Chapter Ninety-Four
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Ninety-Four
The Queen's birthday event would last for two weeks, and foreign royalty would be placed within the guest rooms of the royal palace of Tristain for this event. The invitation had been extended to pretty much all of the gentry, be they Dukes, Counts, Barons or simple knights. As long as they weren't fallen nobles, everyone was invited to have a taste of the best foods and wines of the country.
It was a heavily guarded setting, with both foreign and national guards standing at attendance with the utmost care in their every movements. Also, it was a masked event.
Even then, due to the presence of the Albion royalty, Mathilda and Tiffania couldn't come. It was one thing to keep them safe, and it was another to play with fire. I remembered enough movies to know how certain things might end if you put in the same room a wanted criminal with a mask and the policemen trying to catch him. Since the masks were simply small pieces of colored cloth with a stick by the side to hold them up, it was obviously not something that could be kept up always, and I had quickly renounced the idea of the mask in favor for actually being able to see where I was going.
"Lulu, my, my," I said as I smiled warmly, my precious little sister looking like some sort of candy wearing a light pink and holding herself upright. She was standing by the side of the ballroom all alone, our parents probably elsewhere, and princess Henrietta must have unfortunately ditched her for other nobles. My poor lonely sister-don't worry, your brother is coming to the rescue! "You've grown so much!"
Louise, in answer, huffed and raised her chin to the side. "Stupid brother," she mumbled, "In an official setting, my name's Louise. Louise," she said with another huff.
"In an official setting, your brother's name isn't stupid, but your grace," Isabella replied by my side, her arm linked with mine and her eyes twinkling. "Also, you haven't curtsied yet. I'm foreign royalty, you know that, of course?"
Louise blinked, and then widened her eyes as she hastily complied. "Sorry Isaisa-" Isaisa? The hell? When? How? Why? Who!?
"She's just like Little Helene," Isabella said with a giggle, "if with her hair strawberry blond," she hummed thoughtfully, "Can I bring her home?" she asked next looking up at me with pleading eyes.
"No?" I replied, "Mother might be cross if you did that to her little Lulu, though I've been thinking about seeing how far she's gone with her explosion affinity."
Isabella blinked. "Explosion affinity?"
Louise's cheeks reddened, and she lowered her gaze. "I make things explode," she mumbled.
"Oh," Isabella's eyes widened slightly. "Like, smoke?"
"No," Louise shook her head. "They go boom. Brother's been teaching me how to make them bigger so they're useful for something at least..."
Isabella glanced at me, and then back at Louise. "But the only usefulness for explosions would be-Henry, you aren't thinking of putting your sister in any danger now, are you?"
"Mah," I mumbled, "I'm just saying that if she can make people explode, then she'll have nothing to fear," I grinned. "Mother was a good knight, if Lulu here wishes to become a knight herself-I'm sure she's going to be a...blast."
Isabella did not understand at first, but when she did, her right foot came crushing down on my left one, making me hiss even amidst my chuckles. She let go of my arm, and grabbed hold of Louise's own, my sister's puzzled expression telling me she hadn't understood.
"You come with me," Isabella said with a huff. "It's been a bit since our last exchange of letters, and we must catch up with one another on the stupid things your brother does-"
"Hey!" I exclaimed, but the two had already begun leaving, and soon I was the one left all alone by the sides of the tent. This unfairness! Seriously! Don't you know that I can live by myself by feigning interest in the color of the tent's cloth?
Joseph, meanwhile, was entertaining a conversation with foreign ladies of voluptuous assets. I was half-inclined to join him, if nothing else for the beautiful bouncing views such a prospect offered, but held myself back. The Duke D'Orleans wasn't present, although it was probable that he'd show up at the very least once through all the weeks of party that would take place.
One presence, on the other hand, was King James the first, father of the prince Wales the Valiant.
"Have you been ditched, Henry?" the familiar voice that caught my attention and ears belonged to none other than Anthoine de Gramont, and as I turned to look at him, my eyes widened in disbelief.
"Anthoine," I said in disbelief, staring at him up and down. "What happened?"
Anthoine was, to put it bluntly, tanned. He was so tanned he could easily hide in the middle of the night. When he smiled, he made a creepy after-effect with how white and dazzling his teeth were.
His hair was smooth though, and even so-even so he held himself up properly.
"I have been blessed with a fiery wife," Anthoine said with a chuckle, "and between her dragon's breath or her wand, I do not know which of the two holds the most ardent passion!" he patted my shoulders and then drew near, "Please, I'm told you hire nobles from every country-hire me, get me out of this-" he whispered hurriedly, but a firm hand grabbed his shoulder and a woman whose smile sent shivers down my spine made me blink and furrow my brows.
"Forgive my husband, your grace," Henriette spoke kindly, even as I heard the crunching sound of bones breaking from her grip on Anthoine's poor shoulders. At least, that was my mental impression -accompanied by the wincing of the man too. She was wearing the outfit of the dragon knights, which was simply a form-fitting dark leather armor. If it weren't for the feather atop her hat, which marked her as the commander of said knights, she'd be identical to the rest of the knights patrolling the premises. "He is always too familiar."
"Oh my," I blinked. "He was just telling me how lucky he was to have such a beautiful wife as you, Henriette. There is no need for forgiveness," I beamed her a smile, which Anthoine enhanced by smiling in turn.
This was a combo attack. It was twice as effective. It had to be.
"Is that so?" Henriette's eyes glanced to Anthoine, "Perhaps then I will reward him." Why did it sound like a Dominatrix talking to a Sub? Anthoine-are you the strangest out of all the Gramonts or the norm? I dread to meet your older brother. No, honestly...
"By the way," I said offhandedly, "Is that your younger brother?" and as I pointed at a small blond foppish-looking kid trying his hardest to smile while surrounded by a gaggle of girls talking about perfumes and clothes, my heart went out to him. "Shouldn't you save him?"
"Guiche can handle himself," Anthoine remarked, "If he can't feign interest in boring stuff like clothes and perfumes, then he really isn't worthy of the Gramont name to begin with."
"Boring stuff?" Henriette remarked, "Are you not the one raving about how much perfumes slightly differ from one another depending on the gradient of water and alchemy used in them?"
I blinked at that, and then hummed. "Perhaps then, your wife might be better suited to save the poor boy from his...unfortunate situation?"
Henriette sighed, "Why not? Maybe if I nip some attitudes in the bud, I'll at least have a brother-in-law that doesn't try flirting with everything that moves and looks vaguely female."
"I am affronted by that remark!" Anthoine said with a huff, "It doesn't matter if they're females to begin with! They must simply be pretty!"
I stared.
It was subtle. One second, Anthoine was there. The next, a black scaled tail had somehow gripped the lower side of his ankle and dragged him outside so swiftly I could swear there was an afterimage of a terrified Anthoine in the spot he had been a second before, only it was now empty.
"Henriette," I said most nonchalantly, "You are truly terrifying," I nodded most wisely, and Henriette simply giggled.
"I do my best," and with a bow of her head, she marched towards Guiche. I heard an Auntie Henriette? and then I glanced away to the rest of the gathered nobles.
André had chosen the road of Templar-hood, and thus was in Romalia. It was a pity I hadn't been able to meet up with him, but even so...
My eyes moved to the figure of Prince Wales, dazzling and perfect.
The ring of Andvari...
...deep at the bottom of the lake...
...perhaps.
The Queen's birthday event would last for two weeks, and foreign royalty would be placed within the guest rooms of the royal palace of Tristain for this event. The invitation had been extended to pretty much all of the gentry, be they Dukes, Counts, Barons or simple knights. As long as they weren't fallen nobles, everyone was invited to have a taste of the best foods and wines of the country.
It was a heavily guarded setting, with both foreign and national guards standing at attendance with the utmost care in their every movements. Also, it was a masked event.
Even then, due to the presence of the Albion royalty, Mathilda and Tiffania couldn't come. It was one thing to keep them safe, and it was another to play with fire. I remembered enough movies to know how certain things might end if you put in the same room a wanted criminal with a mask and the policemen trying to catch him. Since the masks were simply small pieces of colored cloth with a stick by the side to hold them up, it was obviously not something that could be kept up always, and I had quickly renounced the idea of the mask in favor for actually being able to see where I was going.
"Lulu, my, my," I said as I smiled warmly, my precious little sister looking like some sort of candy wearing a light pink and holding herself upright. She was standing by the side of the ballroom all alone, our parents probably elsewhere, and princess Henrietta must have unfortunately ditched her for other nobles. My poor lonely sister-don't worry, your brother is coming to the rescue! "You've grown so much!"
Louise, in answer, huffed and raised her chin to the side. "Stupid brother," she mumbled, "In an official setting, my name's Louise. Louise," she said with another huff.
"In an official setting, your brother's name isn't stupid, but your grace," Isabella replied by my side, her arm linked with mine and her eyes twinkling. "Also, you haven't curtsied yet. I'm foreign royalty, you know that, of course?"
Louise blinked, and then widened her eyes as she hastily complied. "Sorry Isaisa-" Isaisa? The hell? When? How? Why? Who!?
"She's just like Little Helene," Isabella said with a giggle, "if with her hair strawberry blond," she hummed thoughtfully, "Can I bring her home?" she asked next looking up at me with pleading eyes.
"No?" I replied, "Mother might be cross if you did that to her little Lulu, though I've been thinking about seeing how far she's gone with her explosion affinity."
Isabella blinked. "Explosion affinity?"
Louise's cheeks reddened, and she lowered her gaze. "I make things explode," she mumbled.
"Oh," Isabella's eyes widened slightly. "Like, smoke?"
"No," Louise shook her head. "They go boom. Brother's been teaching me how to make them bigger so they're useful for something at least..."
Isabella glanced at me, and then back at Louise. "But the only usefulness for explosions would be-Henry, you aren't thinking of putting your sister in any danger now, are you?"
"Mah," I mumbled, "I'm just saying that if she can make people explode, then she'll have nothing to fear," I grinned. "Mother was a good knight, if Lulu here wishes to become a knight herself-I'm sure she's going to be a...blast."
Isabella did not understand at first, but when she did, her right foot came crushing down on my left one, making me hiss even amidst my chuckles. She let go of my arm, and grabbed hold of Louise's own, my sister's puzzled expression telling me she hadn't understood.
"You come with me," Isabella said with a huff. "It's been a bit since our last exchange of letters, and we must catch up with one another on the stupid things your brother does-"
"Hey!" I exclaimed, but the two had already begun leaving, and soon I was the one left all alone by the sides of the tent. This unfairness! Seriously! Don't you know that I can live by myself by feigning interest in the color of the tent's cloth?
Joseph, meanwhile, was entertaining a conversation with foreign ladies of voluptuous assets. I was half-inclined to join him, if nothing else for the beautiful bouncing views such a prospect offered, but held myself back. The Duke D'Orleans wasn't present, although it was probable that he'd show up at the very least once through all the weeks of party that would take place.
One presence, on the other hand, was King James the first, father of the prince Wales the Valiant.
"Have you been ditched, Henry?" the familiar voice that caught my attention and ears belonged to none other than Anthoine de Gramont, and as I turned to look at him, my eyes widened in disbelief.
"Anthoine," I said in disbelief, staring at him up and down. "What happened?"
Anthoine was, to put it bluntly, tanned. He was so tanned he could easily hide in the middle of the night. When he smiled, he made a creepy after-effect with how white and dazzling his teeth were.
His hair was smooth though, and even so-even so he held himself up properly.
"I have been blessed with a fiery wife," Anthoine said with a chuckle, "and between her dragon's breath or her wand, I do not know which of the two holds the most ardent passion!" he patted my shoulders and then drew near, "Please, I'm told you hire nobles from every country-hire me, get me out of this-" he whispered hurriedly, but a firm hand grabbed his shoulder and a woman whose smile sent shivers down my spine made me blink and furrow my brows.
"Forgive my husband, your grace," Henriette spoke kindly, even as I heard the crunching sound of bones breaking from her grip on Anthoine's poor shoulders. At least, that was my mental impression -accompanied by the wincing of the man too. She was wearing the outfit of the dragon knights, which was simply a form-fitting dark leather armor. If it weren't for the feather atop her hat, which marked her as the commander of said knights, she'd be identical to the rest of the knights patrolling the premises. "He is always too familiar."
"Oh my," I blinked. "He was just telling me how lucky he was to have such a beautiful wife as you, Henriette. There is no need for forgiveness," I beamed her a smile, which Anthoine enhanced by smiling in turn.
This was a combo attack. It was twice as effective. It had to be.
"Is that so?" Henriette's eyes glanced to Anthoine, "Perhaps then I will reward him." Why did it sound like a Dominatrix talking to a Sub? Anthoine-are you the strangest out of all the Gramonts or the norm? I dread to meet your older brother. No, honestly...
"By the way," I said offhandedly, "Is that your younger brother?" and as I pointed at a small blond foppish-looking kid trying his hardest to smile while surrounded by a gaggle of girls talking about perfumes and clothes, my heart went out to him. "Shouldn't you save him?"
"Guiche can handle himself," Anthoine remarked, "If he can't feign interest in boring stuff like clothes and perfumes, then he really isn't worthy of the Gramont name to begin with."
"Boring stuff?" Henriette remarked, "Are you not the one raving about how much perfumes slightly differ from one another depending on the gradient of water and alchemy used in them?"
I blinked at that, and then hummed. "Perhaps then, your wife might be better suited to save the poor boy from his...unfortunate situation?"
Henriette sighed, "Why not? Maybe if I nip some attitudes in the bud, I'll at least have a brother-in-law that doesn't try flirting with everything that moves and looks vaguely female."
"I am affronted by that remark!" Anthoine said with a huff, "It doesn't matter if they're females to begin with! They must simply be pretty!"
I stared.
It was subtle. One second, Anthoine was there. The next, a black scaled tail had somehow gripped the lower side of his ankle and dragged him outside so swiftly I could swear there was an afterimage of a terrified Anthoine in the spot he had been a second before, only it was now empty.
"Henriette," I said most nonchalantly, "You are truly terrifying," I nodded most wisely, and Henriette simply giggled.
"I do my best," and with a bow of her head, she marched towards Guiche. I heard an Auntie Henriette? and then I glanced away to the rest of the gathered nobles.
André had chosen the road of Templar-hood, and thus was in Romalia. It was a pity I hadn't been able to meet up with him, but even so...
My eyes moved to the figure of Prince Wales, dazzling and perfect.
The ring of Andvari...
...deep at the bottom of the lake...
...perhaps.
... That pun was on the level of Yang's (RWBY). Shame on you shade. 
