Prince Derek had a very sour look now. While it was the Kingdom of St. Ellis that gave Abel his own territory, things started to seem like they were out of control. In fact, it looked like that duchy of Carmel was already beyond the control of the Kingdom of St. Ellis.
Originally, the Kingdom of St. Ellis was composed of seven sub-states, but that number could easily become six, with Abel as one of the rulers. Take now, for example, the duchy of Carmel was speaking on equal ground with the Kingdom of St. Pierrt and the Kingdom of St. Anwall. Worse yet, if Abel truly wanted to form a diplomatic relationship with these two, there probably wasn't a lot that could stop him.
Abel bowed to Emperor Aldous, "O the great Emperor Aldous; it is my utmost honor to be under your presence."
Emperor Aldous bowed back, "Greetings to you, Grandmaster Abel. I've come here with the friendship of the Kingdom of St. Anwall, and we wish that we can do well with the duchy of Carmel."