The first day of the soirée

Everything had moved like clockwork: Agnes, Edna and Mellie had helped me get dressed into one of my fancier white dresses. They had done my hair and fixed my makeup.  My trunks were taken down to the carriage by Auberon and Rudyard. Then suddenly I found myself waving goodbye to Everyone as Agnes, Edna and I embarked on our trip to the Von Esterheim castle.

The Von Esterheim's lived a few miles north of the castle, so on the journey, I really enjoyed watching the lush green hills and clear blue skies pass me by. The family lived on much higher ground than the Royal palace and the rest of Gismead, so from their perch they had magnificent views of the city, the forest, and the sea.

And what an incredible perch it was. Just from spotting their castle from far away, I could see the difference in wealth between me and them. Even though they were first rank nobles like Alice, their castle was bigger than the Marcellus's and much bigger than mine. It still wasn't as big as the Royal palace but was closer in size to the palace than a noble mansion.

Their castle was made of white stone, so I could see it glistening in the morning light from far away. It was so eerily beautiful and in complete contrast to the green fields that surrounded it. like a giant ice castle amidst the green hills. I only marvelled at it more, the closer we got to it.

It was quite literally out of a fairy tale. Its tens of beautiful tall towers made me swoon, I couldn't imagine the type of views those towers had, even though we were about to ride onto their property it seemed surreal to me. It was just so out of this world. As we got closer I saw that there was a lake on one side of the castle, the still water spanned quite a distance, only disappearing behind one of the hills in the far distance. Some of the castle seemed to be built on the lake, with a few towers overlooking the water. I imagined them going swimming or paddling in the lake and having the best time just living in that castle.

They had a large circular driveway that the carriages rode into to drop off the nobles inside. All the carriages were also beautiful, they had intricate designs of silver and gold, and very fancily dressed people stepped out of them - I was almost blinded by the sight of the large jewels they wore, but I smiled happily when I saw Dimitri stepping out of one, I was glad to have somebody I could go and talk to.

Then my carriage pulled up along with all the others, and a butler dressed in a white suit came to give me his hand as I stepped out of the carriage, I smiled when I realised that his uniform matched the colour of the castle.

"Riley, over here!" I heard someone call. I turned to see a beaming Alice waving at me. She had a sweet smile on her beautiful face, that made her look even prettier than usual. Her pink hair was done up in an intricate braid, and she had some blush on her cheeks with a rosy tint to her lips. She wore a gorgeous pink gown. It was light and loose and perfect for a flowering morning like this one, and it matched her light pink hair.

"Alice." I waved back happily, thank goodness she was here, although it is so picturesque here, I was still really nervous. They lace literally stunk of a social class way above mine.

"Milady, Edna and I will go and unpack your clothes into your room now, and we will see you again later in the day." Said Agnes. She and Edna curtseyed and then left with the butlers who were carrying my luggage. I then walked over to the Marcellus's who were having their trunks loaded off of their magnificent copper carriage.

Alice and I embraced warmly. "You look beautiful Alice!" I said, looking over her one more time.

"Thank you! And you do too." She said kissing me on the cheek.

"And me... Don't I look beautiful!" Pouted Cornelius as he stuck his head around the carriage door, then stepped out so he could give me a full view of his suit. He wore a wonderful copper coloured garment with a rich copper threading in it. His undershirt was full of white ruffles and he looked very princely in his attire.

"You look so hot!" I replied and laughed. This was a term I had used often with him to describe the other soldiers when I was staying at their mansion, he thought it was the weirdest adjective for the beauty he had ever heard and always laughed when I said it.

"So strange..." He chuckled as he shook his head at me.

"Ah! Lady Riley is here!" Boomed Lord Umfrey joyously, as he saw me.

"Good morning Lord Umfrey!" I replied happily. He nodded contently and rubbed his potbelly happily.

"Oh, Riley!" Cried Lady Eleanora as she hugged me tightly. "We have missed you so much at the house! When are you coming to visit us?" She whined.

"Darling, Miss Riley is a Lady now, and has many important matters to attend to all by herself since she doesn't have a husband... we cannot interrupt her busy schedule by asking for visits." Said Lord Umfrey gently to his wife. I wanted to thank him for explaining my difficult situation but was a little miffed that he thought it was because I didn't have a husband.

"I have been quite busy lately..." I told her.

"Indeed! Your healing potion is marvellous, your potion replaced the potion we used to use at the Knights Order and it is many times better. I'm sure some of the knights from the Order will want to meet you tonight." Smiled Cornelius.

"Yes, they most certainly will!" Exclaimed Lady Eleanora. "What a perfect time to find you a husband!" She said excitedly.

"Mother, I think Riley prefers her independence..." Suggested Alice when she saw my horrified face, I was nineteen, I didn't want a husband.

"Well, if she stays independent for too long she might end up a spinster." Said Eleanora. "By the end of the soirée, I will have found you the perfect husband, my dear." She said squeezing my cheeks.

Oh, dear...

We then all walked up to the huge front door and walked in. I gasped at the beautiful hall inside. The theme of white continued on the inside. The walls were a crisp clean white, with silver detailing. While the floor was a striking black and white checkered marble. The windows were also very large and let in a lot of natural light which further illuminated the beautiful place. As the morning light shone into the hall through the windows, the interior of the hall literally sparkled.

Inside the hall, I saw many different fancily dressed people talking in groups. Everyone seemed to be socializing for the moment.

"So what happens now? Do we just hang around and chat?" I asked Alice curiously.

"Yes, we have to wait until everyone has arrived before we start." She said. "Also every year Lady Von Esterheim and her family make an entrance, and her dress is always spectacular. It's an ongoing battle between her and the other noble ladies to see who has the best dress." Giggled Alice.

"I'm excited to see what Lady Von Esterheim and the queens wear." I said eagerly.

Lord and Lady Marcellus soon left Alice, Cornelius and I to do our own socializing, as they went to go and talk to their noble friends.

Soon Lucian strutted through the door wearing a dark brown tunic with gold and red embroidery on it. I smiled when I saw him, he looked really good and I was glad. You would never have guessed that he used to live in a small village and chop wood for a living, it looked like he had always been a handsome nobleman to me. I'm sure all the ladies who were eyeing him thought the same.

When Lucian spotted us, he came over to us and we all began to talk. I decided to tell them all about the little cafe that I had opened in the harbour town. Also about my new cat, Sophie, and made them promise not to tell anyone that I was the owner of it, they agreed, and said they would buy some desserts to try when they were next in that part of town.

The hall was getting fuller and the noise level was rising a bit, but then a loud voice announced,

"The Royal Family has arrived!" Everybody immediately turned towards the entrance and watched as they came in. I was really blown away by how good looking the family was as a unit. Their gorgeous golden hair and golden eyes, paired with model good looks, power and wealth, they were the total package.

Geoffrey's golden tunic looked dazzling on him, and from here I could see how well built he was as the tunic hugged at the lean muscles underneath, he was apparently part of the Knights Order too, and I wondered how long he must have trained to get such a good body, or was it all in the family genes.

Of course, the queen's dress was a show stopper: yards and yards of white and gold thread laid over a huge skirt, her hair was let loose down her back and various golden ornaments decorated her ears and neck. On top of her head, she wore an exquisite golden tiara. Everybody bowed and curtseyed to the family as they walked in. The royal family were accompanied by a few knights who then left their sides and spread out along the walls of the room and seemed to scan all of the guests, silently watching for a threat to the Royal family. The family then spread out into the crowd and began to socialise, and everybody relaxed again and started talking.

The announcer then called for everybody to follow him and go deeper into the castle. I walked hand in hand with Alice, Lucian and Cornelius following close behind, as we walked down a long corridor where masterful portrait paintings of silver-haired people were hung - who I guessed were the previous generations of the Von Esterheim family.

Finally, we stepped out of the long corridor and into a huge drawing room, the room's doors were open to a stunning rose-garden outside. The company of people dispersed out into the room and some went outside to chat amongst the roses.

We all gathered by a sofa and I took out a roasted meat morsel that was on a platter, I tasted it and immediately missed Augustus's cooking.

"Riley, have you given any actual thought about marriage?" Asked Alice suddenly.

"Only That right now is too soon..." I said pulling a face. Alice and Cornelius chuckled at me.

"Well, seventeen to twenty-three is the ripest age for ladies to get married here in Gismead." Said, Cornelius.

"Really?" I asked. "I think I'll hold out until I'm thirty..."

"Thirty!" Exclaimed Lucian loudly, with a shocked expression on his face. Cornelius laughed at his expression and was about to say something when somebody behind us interrupted.

"Excuse me..." Her voice was sickly sweet and I felt like there was a lot of pretence behind her tone. Alice and I turned around to see a very pretty lady standing behind us. Her pale blond hair was done up in a very dramatic updo and under all the makeup I could see that she had a pretty face. She was wearing a light purple gown that was adorned with large frilly cotton poofs - very over the top. Her bluish-grey eyes seemed to scan us and then she spoke to Alice.

"Alice, it's been so long since I have seen you, how have you been?" She asked moulding her thin lips into an archaic smile, but she didn't let Alice answer, "Yes, that's right, I saw you participate in the Mage tournament! Don't worry Alice, nobody talks about how you were defeated by two commoners..." I could tell there was no real concern in her voice, she was purposely trying to take a dig at Alice. I didn't like her already.

"Oh I won't Lavinia, and don't worry, people don't say a peep about how you didn't make the magical requirements for the tournament..." Alice countered, I snickered, I couldn't believe that the girl was being mean to Alice because she didn't win, meanwhile she didn't even make the cut for the tournament. Her gall was unbelievable.

Lavinia stiffened and was taken off guard by Alice's rebuke. Then another sickly smile went across her face, she said nothing for a moment, but then she excused her self and walked over to a group of girls.

"Who is she, and why was she so rude to you?" I asked.

"Her name is Livinia Izora Hestia, a second rank Noble and a distant relative of the Von Esterheim's. We've never liked each other and you should be careful of her too Riley, she can be vicious, especially when she feels that someone can be a threat to her."

We turned our heads as he heard a bit of a commotion coming from the other side of the room. "Please head to the dining hall so that you may enjoy an early luncheon." Called the announcer.

The dining table in the room was a circle ⭕️ with the inside of the table cut out so that there was a big space inside, I noticed that there was an uldreyin placed in its centre.

Inside the room, Lady Von Esterheim and the whole Von Esterheim family were already seated. Lady Von Esterheim wore a beautiful silver gown that shimmered in the sunlight from the window, her dress was embroidered with intricate silver embroidery to mimic the patterns of ice crystals, so stunning. Sinjin and Alucard wore beautiful silver tunics and badges and sashes of honour across their garments. I realized that they and the Royal family were dressed in opposite colours, gold and silver.

Sinjin waved me over, so Alice and I went to sit next to him. Livinia ended up sitting on the other side of Sinjin. Servers came and placed dishes of food in front of us and everybody began to chat comfortably while they ate.

Although the atmosphere seemed pleasant, I picked up on the subtle hierarchical structures around the dinner table: the first-class nobles were being fawned over and catered to by the second and third class nobles. They were being showered with praises and the other nobles were eagerly trying to suck up to them and get their attention. Livinia was complimenting Sinjin shamelessly, she brought up his many military and magical accomplishments and flattered and praised each one, she complimented his dress and his castle and expressed her sincere sadness that she was not chosen to be his understudy in the Mage society.

"I can only hope that my future husband will be as accomplished and dignified as you..." she said batting her eyelashes at him, while the few girls sitting next to her giggled enthusiastically. Sinjin didn't reply, he only smiled a small smile.

"I think some music would be in order." Came the strong voice of Lady Von Esterheim, she was a strikingly beautiful woman with the same silver hair and eyes as her sons. She also carried the same sleek, refined yet sharp and cold look to her that Alucard and Sinjin had. I could sense that she was the matriarch of this family.

"Indeed." Agreed the Queen, who sat next to her.

"Which Lady should I call on?" She said for the whole room to hear.

I noticed that Lavinia straightened up and posed a sweet smile on her face, I guessed that she wanted a chance to play for everyone on the uldreyin.

<———————-<<

Ferelith Eurwyn Von Esterheim scanned the room for ladies who could possibly play some music, good or bad didn't really matter as long as she gave the room something to talk about. Her eyes settled on Lavinia, a girl who continuously tried to win her favour at any chance that she got during functions such as these. Ferelith found the girl annoying and presumptuous to even try to and slither her way into the Von Esterheim family. She would surely put her in her place someday, but perhaps the rejections of her sons would be enough to teach her a lesson. She decided then that Lavinia would not get to play for everyone.

Then her eyes landed on another girl, very beautiful and seemingly unaware of the competition going on between the noble ladies to play the uldreyin as she sat quietly in her seat, swirling her spoon in her steak stew.

"Mirabella," Ferelith addressed the queen, who had been a friend of hers for many years before she became the queen, "Remind me, who is that lady sitting next to Sinjin, the one with the unusual dark hair?" She asked curiously.

The queen chuckled, "She is Lady Riley Delton." Ferelith's eyes honed in on the dark-haired beauty as she looked into her bowl of stew.

"Do you mean she is the noble who created the Delton potion?" Ferelith Asked. The girl was much younger than she had imagined she would be.

"Indeed, and she is the winner of the Mage Tournament..." continued the queen, a pleasant smile on her face. Ferelith's eyes widened, how could someone be so young and so talented.

"Now I regret not going to watch the tournament... regardless that potion she created will benefit this kingdom immensely, a potion of that calibre sold at such a cheap price will help both the rich and the poor, I even heard that the riots down in the south of the kingdom ceased ever since the potion's release to the public. It can't be long until you promote her to a Lady of the second rank..?" Said Ferelith eyeing her friend.

"She was only just promoted to the third rank, the king wishes to wait a bit and see what else she does before she is promoted to the second rank." Replied the queen as she sipped her tea. Ferelith nodded, it wasn't such a good idea to give a young girl so much power so soon. Ferelith decided that she would test the girl and see what else she was besides a magical genius.

"Lady Riley Delton." She called, which silenced the room. "Come play and sing a song for us." She commanded with a warm smile but with a sharp gleam in her Ivey eyes. Ferelith was eager to see how the girl would perform.

Riley was caught off guard when Lady Von Esterheim called her name, she wasn't expecting to be chosen at all. But she knew she really didn't have a choice in this, she would just have to go and play, thank Goodness Agnes had gotten her music lessons...

She was helped out of her seat by one of the butlers in white and shown the way to the uldreyin in the centre of the table. She took a seat on the chair and leaned into the instrument, and then she was ready to play her favourite song from the book that Dimitri had given her. She shook off the jealous stares from Livinia and her posey and began to play and sing.

Immediately everybody in the room watched in awe as she began to strum and play the instrument, the familiar deep rhythm of one of the kingdom's most famous songs flooded their ears and pulled at their hearts, the Lady Riley played it beautifully, with a kind of masterful sweetness and freshness that would have taken years to achieve. They watched her play, completely absorbed in her performance, she was magnificent. As she began to sing, gasps of pleasure escaped quite a few mouths as they became aquainted with her angelic voice. It was just so beautiful, that a few of the nobles let a tear or two escape from their eyes as they watched and listened to her play.

Prince Geoffrey watched her, his golden eyes alive and filled with warmth and affection for her. Her long slender fingers plucked at the strings of the uldreyin with perfection, all of her movements were perfect, all of her movements were beautiful, suddenly he was filled with an unwavering urge to touch her.

Riley was aware that she was playing and singing very well, and she knew that the 'musician' skills that the gods had given her had definitely helped her develop her talents, she felt very grateful for the gifts.

She played the last bit of the song and held her pose for a second just how Dimitri had taught her to, and then got up and curtseyed for everyone, then walked back to her seat. The whole room broke out into hearty applause for her as she slinked back to her seat feeling a bit embarrassed at all the praise, but she smiled happily nonetheless.

"Well played Lady Riley." Congratulated the Queen.

Riley blushed and bowed her head, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Very well played indeed." Said Lady Von Esterheim. Riley thanked her for her compliment too. Lady Von Esterheim then looked over to Livinia to see a sour expression on her face, she was utterly jealous that Riley was getting so much attention. Ferelith snickered feeling very satisfied, she would make sure to spend some time with Lady Riley over the weekend.

After the luncheon was over, all of the guests headed back to their rooms to settle down and meet with their servants and prepare to get ready for the ball that evening. Riley headed up to her room, eager to see Agnes and Edna.