"You knew." Her Majesty Queen Eris Altia spoke. It was not a question, she was just stating the obvious.

"I did." Isaac replied. "Well, I had an idea. It was obvious from our first meeting that you were not just a functionary sent to act as a tour guide. The countless Inquisitors watching our every move did not help you hide your importance. At first, I had thought that they were only interested in us, but as time went on, I started to notice them paying more attention to you than I would have expected."

"And you?" Queen Eris asked Lenna.

"Your dress and shoes were too clean, your speech was too perfect, your hair and skin look like you spent a fortune on them, and your basket didn't move like one in your hands." Lenna explained and eyed the basket that was still looped through the queen's arm. Queen Eris grabbed the basket with her other hand and pulled across her. The object warped and twisted until it turned into her royal scepter which she then laid across her lap. The object was magically lightened solid gold with platinum enchantments running through it. The gold acted like a reservoir for the magic and allowed better minute control over the magics enacted with the item. "I noticed our audience shifting their attention, but I did not realize how much of it was on you until my husband mentioned it."

Queen Eris's smirk turned into a pleasant slight smile. "Very good." She praised them. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Queen Eris Ferris Altia of the Altian Kingdom."

Isaac had a decision to make. He could either bow deeply like a foreign diplomat would, a bow of temporary subservience that would inform the queen that he was only under her rule as long as he was in her kingdom and was not one of her people. Or he could give her a deep nod of respect that would convey that he was of equal standing but would defer to her as he was in her home. He could have just nodded as he had with every noble that he had met, but that might've ended with a very successful attempt on his life. As it was, a deep nod could be seen as incredibly disrespectful if he ended up not being a demigod in the future. It really came down to how much he was willing to bet on his future. He needed to decide if he was a mortal or a demigod in his mind, long before either could be properly confirmed to be true. If he acted like a demigod now, and then he ended up not being one, he would have to deal with royals with grudges which would probably end in them moving to a different kingdom. But if he acted like a mortal, he was putting himself in a position of subservience for the foreseeable future to the crown of Altia. The only ways to get out of that would either be to ascend to demigodhood for all to see, or move kingdoms.

Isaac gave the queen a deeply respectful nod and Lenna gave her a slight bow. "It is an honor, Queen Eris, your beauty not only matches but exceeds your station, yet it falls short when compared to your wisdom and insight." Some might've seen Isaac's long hello as ass-kissing but he was gently guiding the momentum of the conversation in his favor by opening the sweet talking. "I am Darkness." He put just enough intent and will behind the word that the room dimmed as he spoke it. He felt the dull ache in his chest that meant that he was nearing the safe limit of his usable power so with a thought he ended the order that he had given his element. "Lord Isaac Wexler."

Queen Eris nodded back as she would have to another royal of a foreign land. The ease of which she did so told Isaac that it had always been the plan for her. She knew how he was going to greet her and had already planned for it. She then looked towards her husband to direct all attention towards him.

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"I am King Edwin Altia of the Altian Kingdom, first of my name, tenth of my line. Welcome, Darkness, to my kingdom and my home." He greeted Isaac without nodding.

Isaac realized he had been baited. He shouldn't have nodded so deeply to Queen Eris because Altia was a patriarchal society. The queen was under the king so if he had greeted the queen as if they shared equal standing then that meant that he would need to bow slightly to the king. But the king was no god, and no demigod would ever be caught bowing to a mortal. Rather than being entirely thrown off, Isaac's mind raced in search of a way to salvage his political slipup.

Isaac raised an eyebrow towards the king. His questioning look seemed to catch the king off guard for a split second before he realized what Isaac's look was implying. The king realized that Isaac expected a nod in greeting from him, which would put him and the queen on equal footing, which would put Isaac at the same level as himself. Now King Edwin had a choice to make. He could ignore Isaac and risk pissing off a demigod, which it looked like he most definitely would, or he could lower himself to the same level as his queen. If he lowered himself to the level of his young bride, it would practically be proclaiming that she had the real power in the kingdom and not himself. It was a lose-lose situation. If the slight widening of his eyes and twitch in the direction of the queen was anything to go by, he had just realized that she had set him up more than she had set Isaac up to lower himself.

King Edwin knew that he could salvage his inner reputation easier than he could solve one with an immortal force of nature like a demigod, especially one as unknown as Darkness, so he made his choice. King Edwin nodded towards Isaac in the same way that his wife had. Isaac gave him a respectful nod in reply as was expected and Lenna gave him a slight bow as well. "I have heard much about you, Darkness. So much that I am hard pressed to find the truth in the endless stories."

"Many of them are most likely true." Isaac replied calmly with a casual smirk. The look wasn't quite smug but it was close enough that Lenna wanted to elbow him. He had managed to pull a victory out of the jaws of defeat. He turned a tumble into a cartwheel and ended it to his own internal round of applause and exaggerated bow to the audience.

"I grow tired of formalities." King Edwin said and rose to his feet. "Come, join us for dinner. Maybe you can shed some light, or rather reveal, what is true and what is the exaggeration of working men and women."

Queen Eris rose immediately after her husband and gave Lenna a pleasant smile and a wink.

"That sounds delightful." Isaac agreed. "The capital is unique and awe inspiring, as are its rulers, and hopefully their cuisine as well."

King Edwin's perfectly school expression cracked slightly as he could help but smirk at Isaac's reply. It was a compliment that made sure that King Edwin would spare no expense in showing them hospitality. Anything less would be disappointing a royal from another land and that simply would not do. Isaac was no Serentia Von Arbencroft, but he was fast on his feet and had the balls to stand his ground in front of true royals and demigods.

From King Edwin's perspective, even if Isaac ended up not being a demigod, he was at least on par with the weaker ones of them, and that made him both a potential asset and a potential threat. It all came down to how agreeable of a person Isaac was. He knew that Lenna deferred to Isaac for important decisions but King Edwin also knew that being in her good graces was just as important as keeping Isaac happy. He knew from experience that a person's mate was the most vulnerable part of themselves. That was why he and Eris were going to make sure to keep Lenna at least as engaged in conversation as Isaac. If the potential demigod and his mate both fell in love with the kingdom, its people, and its rulers, then they would be much more likely to defend it. Dinner was just the perfect opportunity for King Edwin to get a good read on the duo.

Two royal guards led the way for the king and queen, two more guards fell in between the royals and the duo, then two more fell in behind the duo. The rest of the guards moved about to stand guard in the empty room, just in case someone tried to sneak in and set a trap for the royals when they inevitably returned to the detached throne room.

Lenna looped her arm through Isaac's when he held it out for her. "The rulers here are much more personable than in the Empire." She told her husband. "The Emperor would have tried to have you executed upon entering the city. Any potential threat is met with extreme violence before any other thought is made. He would never have even thought about becoming your ally, let alone friend, like the Arbencrofts did. And now, we are walking to dinner with His and Her Majesty. This truly is a different world, just like Lua promised me."

Isaac gave her a warm smile. "Good. I am glad that you like it. We still have much more of it to see." He replied and squeezed her arm. Hopefully they would get to explore most of it.

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