Chapter 94: 94 – A Looming Shadow

Rook attached himself to Raven like a little tail (or a big tail, rather, for Rook was actually bigger in size than Raven despite being younger) – and even though it was mildly annoying, Rook's presence had the unintended side effect of Head Sage Yue avoiding them, so Mana and Raven didn't bother to complain.

Azar, who didn't like Rook at first glance, got used to him after a few days. But the little dragon didn't warm up to the other two half-siblings of his Daddy at all, nor could he tolerate Head Sage Yue. Towards Crown Princess Pica, Raven's dragon son was barely tolerant. Still, it was an improvement from last time – and it made Mana wonder (not for the first time) if their little Azar could somehow sense the hearts of the people around them. Or, perhaps, he was sensitive to malicious intent.

Guests continued to pile in from all the other countries, and Mana was quite impressed with how well the people of the Emerald Kingdom handled the incoming droves. The arrangements were made smoothly and seamlessly, leaving hardly any room for complaint.

Queen Carolina, Crown Princess Pica, Head Sage Yue and King Orion – all of them were thoroughly impressed, and wondered if the arrangements for the visitors in their own home countries would be half as smooth! King Jaren had set the bar really, really high!

Queen Carolina would probably be under the greatest pressure, since the whole bunch would head to the Sapphire Kingdom next, right after the banquets in the Emerald Kingdom were over. However, Bella put her mother's concerns to rest. She and Jules had long prepared strategies and SOPs (standard operating procedures – something they learnt from Mana) and had even conducted several training sessions for the managerial staff of the Sapphire Kingdom ever since the travel plans had been finalised. So, the arrangements in the Sapphire Kingdom would not be inferior to the standards set up by the Emerald Kingdom!

As for the other three states – they didn't even want to bother with them. It would be good enough if they could manage to behave courteously – and if they didn't, the royal families of the Emerald Kingdom as well as the Sapphire Kingdom were in complete agreement that they would walk out, regardless of whether the ceremonies or banquets were over or not. Nothing could compare to the safety and dignity of their children.

What Jules, Bella, Mana and Raven didn't know was that King Jaren and Queen Carolina had already made secret arrangements for extra protection of the four youngsters. And Azar, of course – after all, the precious little dragon was the apple of their eye!

Two days before the first banquet, Mana and Raven had taken Rook out for a walking tour of the capital city. Rook had been partly horrified and partly fascinated that the royal family of the Emerald Kingdom was quite used to walking around on the streets of their kingdom without a big retinue of servants and attendants and imperial guards – but when he remarked on this, Mana said simply, "If even the royal family can't be safe on the streets of their own kingdom, how could they possibly ensure the safety of their citizens? And if they can't ensure the safety and welfare of their own citizens, what is the point of the royal family?"

Rook was stunned. He had always grown up with the notion that the royal family was superior to the citizens and it was the citizens who needed to bow and cater to every whim and fancy of the royal family – no matter how unreasonable they were! It had never even occurred to him that the royal family's responsibility was to make sure that their citizens lived a happy, healthy and safe life. Could this be why the Emerald Kingdom was so prosperous? Because the royal family's ideals and thought processes were fundamentally different?

Rook turned to Raven. "Big Brother Raven, what do you think of this? Do you also think like Sister Mana?" he asked eagerly.

Raven smiled at his younger brother and nodded. "Mana is right, of course," he said. "I was also quite surprised, initially, but then Papa and Big Brother Jules explained the idea to me, and I've been learning governance with the imperial tutors of the Emerald Kingdom." He patted Rook's shoulder lightly. "Think of it this way – what makes a kingdom? Is it just the land? If a man owned thousands and thousands of acres of barren land with no people in it – would you call him a king?"

Rook shook his head.

Raven gave him an encouraging smile and continued, "So, we're back to our question again – what makes a kingdom? If you have no land, only a group of people who consider you as their leader – would you be their king?"

Rook shook his head again. Then realisation dawned on him and he asked eagerly, "So, Big Brother Raven – you need both land and people to be a king, right?"

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"Exactly," Raven said. "Well done."

"And it is the king's job to protect the land as well as the people – otherwise he wouldn't be a king anymore, right?" Rook asked, his eyes shining brightly at Raven's praise.

Raven nodded.

"And that's why kings make rules, so that the land and the people are protected and they can all live well?" Rook continued.

"Excellent," Raven praised. "That is the concept of sovereignty."

Rook beamed at Raven, his eyes filled with adoration. "You're so smart, Big Brother Raven! Our imperial tutors never taught us this!" he complained.

Raven chuckled and shook his head. "Did you pay attention in class?" he asked.

An expression of guilt crept up on Rook's face. "They are boring," he murmured. "They don't explain things as nicely as you do…"

Raven patted his younger brother's shoulder again and started giving him some tips on how to study without getting bored to death.

Mana watched the two brothers interact with a small smile on her face. Seeing Raven so bright and happy made her heart feel warm and content. This is what she wanted for Raven – for him to be happy and laughing freely without any shadows looming over his shoulder.

And then, as if on cue, a shadow loomed over the three children.

Mana looked up at the tall man who had suddenly appeared. He looked about fifty or sixty, with a handsome and distinguished appearance, full of grace and dignity. A powerful magical aura radiated from him – strong enough to make ordinary men and women fall to their knees. Fortunately, there weren't any persons too close to them – and Mana and Raven were powerful enough by themselves. Mana quickly glanced at Raven and Rook – only to find that Raven's face had gone very pale, and Rook's face was filled with delight.

Almost involuntarily, acting fully in sync with her instincts, Mana moved in front of Raven protectively in a single, smooth, fluid movement – grabbing the boy's hand and shielding him behind her own smaller form. Her eyes glowed dangerously and a green haze started to rise up around her petite figure.

A sarcastic smile hung on the man's lips. "I see that it is indeed true that the royal family of the Emerald Kingdom is excessively protective over Prince Raven," he mocked.. His voice was quite elegant and pleasing to the ears, despite the mocking words.

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