the rest, truly I do. Thank you all for coming, I appreciate your willingness. You are excused,” Tristan added.

All the young men who had not made the cut, simply bowed with respect before turning to leave the room. His three chosen candidates were all that remained behind, waiting for their next instructions.

Evan was the first one he had decided on. He was a very respectable man who worked in the garden. He held good ethics and a strong sense of mannerisms. Next up was Luther, a rather quiet fellow who certainly gave off a stern but polite silence. And lastly there was Kurt, who was cheerful enough to charm almost woman. All of them were quite opposite of each other, and would provide a variety of personalities to the guests who would be arriving.

Tristan suddenly paused to sigh. Goodness, this was turning out to be rather tiresome already.

“Alright, so for the next three weeks, you will all be taught how to act during the ball my father is throwing. I will dictate how I want each of you to behave, and you will carry this out in my behalf. Is that agreeable?” he asked the group.

All three men bowed in agreement. “Yes sire!”

Tristan smiled. “Good, thank you. You are dismissed for the time being. Please, show up here tomorrow morning for our first lesson.”

His men nodded, and gave another bow before filing out of the room, leaving him alone with the king.

“You chose well. I think they will all do nicely,” his father commented.

“I agree. I look forward to seeing how well this plan performs,” he replied.

“Oh wait, what of Benjamin? Do you think he would do well too?”

Tristan thought about that for a moment. Benjamin was Lady Lila and Sir Bartholomew’s oldest son, and his very best friend. It was true he possessed dark brown hair, similar build and height, and even polite manners becoming of a prince. But surely he could never ask this of his dear friend.

“He is much too unassuming father. Every woman in the room would have Benjamin under a spell, and he would not even realize it,” he laughed.

His father chuckled. “Very like him! Her reminds me too much of Bartholomew I fear. Poor lad, never to learn from his father’s many embarrassing mistakes.”

Tristan snickered again. Indeed! Although, Benjamin’s naivety was also his most endearing asset. He was a good friend, and as loyal as men come.

“Alright father, may I be excused?”

His father cast him a somewhat knowing stare. “Yes. But, let me warn you, whatever trouble you pan out for this event, you must be sure to explain to me before hand. That way I can have a say in your doings.”

Tristan sighed with defeat and nodded. Trouble? That was the one thing he wanted to avoid!