The banquet hall was enormous, fitting hundreds of people inside it. Befitting of Prince Arthur, the color scheme was almost blinding, with a mix of gold and purple all around. They were his favorite colors and the Prince demanded the entire palace be painted as such. Nobles walked around, chatting amongst themselves. There was fake laughter and fake smiles abound, with everyone here hoping to come out of the celebration with some information they could tell their various factions.
Cain stood approximately one foot behind Prince Arthur. Over the years as his butler, Cain had determined this was the closest he could be without the Prince getting agitated. If it was up to Cain, he would have been closer. After all, this distance meant an assassin could get the jump on the Prince before Cain could stop him.
It's not like the Prince wasn't capable of defending himself. In fact, he was far more powerful than Cain in terms of firepower. It was just that despite his training, he was soft. He'd never been in a true fight before and didn't think he would be. Despite all Cain's warnings, the Prince was lax in his training, believing hard work was for those less fortunate than him.
Perhaps I'm too diligent, Cain thought to himself. If the Prince knew just how many sabotage attempts Cain had prevented since he had officially become his butler, the Prince might have had a heart attack.
Speak of the devil.
Cain quickly intercepted the glass that the waiter had handed to the prince. The drinks coloration was slightly off. The untrained eye wouldn't have noticed it, but Cain was far too alert to not see it. A laxative. Had the Prince took a sip of the drink he would have quickly lost control of his bowels, lowering his status in the eyes of nobility.
He took note of the waiter who had handed over the drink, taking note of his description. If Cain ever caught him trying something like this again, he'd be reported to the Royal Guard. The King knew of the power plays between the princes and usually turned a blind eye. While he never punished the princes, any servant or commoner foolish enough to get caught would be taken into custody for an indeterminate amount of time, usually however long it would take to set up the stage for a hanging.
"Would the Prince prefer water instead?" Cain asked him, arching his eyebrow in warning.
"Surely I can celebrate!" the Prince said in a rather uncouth manner. "It's my day, after all! I'll be busy and I need something to take the edge off."
Yes, he would be quite busy. It was a momentous day in every young royal's life. The Prince was to turn 20, now old enough to be in the running for the crown.
Though the King is still in charge, his health had been deteriorating as of late. The first 3 princes had been attempting to consolidate power for quite some time. Prince Arthur, on the other hand, was far to busy… sightseeing local brothels.
"My mistake, sir," Cain apologized. "I will get you another drink."
Cain called over the closest waiter and inspected the drinks, ensuring they were safe. He then grabbed one and took a sip, searching for any discreet taste. Once he determined the drink was satisfactory, he handed it to the Prince.
"That is more like it!" the Prince tilted his head back and downed the entire drink. He turned around and saw some of his 'friends' whom he often partied with at their various estates.
"Johnathan! How have you been?" the Prince asked. Cain could see that Jonathan could barely contain his disdain of the prince. "It's been so long!"
"I am sure we have both been very busy these past few months," Johnathan told him, his voice almost mocking. "Prince Cedric has been quite helpful with my duchy. In fact, I believe I may even become the inheritor."
"You're talking with Ced now?" Prince Arthur scoffed. "He's so lame! All he does is fight. He doesn't even know the best places in your duchy to get some. If you know what I mean."
Cain had to hold back a grimace as the Prince waggled his eyebrows. Despite Cain's undying loyalty to his Prince, he found his behavior somewhat lacking at times.
Cain did take note of the fact that Johnathan officially joined the First Prince's faction. That was unexpected, considering their differing personalities, Johnathan was far more energetic and similar to Prince Arthur, though to a lesser extent. Prince Cedric, on the other hand, was very stoic. He was a military general, believing very strongly in the idea of might. His essence of Steel only enhanced his terrifying presence and battle prowess.
This was probably his butler Daniel's influence. He was always the more charismatic of the two. He was the only reason Prince Cedric had a faction outside of the more military focused nobles.
"He is far more useful than some," Jonathan replied. "At least he will fulfil his promises."
Johnathan had only allied with the Fourth Prince because he'd believed the Prince would introduce him to noble women. Unfortunately for him, the Prince wasn't a fan of noble women, believing them to be far less fun than women he could find in brothels.
"Fucking traitor," the Prince hissed, any trace of nobility and refinement gone from his face. "I'll have you hung for this."
His declaration got the nobles surrounding him to look over warily. Some of them watched him with barely restrained glee, excited for Prince Arthur's legendary aggression.
They all had to quickly avert their eyes as the Prince became enveloped in a blinding halo of light, his emotions having triggered his Essence. Only Cain and Johnathan were unaffected. They'd long since grown accustomed to the Prince's lack of control.
"What he means," Cain stepped in, trying to defuse the situation. "Is that he is disappointed you didn't think to consult him first. Surely, the Prince could have assisted you in any way possible."
Johnathan looked at Cain in disgust, as if he was a dog laying on the side of the road. "A butler thinks he can speak for Royalty? Your arrogance disgusts me."
"I apologize, sir, for my presumptiveness." Cain bowed humbly, seething inside. "I was merely hoping to assist my master."
Prince Arthur was still hurling obscenities in the background, angry at the loss of another friend. If Cain was correct, they now had less than half a dozen nobles supporting them, none of whom had any power. Of all the Prince's his life could have been tied to, it had to be the one with no chance of surviving the decade.
"This is betrayal!" the Prince continued. "What happened to loyalty? Am I nothing to you people, just money and a pretty face?"
He seemed genuinely crushed, as if he had thought of Johnathan as an actual friend. If the Prince didn't have such an abhorrent personality, Cain might have felt bad for him.
"If you will excuse me, sirs and madams. It seems the Prince needs some time to relax. He has been very busy lately, preparing for his first diplomatic travel."
Cain excused the two of them and helped the Prince to the exit. Luckily, it was Prince Arthur's estate, so it was easy to find his room only a few corridors away.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness," a member of the Royal Guard greeted the Prince. Cain recognized him as Garrick. Garrick had been a guard for only 2 years but was fiercely loyal to the Kingdom. He did not have an opinion on who should become King, and Cain trusted him to guard the Prince's room in his absence.
"Hey Gary," the Prince said, downtrodden. "It's been a terribly long day."
Garrick did not respond, he merely nodded his head and stepped to the side, revealing the door to the Prince's chambers. Cain shared a look of annoyance with Garrick at the Prince's lack of decorum.
"I hope my Prince will get adequate rest tonight," Cain told Prince Arthur as he helped him change and get into bed. "The next week shall certainly be busy."
"Yes, yes," the Prince snapped at Cain in annoyance. Cain resisted the urge to frown. "My father wants me to go around kissing ass instead of relaxing. Where's the justice in that?"
"His Highness merely wishes to see you in action. Think of it as training to be the next King, if it pleases my Prince."
"Next King, huh. I'll be the most powerful King ever." The Prince fell asleep with a smile on his face. Cain shuddered when thinking of the Prince as the King. The Kingdom would surely fall into ruin.