King Ophire sat on the seat with the highest authority in the entire Kingdom as he welcomed and greeted the various families he had called upon on this special day.

Early in the morning, he had received reports from his Ministers that the 'week of mourning' which had come to an end two days ago had been a huge success everywhere.

People were grateful to have received this time off work to build a final resting place for their dearly departed and hearing this made the King glad that he had listened to the advice of his ministers regarding the same.

Soon after breakfast with his family, the King had headed towards the Throne room where he would be meeting his guests for the day.

He had a hectic day planned ahead and could not help but sigh at the number of visitors he would be receiving today.

However, he was the one who had called them here so he could not grumble and make a fuss about it.

As the Ruler of this land, he was well aware that he did not interact with his citizens as much as what was needed but hoped that using events like this would be enough to build a rapport with them.

Upon reaching the Throne room, King Ophire took his seat at the Throne while his Royal Steward stood below the short steps, waiting to receive any orders he might have.

Glancing around the empty room, he was sure that the Black shadow guards hiding around this place would be keeping a stern eye on everyone who would enter and leave this Throne room today.

Now that he was here, he decided to call upon the first family whom he had invited today.

As the doors opened, King Ophire smiled and nodded when the man and his family bowed before him.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." The man, his wife, and their daughter echoed in unison only making his smile widen.

The first guests for the day were people he was already acquainted with hence there wasn't too much awkward silence during their conversation.

"I presume that you have been well, Duchess Brodie?" King Ophire inquired and saw the lean woman standing next to Duke Brodie smile as she nodded in answer to the query.

"By the graces of God Asmodeus and our King, we have all been well." She answered, her elegant and eloquent tone pleasing the Ruler.

The man then turned his gaze to the child whom he often interacted with due to her position as the Princess's playmate.

"And how have your studies been, Miss Glennise." He questioned and paid attention to her answer without disregarding it as worthless words of a mere child.

While the King conversed with the little girl, the father stood as a spectator and observed their interaction, happy that she was able to speak to His Majesty without stuttering and pausing as she did with him.

However, he felt a pang in his chest when a certain speculation formed in his head.

'She is more comfortable with His Majesty than she is with me…' He realized this reality and also felt that this gap between them that he had created seemed too large for him to traverse.

Duchess Brodie's eyes were fixed on her intelligent daughter and soon discovered that her husband was doing the same.

Shooting him a reassuring smile, she turned away to face the daughter whom she loved dearly.

Though King Ophire was speaking to the child, his eyes had picked up the silent interaction between the Duke and the Duchess.

'I hope you soon realize your folly, my friend.' He wished with a sincere heart that the Duke would mend his ways before it was too late.

Thinking of this pair of parent and child, he recalled that there was a similar situation in his family as well.

However, by the blessings of the Great Asmodeus, there had been an improvement in the relationship between the Queen and the Princess in recent times.

Even if it wasn't to the point that he could call them affectionate, he was glad that their animosity had died down even if it was just a little.

Realizing that his mind was wandering, King Ophire chided himself inwardly and focused on the conversation with the family standing before him.

Soon their interaction had to come to an end as their allotted time had ended.

The King watched as the first Ducal family left the Throne room and within a few minutes, the next Ducal family was here.

If Duke Maldock Brodie was his right hand then Duke Obinn Tanner was his left.

One focused on political advice and the other was a pioneer in military tactics.

The two Ducal families were strong pillars respected by the King which resulted in them being respected by everyone in the Kingdom.

Duke Tanner entered with his wife and two sons looking prim and proper.

Post greetings, the Ruler inquired about their stay in their fiefs before turning to the Duke to discuss a few other topics.

Once he was done with that, his eyes fell on the boys who resembled the Duke and also inherited the same hair color as him.

'One is the heir and the other loves to spend time at tea parties.' King Ophire recalled the information regarding the two sons that he had received from his subordinates.

Unlike other families where the brothers tried to oppose each other for the title of the heir, the Tanner boys were quite comfortable with the roles given to them.

If the age gap between the brothers was too large then it was a given that the elder would inherit the title but in the case of the Tanners, the boys were merely four years apart.

They could still fight for their right to the title yet the younger would rather spend time having fun than competing with his elder brother.

This made him curious to know the reason for the younger son's decision of relinquishing his right to the title.

However, being crude was not his forte so he stuck to the questions that he could ask.

"I heard that Young Master Topher has formed a bond with his fated etcher?" He questioned and saw the young boy's face light up.

Hearing him speak about his etcher made the King chuckle at the enthusiasm he was witnessing right now.

Glancing sideways, he noticed that the younger son of the Duke was different from how he had expected him to be as not once did he display signs of jealousy throughout the time his brother spoke about his etcher.

The King's purpose for inviting these selected few families was not only to applaud them for the support they had given to the Kingdom during the time of the plague but was also to see what kind of people they were.

He needed to ascertain the dispositions of the family head and their children as they would be the future of this Kingdom.

This had been the reason he had invited not just the heads of the various families but also the rest of their associated members.

'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' He decided to assess these families under the guise of this meeting.

After all, for lending their support in the plague, they had been promised to be handsomely rewarded by the King.

Getting their family's name etched in the book of Record of the Royal family which documented every important event that took place in the Kingdom was the driving factor for many to lend their support.

He only wished to see whether those who had assisted them with ulterior motives would not give him troubles in the future.

With their family's name in the Records of the Royal family, it would elevate their social standing even when their title remained the same.

King Ophire had planned to use this opportunity to perceive which ones he would have to keep an eye on lest the newfound glory got to their heads.

The two families he had met until now would probably not fall under this category and soon, the King would have to gauge the rest to see how they behaved.

After the Tanners left, came those from the Marquess families.

The Marquesses arrived in quick succession and left soon after.

Finally came the turn of the Earls and King Ophire was eager to interact with one particular person from an Earl's family.

However, before they could arrive, a few men entered the Throne room whom King Ophire recognized as members of his Council of Ministers.

He had summoned them earlier and now that they had reached the Throne room, King Ophire asked his Steward to summon the next family.

When the Steward announced that the next Earl's family was about to enter, the King sat upright as he watched the family of four walk in his direction.

Parents with a son and a daughter bowed and greeted him at the same time, making his nod at their synchronization.

"Good to see you again, Earl St. Claire." He began soon after they exchanged greetings.

However, before Earl Rutherford St. Claire was about to answer, King Ophire could feel a heated gaze on his face which made him turn in its direction.

His blue eyes clashed with a pair of wide amethyst eyes and he could not help but frown as he looked into them.

'Is she that scared?' He wondered when the adorable little girl's eyes brimmed with tears in no time.

Silence had taken over the entire room which allowed him to grasp the single word she had uttered in a nasal voice.

"Dada…" He heard her whisper and that word felt like a noose tightening around his heart, suffocating him with a sense of longing and unease.