Dragon King's Harem Chapter 562. The Morning Banquet II
Dragon King's Harem Chapter 562. The Morning Banquet II
That immediately launched three nearby nobles into an enthusiastic explanation about imported floral designs and ceremonial symbolism.
Amazing survival skill.
Distract nobles with decorations.
Works every time.
While they talked, I kept observing quietly.
Guards rotating every six minutes.
Western balcony archers hidden behind decorative banners.
Three magical detection arrays beneath the central platform.
And near the royal ceremonial stairs…
Yeah.
There it was.
Seranaya’s mana signature.
Faint.
Hidden.
Waiting.
I lowered my cup slowly.
Game starting soon then.
Beside me, Sela quietly asked, “Your Majesty.”
I glanced toward her.
“Do you think they know?”
I followed her gaze toward the dwarven nobles watching us occasionally.
Then exhaled softly.
“I don’t think so.”
The tea remained warm in my hand while the hall around us kept buzzing with fake celebration energy. Nobles smiled. Servants moved elegantly. Music played softly in the background.
I lowered my voice slightly, enough that only the girls and Seraphel could hear me.
“If they know something,” I continued calmly, “they’ll probably leave the city instead.”
Marissa’s fingers paused lightly against her teacup.
Sela stayed silent.
Listening.
“They know warning Durharn is useless,” I added. “At best, they get ignored.”
A pause.
“At worst?”
I glanced toward the distant ceremonial doors.
“They end up like your childhood friend.”
Sela’s shoulders stiffened immediately.
Yeah.
Wrong words.
Necessary one.
“Executed without trial.”
The words settled heavily between us.
Even Evelina lowered her gaze slightly after that.
Because there wasn’t really anything comforting to say.
That noble died for trying to protect his king.
And the king rewarded loyalty with paranoia.
Pathetic.
I took another slow sip of tea before continuing.
“And if they stay here?”
I tilted the cup slightly.
“They risk dying from poison.”
Then I shrugged lightly.
“Lose-lose situation.”
Leaving the city was probably the smartest move possible.
“They’re nobles,” I said quietly. “Self-preservation comes first.”
Sela still didn’t say anything.
Not a word.
Just silence.
Cold silence.
The dangerous kind.
The kind where thoughts got sharp enough to cut.
I glanced sideways at her briefly.
Yeah.
She was spiraling again.
Not outwardly.
Sela rarely exploded emotionally in public.
No.
Her anger froze instead.
And somehow that was worse.
Marissa finally broke the tension quietly.
“Should we pretend to be poisoned too?”
I smiled immediately.
“Absolutely.”
That got reactions.
Evelina blinked.
Sela finally looked at me properly again.
Even Seraphel’s eyes shifted slightly.
I leaned back in my chair casually, making sure my expression stayed relaxed enough for nearby nobles watching us.
“Think about it,” I said lightly. “If we’re completely unaffected while everyone else starts collapsing…”
I lifted a brow.
“…that becomes suspicious very fast.”
Marissa nodded slowly.
“True.”
“So,” I continued, “we act.”
I smiled wider.
“Not too dramatic though.”
Evelina immediately looked relieved.
“Thank goodness.”
I looked at her.
“You thought I was going to fake dying?”
“You absolutely would.”
Fair accusation.
Sela finally spoke again, quieter this time.
“So… weakened?”
“Exactly.”
I tapped the table lightly.
“Enough to look affected. Not enough to become targets.”
Because weak prey attracted attention.
But suspiciously healthy survivors?
Even worse.
Seraphel took a slow sip of tea while listening.
Then muttered calmly…
“You sound experienced.”
I looked at her innocently.
“Politics is just theater with murder budgets.”
That made Marissa choke on her tea slightly.
I purposely let my expression stay relaxed after that, even smiling lightly now and then like we were discussing harmless things.
It worked.
Nearby nobles visibly relaxed seeing us act normal.
Good.
That meant they weren’t overhearing anything important.
Just another royal delegation casually chatting before the ceremony.
Exactly what I wanted.
Two dwarven nobles eventually approached our table carefully after several minutes of hesitation.
Ah yes.
Networking time.
Being Dragon King was honestly exhausting sometimes.
Rare sightings apparently increased social value dramatically.
The older of the two nobles bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesty.”
I nodded politely.
The second noble smiled faintly.
“You seem to be in good spirits today.”
Interesting opener.
“Seems His Majesty’s wedding truly makes you happy.”
Political bait.
Subtle one too.
I smiled smoothly.
“A union should make everyone happy.”
Safe answer.
Elegant answer.
And vague enough to survive assassination attempts.
The nobles laughed softly in approval.
One of them shook his head.
“King Durharn rarely holds celebrations this early in the morning.”
That explained a lot.
“This was the princess’s request,” he continued with a helpless smile. “So… here we are.”
I laughed together with them naturally.
“Well,” I said lightly, “nymphs are creatures of wood.”
I gestured vaguely toward the sunlight streaming through the massive crystal windows.
“They probably love sunlight.”
That got another laugh.
Not entirely wrong.
“Earth and wood make a good pair,” I added casually.
The nobles nodded approvingly at that.
I almost laughed at the irony.
Because this “good pair” was currently one step away from poisoning an entire political gathering.
Amazing chemistry.
One of the nobles looked toward Sela and Marissa briefly again before carefully speaking.
“You seem to travel with quite an… interesting group, Your Majesty.”
I leaned back slightly.
“They’re my people.”
Simple answer.
Direct one.
And immediately the noble backed off the topic respectfully.
Smart.
Very smart.
Because rulers could joke about many things.
But the tone I used there?
Not a joke.
Mine.
That was enough.
The older noble quickly redirected the conversation instead.
“We heard the Draconis Empire has stabilized greatly under your rule.”
Marissa immediately hid her smile behind her teacup.
Because “stabilized” was a hilarious way to describe the amount of kingdoms I’d accidentally conquered recently.
“We try our best,” I replied diplomatically. ‘Please stop asking questions before I accidentally admit crimes.’
One of the nobles chuckled.
“Well, if rumors are true, your ‘best’ has terrified several neighboring rulers already.”
That one was funny.
I grinned slightly.
“Good.”
The noble burst into louder laughter immediately.
Dwarves appreciated straightforward confidence way more than polished royal speeches.
Probably why Durharn survived this long despite being emotionally compromised.
-THUD!
The sound echoed across the ceremonial hall heavily enough to silence almost everyone immediately.
Guards.
The central dwarven guards struck their weapons against the stone floor in unison.
Once.
Twice.
The music stopped shortly after.
And the atmosphere changed instantly.
Formal.
Rigid.
Heavy.
One of the guards stepped forward near the main ceremonial path.
“All honored guests,” he announced loudly. “Please return to your designated seats.”
Showtime.
The nobles around us immediately began moving back toward their assigned sections.
Conversations died.
Servants retreated.
And the giant ceremonial doors at the far end of the hall slowly began opening.
Cold air drifted inside.
Then the announcement came.
“His Majesty, King Durharn of the Dwarven Kingdom, has arrived.”