"Your Majesty, it is time." A voice came from behind which brought the three out of their individual thoughts.

King Ophire recognized the voice of his steward and nodded his head as it was now time for him to make his entrance to this banquet.

Alternating his gaze between the two youngsters, he patted their heads with a warm smile.

"Stay alert. I will quiz you when the banquet ends." He reminded them and turned around after seeing them nod in acceptance.

The two Princes, though from different generations, then watched as the King of Rosenhyde exited the balcony where they had been until now and would be heading towards the entrance of the banquet hall.

"So Uncle has been doing this for many years now?" Fritzen inquired once the footsteps of his father and the steward faded as they walked away into the distance.

Draco turned his emerald eyes from the balcony's entrance and looked at his little nephew then nodded his head.

Ever since King Ophire had taken over the Throne of Rosenhyde six years ago, every year he held this feast as a chance to meet the fief lords and learn about the condition of their fiefs.

"Just like earlier, he would ask me to keep an eye on the nobles and report to him everything that I witnessed from this spot up here." He revealed as this was not something to be hidden from his nephew.

The balcony they were standing on was a blind spot from below as no one would realize that someone was watching them.

The only people who knew of this place's existence were the men of the Royal family and the stewards that served each King.

Not even Duke Brodie who was closest to the King was aware of the existence of this secret spot in this banquet hall.

This year was Fritzen's first time being here to accompany

Draco on this little task that the King had assigned to them.

The King wanted these two young boys to not fall for the flattering words and the illusion of a kind face that most of these noblemen put on when they come in contact with the Royals.

He wished for them to stay here and observe how the true personality of these noblemen would resurface when they thought that no one was watching them.

'A man who is upright even when no one is watching is the man you can place your trust in.' King Ophire had taught Draco when he first brought him here and today, he had said the same words to his son.

These two youngsters would soon become extremely influential men in the future and they needed to have the ability to gauge somebody despite the facade they put up.

This little exercise that King Ophire had assigned for them to complete was to ensure that they learned how to differentiate the fine line between the illusion that people create before others and the truth that laid behind that facade.

Since it was Fritzen's first year being here, Draco decided to explain the ropes to his nephew.

"Watch, observe, and keep everything in mind." He taught him what needed to be done.

When the banquet ended, King Ophire who was also observing everything from down below would question them and the answer that he had in mind should coincide with the one that they give him.

Fritzen nodded and turned his attention to everything that was taking place in the banquet.

___

The noblemen all stood with their backs straight and their head bowed when the Royal Steward announced that the King would soon be arriving.

After the announcement was made, the doors were pushed open.

A man in an all-black ensemble with the addition of a luxurious and thick violet robe which was the Royal Mantle of the Rosenhyde Royal family was seen entering the hall with his head held high.

Luscious blonde hair with vibrant blue eyes, the trademark of the Royal family was evident for everyone to see.

The men bowed in reverence to their King as he strode ahead until he stopped at the other end of the hall where at an elevated platform his Royal Throne was placed.

"Rise." King Ophire commanded once he had reached his throne.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Numerous voices acclaimed in unison and halted when the King raised his hand.

"The banquet shall now commence." He declared and took his seat amidst the huge applause that echoed in the hall.

The younger boys who had seen the King for the first time were left in awe at his majestic aura that filled the hall once he had entered.

Their eyes were fixed on the man who was now seated on the throne and was conversing with a few men who had arrived before his Royal seat.

Howard too was one among these boys who admired the spectacular air of authority that the King had as he spoke with the men who served as his Council of Ministers.

He then watched as the King began his celebration with an audience, a formal meeting with each of the noble families in his Kingdom.

The first was Duke Brodie who arrived alone as he had no male heir in his family.

His audience with the King ended quickly as the King was already well aware of the situation in the Brodie fief.

The next was Duke Tanner who was followed by Topher Tanner, the heir who had already been announced for a few years now.

This one took longer than the first and right after them was Marquess Samed's turn.

Rutherford rolled his eyes as he sipped from a glass of wine as they waited for their turn for an audience with their Ruler.

Though there was food being served, none of the men here had the stomach to digest anything until they could complete their meeting, discussing the condition of their fief with King Ophire.

Some went back to whispering among themselves as they tried to make sense of the conversation taking place at the Throne.

Howard stood next to his father but his eyes were scanning the hall, making note of every person and the title they held in the noble society.

'That's Marquess Kiron'

'That man in the back is Viscount Lumex with his son.'

'The old man with the beard is Viscount Vamos and the one next to him is the newly appointed Earl Mikren.'

The little boy had extensive knowledge about these two men as the two new Royal hospitals were being built in their fiefs.

His eyes then turned in the other direction and he frowned when he saw something that went against his principles.

At the far end of the hall were a small group of boys who seemed to be surrounding someone.

Howard would not have bothered to pay attention to such trivial matters if it were not for the glimpse of the person he had caught before the face was covered.

'He looks like he wants to cry.' He noted with furrowed brows and fixed his eyes on the group.

As the adults were busy discussing how they would converse with the King, no one had noticed this small group of five or six boys huddled in one corner.

Rutherford noticed his son's attention being diverted and he glanced in the same direction only to find the same sight.

"Come back quick." He muttered while taking another languid sip of his wine.

Howard looked up and found his father's chin pointing in the direction where he had been gazing.

"Yes, Father." He smiled that his thoughts were deciphered in an instant.

Therefore, he did not waste time and began striding in the direction where there seemed to be some sort of disagreement between those boys.

While he was moving in their direction, there were two other boys with Royal blood in their veins who were watching the entire show from their secret balcony.

___

When Howard reached the far end of the hall, he slowed down to conceal his arrival.

Before him were four boys who had not yet sensed his presence and were speaking in muffled voices among themselves.

"You think that you are safe just because Brother Zimon helped you?" One among them sneered while leering at the boy whose back was against the wall.

The four were surrounding one of them who according to Howard was the tiniest of them all.

"This foreigner thinks that he can boss over us. We will show you what we are capable of!" Another snarled while rubbing his wrists threateningly.

The boy being surrounded by these bullies was now shivering in fright and tears pooled in his eyes but he refused to let them fall.

However, his resolve to remain brave faltered when he saw one of them raising their fists and aiming straight at his face.

'I never should have come here!' He cried out in his heart while shutting his eyes tight, waiting for the pain to come.

__

From the balcony above, Prince Fritzen and Prince Draco had been keeping an eye on the group of bullies who were targeting the tiny boy.

Therefore, when they caught sight of how the boy with big chubby arms was directing his fist at the little one, they widened their eyes in surprise.

'They dared to use violence in my brother's presence!' Prince Draco's eyes flashed with menace that his brother's birthday would be tainted with blood if that blow landed on the tiny fellow's face.

On the other hand, Prince Fritzen was making a note of the faces who were bullying the weaker one to ensure that he would take good care of them at a later date.