He'd said they would meet again later... Surely he wasn't going to come out in disguise again?
After the alliance was announced, the next step was for Annan and the Third Prince to have an audience with the emperor on behalf of their respective factions.
They would spend the night at the Mountain-Ring Palace Gardens and discuss the finer points of the alliance tomorrow. "Discuss" was probably generous. The Empire had likely drafted the terms already; all they needed to do was sign.
After all, the Dimon Kingdom could at least help a little in the campaign against the Northern Chaos Forces. Annan, on the other hand, was like the Bard in a Mercenary Squad: he could play a tune during breaks to liven things up, then shout, "The three of us were amazing!" when the job was done.
Of course, Annan would never admit that.
Even a gear or a nail had its purpose!
Why would the Empire choose a useless ally? Have some faith in the Empire's Wisdom!
Annan called Rus over. After the Minister of the Military Affairs Department made the announcement, he and the Third Prince left the Banquet Hall, now buzzing with conversation, and headed deeper into the Mountain-Ring Palace Gardens.
As they went farther in, the War Envoys stopped. Beautiful young women draped in gauze took their place and led the way.
Before a Garden of white gravel and babbling streams, the women motioned for Annan and the other Outsiders to remove their shoes and socks.
Annan did not understand, but he complied. He took off his boots and socks and followed the Maids barefoot into the ankle-deep Stream.
He made a point of glancing at Rus's feet. Succubi and incubi looked much alike, though there were a few small differences: incubi had larger