Dragon King's Harem Chapter 561. The Morning Banquet I
Dragon King's Harem Chapter 561. The Morning Banquet I
The closer we got to the ceremonial halls, the louder everything became.
Music echoed through the palace corridors now, deep dwarven instruments layered with softer string melodies probably added for the “romantic atmosphere.” Servants rushed back and forth carrying trays, flowers, banners, expensive fabrics, and enough polished metal decorations to blind someone under direct sunlight.
The dwarves committed hard to aesthetics once they actually tried.
The massive ceremonial doors opened slowly the moment we approached.
And yeah.
…Okay.
That was impressive.
The hall was enormous. High stone pillars carved with ancient dwarven history stretched upward toward glowing crystal chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. Gold-lined patterns ran across the floor like flowing rivers while magical lights shimmered softly between the decorations.
And the flowers.
Flowers everywhere.
White.
Red.
Gold.
Vines woven around cold steel and carved stone until the entire place looked like someone forced a mountain fortress and a royal garden into an arranged marriage.
Kind of beautiful.
And kind of suspicious.
Because now the hall smelled overwhelmingly floral.
Which meant poison hiding inside the scent would be a nightmare to identify without magic.
Good thing paranoia was basically my hobby now.
Guards stood everywhere too.
Not discreetly.
Not subtly.
Every entrance.
Every balcony.
Every major pillar.
Durharn really said “security” and chose military occupation.
I muttered quietly under my breath, “Oh. Cool.”
Marissa snorted softly beside me. “That sounded deeply unconvincing.”
“I’m trying to be supportive.”
Several delegations had already arrived too.
I immediately recognized Fairy Queen seated near the eastern side of the hall with her daughter beside her. The fairy delegation looked… significantly less comfortable than everyone else.
Reasonable reaction.
Fairies hated heavy stone environments.
The Fairy Queen noticed me almost immediately.
Her expression softened slightly before she gave a graceful nod.
I returned it casually.
Meanwhile, nearby dwarven nobles were busy pretending this wasn’t the most politically tense wedding in recent memory.
Some tried speaking with Seraphel first.
Bad idea honestly.
The Phoenix Queen had mastered the terrifying art of looking elegant while making people feel like they were wasting her oxygen.
One older dwarf noble bowed respectfully toward her.
“Queen Seraphel,” he greeted carefully. “Your presence honors this union.”
Seraphel smiled politely.
Which somehow looked more dangerous than if she hadn’t smiled at all.
“The invitation was appreciated.”
Meaning “I am here because politics forced me.”
The poor noble immediately shifted toward me instead.
Ah yes.
Safer option.
Wrong.
“Dragon King Argod,” he greeted with another bow. “It has been some time.”
“Not long enough for me to recover from the travel,” I replied honestly.
That actually got a few quiet laughs from surrounding nobles.
Good.
Keep it light.
Keep it normal.
The dwarf smiled awkwardly.
“We hope your stay has been comfortable.”
At that exact moment, Sela and Marissa stepped fully into clearer view behind me.
And the atmosphere shifted instantly.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
The noble froze slightly.
His eyes moved toward Sela first.
Then Marissa.
Then back to me.
And suddenly…
Yeah.
He remembered.
Others nearby noticed too.
Several dwarven nobles who looked ready to approach us stopped mid-step entirely.
Expressions changed.
Some grim.
Some uncomfortable.
And some… Some looked genuinely sad.
Like old memories suddenly crawled back up their throats without permission.
No one said it out loud.
No one dared.
But everyone here knew what their faces meant.
The old incidents.
The old grudges.
The people lost because of kings and queens playing games.
Sela’s posture tightened slightly beside me.
Marissa noticed too.
I could feel it immediately.
That familiar discomfort when a room suddenly remembered your pain publicly.
Annoying feeling.
I stepped slightly forward without really thinking about it.
Tiny movement.
Protective one.
And immediately the tension eased just enough.
A younger dwarf noble cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Lady Sela.”
His voice sounded careful.
Respectful.
Sela blinked slightly before giving a small nod.
“Lord Harn.”
The dwarf looked like he wanted to say more.
Apologize maybe.
Or explain something.
But before he could… An escort arrived.
Perfect timing honestly.
“Your Majesties,” the escort greeted respectfully. “Your seats are prepared.”
Saved by protocol.
The escort guided our groups toward the central royal delegation section near the front of the hall.
Way too exposed.
I hated it immediately.
Perfect line of sight from multiple angles. Limited escape routes unless I broke furniture dramatically.
Which admittedly remained an option.
The bride and groom still hadn’t arrived yet.
That gave me time to observe.
No food had been served either.
Only drinks.
Mostly tea.
Dwarven tea apparently.
Servants moved carefully between delegations carrying silver trays filled with steaming cups.
I accepted one slowly.
And immediately activated my skill.
[Observation]
The world sharpened slightly.
Mana traces became clearer.
Composition analysis layered itself over my vision.
Tea leaves.
Herbal mix.
Mild calming properties.
No poison.
No destabilizing agents.
No hidden toxins.
Safe.
Probably the safest thing we’d consume all day honestly.
I took a slow sip.
Warm.
Strong.
Way too earthy.
Definitely dwarven.
Across from me, Seraphel accepted her own tea with elegant caution.
“Safe?” she asked quietly without looking at me directly.
I nodded once.
“For now.”
The Fairy Queen, seated nearby, overheard that.
Her expression immediately tightened.
“Should I ask why that sentence worries me?”
Oops.
I smiled politely.
“You shouldn’t.”
“That answer is somehow worse.”
Fair.
Marissa sipped her tea carefully before muttering under her breath.
“At least they haven’t started with alcohol.”
A nearby dwarf noble overheard that and laughed awkwardly.
“Oh, the drinking begins later.”
Marissa looked him dead in the eyes.
“That sounds threatening.”
The poor man looked deeply confused.
Evelina finally stepped in smoothly before the conversation completely died.
“The decorations are beautiful,” she said warmly.
That worked.
The surrounding nobles visibly relaxed a little.
Because Evelina had this terrifying ability to make diplomatic conversation feel natural.
One older dwarf woman smiled proudly.
“Our king wanted this day to symbolize unity.”
Ah.
The irony.
I nearly choked on my tea.
Unity.
Right.
Sure.
Meanwhile Seraphel smoothly added, “The flower arrangements are impressive.”