[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi4wMGYyZjguUTJGc2JIVnRJRVJoYm5KdmMyVS4w/conformity-personal-use.regular.webp[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/pe5fV1B.png[/img][/center][color=00F8FE] Time: Early Evening Location: Caesonia Palace-Library Interaction: Thankfully alone[/color] [color=9FA1A4]The Danrose palace in the capital of Sorian was sparling, and every effort had been made to ensure it was nothing short of grand. To Callum, this meant that room for just about everything. If one must live in a cage, he supposed a cage with dozens upon dozens of rooms was the best one could hope for. His favorite room was the library, filled with books and antiques, all of which really ought to be dusty, but the strict cleaning schedule of the palace never allowed a good amount of dust to collect anywhere. Other than the sheer amount of books to choose from, the best part about this room was his parents rarely stepped foot in here, they preferred to simply order someone else to fetch what they wanted for them. Thus it became Callum’s favorite place to lurk about. He knew the layout well enough that he could probably find whatever he was looking for while blindfolded if such a situation ever arose. Cal, playing his favorite game of semantics, had followed his father’s instructions for the day to tee all while exploiting any loophole he could find. He was both dressed and ready for the ball at a prompt time, he had simply neglected to enter the ballroom itself. He wore dark dress shoes, new and not yet broken in, so they were unpleasant. Just as uncomfortably as the shoes, were the overly stiff trousers and dress shirt. The stuffy waistcoat was left behind on the chair because Cal hated it too, and his cravat was loosened as it had already been threatening to strangle him not ten minutes after he’d put it on. All of it was either black or a dark gray, chosen so that he would not draw more attention to himself as currently, the youngest Danrose prince preferred not to stand out whenever possible. Even worse than how uncomfortable the mandatory formal wear was, was the knowledge that all of it together equaled a substantial amount of money for anyone who actually worked in the damn palace. And that fact made him feel like shit for wearing it, hating it, and wanting to complain about it. Cal could neither help the fact that almost every aspect of royal life made him deeply unhappy, just as he couldn’t help the fact that his father’s word was basically the law. So, he had followed the letter of the law, ignoring the spirit of it. Since ol’ King Edin had neglected to add actually show up to the ballroom [i]on time[/i], likely due to the king’s preoccupied mind with everything going on tonight, he spent his few remaining moments of imaginary freedom in the only room in the palace he actually liked, the library. He sat, back against the wall, on the floor, allowing his fine and fancy suit to get wrinkled, reading a book concealed behind one of the many rows of bookshelves. He found a small sense of joy knowing that his parents would disapprove of something as simple as sitting on the floor. Cal knew eventually he had to go to the ballroom, he had also been told that he would ‘dance, behave cordially and with manners, and greet the guests respectfully,’ but being on time, that was his loophole. The library held no overpowering perfumes, only the comforting scent of ancient tomes, and no idle chatter or gossip, just simple silence, and best of all, in place of dozens of insufferable nobles, it held only one noble, himself, and stacks of books. Callum planned to miss all the obnoxious introductions and awkward hand, and ass, kissing that kicked off such events but arrive about when the good drinks came out to replace the wines. Next to him, on the floor, was a glass of whiskey, and it was far from his first one of the day. No one should endure his parent’s events, or company, sober, least of all him. So he sat, and drank, and read, and stalled for time, alone, in the very best room of the palace, until eventually, he forgot all about time and was lost in a book about a farmboy destined to stop a great evil.[/color]