Alexis and Dominic were among the first to line up, right beside Prince Alex, to give their oaths.
Only those with titles needed to do it, so Katerina was happily stealing snacks from the trays at the back of the room as everyone got into position. She was accompanied by a few of the other Royal children and their attendants, watching everyone else kneel.
"We do swear that for as long as we do live, we shall be loyal to the throne of Cygnia, and to fulfil our duties to the people with our utmost ability."
Katerina frowned as she listened to the line.
It was awkward and outdated. Nobody spoke like that, and there were better ways to swear an oath. This one didn’t even use magic to bind them to their words.
Maybe that was the point?
They swore loyalty to the throne, and not directly by na to the King. That opened up a loophole where they could claim that they were doing things for the betternt of the Kingdom, even when they weren’t loyal.
She caught her father smiling, and suspected that he was thinking the sa thing.
He often used nonsense excuses like that on her mother, who never believed any of them. So, this was probably like that. You told them what they wanted to hear, and then did your best to do what they wanted, as long as it wasn’t too annoying.
Ironically, that was exactly how many of the Nobles viewed their oaths. The difference was that Katerina didn’t view betraying the oath as an option, she simply viewed ambiguous language as tacit permission to do as she pleased.
A fact that her parents knew very well.
With the formal oath given, the Royals rose, and King Claudius smiled.
"Now, for the part that everyone actually cares about.
Dinner."
Katerina cheered, and the tension broke. All the Nobles began to laugh, and the King raised his sword to lead them to dinner, like a knight leading cavalry into battle.
Dominic received a ssage as they started the first course, a simple paper letter that appeared on the table in front of him.
{Prince Dominic Wavemates,
Greetings from the Kinewen Royal Academy. We are writing to inform you that the forr King has made it safely to his new post and is settled in well as the new Vice Principal. If you have any concerns, feel free to ssage directly.
Argon, Head of Human Resources}
Dominic had learned how these worked a while ago now, and he tapped the letter, allowing it to go blank.
{Thank you for the prompt efforts to ensure his comfort.
I will pass along the good news to all relevant parties. If the Academy requires anything from Wistover, you may have the new Vice Headmaster or his assistant send a requisition, and we will do our best to fill it in a tily manner.}
Alexis watched Dominic writing the note with great impatience.
"What did they send?"
"Your father has taken a position on the Academy staff. I suspect that it might be ceremonial, but who knows. He might just want to keep busy in his retirent. I asked them to have him send a ssage if he was short on anything."
Alexis smiled. "I knew that he wouldn’t just retire sowhere and relax. He needs sothing to do, no matter what he says."
The other Royals turned, clearly listening in on their conversation.
"You have word from father?"
"We did. He’s settled into his new estate, and intends to work at the local magic academy. I’m sure that he will be in contact once he’s had so ti to unwind and wants to et up with his children again."
The Royals laughed, and Prince Russel, who was seated with Dominic and Alexis today, winked at Katerina.
"He won’t be able to stay away long. I know him. He’s too invested in what his children and grandchildren are doing. If he isn’t able to magically spy on them from where he is, he will start dropping in to gossip every few months."
That sounded good to Katerina. The old King wasn’t bad, and he wasn’t so strict with his grandchildren.
It was an abrupt exit to his children, though.
He had been a stalwart presence, always here, always available for their questions, for decades. Now, he had taken off sowhere without giving them a forwarding address. He was simply gone, and they had to sort things out without him.
That was precisely why he had done it.
If he remained around in the background, they would start to question Claudius’ leadership. People would think that the old King was still making the decisions, while the new one ruled in na only.
Now that he was completely gone, and nobody could find him, it would be clear that the decisions had been transferred as well, and that his influence had been mostly removed. There would still be so speculation that he was running things behind the scenes.
But without proof, that wouldn’t beco any more than speculation, just Palace gossip like any other.
As soon as the dinner was done, Prince Russel ca to join Dominic and Alexis.
His wife had remained ho, as she was very pregnant and not up to travelling. So, he would just travel with their group back to Wistover. He was already away longer than he wanted to be when his wife was so close to her due date.
But he couldn’t just leave when his older brother was being crowned King.
He had done his duty, supported his family, and now it was ti to go check on the rest of his family. With the succession moved away from him, he could relax now, and just keep up his position.
It was everything that he needed, with great pay and plenty of influence, as the International Support Bank was still getting slow but steady requests for project funding. They were made by Nobles all over the region, and so of them were actually quite worth investing in.
It made the job more enjoyable than it had been five years ago, when it was primarily a disaster relief fund.
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