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[color=5F9EA0]Time: 6 pm
Location: Castle Dining Hall
Attire: [url=https://i.imgur.com/R61caal.jpeg]Winners wear red & black![/url]
Interactions/Mentions: Cassium, Edin, Morrigan, Roman, Wulfric, Ari, Thea, & Hala[/color]
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[color=lightsteelblue]“And even still…”[/color] The bastard’s eyes held steady as he delivered a blow with no force behind it. [color=lightsteelblue]“My father loves me more than our King has ever even pretended to love you.”[/color]

For Clarence neither craved, nor felt the sting of the absence of Edin's love. He smiled and sipped his wine as the unwanted mother, the distant elder brother, and the chaotic sprite of a sister all jumped to Callum’s defense. 

[color=5F9EA0]“Appears that I have love in spades.”[/color] He shrugged, and although Cassius’s attention had shifted to the woman that embraced him, Clarence addresses the comment more for Edin’s ears. 

[color=5F9EA0]“But I think a father’s love is best shown by being there for his children, through their whole lives, no matter how difficult they get, and how far they stray in their youth.”[/color] He looked at Edin as he spoke and gave the king a respectful nod. It only added a cherry on top that his words might add a little sting to Calbert. There was no reason to let a count think itself an equal among royalty. It was a point he suspected Edin might be able to wrap his feeble mind around if explained privately. Another time, another setting, but he’d find a way to detangle the Damiens from the Danroses. 

It was something Callum wanted after all. 

Lady Morrigan broke her silence, [color=white]“Who are you?”[/color] She leaned in to whisper. 

[color=5F9EA0]“Do you not recognize your cousin, [i]Morrigan[/i]?”[/color] He whispered back, a voice so low only she could hear, his wine glass held perfectly to hide his lips. 

[color=5F9EA0]“Too much wine, or has memory faded in your advanced age?”[/color] He mocked and spoke with the same disdain he felt seething within every memory Callum had of his cousin. 

[color=5F9EA0]“I am Callum Danrose.”[/color] He reminded her, and that was true enough. He [i]was[/i] Callum in every way that mattered, and soon Callum would be indistinguishable from him. It was not a maybe, he’d already been let in. It was only a matter of time. He sipped his wine. He ate from his plate. He watched the room. 

[color=f26522]“As the king decrees I acquiesce. I shall not pursue courtship with Lady Violet Damien until it is otherwise allowed by the powers that be. Am I of the understanding that these wishes apply to Lady Crystal Damien as well?”[/color]

Clarence smiled as he chewed. Roman was far more interesting than Callum’s memories suggested. The promise of a duel flared up and quickly died away. It would’ve been fun to watch the bear pummel the wolf to death, but, alas, mortals tried so hard to pretend to be civil these days. He appreciated Wulfric’s encouragement to drop the masks, nonetheless. 

The bickering continued. More minor squabbles flared around the tables. Nobles bleed from the room. To the balconies. To the hallways. To the courtyards. They spilled out in droves. 

The king had such little control of his people. They mocked him in the way they fled his feast. Gods, it was hilarious. This regime was already teetering and overdue for a toppling. Clarence sipped his wine and ate his food. He’d watched Ari’s gaze linger in his direction before she had left the room. Clarence turned to Wulfric. 

[color=5F9EA0]“I know I shouldn't leave the table, but I must check on Ariella.”[/color] He informed Wulfric as he stood up. He followed the same path she had taken, as if compelled by matters of the heart. For as terrible a poet Callum was with words, there was something tragically poetic about his actions. It was part of what drew a spirit like himself to such a mortal. 

He found Ari outside in the company of Thea and another he didn’t recognize. He’d caught just the tail end of Hala’s speech and wore his approval in the form of a mischievous grin. 

[color=5F9EA0]“Whatever you three are plotting, I approve wholeheartedly. This entire feast is a chaotic disaster. [i]Isn’t it delightful?[/i]”[/color] He asked. 

[color=5F9EA0]“Prince Callum Danrose, pleasure to meet you.”[/color] He dropped into a bow that held not an ounce of Callum’s awkwardness, but with all the agile grace of a monkey, as he introduced himself to the one he didn’t recognize. His crown never slipped, it sat upon his head like it belonged there. 

[color=5F9EA0]“And a very happy birthday to you, Thea. I’m looking forward to the real party.”[/color] Clarence spoke with only sincerity. The feast required too much pretending, but a party promised something more freeing. 

[color=5F9EA0]“Did you enjoy my gift?”[/color] He asked, his attention finally settling on Ari. [color=5F9EA0]“That little dose of public embarrassment thrown your mother’s way.”[/color] Something just behind his eyes promised that was only the beginning, that Victoria Edwards was just another thing he couldn’t wait to see topple and fall apart. [/color]