Latio watched Lord Proppu with the detached intensity of a jeweler examining a flawed diamond. The buttering of praise had been a pleasant appetizer, but the time had come for the main course.
"As much as my father and I are honored to have you amongst our guests, I cannot help but notice a glaring void in our company," Latio began, his voice cutting through the ambient noise of clattering silverware. "My dear cousin, Merelao, is not among our cherished guests. Tell me, Lord Proppu, what kept your liege from this hall? I had eagerly awaited his arrival, hoping we might celebrate together, yet he is conspicuously absent."
The Great Bull shifted in his massive seat, the wood groaning like a sinking ship. "Indeed," Lavus rumbled, his nasal voice vibrating in his meaty throat. "A celebration of this magnitude should have commanded the presence of the entire family. His absence tastes of a slight."
