Adrian joined the group crowding around the princess, all wanting to make connections with her. Though it would be more correct to say he was just standing at the periphery, watching as lords and ladies sucked up to the princess.
It was almost as entertaining as watching a spar and because of it, he was content just standing on the edge without saying a word.
The only difficult part was controlling his expression and not showing his amusement. At some point, it seemed he wasn't able to hide it, a middle-aged lord began boasting to the princess about his vision of the future, and Adrian couldn't help but snort.
Luckily, the chatter managed to hide the sound, but it did catch the attention of the princess. A glint of amusement flashed in her eyes before she turned her focus back to the lord.
Adrian breathed an inward sigh of relief and was about to step away when Lord Jayson Edwards swooped in and asked the princess for a dance. She agreed after a moment.
Because of the dance, the group around her dispersed. Adrian caught the eyes of a few ladies, and after talking with one, he invited her to the floor. Ela, the steward, and some people they had hired at Whitesand Town had taught Adrian how to dance.
He thought he did well… but judging by the faint chuckling of Lady Thea, daughter of a baron, whose sister had married the cousin of an earl, he might have been mistaken.
"Never danced much?" Lady Thea asked.
"Never needed to much where I came from…" Adrian responded.
"Well, visit the central area or the capital sometime. It's crowded with nobles and parties. You'd learn that the second most important skill a lord should know is how to move his body." Lady Thea said with a meaningful smile.
Adrian raised a brow, feeling there was more to "moving their bodies" than just dancing. "And what about the first?"
They spun. Lady Thea's soft blonde hair brushed against his neck, and her pale blue eyes looked at him with amusement. "Be charming."
"So, am I to assume I don't meet either of those criteria since you mentioned them?"
Lady Thea chuckled. "We also aren't quite so direct."
"Never needed to be much where I came from." Adrian repeated, earning another chuckle from her.
Adrian huffed a laugh. Sometimes there was merit to socializing, you got to meet new people.
But there was also trouble.
Their dance ended, and Adrian escorted Lady Thea to a spot of her choosing before asking the question on his mind. "Who's that?" He gestured with his chin toward a certain lord who had been eyeing and downright glaring at, him halfway through their dance.
"Hmm… just someone I know." Lady Thea smirked before pulling her hand away. "I enjoyed our time, Lord Harrow, despite you needing some more refinement."
"I'll keep that in mind." Adrian said. Lady Thea walked away as Adrian headed back toward his table, hoping his instincts were wrong.
Unfortunately, they weren't. The lord who had been glaring at him appeared in his path. He was a young man with fairly long brown hair and a deep frown.
"May I know this lord's name?" The young man asked, though Adrian could feel the heat in his tone.
"Lord Adrian Harrow. And you?"
"Harrow?" the young man muttered, his frown deepening as he tried to place the name before he sneered. "Just a lowly baron from the south?"
Adrian's smile didn't waver. "May I know your name?"
The young man puffed out his chest. "I am the third son of the Viscount of Claytone, Lord Cedric Aston and-"
"Only the third son?" Adrian cut him off. "Not even the Viscount himself, or the heir?" He clicked his tongue. "I am a Baron, which makes me higher-ranking than you."
He was a true lord with a title, while the sons, daughters, and relatives of lords, though addressed as "Lord" or "Lady", did not hold the same legal standing as the titleholder.
Lord Cedric seemed to freeze. Before the young man could recover, Adrian added quickly, "Oh, my friends need me. If you'll excuse me, Lord Cedric, it was nice meeting you."
Adrian stepped away quickly, inwardly chuckling. However, his smile eventually wore off, he hoped this wouldn't come back to bite him later. Then again, he hadn't directly antagonized the man, if anything, the lord was the one with the issue, one that seemed related to Lady Thea.
Returning to his table, Adrian found Dexton eating from a small plate. He continued to drink and enjoy the feast until it finally reached its end.
---
The next day arrived. While Adrian joined Lord Sean and Lord Hardinge for breakfast, along with Lord Bronsone, who had just arrived to join some other lords they had befriended he spent most of the afternoon to himself.
He occupied his time training, touring, and eventually just resting and relaxing. It was likely his final chance for peace, as tomorrow would mark the start of the tourney.
Although it would only be the first day, consisting of a grand feast, it promised to be a lively scene.
"Are you sure about moving that rook?" Adrian asked, planting a seed of doubt. Dexton glared at him before moving a pawn toward a knight, ready to take it.
They were currently perched on the front wall. The massive structure was designed with three levels, the top of the wall and two interior floors, each equipped with narrow windows to thin out climbing monsters.
The wall was over seven meters wide, giving Adrian and Dexton plenty of space to sit and play a game of chess.
Dexton took his time before second-guessing himself and sliding his rook back to its original position.
"You've got to learn to be decisive… and see more than a few moves ahead," Adrian smirked. Dexton rolled his eyes.
"I have no shame in losing to the man who invented the game, milord."
"I didn't make it…"
"Right… it just came to you in a dream, didn't it?" Dexton said sarcastically.
"You should work harder on your skills than your sarcasm. I plan to hold a competition in the village for this, you know."
Dexton raised his gaze from the board. "You will?"
"Of course. Heck, maybe after this tourney, once I win some gold." Adrian was liking the idea more and more. He had thought about it before, and while chess had slowly begun to spread through the village, he felt it would be better to host a proper event once he had a larger population.
Dexton was about to respond when he froze, looking past Adrian's shoulder. Adrian followed his gaze and turned, his eyes widening in surprise. Surrounded by a retinue and several ladies, Princess Skyla was strolling along the wall with grace.
Adrian promptly got to his feet and stood at attention, his knight stepping in behind him. It took a couple of moments before the Princess and her group reached them.
"Lord Harrow, correct?" One of the ladies beside the Princess asked.
"That is I." Adrian said, bowing deeply. "Your Grace."
One of the ladies chuckled, whispering something about his lack of grace. Adrian carefully maintained a neutral expression, hiding his awkwardness.
"Lord Harrow." Princess Skyla nodded. "You are participating in the tourney as you said?"
"I am, in the joust, the melee, and possibly the final challenge." Adrian replied.
"I see knights and soldiers already training, yet here you are…"
"There is a time for training and a time for recovery. I don't wish to push my body too far, Your Grace." Adrian said, ignoring Dexton's side-eye. The knight knew exactly how much Adrian loved to push himself past his limits.
The Princess nodded, her silence lingering until one of her ladies pointed at the board beside them.
"What is that?"
"Oh, that? Just a game we were playing."
The Princess's gaze moved to the board and the hand-sculpted pieces Adrian had carved.
"A dice game? Or Nine Men's Morris?" One of the lady beside her asked.
"No, it's a bit different. It's a game from my territory," Adrian explained.
The ladies looked at him with confusion until Dexton cleared his throat and spoke, "It's Chess, a game milord created. It involves strategy and requires one to see several moves ahead to win."
If the knight weren't standing behind him, Adrian would have shot him a look. "My knight is correct. We were just passing the time. Have you been enjoying the view, Your Grace?"
Adrian tried to pivot to small talk, but the Princess's attention was now fixed on the board. "It is my first time seeing this… 'Chess.' How does it work?"
Adrian wondered how it had come to this. He had thought playing atop the wall would allow him to avoid the lords and find some peace, instead, he had encountered the princess.
His hesitation lasted a beat too long, and the Princess raised an eyebrow. Adrian immediately snapped back to attention and gestured for them to come closer.
"I would be honored to explain, Your Grace. The game isn't difficult to understand. It's…"
Adrian walked them through the rules and the roles of each piece. The Princess listened with quiet interest, while her ladies were the ones peppering him with questions.
"Why is the queen the most powerful?" The princess suddenly asked, intrigued, as Adrian explained that part of the game.
The other ladies' mutterings and chatter stopped as they looked at him, curious as well.
Adrian's expression turned a bit awkward. Those were simply the rules of chess from his dreams, and he didn't truly know why they were so. However, Ela had asked him this before, so he had a sort of answer prepared.
"It's just more interesting that way..."
That answer was simply him being vague and mysterious and definitely not because he hadn't thought of a better reason, even now.
The princess raised her beautiful brow at him, while the ladies beside her covered their mouths and whispered to each other, casting him strange looks. Adrian quickly moved on, continuing his explanation and answering their questions.
When the chatter finally died down, the Princess muttered, "Interesting. I think I understand."
She turned toward him, a spark of genuine curiosity in her bright blue eyes. "Mind if we play a game, Lord Harrow? I believe it is best taught through practice."
'How could I possibly deny her?' Adrian thought. He smiled and bowed his head.
"I would be honored."