Dance of the nobles: Between passion and duty

The victory celebration was in full swing and those present were enjoying the exuberant atmosphere. The festivities were in full swing, and some were celebrating exuberantly while others were engrossed in business negotiations. In the midst of the hubbub, Mortis found unexpected success when he was able to sell his blood jars to Countess Quinn at a surprisingly good price. The vampires paid willingly, and Mortis was surprised by the demand. He used this opportunity to make a bold proposal: the establishment of hospitals in various cities, including Bamberg. There, the vampires could use their blood knowledge to monitor and improve the health of humans in exchange for controlled blood collection. The Countess was surprised by this idea, but recognized the advantage for both sides. The humans would benefit from increased life expectancy, while the vampires would legally access their food source. She thanked Mortis for the suggestion and went on a detour with her companions to feed on the blood jars, since consuming human blood was unpleasant for the humans.

After this meeting, Mortis went to the beastmen to report his findings and experiences with the beastmen on the continent. His announcements were initially received with suspicion by the animal people, who assumed he was making false accusations out of spite. But Mortis left no room for doubt and called to him the souls of the beastmen he had defeated. He instructed Zarrara, one of the bear people, to question them, since the souls would speak the truth without restraint.

Under questioning, the spirit of the souls revealed all that was asked - their origins, lineage and more. When the Count of the Beastmen asked about Helius and his plans, the spirit revealed all the information he possessed. The beastmen's tempers flared, and the bear man erupted in anger, condemning Helius as a traitor and vowing to take personal action against him. He cursed the ignorance of those who believed they could change the world through violence and ignorance. Those present were shocked at first, but when they saw Mortis' calm reaction and noticed how he nodded in agreement, the situation calmed down.

Finally, the bear bowed his head and spoke in a depressed voice. He apologized for what had happened and explained that contact with demons was forbidden for the animal people. In view of the demons' collaboration with humans and the suffering caused by it, they would inform their king. As a sign of compensation and repentance, the bear himself would lead the squad to act against the traitors who had brought shame to the beastmen and their king.

Mortis extended his hand to the bear-man, which he accepted warmly. His face relaxed, giving him a friendly, almost teddy bear-like appearance. Meanwhile, Mortis' eyes fell on Edna, who was talking animatedly with the dwarves. Gwinvia asked her a plethora of questions while combing Edna's hair, almost as if she were her own daughter. Mortis felt joy at seeing Edna so relaxed and in company, as did Shiva, who was drawn into the elves' conversations and communicated with them in the elven tongue.

As his eyes continued to wander, Mortis noticed Nora adjusting her clothing, assuming a proud posture, and walking directly toward the Margrave's family. This development intrigued him. After saying goodbye to Zarrara and the Count of the Thistle Forest, he decided to discreetly follow Nora. The young nobles approached her, but Nora ignored their advances with a friendly smile and continued purposefully toward Bernard.

stifle. In her mind, she thought that the girl must have had her eye on Bernard, and she decided to wait and see how things would develop. The Margravine watched the scene intently, but without saying anything, to see how the situation would unfold.

Bernard, seated at the table next to his siblings, was nudged by one of the sisters, who nodded in Nora's direction as she approached him. Bernard felt his nervousness rising. He had hoped to have waved Nora off, because he didn't feel like dancing at all. Panic rose in him, and he considered how he could escape the situation. But before he could react, he felt Lillia's hand on his shoulder. She asked him kindly, but with a stern undertone, to stand up.

Bernard immediately followed Lillia's instruction and stood up. As she urged him toward the dance floor, he could hardly conceal his nervousness. Nora approached him in a friendly manner, a beautiful smile on her lips. Bernard's heart began to beat faster. Nora's dark eyes reminded him of Elara, but he found Nora even more beautiful, especially with that sweet and friendly smile.

"Shall we dance now?" asked Nora, holding out her hand, while she had a friendly smile on her lips. But Bernard literally froze, unable to move. The adults watching the action began to laugh or whistle teasingly when they saw the prospective margrave standing transfixed in front of a girl of the same age.

Before Bernard could awaken from his torpor, a taller boy suddenly thrust himself between them. It was Anton, Nikolai's son, who kissed Nora's hand and politely announced that he would like to dance with her. He took Nora's hand and led her to the dance floor. Nora was surprised, but followed Anton, as he had already taken her hand. She was not spared a glance at the frozen Bernard before she disappeared onto the dance floor with Anton.

Lillia could hardly suppress her anger. She turned angrily to the third margravine, Bernard's mother, and her looks spoke volumes. Bernard, slowly awakening from his rigidity, looked around and noticed the angry looks of his siblings, as if they considered him a failure. But he didn't care about that opinion. When he saw the other boy dancing with Nora so close, a fire ignited inside him. Determined, he stepped onto the dance floor, pushed his rival aside at just the right moment, and grabbed Nora's hand. He pulled her tightly to him and began to dance with her across the floor. A radiant smile appeared on Nora's face, and she visibly enjoyed the dance.

Now it was Anton who was upset at being publicly humiliated. He wanted to interfere, but Zara and Johannes blocked his way and began to dance in front of him. Other children also quickly formed pairs and took over the dance floor. Parents and adults stood on the sidelines and clapped as they watched and judged the children's dancing skills. Some even noted who was a good match, possible future couples were considered. Mortis was already surrounded by Nikolai and Lillia, which didn't surprise him. He had noticed how Lillia had almost pushed Bernard onto the dance floor to take him to Nora. However, he was amazed that Nikolai seemed to be seriously considering accepting Nora as his future daughter-in-law.As the song ended, the queen's voice rang out loudly, announcing, "And now, partners will be switched, the next game is coming up." Nora bowed slightly and extended her hand to a young baron near her. Bernard did not like this at all, yet he grabbed the hand of a countess and began to dance. Meanwhile, Anton and his partner danced deliberately closer and closer to Nora in order to take her hand at the next change of partners. The nobles and also the dwarf children as well as representatives of other races mingled with the dancers and enjoyed the party.

At this moment Count Nikolai spoke over Mortis to Margravine Lillia: "I see that your children are capable of dancing, Margravine Lillia. But are they also good at fighting? After all, a man should be capable of protecting such a lovely rose." The Margravine snorted lightly and replied, "Rest assured, Count, all our children know how to fight back."

But Count Nikolai didn't let up, "How about a little show fight among the children to prove their worth? Dancing is all well and good, but where better to find a successor than on the battlefield? Look at your new king, out of nowhere he rose to the highest heights. And I don't think he would give his children to poets and thinkers. Why wouldn't he expose his children to danger? I also think that the neighboring nobles might be interested in a small tournament of martial arts to see the skills of the next generation. Future King Mortis, don't you agree that it would be interesting to see what the next generation is capable of?"

The Count's words were so loud and insistent that they were heard by all. The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and all eyes turned to Mortis to see his reaction to Count Nikolai's proposal.

Queen Shiva chipped in to Mortis and announced, "So tomorrow the feast shall continue, and at noon there will be a tournament of children in the tournament square."

The crowd was enthusiastic, although some wondered where they would be accommodated. But no one wanted to miss this spectacle. For even if Count Nikolai was confident of victory, parents could make their own sons and daughters shine. This created a hilarious mood among the adults, while some children rather a cold shiver ran down the spine.