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The last week had been something of a special event in its own right for Erik Bel Auster. The news of a tabloid having picked up on the latest developments between the future heirs of the new united kingdom that was in the works was cause for a rather phenomenal amount of disarray. Not only did it invoke the ire of both royal families. It was of monumental effect on the public opinion of this plan altogether. After all, who could place their trust in the stability of this union if the two most prominent figureheads were already fighting like children?  Indeed, this was not simply a matter of bad looks for the royals in question, this was now a matter of national stability and safety.

King Leopold Bel Auster was not going to watch helplessly. He and King James of Arcenia had worked too hard over the past decades to set this plan in motion. And they were so close.

And as such the king of Austerund had been making a few calls. What started with a discussion with king James quickly resulted in a call with king Robert of Aciras. The good ties between the two nations was once again put to a strong display as the talks were short and effective. Not only would the Austerian intelligence agencies, which were present amongst Erik’s attendants, aid in the investigation into the supposed leaks of information to the Merenia daily. Robert had quickly arranged that many other more reputable news sources reported much more favourably on the matter. Indeed, most sources banished rumours to the realm of fiction!  

Finally, Leopold had called his oldest son to let him know his great disappointment. Oh, how the king had expected much more grace from his heir, especially towards his future wife and queen! How did he ever expect to see relations improve if they kept acting in such manner towards each other? And then he had to list each and every person this had brought great inconvenience to. And then the good king made him promise to be more cordial towards her.

Erik’s only solace was that Arabelle probably wasn’t having a better time with her family. And by thinking that, he had already broken the promise in spirit. But perhaps he could just ignore her for the rest of these months? All it took was to shut his damn mouth. Perhaps Arabelle would be kind enough to return the favour.

The rest of the week was filled with more joyous events, at least. While his brothers had to attend to their educational responsibilities. He had no such obligations anymore. Instead he spent his time in the Aciran royal library for most of the time. But there were several occasions where he could find company in conversation with Austerian allies. He even managed to arrange a few games of chess! And finally, his two oversized cats were due a great deal of love and attention that he happily obliged to give them.

Saturday came and with it came Erik’s good mood. He had always been rather fond of amusement parks and the like. A fair like this was bound to be entertaining. Austerian fairs often did include a lot of regional foods in their repertoire as well. From oversized pretzels to sausages to hearty crêpes. He wondered what an Aciran fair looked like. How did it differ from the ones he knew? Much more than amusement, it was a good opportunity to acquaint himself with an allied nation’s culture further. 

Erik styled himself most suitably to the hot Aciran weather, if he was allowed to say so himself. His [url= https://i.styleoholic.com/stylish-and-light-men-summer-work-outfits-4.jpg]outfit[/url] would certainly not disappoint any tabloid when it came to style, and would allow him to survive the heat he was rather unaccustomed to. It would [i]not[/i] do to sweat profusely, indeed. He finished the outfit with his newest pair of designer sunglasses and an exquisite silver watch that cost more than the cars waiting for them outside.

Erik, for a short second, considered joining Arabelle in her SUV. But quickly he changed his mind. He had thought he might try to amicably resolve the tensions between the two, even if the compromise was to not cross each other’s paths any more for these coming months. But he thought the better of it. Surely the prissy princess would not hold any interest in discussing their differences, so he was not even going to try!

Instead, sought out Han. Certainly she could appreciate his company? At least so he hoped. With some luck, she would even behave during their short ride! But Erik held little confidence in that thought. Certainly some of princess Han’s trademark comments would pass her lips sometime during the ride. Nevertheless, he relished the chance to spend some quality time with a good friend. And Han could provide just that.
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