Chapter 97

　　Walking down the hallways of the Imperial Palace with Mare, Kal reviewed what he knew of her parents. He had never met her mother, Princess Amara, who had been born after he had gone to stasis. Over three hundred years old, she had two children, a son, Myles and a daughter, Mare.

　　Her husband, formerly Magnus Havencroft, was now Prince Consort Magnus. The second son of the deceased Duke Havencroft, Kal hadn`t met him either despite being a contemporary of his time. Magnus was around Kal`s age. The man had been born a few years after Kal, and the memory remained with him because his grandparents had remarked on it often.

　　Emeritus Caledon was a friend and rival of the Duke. Both were close confidants and loyal followers of the Emperor, which made Kal`s father`s betrayal all the more bitter to the once-allied houses.

　　That was over five centuries ago, and Kal had little to do with the Rebellion as he was a prisoner in his own home at that point. But still, there would undoubtedly be harsh feelings towards him from Mare`s parents.

　　Kal felt calm and in control. His time on Mars had alleviated some of the symptoms of his condition. His hands were as steady as his emotions. He just wanted to finish this night and enjoy Terra with his friends, a sentiment that Mare shared as well.

　　"Ready?" Mare asked, visibly drawing in a deep breath in preparation for the coming ordeal. Kal nodded as she wrapped an arm into his and nodded to the staff member next to them to open the door. Walking through, Kal was confronted with a trio of inquisitive, and in one case hostile, stares.

　　Princess Amara, despite her age of over three hundred, looked as if she could have been Mare`s older sister. She had long black hair, a pretty face covered in a cold, haughty expression, and her green eyes pierced into his as soon as he entered the room.

　　Sitting beside his wife, Magnus was a middle-aged, tall man with a large belly despite the frequent rejuvenation procedures. With salt and pepper hair, he sported a full beard. It was from him that Kal felt the hostility.

　　On the far side of the room, Mare`s older brother Myles had his arms folded across his chest in disapproval. Where Mare had inherited her mother`s appearance, Myles had obviously pulled more of his genetics from Magnus`s side of the family. Bearded and overweight, he looked disinterested in what was happening, reminding Kal of a sulking child.

　　Kal bowed elegantly, tilting his body forward, one leg extended as was proper of a Baron when greeting a member of the Royal Family.

　　Noble etiquette was complicated and could be tricky to learn. Not only was it essential to know your own status and those that you interacted with, but often it wasn`t just about Title alone.

　　A Baron typically ruled over a single planet, but some had fiefdoms with more people and a higher economy than a viscount that ruled multiple systems. Further complicating things was the higher but empty, Titles bestowed by an Emperor long dead. Some Nobles ruled nothing, taking refuge on Terra itself or in the fiefdom of another Noble, but could still demand respect because of their ancestor`s accomplishments.

　　For Kal, he cared little for etiquette. He experienced enough in his short life that as long as he didn`t offend the Emperor and Empress, he didn`t care about anyone else. His family had been amongst the most powerful in the Empire, and even now, Caledon was on the rise once more.

　　But more than that, having lost everything once, there wasn`t anything anyone could do to him that he hadn`t already experienced. Why would he care about committing a faux pas when he had suffered through the Rebellion and five centuries of torturous Stasis?Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author`s consent. Report any sightings.

　　"Princess Amara, Prince Consort." Kale greeted them before standing straight once more. Mare gave him a gentle pat on the arm before disengaging and sitting next to her parents. No one gestured for Kal to join her, so he remained standing.

　　"Baron Caledon." Amara replied expressionlessly. There was a thin veneer of civility in the room, and Kal secretly wondered how far their conversation would run before it wore off.

　　"I thought it would be prudent to meet you and discuss tonight`s functions and your role here. Despite my expressed concerns, Mare has decided to have you escort her to the Ball. Something that even my Mother approves of. You`ve done very well, Baron, worming your way into the goodwill of my mother and daughter, but you will find that I am much harder to win over. I will not have a traitor influencing my family." Amara stated.

　　Next to her, Magnus nodded at her words while glowering at Kal.

　　There it is. Civility lasted a bit longer than I thought it would.` Kal thought, relaxing as he knew that there would be no winning over Mare`s parents regardless of what he said here. There was no combination of words he could speak that would satisfy them, and since this conversation was a dead end, he no longer had to put on airs.

　　"I can`t speak on the Empress` behalf, but I`ve been nothing but honest with Mare. I even offered not to attend tonight`s ball, which I would much prefer to avoid since it will be filled with people who hate seeing me. But she insisted." Kal replied, stepping forward and sinking into one of the comfortable chairs arrayed in front of the family.

　　Magnus nearly leapt out of his chair at the audacity when Kal looked to one of the waiting staff members and gestured for a glass of wine but stilled at a motion from Amara.

　　"Yet, here you are." Amara retorted.

　　"Here I am." Kal confirmed, giving the princess a cocky grin before thanking the staff member for bringing him the glass. Lifting it to his lips, he took a small sip before placing it on the table next to his chair.

　　"You wished to discuss my duties for tonight? How may I be of service?" Kal asked. Across from him, Mare quirked an eyebrow at his behaviour, silently asking why he was being flippant during an important meeting with her parents. Ignoring her, he focused on Amara. He would explain his reasoning to Mare after.

　　"Marella will be introduced to those assembled in the rear gardens, walking down the steps where you will be waiting. You will not be announced as her escort, nor will you accompany her while she meets with Mother and Father to receive their blessing. You will do your utmost to not be seen, or heard, by your betters."

　　"Very good. Is that all?" Kal replied, already about to stand when Magnus spoke.

　　"Why didn`t you stop your father from rebelling? So much death and pain could have been avoided if you had done more to prevent it. All those deaths are on your head, Baron Caledon. I would never have left Caledon from the shame if I were you." Magnus said.

　　"Why didn`t you prevent your parents` deaths, Magnus?" Kal retorted, and even the expressionless princess reacted, sucking in a hiss of air at the question. The Prince Consort leapt to his feet with a roar.

　　"You little bastard! I was child, you traitorous-" Kal cut him off before he could continue.

　　"So was I! You forget that we were both too young to be anything more than victims! You would have saved your parents if you were able, just as I would have stopped mine if I could. I mourn your parents, Magnus. My Grandfather told me there was no one he admired, and detested, more than your father. They were like oil and water, but there was respect between them." Kal finished, and Magnus stared at him, his face red with anger, before he breathed.

　　"I know that, but seeing you standing there&.Peace! It`s like seeing a ghost, all the worst parts of the Rebellion in the flesh, a reminder staring at me in the face." Magnus finished.

　　"At least you`ve had time to process it. For me, it feels like it was yesterday. Yesterday and five centuries, Stasis confuses everything." Kal admitted. Magnus retook his seat, thinking for a moment before speaking.

　　"My father spoke of you once. He said that Emeritus finally had a true heir and that we should try to be friends when we were to study together on Terra. I think he was hoping we would have a better relationship with each other than he had with the Duke."

　　"I wish that could have happened." Kal replied with honesty. He would have liked nothing more than the peaceful life that his grandparents dreamed for him.

　　"If we`ve had enough of dredging up an unpleasant past, it`s time we begin. Regardless of how we feel behind closed doors, when in public, we are a united front. That includes you as well, Baron. You will put on a brave face, speak no ill of our family and do your duty." Amara ordered.

　　"Of course, Princess."