[color=#b97703]“Maybe,”[/color] Cas answered vaguely when Iris asked if he would invite her to any formal events. It was less likely that he would send her a personal invitation and more so that she would get one sent from the Maydestone family as a whole. His father liked to invite all the high borns in the capital whenever he put on one of the spectacles. It was all just a show of power, but it kept the people happy. In fact, he was sure she had already been to one of the events in the past. She would probably remember it when she got her memories back: the flashy décor that lined the square in the middle of the capital, the gourmet food and drink, the regal music… and who could forget the long speeches about the state of the nation, broadcasted on hovering jumbotrons for everyone to see?

As much as the gatherings were meant to make the citizens happy, he knew they were designed to announce the strength of the monarchy to their enemies as well. Aspiria wasn’t on the best of terms with [i]all[/i] the neighboring countries, and there were also the rebels to deter from within her own borders. The politics were enough to make the prince’s head swim, and they were also the main reason why he wasn’t particularly fond of the displays his family put together. The other reason was simply the fact that he had to wear a suit.

When Iris asked if someone had been arrested for addressing him the wrong way before, he sighed. [color=#b97703]“I wish I could tell you it hasn’t,”[/color] he expressed honestly. [color=#b97703]“But the soldiers are strict. If they catch anyone referring to me as anything less than ‘your highness’ or ‘my prince,’ they cuff them on the spot.”[/color] The most mortifying experience with the law that he could remember was when a distant cousin of his own family had called him ‘Caspian’ without the title ‘Prince’ when he was only nine years old. His father had made no exception and had the woman arrested without hesitation.

As Iris stood up, Cas took a moment to make sure she found her balance before he dropped her hand. [color=#b97703]“Okay,”[/color] he took a step back from her when she said she wanted to rest before dinner. [color=#b97703]“I didn’t have any plans. We can just meet up again later.”[/color] A break would give him some time to check on his father too. He was sure the king already knew she had arrived, but he wasn’t certain how he’d reacted to the news. After all, his consent to her staying with them had been reluctant at best and full of conditions. He wouldn’t have been surprised if he went to Atlas’s room and found him brooding.

[color=#b97703]“Yeah,”[/color] he nodded when Iris asked if they would be meeting in the kitchen for dinner. [color=#b97703]“That’s usually where we eat unless the staff was given orders to bring the food somewhere else.”[/color] Every once in a while, he asked the maids to bring his meal to his room, usually if he was ill or if he didn’t want to leave for whatever reason. His father also frequently dined in private these days—when he even had an appetite to eat, that was.

[color=#b97703]“See you later, Iris,”[/color] Cas smiled at her one more time before he turned to head out of the theater. Now to find out how his father was handling everything that had happened that day.