Herald of Steel

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The impure thoughts invading Alexander regarding the mature woman only lasted an ephemeral second, for it was just the by-product of his lust speaking.

The man had not yet had the chance to relieve himself even a month after the ordeal and thus when faced with such a beautiful but defenseless victim, his primal instinct urged him to indulge

Imaginary flashes of what it would be like to have the woman under him, or atop him, or kneeling in front of him all subconsciously raced through Alexander's mind, as that pure, beautiful face standing in front of him changed to produce various more 'expressive' expressions.

And then he heard a small voice inside him entice him with menacing whispers such as,

"Take her! Her husband had lost to you. So by all accounts, she belongs to you."

"Remember! The greatest happiness of a man is to scatter one's enemy, to drive them before him, to see their cities reduced to ashes, to see those who love them shrouded in tears, and to gather into one's bosom their wives and daughters."

It was a poisonous thought, and seeing how the Queen's facade changed to a slightly pale color right in front of Alexander as the man kept staring at her, the man could tell the lady had likely figured out his thoughts.

After all, such a thing was not anything too unusual given the time period.

But in reality, Alexander would never force upon this defenseless woman.

Sure he might not be above using trickery to wile them into bed, but he never r@ped anyone.

However given the woman had already misunderstood him, Alexander doubted there was any good to resolve it.

Explaining to her likely would not work.

Thus Alexander could only quickly revert his gaze and distract her with a slightly taunting smirk,

"My lady, I see that you are not very happy to see me. Is that why you are wearing a black gown?"

He said this because in Tibias, the color black was seen as a very bad omen, typically associated with death, misfortune, and other inauspicious events.

While consequently. the opposite color- white, was celebrated as a divine color, symbolizing all things good and pure.

That was why the priests at the temple wore snow white robes.

It was because of such a dichotomy that other than a very few select groups of people, such as prisoners, nobody ever wore pure black in their everyday lives.

It was only worn in funerals and other such somber events.

Hence for the Queen to be wearing such a color seemed quite inappropriate.

And hearing Alexander's query, the first to sigh was Theony, who slanted his eyes to try and give a venomous look to the woman.

He had tried and tried till his mouth almost foamed to convince her to wear more colorful clothes, but the Queen would not budge.

"I will wear black or I will wear nothing." She had threatened, and as much as Theony would have loved to parade his regal woman in front of Alexander bare, he did not dare.

Thus he could only grit his teeth and pray that Alexander did not pitnick.

However the gods did not seem to have responded to that wish.

"No, I would never dare to be disrespectful to you, my lord. You are the victor and we are gracious enough to accept our loss," At Alexander's query, the Queen did not shirk back even a bit but instead boldly replied so.

And then offered her reason, "It is just that my husband has still not woken up from his injuries. Thus it would be too unfaithful of me to partake in revelry while my 'lord' suffers. Hence I'm afraid I'm unable to appear pleasing to your eyes Lord of Zanan."

Lady Parthia always addressed Perseus as 'lord' and as she said this, her voice was servile but very strong, showing she could not change no matter what.

It seemed she was utterly devoted to her husband, something that Alexander was quite impressed by

"I see. Then I hope he recovers quickly." Thus he decided to excuse her with these few words, even letting go of the fact that the lady had not really apologized for the faux pass.

And as for how Perseus was already in the palace, well of course it was because the part of the army Alexander had sent by boats had managed to arrive much sooner, and the wounded Perseus was part of that group

.

Upon entering the palace, Alexander's next few days went in a blur.

More particularly his days passed by attending huge feasts that started at dawn and lasted until late into the night.

It was a spectacle of great grandeur to witness, a momentous occasion where the echoes of victory reverberated through the halls of the palace and into the hearts of the people present.

And to make things even better there was not just one party.

There were multiple ones, held day after day consecutively for nearly a week.

However the most prominent one was the one set in the courtyard after the day he had arrived, the venue surrounded by towering stone walls that were adorned with colorful banners that proudly displayed Alexander's standard, the blue flower in a field of green, accompanied on the side by other smaller houses such as Lord Theony's as well as other Zanzan nobles.

The air there was thick with the scent of roasted meats cooked with fragrant herbs, as numerous long wooden tables were laden with a cornucopia of culinary delights, inviting all to partake in the bounties of the land.

The strong wooden legs of the huge serving tables groaned under the weight of the sheer enormous volume, with the items in view clearly reflecting the seasonal abundance and the culinary expertise of the cooks of the time and region.

There were roasted meats of various kinds. boar, venison, fowl, peacock, etc. all seasoned with herbs and spices and cooked in all kinds of various ways, before being decoratively carved and served onto the plates. their succulent aromas wafting through the air.

Along with them came various hearty buttery stews brimming with local vegetables and grains, expensive white loaves of bread baked to golden perfection, tens of different types of local artisanal cheeses, beautiful and exotic fruits arranged in beautiful, colorful shapes as displays, and many many more, these were just the most prominent ones.

Various local dishes and cuisines that were too many to list also made their presence, ones which many times Alexander did not even know what kind of food the item was until he tasted it.

And among all the new types of food, his favorite was definitely a type of red colored stew made with beetroot and deer meat.

It was sweet, spicy, and gammy at the same time.

Then, to help wash all these down came the various wines and mead, which flowed openly adding a warm and intoxicating element to the festivities.

Tibias was famous for its grapes and so the catalog of wines under its belt was truly enormous, their taste as varied as they were interesting.

The drinks present ranged from rich and velvety that sang as in entered the throat, to sweet, honeyed notes that seemed to enhance the sensory experience, to spicy dry toasts that perked oneself up, there was all, managing to create an atmosphere of conviviality and joy.

The attendees at the feast were also bedecked in resplendent attires of the time, reflecting the diversity and difference of culture between the various regions.

And yes there were people from many regions, not just two, since some of the high ranking Kaiser and Petricuno mercenaries were invited as well, as well as the Thesian contingent that was traveling with them.

Thus it could be clearly seen that while Zanzan men much preferred darker colored tunics such as dark blue and marsh green, the Tibians liked lighter and happier ones like yellow and orange.

The men from Thesos were a whole other story, as men from various city states had their own identities, forming a mishmash of all kinds of styles and preferences.

While the Kaiswer mercenaries wore their best and shiniest ceremonial armor.

The feast was of course not merely a banquet for the stomach but it was also a spectacle for the senses.

Minstrels, jugglers, and jesters had been all invited to perform there, entertaining the crowd with music, acrobatics, and witty performances.

The melodies of lutes and harps intertwined with the laughter of the revelers, while at some point there were even mock gladiatorial combats, where nobles and other officials showed off their martial skill, engaging in friendly and sometimes even showy duels and swordplay, demonstrating their prowess in the arts of war to the delight of the onlookers.

It was amidst this revelry that night descended and as a ceremonial bonfire was lit, Alexander decided to give a concluding speech,

"My victorious lords! This win is our win. What we did today will surely reverberate throughout the annals of history for a thousand years!"

"My newly defeated lords! Do not lament. For under me, you will prosper more than you could have ever dreamed before."

"I am like this bonfire… burning away all your past hardships and bringing in the dawn of a new era!"

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