The World Dragon's Heir

Chapter 664: Rescuing Elanor Again

The party at the end of the jousting tournament was a turning point for Wistover, Dominic believed. Finally, they were going to be down to just the long term residents of the Manor complex.

The envoys, their assistants and the household staff.

But the majority of those people would be moving into their own building, with its own staff, its own cook and guards.

That was going to be a huge change around Wistover, and Dominic wondered if he was going to have to get used to the quiet again. He certainly wanted it, but he couldn’t say that he was used to a quiet house anymore.

What he could say was that it was going to be so much less work for the staff once everyone had cleared out of the compound.

After the debutante event they could have all used a vacation, but it just bled right into the Royal negotiations, and became a much longer than intended period of extreme workload.

But it wasn’t over yet, and he still had to pass the last great hurdle.

Crown Prince Claudius and his sister complex.

Dominic moved gracefully through the room, headed for the corner where Princess Elanor was seated, chatting politely with the Knights as her brother chaperoned.

"Crown Prince, if you would like to join the festivities, I am willing to supervise these fine gentlemen as they attempt to learn more about my dear sister-in-law this evening." He offered.

Claudius frowned, He knew that he couldn’t sit with her all night long, but he also wasn’t ready to throw his sister to the wolves.

With her level of hero worship for her Paladin older sisters, there was an extremely high chance that she might actually be weak against the flirtations of the Knights here in this room.

Especially those Paladins from Mitfield.

That would be another sister taken out of the country by marriage, and he would be very nearly out of them entirely.

Couldn’t she just find a nice simp to marry into the Royal Family and stay home as a house husband?

Of course, his father would never allow that. Anyone who married the Cygnian Princesses had to be of the utmost quality.

But a boy could dream.

If Elanor could have heard him refer to himself that way, she would have laughed herself silly. Crown Prince Claudius’ boyhood was far behind him at this point. His own offspring would be moving from childhood tutors to public schools soon.

"My thanks, Lord Dominic. Take good care of her, and I will be back after a short conversation with Prince Damien and my brothers."

The crown prince excused himself, and Dominic took his seat, then brought out the good wine with a sly wink for Elanor. Naturally, she was no stranger to the beverage, but it would encourage the Knights to stay and chat, and not just make polite small talk for a half minute under the intense scrutiny of her eldest brother.

"Did you enjoy the joust, Princess?" Dominic asked politely as he got settled.

"Immensely. We haven’t had one in the Palace in far too long, and usually it’s only the local Knights who compete, not the whole circuit.

You know how it is. The Royal Joust is primarily for showing off in front of potential marriage partners, not for the actual event." She replied with a hint of sadness.

"Actually, I did not know that. I’ve never seen one in the capital. But I suppose that it makes sense. With so many Nobles in one spot, it’s bound to become more of a social event than an actual gathering of miliary minds."

The Royal Paladins from Mitfield nodded in agreement.

"The actual circuit doesn’t stop in any of the Capital cities.

The knights that are on it aren’t usually the sort that are fit for marrying into a wealthy family from the Capital, and they’re in it for the event itself, not for the socializing.

This one was a bit unique, in that we got to do all the socializing, but there were none of the pampered Noble brats that you would usually get when there were Royals in attendance." Sir Korath explained.

Sir Lars chuckled softly. "Indeed. Last time that I attended the Royal Joust was nearly a year ago, and I don’t think that anyone save for a handful of young ladies whose parents hoped mine would arrange a marriage were actually watching the event.

As a fan of the sport itself, I much prefer when Palace Politics and marriage arrangements are not part of the itinerary for the tournament.

Now, if the youngest of the Cygnian Paladin Princesses changes her mind, my father would likely agree to let me wait a few more years for marriage."

Elanor laughed at his clearly teasing tone.

"I highly doubt that. I suspect that by the time that you arrive home, you will have a bride and two burly guards with restraints waiting for you at the gates. They won’t let you run off a moment longer than Royally decreed." She snapped back.

"It hurts that you know my life so well. As long as it’s not Mildred, we should be fine," he complained.

Dominic slowly realized that they all knew each other already, and weren’t meeting for the first time. He likely should have known that from the start, given their rank and position. But as they were from different countries, it had somehow slipped his mind.

Even though Prince George Mitfield was the Princess’ favourite Uncle, and his territory bordered some of theirs.

Elanor sipped at the wine that Dominic poured, and then her eyes went wide in surprise.

"Oh, this is much better than expected. Is that why everyone has been raving about your magitech wine?" She asked.

"I put the spell into the Sorcerer’s Spellbook, so it casts at the same level as the others I’ve got stored there. A bit unnecessary, I suppose. But the wine is excellent.

Sir Charles and Sir Nallon will likely be spending a large portion of their winnings upgrading their wine flasks after tasting the difference that a few levels can make.

It’s still not the same as the local brews, with their unique flavours and subtle notes, but it’s very good."

"And an excellent reason for us to stay here and keep the Princess company." Sir Lars agreed.