Party

"AAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"This is nice. So peaceful."

"AAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"Yeah."

"AAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"These chickens are so cute." Helena said as she tossed some feed at the collection of chickens pecking around her feet.

"AAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"Who knew there would be a home ran petting zoo here?" Roko said as he also tossed some feed to the chickens.

"Apparently this place is pretty popular with the nearby townsfolks."

"AAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"I can see why. This is relaxing."

"THESE DEMONS KEEP FOLLOWING ME!" Roland yelled as he ran around in a circle, a flock of a couple dozen chickens chasing after him in a fit, "GET THEM OFF ME!"

"For the love of god Roland, JUST GIVE THEM THE FOOD!" Helena yelled back.

"You can't give random animals food! They're going to go up to random humans expecting food!"

"Roland, this is a FARM. These animals get their food exclusively from humans."

"Well can you at least get them to calm down first?! I swear to god these small dinosaurs are going to attack me the moment I slow down!"

"I didn't know Roland was scared of chickens." Roko scoffed.

"HEY, I heard that Roko! I'd like to see you take on a million chickens! They're way worse than a million duck sized horses!"

"There's barely 20 chasing you."

"How about I bring them over there and see how you deal with them?!"

"I'm dealing with them just fine." Roko said as he tossed more feed at the tame chickens around him.

"Seriously. On one hand we have Roland. On the other hand..."

Roko and Helena turned their heads to the other side of the farm where Corissa was sitting there absolutely surrounded by animals. Well behaved chickens sat around her alongside sleeping dogs. Energetic chicks were eating food out of her hands and climbing and jumping all over her.

"You're all so cute..." Corissa giggled blissfully as she scratched the head of a baby chick on her shoulder.

"Is that a deer?" Helena said, "When did a deer get here?"

"Eh. It'll leave once Corissa moves. Best not to spook it."

"Meanwhile, Momo's out herding the sheep."

"Except for those two that's munching on some grass next to Corissa."

"Oh is that a black sheep? Aw that's cute, its like Varis."

"Pretty sure she named it Varry."

"And Mikado and Kaguya's out helping the proprietors fix the chicken coop. Which is kind of weird. They seem pretty experienced with this stuff. Like they worked on a farm before. Weird, right?"

"Yeah well, I mean..." Roko shrugged, "Kaguya's studying sustainable farming in arctic lands so she's probably researched stuff like this."

"Yeah but like...she was really ready to help. Like she's done this before. That's weird isn't it?"

"Umm..."

"Delivery!" A voice called from around the yard.

"Oh thank god!" Helena tossed her bag of feed to Roko as she stopped leaning on one of the farm's fences, "Whatever this letter is that my parents told me about better be important! I'll go grab everyone."

And with that, Helena jogged past the screaming and flailing Roland to the front of the farm.

"Here it is." Helena presented the group with a fancy envelope, red with trimmings of gold.

"Haven't seen something as fancy as this for a while." Momo picked up the envelope and looked it over curiously, "We've been traveling for so long, I've forgotten what a castle looks like."

"It has been a while since we've had to do any princessly duties." Kaguya said, "This was supposed to be sent to each of our families who then put them all together to send it to us right?"

"That's the story." Helena sighed, "Whatever this is better be important."

"Who wants to open it?" Momo said, "Corissa?"

"Hehehehe..." Corissa mumbled dreamily, "So fluffy..."

"Corissa, snap out of it." Helena snapped her fingers at Corissa, "We're doing this now."

"Huh?! Oh! Sorry!" Corissa said as she pulled herself out of her animal petting fantasies, "Uhh...envelope right? I'll open it!"

Corissa took the envelope from Momo and opened it. The group waited on baited breath as Corissa rifled through the contents until she pulled out a number of tickets from within.

"This is..." Corissa said as she quickly read what was written on the tickets, "An invitation to a party?"

"Seriously?" Helena scoffed as she took the envelop from Corissa and pulled out a proper letter from it, "Let's see..."

Another moment passed as Helena briefly scanned the letter's content before she explained, "Yeah, it's an invitation to Baron Oarbine's annual party."

"Baron Oarbine." Kaguya nodded, "He's well known for hosting extravagant parties like this but I thought he died recently?"

"Yeah, it's being held by his son, Distol Oarbine." Helena continued reading, "It doesn't sound like it's any different from his dad's parties. Just seems like he wants to keep the tradition alive."

"Is this Baron Oarbine that important?" Roko asked.

"I've only met the father, Ragnum Oarbine, once when I was a child." Kaguya shrugged, "He seemed pretty strict and scary but I always figured he wasn't that bad since he kept throwing these fancy parties."

"He was definitely a man of little words." Helena agreed, "I always got the feeling that he was the type to be kind to others but mean to his own kids so I was glad that I wasn't his child. Not that mine were much better."

"I've never been personally." Corissa said, "I've heard stories about these parties though. It always sounds like an exciting time."

"Sounds good." Roland grinned, "I'm always down for a party."

"About that." Helena said as she read the letter, "Knights aren't allowed."

"What the hell?!"

"Yeah, I don't remember many foreign knights being invited along with their royalties." Momo mused, "Mostly a nobles only party."

"There are tickets for each of us though." Corissa said as she shuffled through the admissions in her hands, "Err…each of the princesses that is. And a Plus One."

"So one of us can go?" Roland said as he turned to Roko, Mikado and Varis.

"Well...on three then." Helena smiled, "One...two...three."

"Roko." Everyone announced simultaneously.

"Varis." Roko said, "Wait, why did you name me instead of yourself, Roland?!"

"I've given up." Roland said with a hint of depression, "You're the clear favorite."

"Why'd you name Varis?" Helena smirked.

"Are you kidding me? Varis knows so much magic, he's infinitely more useful than me in any given situation."

"Yeah but we're going to a party and he can't talk."

"And if trouble arises, you'd be glad you bought him instead of me!"

"Already thinking of the worst case scenarios huh? That's our Roko."

"Umm...Please don't take this the wrong way, Varis." Corissa spoke up, "But Varis tends to make people uncomfortable around parties. Plus you saw how he tends to handle minor troubles back with the band. If he does have to step in, it'll probably end up escalating."

Varis placed a hand on Roko's shoulder and gave a thumbs up.

"I know you can talk." Roko growled.

"Well, that's been decided then." Kaguya chuckled.

"Now hold on, we haven't even decided we're going yet!" Roko protested, "This has nothing to do with our journey!"

"I mean if you want to skip it, it's fine." Kaguya shrugged, "They did say that this was important and dragged us all the way off course to here just to ensure we got this message. And the Baron's castle isn't that far from here. They probably made us come here to get us closer to the Baron which means they really want us to go there..."

"..." Roko thought it over for a bit, a scowl crossing over his lips until he mumbled "Fine, we'll go."

"Cool." Helena set the letter down, "There's a big city named Macartha in between here and the castle so we have about a day to get there and then about two days to prepare for the party."

"What do we need to prepare?" Roko frowned.

"This is a noble party, Roko. We need proper noble attire. I, for one, didn't pack any party dresses when I started this journey."

"I figured I could just go in my uniform." Roko muttered.

"Roko, please. Be reasonable. Besides." Helena picked up the letter again and glanced at it, "This is a masquerade ball so we need masks."

"We can't just use the ones back in the Gaurav incident?"

"For one, we don't have those with us. For another, this isn't that serious a party. Just a little eye mask will do."

"Alright." Roko sighed, "Let's just get this over with."

In the next few days, upon arriving at Macartha, the princesses were deeply focused on preparation for the party. Visits to a custom tailor, drawing multiple drafts of outfits, even discussing materials and jewelry. As the only guy going to the party, Roko was forced to be a passive part of this entire process which slowly impressed onto him how big and important a party this was. He still felt like he could just go in his school uniform though. I mean, apparently it costs a lot of money anyway but he knew better than to bring it up again. At some point he almost envied the knights who got to hang around and do whatever they want. Only almost because that would mean hanging out with Roland. When the night of the party came and the princesses got the knights' promise that they would stay at the inn while they were gone (to which Roland agreed with a very suspicious smile), Roko followed the finely dressed girls into the carriage and were carried off to a very big building that was equal parts mansion and castle. Climbing out of the carriage, Roko could see a large collection of other nobles arriving in their own carts, some of whom Roko even recognized from Memoria Auspice. From how everyone was dressed, it was clear that this was definitely a black tie sort of event, filled with either black suits or lavish ensembles. Roko's group was somewhere in between with primarily black outfits but with plenty of accouterments. Honestly, it felt like Roko could have come here with his black and silver school outfit but there's no way he can say that now.

"Oh! Hey! Melia!"

"Helena!" Melia cried as she stepped out of her own carriage, "I heard you might be coming here!"

"I didn't think you were ever going to leave the school!"

"Hey, I'm not that obsessed with the school." Melia pouted, "Besides, it's hard to say no to a party, especially one hosted by the Oarbines."

"I get that! You've got to tell me all the goings-on in Memoria Auspice that I've missed!"

"And you have to tell me all the adventures you've been on! I've heard some rumors about what you've done and it's only gotten me more curious! Have you made any progress with Roland?"

Helena and Melia talked excitedly as they headed into the Oarbine residence. Walking inside, Roko could see that this was probably a castle that was remodeled partly into a mansion. The interior was completely homely. The fortifications of the castle structure were now hidden or replaced by smooth, domestic walls, designed and decorated to exude the extravagance and comfort that the castle couldn't provide. Though for normal folk like Roko, he couldn't quite get used to the luxury in display here. Even compared to Memoria Auspice, a school built to house royals and nobles, the decor was pretty indulgent. From a stray painting, Roko could see the image of Ragnum Oarbine in his elder years. It was a giant almost wall sized portrait so Roko could see well the aged look in his eyes and the joyless frown that seemed like a popular expression for him. Sure enough, Roko couldn't imagine a man like him hosting a ton of parties, much less socializing at one. Roko wondered what kind of person he really was. And what kind of person his son is. Turning away from the decor, Roko continued to follow the group as they traveled around the Oarbine's home, guided by a small collection of staff that directed them up the mansion. Roko followed the flow of guests, he couldn't help but notice how few staff there actually were for a castle this big. Only one or two maids or butlers were there to redirect the flow at any point and there was no sign of any further staff attending to the home in the background. In fact, some of the wings of the castle didn't even seem to be lit, leaving the feeling that much of the castle weren't even alive. Roko continued to make this observation again and again until they reached the topmost floor of the castle.

"Tickets." A maid guarding the entrance to the party hall said.

"Right here." Helena and Melia both handed over their tickets which the maid read and counted individually before she nodded,

"Tickets confirmed. Please, take this complementary gift."

Another maid reached into a display of flowers and pulled out one of them, tying this strange flower to Helena's hand.

"Oh wow." Helena whistled, "Is this a Paradisea?"

"Paradisea?" Roko asked as the maids went around delivering the corsage to everyone in their party.

"It's a special flower that only blooms in certain conditions." Kaguya explained as she looked at her own paradisea, "It's known as the flower that only blooms in paradise, hence Paradisea."

"Wait, guys too?" Roko said as a maid tied the flowery corsage to his wrist.

"Yes." The maid bowed professionally, "The master wishes you to keep this corsage on throughout the entirety of the party."

"Well, it's hella pretty." Momo smiled, "So we'd be glad to."

"Welcome." The maids bowed as they gestured into the dining hall.

Everyone's immediate first stop was the dining table which was stocked with plenty of appetizers. Each taking a small plate, Roko and company gathered off to the side and chatted with each other as they waited for everyone to file in. As they entertained themselves, Roko took the time to examine the room. It was a large golden dining hall not that dissimilar to the hall in Cordis where a similar party had taken place. Except this one was way bigger. The walls and floors were a bright gold with a glass ceiling that hung almost two dozen meters above the ground, showing off the beautiful starry night sky beyond it. Soft classical music played from a surprisingly loud record player in the corner and at the very back of this room was a set of stairs that lead up to a stage before wrapping around the main wall to an unseen room in the back. On the wall was a large picture of a younger Ragnum Oarbine with young boy that Roko presumed to be his son. The two seemed very similar with a stern, no nonsense look in their eyes. And lastly, Roko noticed that no staff were present in the room. No waiters or waitresses to attend and entertain the guests. No maids or butlers supplementing that role either despite the handful they saw on the way here.

Before Roko could look around further, a loud footstep drew everyone's attention to the stage. A young man, only year or two older than Roko, stepped out from behind the wall and down the stairs onto the stage. There was no doubt this person was an older version of the stern child in the painting behind him. The handsome young man was dressed in dark red and gold, facing all the party goers with a distinct dignity that he seemed to inherit from his father.

"Welcome." The man opened his arms in a cordial manner, "Welcome to what would be the 35th Oarbine Gala and what will be my first time hosting this event. As many of you are aware, I am Distol Oarbine. Son of my vaunted father, Ragnum Oarbine. My old man started this traditional festivity years ago, before it was even known as the Oarbine Gala. And though he may not be here to continue this tradition today, I hope to honor his memory and continue in his place. I am rather inexperienced so I hope you will excuse the small growing pains as I learn how to entertain so many exuberant guests. But I've held you all up long enough. Let the festivities begin!"

The music swelled to a more active tempo as it filled the room and people began to break off from their cliques and began to mingle.

"Does this feel off to anyone else?" Roko asked before the princesses could disperse.

"Off how?" Helena asked, the princesses, save for Melia, all turned to him with a knowing smile.

"For one there's barely any staff at this party."

"Much of the manor's personnel was probably laid off following the death of Ragnum Oarbine." Kaguya explained.

"Still, a lot of the castle seems out of service."

"Were you planning to explore a whole lot? We're here for a party." Corissa smiled.

"Well, I don't know much about parties but wouldn't there usually be a live band instead of a record player?"

"We can't always afford live entertainment." Momo laughed.

"That Distol guy doesn't seem like the type to host a lot of parties."

"His father was much the same yet this is a pretty well known tradition among nobles." Helena shrugged.

"I don't know..." Roko growled, each of his points soundly rebutted, "Something still feels off."

"A lot of us probably feel the same way. And that's not just us. A lot of the people here probably came here with concerns if not with suspicion." Helena laughed, "We're all here to see how the young man will deal with his situation moving forward. If there's anything more...untoward going on behind the scenes...well we'll just have to ask around for more details."

"So we're splitting up?" Roko growled.

"Oh Roko, we know you can socialize on your own." Kaguya giggled.

"I don't know about that…"

"Well, now's as good a time as any to learn." Momo patted him on the shoulder, "Now let's mingle!"

And with that, all the girls walked off to different parts of the party alone. Except for Helena and Melia.

"Is he always like that?" Melia asked.

"Oh yeah. And that's why he's so fun!" Helena laughed.