All eyes then naturally turned to the north, the newest and last opening door in the hall this night, yet none of them were as focused upon those revolving hinges more than me, as I impatiently waited to behold that cheating swine for the first time in this life, desperately wanting to know what had happened to him earlier that have could possibly caused the ramifications it did, but the even more important query floating in my mind, was the if I could exploit it.

Their guards were the first to enter as is custom, and then the royal family of six appeared amidst them, under the halo of their drawn weapons.

In the middle, between his wife, three daughters and only son, stood the feared and mighty Frozen King, Mikhail the first, with his long snow white beard, that wasn't necessarily an effect of his advanced age, but simply because that is their family's distinguishing feature, along with their frozen blue eyes, that were akin to a frigid lake in winter.

He was dressed in long, flowing pale, white robes under ceremonial steal plate armour, while a heavy mantle made of a bear's alabaster coloured hide, with it's head resting menacingly upon his right shoulder, danced in the artificial wind behind him with his empire's standard sown atop it; an effect that was created due to his subtle use of his divine power to further enhance his etiolated image, and the magnificence of his ancestor's banner; an endless white field under a proud golden tree without stretched branches, beneath the light of seven stars.

But despite all of that, he did not strike a particularly gallant appearance in my eyes, as I knew that he was nothing more than an old man, barely hanging on by a thread to this mortal coil, and that last hold out of his would not last him long, as that last thread would snap in the next five decades at the latest, if my memory serves me correctly.

Unless of course he grits his teethe and gambles on the possibility of unlocking his fifth gate, which would not only extend his lifespan, but would return his body back into the shape of a middle aged perhaps, but I knew he wouldn't, since he has long since passed his prime and no one was dumb enough to challenge the great barrier when he was nearing death's door, which only stands doubly so for the infamously meticulous Mikhail.

Besides, he never did dare to attempt it in my past life anyway.

Turning my attention away from him, I uninterestingly glance at his wife and empress, who despite being a fairly beautiful and kind woman, especially in her current outfit that mirrored her husband's, but with the obvious absence of all the armour and bear heads; she was little more than that, with little talent for much of anything more that were considered vital in our way of life.

Empress Nadia, for all intents and purposes, was just a lucky flower vase who so happened to one day catch the desperate emperor's eye and then by another stroke of luck gave birth to his sole, and most beloved son and heir.

I then swiftly turned to that bastard's sisters, the eldest Elisabetta, the second Marika, and the youngest Alina, those three wenches I so sadistically slaughtered in my past life; which was also one of my sweetest memories of my previous lifetime, as it was one of the only times I had backed that cheating waste of air Nicholas into such a corner that he had no way to extradite his loved ones from my hands.

Even to this day I still wish I could've seen that bastard's twisted face when I mailed him back to him, one visceral piece at a time, for five agonizing months. It truly was the sweetest revenge I'd ever tasted against that scum, after he'd denied me my Eve's warmth when he had her so brutally killed.

But my eyes lingered the most on Elisabetta, the so called Mistress of Misery in my past life, the sole one among his sisters to truly prove to be a constant nuisance, especially after she'd taken command of the Ice Stalker Knights.

It was only then that I turned to my most despised adversary, yet he was so different from what I knew him as, it honestly stunned for a second. He was dressed in long white robes that were masterfully embordered with light blue silk threads, and then further enhanced by pristinely white fur, giving him an extremely potent princely air about him; one that stood as such an extreme opposite to the stoic, cold hearted, yet magnetically charismatic man I knew him to be.

This only increased when I felt his aura, which was like a spring day's gentle breeze in comparison to the harrowing, howling vortex of sundering glacial winds and arctic chill.

But then again, we were all in a similar situation, with our power being a fraction of a fraction of what it once was.

Still, it gave me great glee that I was ahead of him by a full gate, giving me an extremely valuable early advantage that would invaluable in the long term; yet at the same time it slightly unnerved me, since they were also progressing far faster than they did in my past life.

But at very least, I also realized that he had not yet received his ancestor's blessing, because his eyes were as calm as ever when they crossed with mine.

'He's still unaware, but if that's the case, then what happened with him earlier?' I thought, as they took their seats on the north-central part of the hall, just as King of the Astrapi Kingdom, Aegaeon the fifth, took the place of the master of ceremony, before his golden goblet high and proclaiming "Friends, allies and all I welcome you to the two hundredth and nineteenth Banquet of Concordia!"

The crowd loudly clapped for a moment, before allowing him to continuing "It is my and my nation's great honour to host this most significant of historic gatherings, one that has for more than two millennia now, proliferated the ideals of peace and harmony among us few children of the divine, and helped a many great kings and queens found new bonds of fellowship that has withstood the trials of time, and etched themselves upon our history forever."

The hall then again resounded with the crowd's clapping hands, but my attention was already else where, as my eyes kept subtly roaming around the hall in search of her figure, only for my attention to be redirected back Aegaeon, as he announced "As per tradition of the Banquet of Concordia, and for the expressed purpose of the facilitation of friendship and comradery, we have arranged for three major activities for the coming thirty days. The first ten days of which, are to be occupied by the first event; the Nights of Masquerades!"

The hall then exploded with acclaim, as for the first time the audiences' cheers turned from polite applause to genuine praise, especially among many of the ladies in attendance, who seemed especially excited by the concept and fashion of a masquerade ball for ten days straight.

Meanwhile, I was on the verge of ripping his throat out.

'It was difficult enough to locate my Eve ordinarily, never mind in a masquerade party, where everyone is masked and clothed in different costumes!' I thought in unspeakable frustration, before I calmed my self down again.

Yet Aegaeon wasn't done as he continued "For the second third of the Banquet we have prepared a series of martial competitions, known as the Joust of Jewels. The details of which will be divulged at a later date." He finished cryptically, which only added more fuel to the fire that was the excitement of all the young men among us, who were beyond thrilled for such a once in a lifetime spectacle, since a great many of the world's most renowned and strongest are all gathered here.

"And finally, as the closing act of the two hundredth and nineteenth Banquet of Concordia, we will have a hunting competition in my nation's very own plentiful mountains, which shall be known as the Quests of Crowning! And again, more details of which will be given in the appropriate time."

And yet again the hall erupted in adulation, as many were excited for this as well, meanwhile I simply nodded to them, not caring more for them, beyond the fact that they at least won't further endanger my plans for this event, but in contrast, my clever little brother had quiet a few misgivings on what he'd just heard.

"Competitions?! Wouldn't that lead to some people to hold grudges and unsatisfaction in their hearts for those who beat them, and claimed the victory spot? Especially in a place like this, where the entire is basically watching, and defeat could mean eternal humiliation? Why would they decide on something that would cause an adverse reaction to what they've expressed their goal is?" Nizam quickly analysed, finding it utterly without logic.

"You are correct my prince, but..." Darius began to answer him, with a beaming smile on his face "though they are being called as competitions, they are most definitely going to be akin to an exhibition rather than true duels, as for the hunt, I suspect it will be an event resembling the Hunts of Harmony, that were done in the Artemisia Kingdom in the west nations two centuries ago, wherein the Banquet's participants would be given no food, but a fully prepared camp and supplies, and must go forage or hunt for their own, before handing it over to the chefs and then all of them feasting on the efforts of their own collective labour."

"You think the Astrapi Kingdom has prepared a Banquet, the likes of the two hundredth of seventeenth, one of the most successful in history?" I asked him with a cocked eye brow, since I was not present in this Banquet in my last life, and it was held by different people in a different place, I had no idea what we are to expect.

"I'm... optimistic so far." He replied, after a brief pause, as if he was trying the right word to say.

But before we could exchange anymore words, the loud cheering finally paused and king Aegaeon was able to end his speech, as he raised his goblet in toast "Here's for the new friendships that are to be born, and the old rivalries that are to be forgotten in the coming days; and may our divine ancestors smile favourably upon this Banquet of ours, and shower us with with their blessings!"