The royal ball

Riley and Alice ran to the carriage that was waiting for them outside the arena that would take them to Marcellus's house, so they could get ready for the Royal ball that would be held in a few hours.

Meanwhile, the Royal family was seated in their beautiful porcelain carriage that was drawn by brilliant white horses with golden mains.

"It seems you were right about her Kristopher." commented the first prince, Geoffrey, as he gazed out the window and recalled Riley's performance in the tournament. She was truly gifted in the arts of magic. Geoffrey appeared to be relaxed and simply gazing out onto the street, but his ferocious golden eyes told of a man who was scheming and analysing. His mind twisted and turned around the possibilities of her origins. But she was truly baffling to him...

"You said that she had no identity, didn't you?" Geoffrey asked his younger brother.

"Yes, she has no memories except for her name and no possessions except for a magical artefact." Replied Kristopher.

"And you believe her...?" Geoffrey asked curiously.

"It was not a matter of believing her, brother. I saw no malicious intent in her." To anyone else, this would just sound like prince Kristopher was using his intuition to judge Riley, but it was much more serious than that. There was a secret behind the eyes of the royal family. Their enchanting and compelling golden eyes had mysterious and unquantifiable power. The secret power of the golden eyes was not even completely understood by the family themselves, but they knew that their eyes could see through bad intentions or maliciousness. Thus, Geoffrey understood when his brother told him that he believed that Riley meant Girannon no harm.

"I see. Since she does not have identification, she is not a citizen of Girannon, and she is perfectly within her rights to leave this country whenever she wants. However, we cannot let magic like hers fall into the hands of the other Four Kingdoms..." Geoffrey said.

The king wordlessly nodded at his son. Leofrick knew what to do, to bind her to this country.

At the Marcellus Mansion, everyone rushed to get ready. Two maids were helping Alice put on her dress and do her hair while another two maids were doing the same for Riley. Eleanora was also dolling up for the dance in her bedroom with the help of her maids.

Cornelius and Umphrey Marcellus were waiting downstairs patiently, while the children got into the beds and went to sleep. After an hour, the whole crew got into their carriage and were headed for the castle.

Riley didn't want to blink in fear of missing anything of this fantasy spectacle before her eyes. The castle was utterly magnificent and enormous, the entrance was lit up with a thousand floating candles, and hypnotic music was being played by musicians on exquisite instruments she had never seen before.

They all exited their carriage and made their way to the palace and once again Riley was awestruck, this time by the beauty of the interior of the castle. Exquisite marble floors and unbelievable paintings on the wall, and gold and silver details everywhere. Jewels and light and music and warmth and chatter, Riley was seeing her fantasies come true.

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It wasn't just that the castle was beautiful, the people were beautiful too. They were like gorgeous manga and anime characters come to life. I turned back to see Alice in her stunning gown, chatting with two of her admirers. Her daring low back and thin material were seeming to catch her a lot of attention.

While Alice was chatting with two men, Cornelius offered to show me around the castle's ballroom and throne room before the night's procession began. We walked from the magnificent entrance hall into an even bigger more stunning room. The floor was made of patterned white and gold marble, that gleamed so perfectly It looked like a layer of water was covering it.

I gasped as I looked up at the ceiling when I saw that it was covered in one giant extraordinary painting that spanned the whole length of the roof: The six Gods of magic were seated on white fluffy clouds, high up in the sky, looking down admiringly on us. The painting itself took my breath away, but the sheer size of it was unbelievable - people must have sat there for years painting it. The walls were painted a clear crisp white and had royal blue detailing and golden finishes to them.

Cornelius and I walked past the most stunning people wearing the most elaborate clothes and had the most unbelievable hair colours. Amongst the crowd of people, I recognised Alucard. Even though I didn't like him, I had to admit that the man was extremely handsome. His tall lean build and frosty silver-white hair paired with his vogue model look made him striking even in a room filled with such beautiful people. I sucked in a breath as our eyes met for a moment as I walked past him, he just gave me a look - completely unreadable - then turned away and carried on talking to the people around him. I wondered what he thought of me.

My heart raced as we approached the throne room, and it still managed to trump my expectations. In keeping with the castles theme, the floor was marble and the walls were white and blue with gold carvings and finishes, but the shining feature of the room was the Royal throne. It had been created in such a way that it looked as if a vat of molten gold had dribbled down from the ceiling onto the floor. And from that molten gold, a stunning throne chair had been moulded and carved. Next to that throne, a smaller throne had been carved. It was a work of art. I had never seen anything like it. Sadly I didn't get to admire it for very long, because an announcer called everyone to go to the throne room. Soon the large room housed the entire assembly of guests - which I estimated was about three hundred people.

Everybody was split onto two sides of the room leaving a wide path in the middle. I wondered what the path was for until I heard the call of the announcer again,

"Honoured guests, please make way for the Royal family!"

Immediately the room straightened up and held their breath anticipating the Royal family's entrance. I heard gentle whispers of praise from the room as the youngest prince, Alfonse, entered. The young prince walked confidently and had an air of superiority about him. He strutted up to the smallest throne on the elevated area where the thrones were and took a seat.

Then Prince Kristopher entered the room, subsequently, I heard a few people swoon at his good looks - not to say that I wasn't one of the swooners. Naturally, his long golden hair and his undeniable charm seemed to make him a favourite among the kingdom. He also walked up to one of the thrones and took his seat.

I breathed in deeply as I saw prince Geoffrey enter the room. Somehow he had such a powerful presence that I felt him sweep over me even though he was meters away from me. Of all his brothers, he had the sharpest most refined looks, with a pair of ferocious and sharp golden eyes and a defined jawline.

"Isn't he just the most handsome man you have ever seen?" Whispered Alice into my ear, as she eyed the prince admiringly. When did she sneak up to me?

I only chuckled at her.

The crowd broke out into a light grumbling of talk as the queen stepped out into the hall. Her dress was absolutely magnificent. It was layers and layers of shimmering golden material, with beautiful and delicate embroidery over it. The boddess of the dress was very tight, but then the skirt poofed out at the hips to create a true cupcake-like silhouette. Her long blonde hair was done into a complicated and intricate braid, and a breathtaking golden crown was on top of her blonde head.

I heard Rosalie sigh in admiration of her royal gown, but then so did most of the people in the room. The queen glided up to her throne with such grace and poise that I thought if she had been born on earth she definitely would have been a runway model.

Finally, the king entered in his Royal robes of red and gold, he looked so dignified with his powerful presence and upright posture. His every step exuded his charisma and authority. When the king reached the opulent golden throne and took his seat, everybody either bowed or curtseyed for a full silent minute.

The king rose his left hand and the room fell into complete silence.

"I call forth the contestants of the Mage tournament." My heart skipped a beat, as the anxiety just shot right into me, I hated being at the centre of attention in a large crowd. I just followed Alice to the front of the hall along with all the others: Dimitri, Edgar, Cedric, Rosalie and the other contestants.

We were all lined up in front of the king and the Royal family.

I followed along as my fellow contestants gave another bow/curtsey to the royal family. Then King Leofrick spoke in a proud low tone that commanded everyone to listen to him, as well as gazing upon us with those extraordinary golden eyes.

"Congratulations to you twelve who participated in the Mage tournament. I can see that you have all worked hard to reach such levels at such young ages. Today you all did The Royal Mage Society proud, as well as the whole of Girannon. Therefore your efforts shall be rewarded..." I heard the crowds on either side of us murmur.

"Rewards!"

"I wonder what the king will reward them with this time."

The king continued, "For those among you who participated in the first round, you shall receive a set of golden magical equipment embedded with the gemstones that match your magical nature, in order to help you with the studies."

I thought that I must have been hearing things. Golden magical equipment for twelve people, Lucian had told me back in Willow's Town the value of gold, and the value of magical equipment. Now the King had prepared a set of such equipment for twelve people. I was beginning to grasp just how wealthy the Royal family was. The crowds beside us applauded at hearing the gifts.

I heard peoples comments, "What a generous king..."

"A kind and benevolent king."

With his words, servants carried out parcels wrapped in beautiful silks and gave them to us. As one of the servants gave it to me, I could tell the equipment was inside by how heavy the parcel was.

"For those who competed in the second round, please accept one trunk of gold and one trunk of rare jewels and gems each." My eyes almost popped out of my head as the servants carried in six huge trunks of gold and six trunks of jewels for those of us who competed in the second round.

The crowd applauded once again, impressed with the King's generosity.

I turned to see Edgar in a state of shock. He wasn't blinking, he wasn't even moving, he was just staring at the trunks and the silk parcel with his eyes wide open. I nudged him to bring him back to reality and chuckled softly at his stupor. Edgar was a commoner after all, so this amount of gold was probably unbelievable to him. Hell, it was unbelievable to me... so I could only imagine what was going through his head.

"For the Mage who placed third in the tournament, Alice Marcellus, from the first rank noble family," Alice did a low curtsey once she heard her name being called. "I grant you this tiara."

A servant held a white silk cushion in his hand and walked up to Alice. On the cushion lay a beautiful dainty golden tiara with ruby red jewels and red ornamental flowers. 

Then the announcer started speaking, "This tiara belonged to Esmeralda Leathwhite Ambrose."

I heard noises of astonishment at the introduction of this name. "The most talented Fire Mage in the whole of Girannon and the King's younger sister, who bravely died for her kingdom, fighting in the war. It was Her highness's fervent wish that the gemstone infused tiara, that is said to double ones magical ability, be given to a promising fire Mage."

The crowd applauded loudly, and I saw a few people get emotional at the mention of the woman, she must have been an amazing woman.

"I am so honoured to be chosen by his majesty to inherit such an amazing artefact." Said Alice as she curtseyed again, with an overjoyed smile on her face.

The king nodded his head, accepting Alice's appreciation of the gift.

"To the Mage who came second in the tournament, Edgar Heathson, a commoner, I grant you the title of Fifth Rank Noble and land in the noble sect on which to build your new mansion."

Immediately I turned to look at Edgar, not wanting to miss his reaction to this. It was priceless: his eyes were open wider than I thought possible, and he was completely frozen, with his mouth hanging slightly open. For a moment or two, he just stood there completely at a loss. It was like he had just been slapped and didn't know what to do with himself, in this case, it was like he had been slapped with a ridiculous amount of money and a title and land - all of which he never thought possible.

Poor Edgar, he was dealing with the aftermath of his hard work.

Suddenly Edgar realized that he hadn't said anything and stepped forward and did the lowest bow I had ever seen - his body was making an acute angle. "Thank you so much, your majesty!" Shouted out Edgar a little too loudly. Making a few people in the room chuckle at him.

At that moment I had turned and saw prince Geoffrey's face, and for a mere moment I could have sworn that a thin smile had adorned his lips, but I wasn't sure if I had actually seen it or whether I had imagined it because the smile seemed to have vanished as soon as it had appeared.

"Lastly, to the winner of the tournament, Riley Delton." The King began, "I grant you the title of Third Rank Noble," I couldn't help the smile spread across my face, at those words. I was going to become a third rank noble...

I felt like I was being accepted into this new fantasy world. I was starting to feel like I could really make this place my home.

"You will be able to choose which property, of the mansions we have on offer, you would like to move into. You will also be given a full staff for your new home."

I was going to move into my very own mansion and have my own land and my own staff! It was all just so amazing. I was brimming with excitement. I couldn't wait to choose my own mansion.

"I will also grant you this grimoire."

One of the servants appeared in front of me holding out an ancient-looking grimoire that had been placed on a maroon silk cushion.

The book was about the size of an encyclopedia and it was bound in thick black leather. The book seemed quite old, yet powerful waves of energy were washing off from it. I took hold of the book with both hands and was surprised by its heavyweight, moreover, as soon as I touched it I could sense how valuable it was.

The announcer only confirmed my suspicions when he began to talk, "His majesty has gifted Lady Riley Delton the first grimoire ever written on dark magic. One set of the six most famous book in Girannon. The book we know as the tenebris intellexerent."

I knew immediately that the words he had spoken and the name of the book meant, 'darkness understood'. I wasn't quite sure how I knew what the words meant but my mind instinctually drifted back to that first text message from the God's, I remembered that one of my skills was language master. This Language master skill was probably why I understood the words.

"Thank you, your majesty, I am most grateful," I said, and I really meant it as I curtseyed low to the floor.

The King nodded in response to me and then went on to make a speech to the whole crowd. He talked about the necessity of teaching the young how to use their powers and how to use them well so that they could be of use to their country. It was all very patriotic with a hint of propagandist techniques in the way he was promoting people to excel at magic so that they could fight other nations. But oh well this kingdom was in the medieval ages.

After the king finished his speech we all applauded him. The Royal family then stepped off their thrones and traversed into the crowds to go and socialize with their guests. That was when one of the servants came to fetch me to choose which mansion I wanted. I followed him eagerly into what was the biggest library I had ever seen, even bigger and grander than the library I had seen at the Marcellus's mansion.

The young man brought me to an aisle holding a very large book, about the size of an A2 piece of paper, on each page was a detailed watercolour painting of a beautiful mansion.

"My Lady on these four pages are the mansion you can choose from. I will also explain the general layout of the mansion while you look at the paintings." He said informatively.

"Thank you," I said.

"This first mansion is called the Nivean Hill Mansion." He explained.

"It is located on the far western side of Gismead and is situated on the top of Nivean hill. The front of the mansion has vast open fields while the back of the mansion is where the forest starts. It is the ideal place for a lady who prefers seclusion, peace and quiet."

It was so beautiful, and I loved the architecture, however, I was concerned about living so far away from everybody else. I mean I just came to this world, why would I want to seclude myself from everybody else. But I did like the idea of living a little farther away alas not all the way up in the hills on the Westside.

Seeing the mixed feelings about this house, the man turned the books page for me, to the next option.

"This next mansion was designed by Girannon's most famous architect, Sir Vincent Walford, who is known for his unique style and aesthetic. This mansion is unnamed and is located on the North-Eastern section of Gismead, situated on the top of the embankment from the seashore. My Lady will be able to enjoy the views of the sea from the east and the views of the forest and mountains from the west. Also since your ladyship is a healer, you might find the greenhouse good for growing medicinal herbs. Since the mansion is so close to the sea, my lady will find that the house is not too far from the merchants' areas and the residential areas located at the harbour."

I gave a content sigh at the sight of this house. I was totally a fan of the 'unique' architecture, of this mansion and I loved that the house was kind of secluded but also close to a more populated area. I couldn't actually find anything wrong with the house.

Then he turned the page to the next painting. I gasped at the sight of it, it was so cute and quaint with a moat. An actual moat!

The butler tried to hide his chuckle at my reaction but failed miserably, which only made me laugh more. However, he shortly straightened up and continued explaining.

"This next house is also located on the Westside but is much closer to the other noble's houses on the Westside. As you can see it has a moat and it has a lush field and forest on either side."

Ugh, how was I supposed to choose when I loved all of them...

He then turned the page to the last house.

"Oh, it's beautiful." I sighed as I looked at the painting of the white stoned house.

"This house was designed by another one of Girannon's famous architects. Madam Basilea Wymarc, she is in fact sponsored by the first rank noble family, the Von Esterheim's."

I was wondering where I heard that name when I realized that that was Alucard's surname.

"Do you mean Lord Alucard?"

"Indeed." He replied. "This house is located in the middle of the noble sect and is a very short distance away from the castle. With this mansion, you will be able to enjoy all of the socializing that comes with living in the heart of the noble sect."

No, I wouldn't get this house, it was too close to the other nobles, and if it was too close to the other nobles, that meant I would have to participate in all the ridiculous socializing that Alice had to do, my few weeks with her in the heart of the noble sector were enough for me. I wouldn't be able to keep my posture perfectly and keep talking perfectly all the while squeezed into a corseted dress.

It was a really tough choice between the first three mansions. I mean with the first house, I loved the idea of living on an isolated cliff where I could practice my magic in peace, but in reality, I was here to do a job - the gods had told me that I had to help people - thus, I needed to be at least close to some people in need.

"Madam, have you made a decision?" Asked the butler politely.

I nodded.

"Yes. I will take the second mansion you showed me, the one designed by Sir Walford." I said firmly, convincing myself that I had made the right decision.

That mansion was isolated and yet close enough to other people so that I could be of help to them. How I was going to help them, I didn't know yet but I knew I would.

"Excellent choice my Lady." Said the butler as he bowed to me, he then proceeded to show me the way back to the ball.

I noticed that what sounded like classical music was being played by a quartet, yet it had a hint of a more rhythmic more primal feel to it. I liked it. Edgar came charging at me when he saw me.

"Can you believe it, Riley? We're nobles now. And I have so much money! I don't know what to do with it. I can't wait to go home and tell my family. And I chose a piece of land on the Northern part of the sect because my Ma always dreamed about living on a house up there..." he was so excited and speaking way to fast and it made me laugh, he was just so cute.

"Hey slow down Edgar, I can't process all that information at once..." I joked. He gave me an apologetic smile.

"Well, even more good news is that my new mansion is in the North-east part of the sect, so we should be quite close together," I said happily, I liked the idea of being neighbours with Edgar.

"Really! that's wonderful!" He said, he was so happy that he didn't know what to do with all the happy energy he had in his body, somehow his brain made the connection that hugging me would be a good way to get rid of said energy.

I laughed and resisted as he squeezed me tightly.

"Isn't life just great?" He Asked.

"Yeah, I guess it is..." I replied softly.

Edgar and I were jolted out of our embrace as someone else knocked against us.

I turned to the side that the contact had been made, to meet two pairs of frosty silver eyes with matching frosty-silver hair. I gulped. Alucard...

"Ah, just the person I wanted to see..." he grinned a wicked grin and flashed me his perfect white smile.

"The stray peasant girl has transformed into a Lady in the blink of an eye, you do surprise me, Miss Delton." He teased in his low sly tone. Despite how unnerving I find him, I had to admit that he was so beautiful.

No! I wouldn't let his beauty distract me from his sour personality.

I curtseyed politely as a third rank noble should to a first rank noble and greeted him, "Good evening Lord Von Esterheim." I said courteously while ignoring his teasing of me.

He nodded in response.

"This is my younger brother, Sinjin." He said gesturing to the younger man next to him, who looked to be only a few years older than me.

Again, I curtseyed and greeted him.

Sinjin was just as beautiful as Alucard, but with softer features and shorter curlier hair, but there was something about his grey eyes that was cold and calculating, just like his older brother.

"I thought it would good for you two to be aquatinted since you will be spending much time together." He said. I blinked not understanding him.

"We'll be spending time together...?" I asked confused.

"Oh, you didn't know," Alucard said realizing my facial expression.

"Since this is your first year at the Royal Mage academy, following the custom, you will be assigned a senior who will teach you and guide you in areas of magic. It just so happens that my brother has been chosen as your senior advisor." He said.

"Oh really, I didn't know..." I slurred off, I wasn't sure how to feel about this new development, I mean I was grateful to now have a senior who could help with magic, but knowing he was Alucard's brother immediately made feel a bit uneasy.

"Well now, we had better get back to the ball, but we will see you again soon." Said Alucard as he walked away with his brother.

I exhaled a deep breath I didn't realize that I had been holding. That man made me so nervous...

With that, the end of the ball came quickly and we had our prizes loaded into the carriages by the butlers for us and then we left for the Marcellus's mansion in the early hours of the morning, later that day I was scheduled to move into my new home.