“I’m sorry sir,” The lead guard let out in an exhausted tone after having already explained his reasoning’s multiple times beforehand. “But until you’ve gone through the proper channels and established a timeline for when you wish to visit, then I can’t let you through into the premises.”

At the lead guard’s sides were a handful of low ranking guards that remained at the ready in case the uninvited guest before them was to cause a scene after having already been denied entry multiple times. Despite having been clearly told the reasons as to why.

Refusing to take no as an answer, Aurelius remained steadfast as he looked down upon the various guards that surrounded him. They clearly mistrusted the obviously shady hooded figure that had so brazenly demanded to be let into the estate several minutes prior to now. “And I understand that, but I must insist that I be let in and meet with the Duke and Duchess.”

If he were to be denied entry now and never meet with his geographically closest relatives, then by the time that he was to return home Aurelius would have felt that his entire point in coming south would have been wasted.

The silver orbs of Aurelius’ eyes flickered over to the side as he began thinking over possible solutions to his current problem. If he were to be unable to convince the guards to let him in, then the only thing left for him to do was to sneak in and find his human father and mother-in-law.

As the strange man before them continued his obstinate behavior, the guards looked towards one another as they began to silently converse with themselves. They moved and shifted around the horse mounted individual as the strange man whispered amongst himself in an alien language that caused their spines to shiver in fright as the hushed words brushed across their ears.

Not only was stubbornness something that was heavily disliked in Ranislavian culture, the terrifying dread that washed over the guards’ bodies forced their hands into actions and they gripped tightly around the pommels of their blades.

“Even if I were to let you in,” The lead guard gulped aloud as he held his breath for any further suspicious signs that came from the hooded figure’s prideful stature. The trembling in his voice said all that needed to be said as he desperately hoped that the man would leave on his own accord and depart from their sight without further issues. “You won’t be able to meet with the Duke or Duchess anyway. They’re a couple who rarely visits the capital outside of official and religious affairs. At most, you’ll be able to speak with Count Mirokov.”

“Who?” Aurelius asked, completely baffled by the unfamiliar name as his gaze returned to stare down at the lead guardsman. The elven prince was woefully ignorant of the names and places of those who held whatever positions of power that were native to the human kingdom.

“The oldest son of the Duke and Duchess.” One of the guards explained as another shook his head in disgrace at what they had just hear.

Several others offered up awkward smirks as an even smaller number of them began chuckling amongst themselves over the man’s ignorance.

“I see.” Aurelius muttered to himself as his gaze shifted from one guard to the next, slowly taking in their postures and facial expressions as he began to think of what next to say.

It wasn’t long before his black-and-silver eyes noticed that the knuckles of the surrounding guards had turned white-hot from how tightly they gripped their fingers around the pommel of their weapons. Some of them had even unsheathed their swords slightly, mere seconds away from flashing their impressive weapons at the man before them if the scene were to continue any longer.

Aurelius smiled as he closed his eyes, happy to see that the security personnel of his human relatives took pride in their work and how they presented themselves to the possible threats that dared to approach the storied lineage of the Vesely household.

The prince figured that it was time to end this charade and get a move on.

“If I must meet with the Count first, then so be it. So why don’t you go ahead and tell him that there’s an acquaintance of his father that wishes to speak with him and is currently waiting outside to do so.” Aurelius’ voice grew softer as he spoke, the lyrical nature of his words bringing a soothing atmosphere to those around him as he gripped his fingers around the edges of his hood. The elven prince slowly pulled back at his hood, revealing his glistening golden hair to those around him.

Allowing for his hood to drop down atop the back of his neck, Aurelius reached towards the back of his head and gracefully ran his fingers through the golden strands of his hair as his pointed elven ears were revealed beneath the cool autumn sun.

“Would you like to have some tea while you wait, good sir?” Asked the sharply dressed, middle-aged maid as she offered the elven prince a polite bow as he moved in front of a nearby chair.

As if on cue, the other maids positioned themselves around the lead servant as they moved to prepare their unexpected guest a fresh cup of tea. Their faces were flushed with excitement as they kept to themselves, whispering amongst one another as they spoke lavish praise for the elf’s blinding beauty.

Aurelius ignored the whispers of the teenaged servants as he gave their superior a quick, disinterested glance before returning his attention back towards the door that had previously led him into the drawing room. The elven prince stretched out his right arm in order to catch the bottom of his chin as he shifted his body around so that he could sit more comfortably in the plush, cushioned chair. The side of his face leaned into his closed fist as his remaining hand remained resting over the armrest, impatiently rapping his fingers along its smooth leathery surface.

“I don’t see why not.” An exhausted Aurelius let out in a tired breath as he offered the woman a polite smile before leaning into the back of his seat.

The elven prince couldn’t help but to roll his neck and shoulders along the back of the surprisingly plushy cushion, letting the soft, cloud like sensation sweep over his tired body.

In all honesty however, he wasn’t all that surprised that one of the Vesely residences’ had such comfortable furniture. Especially considering that before his departure to the island of Minos and the wider world outside, Iskra would always vent her frustration at having sat down on a cushion that “wasn’t comfortable enough.”

The two of them have been married for eight years now and, despite the fact that he had been gone for five of those years, Aurelius still had no idea what his raven haired wife had meant whenever she had complained about such things.

He had found the pillows and cushions in question to be more than satisfactory, and despite it being only a small handful of months since his return from the Demonic Wastes Aurelius had returned to find that the family’s entire collection of pillows and cushions had been completely replaced. Perhaps it was because of the fact that she had replaced every single pillow and cushion within their home while he was away, but the elven prince couldn’t help but wonder if Iskra’s complaining had been some sort of ploy to get him to agree in buying an entirely new collection of pillows and cushions that littered their massive home.

A smile came to his lips as he thought back to his family, but his attention would soon return to reality after having caught sight of an approaching servant girl in the corner of his peripherals.

From the way that she presented herself as well as the Spartan style of her outfit, Aurelius could easily tell that the young maid was fairly new to the estate’s workforce. Obvious shivers of nervousness wracked her hands into a shaking mess as she made her way towards the golden haired prince, the tea set clattering atop of the silver tray with each step that she took.

Yet despite how violently the silverware bounced around the tray, Aurelius had to give the young girl credit as not a single drop of tea was spilled by the time that she finally made her way towards his side. Carefully, she placed the tray atop of the table in front of him and bowed in respect before departing to return to stand next to the other maids.

Soon afterwards, another young girl moved forward and prepared the guest a fresh cup of tea. She moved with an expertly practiced grace that belied the servant’s youthful appearance.

With just these two girls, those within the Vesely household would be able to leave a lasting impression to even the most bullish of guests.

It had definitely left an impression on the man that had married into such a prestigious Ranislavian lineage, even if those very same people were woefully unaware of such an occasion.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Aurelius started as he leaned forward to pick up the cup of tea before bringing it to his lips. He stopped just short of taking his first sip of the freshly brewed tea as he looked back over towards the lead servant. “But do you know when the Count or Countess will be arriving?”

Aurelius frowned and turned to look away, entirely unhappy with how rude he had sounded. A few of the servants flashed nervous expressions upon their faces as the sudden shift in their guest’s mood came as a complete surprise to them, but they remained quiet as their mesmerized gazes watched the gorgeous man reach out behind the back of his head and run his fingers through the strands of glimmering, silky smooth golden hair.

“I’m afraid not,” Replied the older maid as Aurelius’ concerned frown slowly returned to his usual expression. “But I can send someone to-“

It was at that moment that a knock came from the door, forcing those within the room to turn their heads towards the source of the sound as a nearby maid opened the door with the barest of cracks as she spoke softly with whoever stood on the other side.

“The Count has arrived,” The young maid spoke as she turned towards their elven guest, carefully closing the door behind her back as she waited for the elven prince to give her his reply. “Does the honored guest still wish to speak with him, or shall I turn him away for the moment?”

“No, let him in. It’s his home after all.”

Heavenly bells rang out from Aurelius’ chuckling smile as he rose to greet the approaching Count, the two men shaking hands with one another before the elven prince went a step further and surprised everyone by bringing his brother-in-law close to him and patting the man on his back with several thumping pats.

“-Still though,” The Count laughed into his cup as his eyes remained locked onto his guest, cautious of the gorgeous elven man’s movements and mannerisms. Their harsh gaze and sharp-witted orbs of mesmerizing emerald green took in everything that they could of the elven prince’s actions, even the things that many would think to be nothing more than insignificant twitches. Yet the stark raven black haired man had grown up around the political lifestyle of Ranislava’s high society. “For Anne to become the first ever Ranislavian to come into contact with an elf it would have caused quite the uproar had we been aware of such a fact.”

The familiar sounding name brought a vague recollection of memories to the back of Aurelius’ mind as he began recalling the brief time that he had spent inside of the human kingdom’s capital city all of those years ago.

Aurelius offered his relative a sly smile as he watched the Count put down his cup after having had his fill of tea. A playful chuckle escaped from the elf’s lips as a servant poured a fresh serving of tea into the newly emptied cup of tea. “Without getting too much into the details. She was entirely unaware of my real identity at the time. So she would have been as surprised as everyone else.”

“How can that be?” Shocked by what he had just heard, Count Mirokov offered up a curious glance towards the elf as he waved off the maid after she had finished pouring a fresh cup of tea, thanking her for her work as she slowly backed away. “I can understand her not telling people of who you actually were, but for her to not even know of your true identity seems quite odd. Wouldn’t you agree?”

The elven prince could only offer his brother-in-law a curt shrug of his shoulders as he gave an equally curt reply. “If you were to get to know me, then you will learn that it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. I prefer to keep my privacy in such a way that very few would be able to penetrate it and disturb my private life. So her not knowing of my real identity was planned from the very start. No harm was meant in my deception of her or your people.”

“Very well then,” The Count replied as he nodded his head, appreciating the idea of someone wishing to keep their private life hidden away from any prying eyes to the best of their abilities. “But surely you understand that the way you went about in getting an audience with me is a complete enigma, or at the very least something that I can’t quite fully grasp as to why you did it in such a brazen manner. Why would someone who cherishes their privacy as much as you say that you do to suddenly reveal themselves in such a public manner? Especially if you had kept your real identity hidden for all of these years. ”

“I have my reasons for doing the things that I do,” Aurelius started to say as he shifted around in his seat, searching around the back pockets of his trousers as he felt around for a particular envelope.

Within a few short seconds, Aurelius found what he was looking for and pulled out a nondescript envelope before handing it over to the man in front of him. “The answer that you seek as to why I’m here is within that envelope. I can’t explain to you just yet as to why I’m here, but let’s just say that personal business had kept me from making this sorely needed trip back to Ranislava.”

The Count was careful in how he gripped at the sealed letter; his face was full of emotions as unspoken words floated around the back of his head. The elf’s peculiar choice in words had felt odd to him, but he casted his doubts about his guest’s cryptic choice in words to the side. His curiosity over the actual meaning behind the blonde haired man’s words would have to be put on hold until he could convene with his father and figure out a plan after learning what it actually was that his elven guest wished to discuss with the Duke and Duchess.

“Personal business, is that right?” Count Mirokov repeated as he kept his attention pointed towards the elven prince, seeking out any and all types of reactions from the golden haired guest as he moved to undo the letter’s seal.

The elf’s expression remained steadfast as his eyes flipped between the letter and the Count’s face as the human noble turned the envelope around and began to peel at the wax seal.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Aurelius started, forcing the curious human to pause in his actions, lowering the letter to his lap as he sought out the reasoning behind the elf’s words. “It’s been enchanted so that only the Duke or Duchess would be able to safely open it.”

Despite his curiosity over the letter's contents, the Count fully understood the veiled threat and left the envelope alone shortly afterwards. Putting it to the side as he called for an attendant to find their quickest rider and deliver the envelope posthaste.

“Don’t be too distraught though. I’m sure that you’ll learn what’s inside the letter in a very short amount of time.” Aurelius said, acknowledging his understanding of the Count’s curiosity towards the mysterious magical letter. “In fact, once I depart from your kingdom I’m sure that you’ll take part in a family gathering. You’ll want to attend it as well, I’d imagine.”

“That’s quite the strong tone of confidence that I’m hearing from your words.” The Count replied as he took a cautious breath of air. “Either I’m about to witness another tragic misfortune in our family or if another historic occurrence will visit our kingdom’s shores.”

To this, Aurelius could only offer up a gentle smile to help alleviate the man’s worries.