✎ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɴɪɢʜᴛ: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪᴠᴇ

✇ 17:00 EST; District of Tvaru

Northwest of Aeternum | 3rd Samas: Year 1345

° ᴾʳᵉˢᵉⁿᵗ

[Count Stewarisès' residential villa; located near the founding rural areas of Tvaru]

Imagine standing in a room filled with the most horrendous, pungent and potent smell you've ever come across, and then try not scrunching up your nose is distaste.

That's what it was like trying to keep my facade on.

The smile worn on my face was practically tattooed there to keep it lodged into place. It was no easy task to socialise.

It had taken about an hour to reach Count Stewarisès villa before I was swarmed by the host herself and then ushered towards the private garden. Talk about desperate.

Although I have to admit the view was fantastic.

Countess Emmaline, the Earls wife had a good taste in indoor decoration.

Sitting inside the beautiful decorated greenhouse was a pleasant occurrence. A hexagonal shaped room whose walls were made out of thin, translucent crystals, emitting natural light due to magic. Three stories high in the air, the river below was a majestic sight with its clean water and oddly shaped, colorful fish. The room itself was mesmerising as well. Various plants gathered from all over the continent were displayed proudly. A few quite colorful and others plain in comparison, but all wonderful to see. The Countess obviously took pride in her garden. It was something worth to be proud of.

I couldn't say the same about her daughter.

Lady Evelyn. The hostess of this party. The same one who had been chatting our ears away about the lastest sets of shoe Viøtmene had bought for their store.

Lady Evelyn was beautiful. There was no lie that.

It couldn't be said the same for her personality however.

Like father, like daughter I suppose. A greedy show-off who loved to brag.

Every one in society pretended they didn't know the lengths Count Stewarisès went to expand his wealth. How many slaves he framed, workers he fired for nonexistent reasons and theft of proclaimed jobs. So it was no surprise his daughter turned out to be just as greedy and sly as him.

Sitting on the opposite duvet in front of mine, wearing a dress that must cost the same price of a farmer's house, she laughed melodically. Chatting by idly, Lady Lucia accompanied her with her embroidery. Lady Evelyn with her straight, pale, purple hair, light black eyes and summer tanned skin looked almost ashen next to Lady Lucia with her fiery red hair and flame branded pupils.

One would think Lady Evelyn was solely focused on her handiwork. If only she would stop fidgeting towards my direction every once in a while, that'd be great.

"The cake is delicious," I say in hopes that Evelyn's eyes would stop their wandering. If they fleeted back and forth anymore, I fear there would be a small chance of them falling out of their sockets. My question however, seemed to brighten her up a bit. "I absolutely adore it."

"Yes, I agree." She cried happily, hands tightly woven together. "I fell in love with it at first taste, too!"

What an exaggeration. She probably never even touched it because it contained ingredients from the south. Rather than saying anything aloud, I take another bite of the cake and watch her grimace from the corner of my eye. Liar.

"You must have good taste then, Lady Evelyn." Emurade said bashedly, her cheeks forming a small pink blush due to her natural tender personality and shyness. Emurade, herself spotted the lie in Evelyn's actions. "I really like it as well. Did you perhaps get it from the bakery at the plaza?"

Rapidly shaking her head, Evelyn held her nose high.

"My father got it from the foreign merchants from the South as a trade of sorts. It was very difficult to find."

Emurade smiled. She looked so harmless and innocent.

I almost couldn't believe the girl in front of me murdered a fully grown men behind closed doors. Lady Evelyn had no idea who she invited in her house. "Pray tell us more?"

With that, Evelyn launched herself into a conversation about how the Southerners came to reside in their Villa a while ago, opting to trade goods for shelter during their short stay at the capital.

It didn't take long before her attention was steered away from us. Lady Evelyn's main task right now was to brag as much as possible.

"She's awfully vain, isn't she?" Emurade breathe felt warm against the shell of my ear. Other than Lady Evelyn and Lucia, Lady Emuraude was a popular socialite who had a clean reputation in the inner circle of nobles. Luscious coal black hair and forest green eyes were staring at the wall right beside my viewpoint as we listened to what others had to say. Her gaze amused. "Just wait until she starts mentioning the Palace Knight. That's when things get interesting."

I don't comment on how Emurade knows this beforehand.

Emurade Monteguer came from a long line of talented specialists. It wasn't surprising that she heard the news before we did. They were the hidden messengers of the Empire after all.

I just wondered what happened to the Palace Knight for them to become a hot topic of gossip.

We didn't have to wait for long.

"Lady Katherine, Have you heard about what happened to the Palace Knight?" Lady Lucia exclaimed, clapping her hands in glee. "I heard it was so scandalous, the Empress herself tried covering it up."

She let out a giggle before covering her mouth to make it seem like she said she something she wasn't supposed to. What a great actor. She probably intended to spill this from the start. The fact that everyone's attention was in her makes it ten times better for her. Evelyn scowled at Lucia from where she sat, besides her. No on pays any mind.

Ushering her to continue, everyone leans in to hear what Lady Lucia has to say. Except Emurade that is. A true blood Monteguer, composed as always.

"I heard that one of the Royal Palace Knights has secretly been collecting ancient Mana right under the Emperor's nose. Apparently the soldier had intended to sell them at a ridiculously high price in other nations. He was stopped before he could, of course, but oh! The horror!"

Gasps echoed throughout the room and I pretended to release one myself.

That was clearly untrue.

First of all, ancient Mana wasn't stored in the Royal Palace. That was just a false rumour spread to the public by the Royal Palace. No one other than a blood descendant knows where it is, not even the Empress. Second, even if the Knight collected any ancient Mana, it wouldn't make a difference. Not as long as he didn't have the Book of the Living with him. So it would clearly be useless trying to sell it.

Judging from Lucia's face, it was clear she didn't know that. She continues her preaching without knowing the truth.

"That's not all though!"

Oh? My face must've given away my surprise. Lady Sarene snickered. Eyeing me up and down. "Penny for your thoughts Lady Katherine?"

I smiled.

Not the 'Yes-thank-you' smile I had worn for the past half an hour but rather the 'say-that-again-if-you-the-courage-to' smile. It was vividly noticeable that I made every one else in the room slightly tense and fearful, even Lady Sarene. Kathleen was going to kill me once I returned home.

She lost her smile, coughing a bit. Trying her best to attract my sudden interes off of her.

"Let's see what Lady Lucia has to say, shall we?"

Hand slightly trembling, Lady Lucia did her best to smile without whimpering. She resembled a poor beaten dog if you ask me. Mercifully, her voice still remained stable without sounding like a screeching banshee. "Yes. You know, that my father works under the royal palace, r-right?"

Everyone nodded. What a useless thing to say. We all knew that. Noble or not. Lady Lucia. Daughter of Count Azurek. The royal lapdog who took care of overseeing all the Emperors' and his familys' clothing. What did he of all people hear?

"Well apparently, I heard that the Emperor and the Empress has been sleeping the same room once again!"

They what now?

Lady Lucia giggled.

She fucking giggled.

They slept.Together.

Since when???

Emurade looked equally as surprised as me. Her mouth open wide enough to catch flies. She didn't know this herself. Neither of us for the love of the Walls could figure out why. They both hated each other with passion. What changed?

"I thought the Emperor liked to sleep alone in his chambers ever since the war." I ask. "What changed his mind."

Evelyn giggled as if I had said something scandalous.

"The Emperor must be a lonely man. I suppose he needs someone to keep him company at night since he can't have any Royal concubines."

The nerve of this girl.

Permitted or not, the useless tyrant fucked more women during his 20's than the amount of fingers and toes he has on his body.

Such things were usually avoided when talking in public. Evelyn on the other hand looked overjoyed. Wearing an expression that said she wished to shout out her discovery to the whole world.

"Evelyn," Lady Idris speaks loud and clear for the first time since the party. Her floor length white gown and corset complimented her skin and gave her a look of elegance mixed with danger, eyes focused on Evelyn alone. Even her honey smooth voice tethers on the edge of dangerous. "I would watch my mouth if I were you. Such talks aren't taken so lightly amongst nobles these days."

I winced.

Lady Idris went straight for the jugular.

Reminding Evelyn that her family wasn't considered a noble anymore in high society other than name.

Evelyn herself was reminded of her place. Hands fumbling in her lap, she looked down to avoid any eye contact, softly murmuring with Lucia. With a pushover like her, it was no wonder she never survived social gatherings unless she hosted them herself.

The rest of us paid no heed, sipping our choices of beverage, not bothering to strike a conversation, enjoying the provided snacks peacefully.

The foods looked delicious.

High jars filled with freshly squeezed juice and a coffee pot stood on a small black polished stand. Desserts consisting of cheesecake, macarons, mochi looked exquisite. Even the cupcakes filled with sweet filings that oozed out a wonderful smell were distributed equally on plates for easy access. Our culinary utensils shined to the brim, seeming perfectly polished. Too bad everyone on this table was too proud to even touch an ounce of food other than the drinks.

This was how time passed for a while until Lady Diana arrived. Conversation bustled up again afterwards. A few other guests had yet to arrive but the only one I was waiting for was Hwa Pyeong.

Fucker decided to keep me await for a while longer.

At one point, I started making pleasant conversation with Lady Alisha. The new market place in towns, gossip from the news forum, latest scandals of the society, everything there was we could think of. All while keeping an eye on Lady Idris. The mines in the East weren't brought up into conversation yet.

Hwa Pyeong still hadn't made an appearance yet and I was beginning to doubt whether she was coming or not.

It took an entire hour before she showed up.

Just when I thought this whole trip was pointless, the water in the fountain started to gurgle. Teas were spilled and cries were heard as a result of shock, but a few of us smiled knowingly.

When the aquamarine blue whirlpool started swirling into a shade darker, the recognizable faint smell of seawater fainted through the air. If you had blinked, you would've miss it. In an instant, Hwa Pyeong dramatically emerged from the fountain, some remains of water still clinging to her skin whilst white mist surrounded her.

She looked unreal.

Sporting a traditional blue and mint dress that represented her culture, Hwa Pyeongs' entire figure proudly was sculptured with detail. The hem flowing in waves, overlapping each other as the tip grew lighter, the dress almost represented waves that naturally splashed below her feet. Assortments of blue, green and silver scales glittered in place of a makeshift corset shined. It shined just as bright as her smile, the dress completely dazzling just like its owner.

The gills on each side of her neck slowly faded away when her body realized there was no need for them. However, the tip of her ears were still pointed just like an elf's similar to when she remained under water. They started evolving from her pale peach skin into fin like texture with highlights of blue here and there until it hardened into metallic azure scales.

The other thing that remained same was the permanent glitter that had been etched onto the undersides of her eyes since the day she was born.

Hwa Pyeongs' natural blue hair turned a tad bit lighter whenever she entered land and the gold in her eyes dimmed just like to did now. A sign of slight distress of not being in water.

If Lady Evelyn was beautiful, Hwa Pyeong was breathtakingly gorgeous. A water nymph from a Royal blood line guaranteed a spot for beauty in their genes. And she fucking knew it.

Her smirk held no regrets of being late, as one pearly hand swatted a lock of hair behind her shoulder.

"I hope you all didn't have to wait for too long."

Wow. What a bitch.

Too bad she's MY bitch.