The Guarded Princess

XXXII

The banquet had ended without a hitch. The food, drinks, and performances were all worthwhile and for Lucy who was experiencing Mahrajan for the first time, her face lit up in joy upon seeing all these various interactions. With all her new friends beside her, she had enjoyed the banquet to its fullest. The cries of laughter and the tears that were aroused were the very evidence of that. Before long, the lights had dimmed and the citizens began making their way homeward, celebrating the rest of Mahrajan with their family.

But, though the citizens had retired, Sinbad, Kouen, Lucy, and the others continued to party on - but this time, back at the castle. The servants had been dismissed from the castle for Sinbad had allowed them to return home to celebrate with their families, leaving the castle empty except for them. But, considering the abilities of each of them, there was no need to worry about leaving the castle empty.

"Now then, back to the castle to continue partying!" Sinbad yelled.

"Sin, you're getting drunk," Ja'far remarked.

"What are you talking about?" he laughed and slapped Ja'far on the back. "I won't get drunk on this little wine."

"Well, you are going to once we return back to the castle."

"That's true," Drakon agreed. "His drinking habits haven't changed at all."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he pouted his lips.

"Before you start drinking, you should really fix that molesting habit you have when you're drunk," Sharrkan pointed out. "Even I'm not as bad as you."

"No, I don't think you're in the position to say anything, Sharrkan," Yamraiha said. "Both of you have the worst drinking habits."

Pisti laughed. "Yam-chan's right! Both of you suck at drinking. Right, Spartos?"

Spartos nodded his head. "In fact, I don't think any of you should drink."

"Lucy-chan, make sure you're not near any of them when they're drunk," Pisti propped herself up on Lucy's shoulder.

"I'll keep that in mind," she chuckled.

"Don't worry, even if I'm drunk, I wouldn't go so far as to molest the little princess," Sinbad reassured them for he wouldn't do something so outrageous that might possibly lead to a full-on out war with the Kou Empire.

Kouen eyed him, not taking his words seriously in the slightest. "I highly doubt it," he said, pulling Lucy close to him.

His generals nodded their heads in agreement, all of them eyeing him with distrust in their eyes; the very eyes that they had gazed upon him with when they had first met. Sinbad widened his eyes in disbelief as he stared at them in shock.

"To not even be trusted by his own subordinates," Koumei eyed him as he held his fan over his mouth. "Quite laughable."

"It's hysterical," Kouha grinned in a mocking manner. "To think such a man became King."

"He can barely stand on par with Kouen-niisama," Kougyoku praised her older brother highly. "Both as a king and as a person, he is the best."

"But when we're talking about drinking habits, Alibaba-kun is also quite a tough one to deal with," Aladdin voiced out, laughing with a slight hesitation.

"Aladdin?!" Alibaba yelled as he couldn't believe that his own Magi would call out on him like that.

"I fully agree," Morgiana closed her eyes.

"Morgiana, too?!"

"It seems that we have quite the number of people who can't hold their alcohol well," Hinahoho burst into laughter and turned to Lucy. "What about you, little girl?"