The week that passed was a tense one, preparations for the feast occupied everyone’s minds and the flurry around the court was disorienting. After all, while the court was used to holding banquets, they weren’t used to greeting so many people at once. Therefore every day was not only an entourage of food that flowed in but also a barrage of people, nobility who had been away from the court, ready to win the favor of their king and the foreign ambassadors with one glorious night. For the nobles who were residents of the castle, they were sworn, though not out loud, into secrecy.   Any word that they spoke could be a hint of what the court was actually like, and no king would ever want to reveal that. Especially with six foreign ambassadors from different countries with their own strange courts which wouldn’t hesitate to take any advantage that they had. It was stressful, quite stressful. The only peace Luhan got was perhaps the fact that Sehun had stopped attempting to humiliate and bully him. He was no warmer, of course he wasn’t, but there was no more humiliation, no more pain and suffering and he gave Luhan ample time to sneak around the court.

If only of course—Luhan had found something.

But he had discovered nothing and during the mess of preparations, he had no time to confide or speak to Jongin. All he was able to receive was a nod from the other every once in a while and nothing more as Jongin rushed towards wherever he had to be, which was of course, everywhere. Luhan himself had many things to plan out. It had been a long time since he had attended any kind of feast like this and therefore, he needed time to prepare his outfit, his words, his makeup, his stance and to make sure Sehun would be able to find no fault in anything he did. And slowly, his body began to fall into that of the court in which he grew up in. His steps became more graceful, his eyes alert, his lips curling into a smile that masked his thoughts so well. And at the time of the feast, that mask, now refined and repaired was the one that he wore to the feast. Though he hated what his country had become, it was not enough to him that he would give up the secrets of his own country to foreign powers. He did of course, have some sense of pride in his country still.

Stepping out of his room in a new waistcoat, a sharp black hat with a golden walking stick (more for show than for anything else), Luhan was a sight to be seen. Of course, he was careful not to overdress, the king of course, must be the center of the show and he must be the one to be shown in glory. The rest of them would merely be lowly servants of the almighty king. It was a strange role to play, the one of a servant and yet one of high positions and for once, Luhan had to hold his tongue. Moving to take a seat next to a lovely foreigner who he identified to be an ambassador named Elizabeth, Luhan instantly found himself engaged in a conversation with a woman who was witty and sly as the feast began, the food already coming in heaps.

“You live here at the court yes?” Elizabeth smiled, leaning in as if merely innocently curious though Luhan knew what she wanted to know.

“Yes,” he responded respectfully, lips curling into a small smile “Best court in the world if I must say so myself.” He lifted his head up lightly, meeting the gaze of the king who stared at him intently, not breaking eye contact until Sehun did. The king did not trust him. No matter, Luhan would play his part. Meeting the eyes of Jongin, who sat next to Sehun, Luhan spared the other a small smile before his attention returned to Elizabeth who had yet asked another question.

“Oh? What’s life in the court like?”

“Wonderful.” Luhan responded carefully, choosing his words with care “The king is very generous. He takes quite good care of all his citizens. And your own?”

Silence for a moment before a response.

“The best court in the world if I do say so myself.”

A small laugh from them both and Luhan turned towards his food, moving to take a bite to avoid any further questions. He hated the court for this reason, the deceit, the lies, and the consequences. If only he could have just stayed home, he would avoid all this childish banter, these subtle attacks. But then another noble was asking him a question and Luhan was swept away in talks, each person attempting to pry information out of him with their own sweet words.

By the time the third course was about finished, Luhan was exhausted, tired from keeping his lips shut and a smile on his face while attempting to be civilized. He absolutely hated this kind of stuff, and yet looking up at the king, Sehun looked even more in his element than ever. How Sehun, the bow who used to hate feasts, had changed.

“Entertainment now!” the king suddenly boomed out and Luhan had to keep himself from raising an eyebrow as he looked towards the main plaza of the feast hall with curiousness. “Jongdae, please—step out and give us all a good laugh!”

The man who stepped out was handsome, Luhan had to admit, but his attire was that of a jester and he stepped towards the king and gave a small bow before he began his act. His actions, his witty words seemed to please the king, the way that Jongdae walked and talked, they seemed to lighten the atmosphere. Elizabeth beside him laughed airily at the jests about foreigners and the man on Luhan’s other side let out a loud laugh during Jongdae’s interpretation of a modern day suitor.

“Ah and yes, my lovely bride.” Jongdae jested, and with ease he turned to Luhan, catching the male by surprise though he played along, taking the hand that Jongdae extended to him. “Won’t thou give me a kiss?” the duke himself couldn’t help but laugh himself at Jongdae’s silly use of old English, replying with a playful

“Dost thou really want a kiss? I shall give you one—but only after you’ve stolen the throne and framed your friends”

He was surprised by the laugh across the feast hall, a kinder one, one that chuckled at the wit of the young duke. It was only when looking up, that Luhan nearly flinched at the expression on Sehun’s face. He was angry, furious for some unspoken reason and he clenched the arm of his throne, knuckles turning white. For a moment the king met his eyes, and Luhan desperately tried to decipher what made the other so angry, but then Sehun looked away and Jongdae turned away and the king seemed to relax. Damian, who sat next to the king, merely whispered in the other’s ear, causing the king to nod, distracted. For a moment Luhan sat upright, still tense, the king’s angry eyes burned into his skull. But then he relaxed—watching as a small smile seemed to flicker across the king’s face. The crisis, it had seemed, was over.

AN: Sorry that it took me like a week to update, school's a pain D: Plus, there's been some personal issues I've been dealing with, but I've finally been able to get this chapter finished! It's a bit of a filler chapter, the next one will have more meat, I promise c: Oh and if you didn't understand Luhan's witty comback, it was a reference to Shakesphere's MacBeth, a bit ambiguous I know but I couldn't resist. c: