Above All

-Sixteen-

Drama in peace time

Sweetest taste and sweet goodbyes

Pursuit of the lake

Layton:

"You have got to be kidding me! I can't even have a peaceful breakfast in my room today? Honestly...." I grumbled as I followed my brother down the hallway in preparation to have our morning meal with the noble ladies staying in Maelony Palace during the festivities of Empress Day and the soon coming Feast of Nobles.

Amory shrugged his shoulders as if he wasn't bothered much by the strict order that came from our mother. "Mother says it's good for us to have some bounding time with the ladies... to get to know them or whatever." He explained, but his eyes read a different story with him rolling them to the back of his head as if he found the thought ludicrous.

I arched my eyebrow, "I wouldn't expect you of all people to enjoy things of that sort, you never really eat in your room often." I said to my brother as we took a sharp left from the corridor and continued our journey to the Crown Imperial dining room.

My brother scoffed, "Why yes... I'm not quite as anti-social as you are... but despite that I'm in a rather good mood so I don't mind this small blight in our schedules." He said optimistically.

I narrowed my gaze as it focused on Amory walked rather confidently, his shoulders squared and straight as he strutted towards the dinning space. I could only guess the change in his mood lately had to do with Nyarai coming back into his life; they were probably conversing a lot and I always knew for that to be a mood booster for him. I didn't mention anything to him about the change in his behavior, I'd rather not see his testing side whenever I mentioned his love.

That would be for another day.

After a couple more minutes of walking, we finally both made our way to the breakfast space. It was already packed with the many noble women from the different regions of Idizia dressed impeccably and appropriately for the morning meal; everyone stood up once our presence was made, each of them curtseying the further we walked into the room.

"Ladies." I nodded to each one of them respectfully as I found my way towards an empty seat. Towards the more end zone of the long table, I could see Oleo Tinashe waving her hand discreetly over at me.

"I saved you a seat Prince Layton." She smiled widely as I approached her area.

I groaned on the inside.

There was no way in hell I was sitting beside Tinashe while I had my breakfast just so she could spend the entire time badgering me about our relationship status no, I think I'd rather work anther week at the bakery than spend any more time listening to her speak. The more I walked around the table, the more faces I noticed, one of them in particular being Amani and Éliane. I wondered to myself what they were doing here, usually these events just featured the noble women, my mother at times—but this particular breakfast meal she was not attending due to prior meetings.

"No thanks." I replied to her as reverted my gaze in my PR's direction.

I noticed there was an open seat beside her and I quickly brushed past Tinashe to take a seat next to her instead. Amani took her seat once I had found my place and looked over at me curiously, probably wondering why I was sitting with her in the first place, but she said nothing. I was kind of disappointed she wasn't up for some banter; I did look forwards to those moments at times, but despite that I held my tongue for the time-being, reverting to my more formalized behavior since we were in the presence of other nobility members.