“I like this color,” Zaf put candied fruit in his mouth, “so sweet! What kind of fruit is it?”
“Reds have a lot of strange fruits. Maybe it is from the Upper World?” Kors looked at Parky and his two unclean ones, who were already imposingly seated on a velvet sofa and stretched their paws to sweets:
“So. Friends? What is it?! Who allowed you to sit down?!”
And everyone, except those sitting, laughed. Parky and the unclean ones jumped up and darted away from Kors. And he turned to Nikto:
“Nik, sit down!”
And he froze in some confusion. Prince Arel, without invitation, immediately sat down on the sofa, in his hands was already a gold goblet.
“Although, wait!” Kors looked around. “Parky! Bring that chair over there!”
Parky immediately obeyed the order, dragging a carved gilded chair that looked more like a throne to Kors.
“Sit down,” said Kors, and everyone looked at Nikto, and he, as always, blushed and was embarrassed by such close attention and by the fact that Kors had singled him out so.
“Vitor, stop it,” he said quietly.
“Sit down. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here! Someone disagree with me?”
And Nikto’s cheeks turned red even more, since the stripes of soot on them slightly hid it.
“Sit down!”
Nikto sat down. Zaf chuckled and ate another candied fruit.
“I know now who Lis’ father is,” said Kors as if nothing had happened, not paying any attention to the embarrassed look of Nikto, tense Parky and the slightly mocking look of Zaf.
“Did you know him?” Zaf was surprised.
“No. But I fought against him, he was in his time a very… hmmm… tough commander. To enter into confrontation with him was already tantamount to defeat.”
“And you entered?”
“Yes,” said Kors briefly, without details.
“He defeated you?”
Kors froze, and then, shaking his head, replied:
“Yes.”
“It's a pity,” said Zaf, and Kors was surprised to feel that Zaf was sincere and he was really sorry, and Kors’ honesty, the fact that he admitted his defeat, didn’t push him away. Previously, Kors would never have admitted his failure so simply and without explanation, fearing that they would not understand him and turn away from him. And now – now he boldly spoke about his failures and didn’t feel weaker from this. And he didn’t feel that the unclean ones were disappointed in him, they took it somehow absolutely calmly. Kors’ noble black associates would immediately have made bewildered faces in response to such a frank confession. Such sincerity was not accepted in their circles, everyone spoke only about their achievements. Kors felt easy and merry: