[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/vHlk0a2.png[/img][/center] [color=9AF781] Time: Early Evening Location: Caesonia Castle Ball Room Interactions: Lady Thea[@Tae], Prince Felix[@Mole] Mentions: Pretty much everyone in the drama[/color] [color=CBCBCB]Leo, despite the tension that surrounded him, felt no real sense of danger, even as Mayet reprimanded him. He nodded his head, accepting it, but hearing his own name spoken by a Shehzadi was victory enough. He was comfortable, not because he thought the Alidasht were weak or simply being dramatic, but Leo lived under the assumption that danger could only truly touch him if he wanted it to. The young lord grew up with every imaginable privilege and comfort, danger was always something he had to seek out. Sure, the court could offer a scandal or two, hits to one’s reputation, but life or death, for a Varian noble, that was rarely seen in civilized society amongst one’s peers. The situation went more or less as he expected, Alidasht called for the Duke’s head, but they settled for a lesser punishment. Beheading, in the middle of a ball, in front of so many northern noblewomen, would have caused mass fainting spells and ruined the festivities. The honor of having spoken to one Shehzadi only to have his name uttered by another one paled in comparison to having caught the glance of the third Shehzadi in the room. A quick glance but her gaze was not one that saw him as something more akin to an insect the way the other two Shehzadis’ seemed to, but one that held a mild interest. He resisted the urge to smile, now was not the time but the night was young, and the chance to speak with the royal would have to be revisited. Of the two Shahzades in attendance, one was very clearly, and understandably, entranced by Lady Mina, and the other seemed entirely collected and spoke of mercy. The elder of the two Shahzades seemed more easily approachable as well. What he hadn’t expected was the intervention of so many notable people of the court. Prince Wulfric stepped up to demonstrate exactly how well prepared Caesonia’s prince was to one day hold the mantle of king. The man with the unsightly cowlick he’d seen earlier offered a story to the sultan, which was truly bizarre. Then Lady Mina, with her confusing words encouraged the Kadirs to accept Lottie as a servant. He had trouble pinning down her intentions; was she another wolf that roamed the court looking to extinguish any competition by any means available, or trying to spare Charlotte another loss? Mina had certainly always struck Leo as a bit of a mystery. His thought interrupted as more of the dramatic scene played out, only for Prince Felix and his own dear sister to approach as well. [color=9AF781][I]Why on earth did Thea look so deeply upset? Maybe he did need to keep a closer eye on the young prince.[/i][/color] Seeing Lorenzo reduced to such a weeping puddle of a man stopped any thoughts Leo had of the man’s questionable honor. It was embarrassing to watch as the man threw out what remained of his own dignity for the sake of his daughter. But to go to such lengths to protect one’s family, was an act of honor, a sign that Lorenzo deserved some credit and Leo was glad for the sake of that family that Sultan was a merciful man. The drama that began the evening began to subside, the music played once again and so Leo turned his attention to Thea, offering a small grin. [color=9AF781]“That was [i]thrilling[/i]. Did you hear, one of them even spoke my name.”[/color] Leo whispered to his sister before offering a bow to Felix. [color=9AF781]“Your highness, a pleasure, I look forward to the day I call you a brother.”[/color]He added towards Prince Felix. [color=9AF781]“This season is sure to be anything but dull. What an exciting group of people.”[/color] He continued to speak to the both of them but kept an eye on the puzzling look of distress Thea wore. He also noticed how, although Lottie had claimed she did have time for him tonight, she quickly headed off without another word towards the feast. In all fairness, he doubted there was anything that would keep Charlotte from a feast. [/color]