The next morning, Dominic woke to the servants bringing in clothes for him. Not an activity that he had expected, as all his clothes were in his storage cube, which was still hanging around his neck.
"Advisor, there is a meeting this morning with the gathered Royals, and your presence was requested. Princess Alexis has chosen an outfit for you, and requested that you wear it exactly as presented." The maid informed him.
"Thank you. I will be sure to dress to the situation." Dominic agreed.
The maid left the room, and Dominic moved to the ensuite to shower before getting dressed.
That was definitely what Princess Alexis had sent him.
It even had a tricorn hat.
Still, Dominic played along and got dressed in the outfit that she had sent, then noticed that there were three golden necklaces in the pile, including one with the Cygnia Royal Commission as an amulet.
It was a mark given to Privateer Captains so that they were not arrested by Cygnia Naval vessels at sea.
Dominic moved his storage cube to the silk sash that went around his waist, and then noticed that the top two buttons of the shirt had been artfully removed, in case he didn’t get the memo on what she was going for with the outfit.
Prince Alex was going to start drinking early today.
Dominic tucked a dagger in his boot and then stepped out into the main room, where he could hear quiet chatter.
"I think the fuck not." Prince Alex insisted the second that Dominic walked out of his room.
"Where is your sense of adventure, brother? They said that it had to be an official uniform appropriate to their military or Noble Ranking. See, I even gave him the proper Privateer’s Commission." Alexis countered.
"Dominic, help me out here." Prince Alex pleaded.
Dominic shrugged. "I actually like the hat. But if it’s that big of an issue, I can wear it later."
The Prince sighed, then shivered and shook his head.
"I didn’t need that mental image. Just go change into Royal Sorcerer’s Robes."
Dominic went back to his room and came out a few seconds later, which made the Prince give him a suspicious look.
"You just took the coat off and changed it for Sorcerer Robes, didn’t you?"
"That’s how Robes work, yes, Your Highness."
Princess Alexis giggled, and her brother rolled his eyes at her.
"Fine, have your fun. The meeting will be boring enough that we might need the amusement of Advisor Dominic dressed like a Pirate in disguise to keep us awake," he relented.
The maids were doing their very best not to laugh as they served breakfast, and then immediately after, a pair of men from the Natural Sons’ Regiment arrived with a soldier of the Palace Guard to escort them to the meeting.
"No hat today?" The soldier on Dominic’s right asked.
"The dress code is official uniforms. The hat isn’t part of the uniform." Dominic whispered back.
Princess Alexis was wearing a fancy gown with her Paladin Trade Skill Core hung on her necklace, while Prince Alex had chosen a Cygnia Royal Mage’s Robes, similar to the black robes that Dominic wore, but fancier to denote his status as both a Prince and an Archmage.
"I see that you fixed your nails as well. Very impressive, Advisor." The soldier whispered.
Dominic looked down, then frowned.
When did his nails grow out to claws again? They weren’t long, but they were pointed, and jet black. Not the colour of nail polish, but completely black.
He was going to have to watch his own reactions today.
Someone might be trying to mess with him and trigger a response from his bestial side that would disrupt the meeting, and possibly some of the alliances that were being formed.
They were among the earliest of the Royals to arrive, but the majority of the other Nobles were present, along with the Bostoverian Princesses, who were still on the hunt for an appropriate marriage alliance.
They appeared to be having some luck with a Duke’s son from Skiple, which was a long way from her home, as his nation shared a border with western Dagos, instead of eastern, as most of the other nations present did.
"Welcome everyone. We called you all here because we have a situation. Prince Kaizon has again attempted to claim dominion over Dagos, and issued another round of invitations to his Coronation.
So, I believe that it would be wise to move up the schedule and hold the official coronation today, along with the public appearances of the new King.
The official notices won’t arrive from Prince Kaizon for a few days, and they’re scheduled for later in the week.
If we move quickly, he will simply look like a desperate fool." Viscount Boscom began the meeting.
Prince Alex cleared his throat. "Cygnia has no objections to the enhanced timeline."
But the other Nobles didn’t seem as sold on the idea.
"Let him proclaim all that he wants. He doesn’t have any backing left." One of them insisted.
Viscount Boscom shook his head. "We suspect that he is gathering the northern Nobles to his cause. They have had no part in the war, refused to send soldiers under the previous King, and most of them faced no invasions during this renewal.
They have not suffered the drought that the rest of the nation has, either.
In short, this is all a detached issue to them, and they see no reason not to back a puppet Emperor who will do as they tell him."
The Dagos Nobleman who had spoken frowned, then looked at the gathered dignitaries. A quick head count showed that very few of the northern Nobles had come for what was supposed to be a Coronation ceremony, as announced by both the Viscount and the Prince.
If they hadn’t known in advance that Prince Kaizon intended to betray them, at least one would have shown his face, just to hedge his bets. A few missing might be coincidence, but all of them being absent was too much to overlook.