ALTGS 35

Calm, elegant music drifting over the chattering of nobles. Ladies dressed in the finest of silks and velvets, their necks draped with plush soft furs from exotic lands. For such a banquet, the noble ladies spared no expense. Houppelandes embroidered by gold thread and dusted with beautiful gold dust and fastened with polished leather belts right below the chest, sleeves falling to the ground for the richer ladies. Gentlemen fitted in equally lavish clothing adorned with dark but very detailed patterns. Short tunics but long coats trimmed with black fox’s fur for some, and for others, sleek formal military suits with the awards and decorations proudly displayed on the left breast.

Well really, it was only Erich Enteford.

Standing amongst a group of his longtime friends, sipping wine and talking about who knows what, the duke was—in all honesty—really very bored. Social events like these felt so stuffy, like being wrapped in a blanket in the height of summer. The air was thick with the smell of different wines, perfumes and food. Sounds. God, so many sounds. Snippets and bits of conversations from everywhere, merging into a wall of incoherent noise that washed over everything. To him, this was hectic. Waiters slipping in and out of spaces between nobles as they balanced far too many glasses and plates on their trays, begging for an accident to occur. Bright, colorful material from the outfits of most of the nobles assaulted his eyes, and he found it incredibly difficult to focus his attention on any single place. This was why he liked the battlefield a little more. With how thoroughly he trained his troops, they would remain in their formations and follow commands seamlessly. All soldiers were dressed in the appropriate uniform denoting their status in the military hierarchy, and they would act accordingly. During a battle, they would bring order to the chaos of war, and through their order, he was always able to guide them to victory.

Ah... perhaps not always.

Even though he wore a very loose, tired smile on his face, he was getting irritated by the noises and smells in the banquet hall. The garish colors were staring to give him a headache. He hated these events. It was why he always asked his sister to navigate them instead of him. But this time, it needed to be him. For the sake of Fortane, it needed to be him.

The creaking of the hall’s doors opening sounded once again. It had been happening intermittently through the time he had been in here as many more nobles arrived fashionably late. It seemed that the later one was, the more lavish their attire appeared. But this time, something strange happened. The chattering and laughter of people enjoying themselves slowly quieted, and eventually the entire space was silent. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on who had just walked in.

The Duke turned to the door as well, lips setting in a firm line.

Finally

.

The delicate sound of shoes tapping on the marble floor rang out as she walked in. Bundles of soft, light fabric held in her left hand, and an elegant trail of more followed after her. In the lights of this hall, her white dress seemed to glow. And so did she. Brown ochre skin with golden undertones. Her ruby red hair mostly covered in a simple white veil, secured by an even simpler golden band. It was difficult to look away from the beautiful lady that walked in, delicate and elegant like a pure white lily.

“The Lily Maiden of Fortane.”

She looked around the room then, those piercing yellow eyes of hers sweeping over the nobles in her presence. While everything about her at the moment could easily be likened to a gently sloping flower bathing in warm sunlight and softly rustling in the wind, her eyes were the exact opposite. Eyes like a panther. No, exactly like a panther. And those eyes fell on the Duke.

With a gentle hand fluttering to her chest, she gave a modest bow to the room, and a gentle smile hung on her glossy lips. The host of the party, Lady Bishmont stood nearby, stunned beyond words. The Lily Maiden glided to her, like as if her feet did not touch the floor and floated above it. “Thank you so much for inviting me to your banquet, Lady Bishmont. My sincere apologies for arriving so late. On our way here, there was someone on the way that needed help, and I did not want to simply walk away. I hope I have not offended you.”

It took Lady Bishmont a moment to gather herself adequately. Jerking to action, she quickly gave a smile and tinkling laugh. “No such thing, Lady Voltaine. I am simply glad that you managed to come nonetheless. Please enjoy the banquet to the fullest. I only hope for that.”

The Duke stood firmly where he was, almost as if he had turned to stone. He was aware of his surroundings. How many people stood beside and behind him. But they felt unusually fuzzy. Distant, like the soft pattering of raindrops against a glass window. Right then, he could not move. The Lily Maiden walked to where he and his acquaintances stood, and he could feel the jolt of surprise from them at this realization. After all, they were not the proper target demographic for any lady, much less a lady as attention-grabbing as she. But this was the plan. Yes, it was the plan. With a discreet breath, the Duke reeled back his shock, and brought the glass of wine to his lips with a sigh.

“Good evening, Your Grace. I am pleased to see you here at Lady Bishmont’s banquet.” Ah, that deceptively soft and considerate voice. Of all things, that was what the Duke was most weary about.

“Lady Voltaine. Likewise. I hope all is well. You arrived surprisingly late.” He replied, tilting his head ever so slightly.

The Lady simply gave a smile, then turned to the man standing beside him. They all watched as her face melted into a lovely expression of mild but pleasant surprise, and she gave a proper curtsy.

“I apologize to you, gentlemen! I was so happy to see the Duke attending a banquet, and I thoughtlessly rushed here without offering proper greetings or introductions. I am Celestria Voltaine, the eldest and only daughter of Lord Rashidi Voltaine. Pleased to meet you all.”

For the next hour, the Duke worked tirelessly to introduce his new ally to his older ones. Walking with the maiden from group to group and serving as some kind of invitee. The Duke’s social circle was not particularly large—definitely not large enough by ducal standards—but they were full of important people. Merchant families, renowned knights and legislative powerhouses. They were all as old or older than he was, but without a doubt established and influential. They were all people he had grown up with, and people he worked with, and it was unnerving to watch this seemingly harmless maiden interact with them so effortlessly. From besides her, the Duke watched as she skillfully gained their trust, conversing with them about their interests and getting them to open up to her about more. For God’s sake, how did she know about the Marquis of Davé’s peculiar hobby of gathering and pruning dwarf plants from the South, or the Earl of Cheval’s wife’s new ventures of collecting and tailoring patterned silk from some coastal country in the West? Draining a third glass of wine, the Duke shivered ever so slightly. He had made a frightening new ally.

“I’ve gotten much father than I thought I would.” Celestria sighed as she returned to the Duke of Enteford’s side. He had finished his job for today. Introducing her to all his allies and in turn very powerful people was this banquet’s goal, and she could easily say that it was a resounding success. Many of his allies were already eager to meet her, so her job was made much that much more simple. The Duke stood with his back against the wall, sipping yet another glass of wine. How many of those had he had already? Well, she would not blame him. Celestira knrw that he didn’t like these events, but she had needed him and his explicit backing to get the ball rolling to acquaint herself with people who would know. Know what was happening anywhere. Although she knew he was most likely exhausted from the banquet, she was grateful.

“That’s good.” He replied, folding his arms before his chest after placing the empty glass aside.

“I’ve achieved what it is I wanted to, Your Grace. If you’d like, you may retire and rest for the night. You’ve really worked hard.”

“Have I really?” He asked absentmindedly. And yet it felt like a real question directed at himself. Celestria fixed him with a thoughtful sideward look, then smiled.

“Of course you have, Your Grace. Social situations are immensely difficult to navigate. Even more so when there are nobles in the mix. I understand your desire to avoid them entirely.”

“And yet you deal with it so easily. These annoying situations.”

To that, she simply shrugged. “Someone has to.”

And he grunted at that.

“So then? Will you go back now?” Celestria asked, turning to face her ally.

“I wish I could. I really do.” He sighed, sounding defeated. What?

With her brow furrowing, Celestria couldn’t understand why he sounded so resigned to a poor fate. There was nothing holding him here. If he wished to leave, nobody would stop him. And yet...

Light giggles. Gentle whispers.

Immediately, Celestria’s entire body became aware of several presences. Ones that had been watching from afar, but were finally making their move. Snapping to attention, her eyes darted all around her, scanning the crowd. Yet again, the Duke sighed.

Brightly colored silks and velvets. Plush furs. Long, flowing hair of varying colors and textures.

And eyes like eagles swooping in to snatch their prey.

Almost everyone surrounding them was a beautiful lady, hair unveiled and fans raised to hide their mouths.

In an instant, Celestria remembered who it was she was allied with. The only Duke in power. A powerful military man with many accomplishments, bountiful lands and prestige. An unmarried man of unprecedented power. In a merry banquet where nobles were supposed to meet, converse and network, it also served as a hunting ground. A hunting ground in which the predator hid behind delicate fans and flowing dresses, and the prey... Celestria’s breath caught in her throat. How could she have forgotten? How could she have forgotten such a crucial detail? It wasn’t only the assault of senses that kept the Duke away from social scenes.

All around Celestria and the Duke stood doe-eyed, rosy-cheeked maidens. Fluttering eyelashes and tinkling laughs that now sounded less beautiful and melodic and more sinister and eerie.

All around them were maidens with the burning ambitions of becoming the next Duchess of Enteford.