PeaceMaker

"Good evening your highness," a voice greeted from behind the trio. They all turned to meet Anatinez Tomol. She looked up at them with a gentle smile, Noah Amzi standing behind her. "It's good to see you all in good spirits so late at night. Reassures me that youth isn't dying off this year."

She turned to Noah who nodded in agreement. 

"Duchess Annatinez, good evening to you too," Falls greeted along with Boris who nodded his head, acknowledging her presence.

Anatinez turned to Adia, her beady eyes peering curiously at the young lady. "And you may be?"

"Adia Sole, My grace. I am the official exterior helper of his highness," Adia bowed, a bright smile crossing her face, "it is a pleasure to meet you."

"As the same to me," Anatinez chuckled, "I'm glad to see Boris having such a graceful and lively outer source that is trustworthy. I have heard some words about you in the meeting. Didn't know it would be such a beautiful well-mannered woman."

Adia chortled, bowing her head again, "Happy to please you, my grace."

"I see that we are all coming to the meeting?" Noah commented, "apologizes for making you come all the way from the kingdom's streets to the palace this late at night. I hope the journey wasn't troubling."

"I have long been preparing for my entrance into the palace, so it is nothing short of happiness in me that I am able to stand foot in here," Adia responded with a polite smile. 

'Very refined…' Falls thought to himself as he observed Adia, 'her switch was very smooth too.'

"Then shall we continue our walk to the meeting room?" Anatinez interrupted, her head nodding in the direction of the hallway, "we don't want to be late now, do we? I'm sure most of the council is already present in the room."

Boris nodded his head. He stepped aside, making a path for Anateniz. "After you, Duchess Anateniz."

"Why thank you, your highness," Anateniz chuckled as she stepped forward, her walking stick hitting the ground rhythmically. 

It almost looked like she didn't need the walking stick. Her back was straight and she pressed forward with such gracefulness, the pain her age was suggesting not visible in her light steps. She was a very beautiful woman who had aged like fine wine, her sharp eyes bright and alert and although she had wrinkles on her face, they didn't seem to affect her beauty.

Her look was very reserved and once the bright smile wiped off her lips, her face would be reduced to a blankness. Like she was uplifted in each step, her face held elegance as with the rest of her presence. 'She knows what she's worth… and acts to that level and above accordingly,' Adia noted as she watched Anateniz walk. She straightened her posture further and let her face fall into the same emotion that was on Anateniz's face.

She had to be graceful and elegant too. She was worth something afterall. 

After the visit Boris had made back into the kingdom's lands and into their old home a year ago, they had made a contract. She became another trusted advisor outside of the palace. 

Her job was to provide him with the knowledge that those in the palace could never give and to make sure to keep everything at bay on the kingdom's ground. She relayed to him, how the people were feeling so he could act accordingly to provide to them, informed him about the nobles who were obstructing their power so he could put them in their place, and contacted him about any rebellions that were in order so he could squash it down before it grew. 

During the war, she had been the one to travel around and gather people in order to assist the wars. She had often traveled out of the kingdom to other parts of the empire to recruit people from those other parts to assist the war alongside Kalmin, the main trusted advisor. She was in charge of feeding the orphaned children of the kingdom and consulting with Kalmin to make jobs for the starved poor families of the kingdom. 

She was essentially the right-hand man of Boris. The tail of the kingdom, who picked up all the pieces left undone by the palace advisors. She connected with the body, Kalmin who was in a good position with the other palace advisors, and through them, it would get to Boris who would get the job done. 

She was a critical part of the kingdom. A hidden card that saves the game, the hidden camera to gather all the information. 

She was important. So she had to act important, she had to exude importance to all that passed her, to show she was important through even her standing. She had to be worthy of her importance. 

It was a big job. Especially from someone who was just trying to get by day by day on the streets a year ago.

Her lips pursed together and she walked beside Boris, as they continued their walk down the hallway. 'Be elegant,' she thought to herself, 'just as your role in the kingdom is.'

"I heard that main advisor Kalmin wouldn't be attending today's meeting?" Anateniz asked, her head turning to Boris', "he had to attend some other matters?"

"To look after the prisoner," Noad added. 

Boris nodded his head in reply. "We're trying to get some information out of her. I was going to mention that at the meeting.'

"Ah~ then pardon me for asking ahead of time," Anatinez chuckled. 

"Nono, I'll simply expand on it at the meeting. Afterall, it is one of the topics to talk about today," Boris shook his head, he looked up at the big doors leading into the meeting room. "And soon too."

The guards standing by the side of the room pulled open the doors and Boris looked up at the advisors already gathered at the table. They all stood up at the sight of Boris and bowed their heads. 

"Good evening your highness," they greeted. 

Boris walked into the room, Anateniz, Falls, Noah, and Adia following a step behind him. When he reached the head of the table, they split from two lines behind him, leaving Adia standing a step behind him as he stood in front of the table. 

"Good evening to you all," Boris greeted in return. "Sorry for the late appearance."

He paused for a moment as he waited for Noah, Anateniz, and Falls to get to their seats. Then he turned to Adia for a moment before turning back to the group. "You can take your seats."

They immediately listened and Adia pulled out Boris' seat. He gave her a nod and sat down. 

He turned to the table and watched their curious gazes watching Adia.

"I'm sure we're all curious about who this is," Boris muttered to which they all nodded their heads. "This is Adia Sole, my outside advisor."

Adia bowed immediately and greeted them all with a gentle smile. Not too wide, not too small, not too bright, not too dull. The perfect noble smile she had practiced for hours before this. 

"Good evening, I'm Adia Soles, a loyal stepping stone in the kingdom and an outside source of information for his highness," Adia stated, her voice clear and at the right pitch of both bright and lively and reserved. "It is a pleasure to be seeing you all tonight."

"It's a pleasure to be meeting you too," Helen greeted back in return to which Wattson and the rest of the council members nodded their heads.

Boris turned to Adia and she sat down at his left-hand side in a seat that had been added to the table just for her. 

Hendrickson watched her, his eyebrows rising. "Is she going to be a new addition to the council?" he asked, "Only the prince can allow that."

"She is a new addition to the council," Boris nodded his head, his eyes locking with Hendrickson's, "but her position has not been finalized as I am not the royal prince."

Hendrickson glanced at Adia, his gaze attracting hers They locked eyes for a moment and he flinched, looking away from it. 'How intense..' he thought to himself as he felt her gaze slowly shifting from his figure to Boris'. 'Intimidating really… how troublesome. Another scrap on their high horse.Thank god she's only temporary.'

Boris spotted the flicker of annoyance that passed Hendrickson's face and a slight flash of anger passed in his golden rays. "However, her seat will remain at the table until the prince returns. It will be taken away if he refuses her addition to the team and if he approves, she will undergo testing and become a permanent member."

Hendrickson flinched, his eyes turning to Boris. He regretted that as their eyes locked immediately. 

"I hope we're all clear with that?" he asked, his glare pressing deep into Hendrickson's eyes. He waited for the 'yes's from the council members to echo off the walls before smiling. 

"With that out of the way, shall we begin the meeting?"