Vesa listened attentively to her every word, nodding every now and then, his impassive face giving away little of the child-like curiosity bubbling within him. Learning about new lands had always fascinated him, and although his father had thought him plenty about the various Burlian provinces surrounding his, as well as the parts of Stonia his march bordered, the lessons had always been more for the purpose of familiarising him with the terrain should he have to join battle there. Learning about another land solely for the purpose of expanding his horizons felt so much more calming. 

He tilted his head slightly at her mention of her gender and lack of actual power, but he held his tongue, waiting for her to finish before voicing his opinions. Interrupting felt improper to him, at that moment. In addition, he had to admit that he was quite entranced with listening to her speak. Perhaps it was her restrained enthusiasm to speak about her realm; from what Vesa knew, most nobles either were too humble, going to the extent of essentially cursing their lands, or were too proud, speaking of their lands as if the rivers flowed with gold and the skies rained ale. 

"Lavish, indeed," Vesa agreed with a nod, remembering the well-kept buildings, properly maintained streets, and bustling crowd he had passed on the way to the castle. He cleared his throat, coughing into his fist, before continuing, "Thank you, my lady. That was all very interesting." He paused and bowed his head slightly. "My people were not thrilled when I replaced my father, either. He had thought me how to fight, but little on how to rule. It took me a long time, but I earned their respect, eventually."

He paused again, a ghost of a smile flashing across his face for a split-second. "I am not familiar with how your court is run, my lady, but I think that you will earn their respect, one day." He said, and bowed his head slightly again. He could already hear Raiki berating him in his head for speaking too much. He should have simply nodded, gave his brief opinion, and then changed the subject, her voice was saying. Doing anything more would make him appear as if he was lecturing someone above his station, or something like that. Vesa had not been paying much attention when she had tried to teach him the intricacies of courtly interactions; he had only caught the main points and bits here and there.

Just then, the music began to play. Soft notes floated over the murmuring crowd, slowly filling the air with a gentle melody. Even so, Cassiopeia's invitation caught him off-guard. Dancing had not been something that he had consciously thought of, though he supposed that that made him quite a fool. It was a ball, after all. "Likewise, my lady," He replied, then scratched his neck. "I would like to dance with you, my lady, but I am afraid that I am not a very good dancer." That was, in fact, quite the understatement. Apart from practice sessions with Raiki - the number of which he could count on one hand - Vesa had never actually danced with anyone before.

[@Kaalee]