Raphios Kastellon's elder brother, Thurannis, was a competent figurehead. A keen debater and amateur philosopher, Thurannis found himself well liked amongst his peers - a fact that Raphios could not abide. Envious of his brother's modest successes, and encouraged by his wife who sought a higher status, Raphios set about ensuring that it would be he who found himself with the title of Orator Prince. It was already late in the year when Raphios brought his plans against his brother to bear. All it took was a document in the right place, forged immaculately, dropped inconspicuously to make the accusations of "embezzler" stick. It took less than a month for Thurannis to be ousted from his post. In all honesty, Raphios was rather pleased with himself.
With the post of Orator Prince now vacant, Raphios was quick to seize the opportunity before him, placing himself as the frontrunner. It did not take long before he was selected for the position, a decision that naturally caused Raphios incredible joy. To celebrate his new found success, Raphios decided that this was most certainly cause for a party. Missives sent across the realm brought guests of high esteem to Kastellon's keep for a weekend of frivolity in celebration of the newly appointed Prince. Those in attendance described the scenes as "debauchery unmatched" and "hedonism personified" - though few complained in the moment, as wine flowed and food was plentiful.
Few, however, would view the party in the same light as Raphios. What began as an enjoyable if rowdy evening quickly soured in the heat of passion. It was on that first night that he made the acquaintance of Aleni Panarand - though they would leave the night as far more than acquaintances. Under darkness they found refuge in a spare bedroom, and out of sight of Raphios's wife, the two engaged in frivolities of a different kind.
To say that Raphios felt no remorse for his infidelity would be unfair. True, he concealed the affair from his wife, going about his life in the same way he always had, albeit with new courtly duties in hand, but he did so with a heightened sense of unease. A great pit had formed in his stomach, one that threatened to swallow him whole. He met Aleni thrice more, and each time that pit seemed to double in size. And still, his wife knew nothing of the sordid affair, nothing of Raphios's extra-marital arrangements.
Perhaps he found relief when his secret was finally exposed. In comparison to the secrets of some of the other Orator Princes, his seemed rather trivial. But a secret exposed is a secret doubled, and as public opinion turned on the once up and coming gentleman. And just as his brother had been ousted by him, Raphios too found himself on the receiving end of dismissal. How his brother had discovered his affair remained a mystery to him, and Raphios never once asked. A week after his prompt removal from the Court, the two sought one another out. They met at a bar in the capital, and hugged when they met. Together, they raised their glasses to intrigue, circles, and Aloreh.
