The press conference outside was still going on. The flashes and questions filtering through the heavy wooden doors had become a vague, buzzing background noise.
The guests of honor, however, were dining in King Peinance's private banquet hall.
The hall was small, but its furnishings were exquisite. Portraits of successive rulers of the Prodence Kingdom hung on the walls, their solid silver frames gleaming softly in the candlelight.
The long table was made from a single piece of mahogany, polished to a mirror finish that reflected the tableware. The silver candlesticks were antiques from the royal collection, each carved with intricate vine patterns. Inside their glass covers, the flames burned quietly without a flicker.
Boer took a guest seat. He chose a chair on the left near the middle of the table, neither forward nor back, neither off-center nor conspicuous.
No one dared sit at the head-the chair remained empty, silently reminding everyone present that rank did not determine whom that seat belonged to.
King Peinance stood with his wineglass raised. His face still bore the excited, tearful expression he had worn at the press conference, and his smile had not quite faded. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
Boer was peeling a lobster himself. His long, strong fingers gripped its head and gave it a gentle twist. With a crisp crack, a neat split opened in the shell. Then his fingertips slowly worked along its contours, peeling it away at an unhurried pace.
Peinance had barely gotten out, "Honored..."
Boer frowned.
It was only a slight furrowing of his brow, but it was enough to make Peinance swallow everything else. He lowered his glass, his lips moving once before closing again. He stood there at a loss, like a schoolboy who had suddenly forgotten his lines.
"Your