Chapter 30: Ball
Walking out of her room, Miriam was dressed in a red regal attire that accentuated her body and heightened her beauty.
Her aurburn hair was tied in a pony tail and a few loose strands floated about freely by the side of her ear.
Walking down the red carpeted stairs, the rest of her family were all dressed in the most beautiful suits and dresses as they stood by the door in preparation to leave.
"Of course, my baby sister is the most beautiful, as always". Oliver nodded in approval.
"Are you saying that I’m ugly, dear brother?". Ava teased.
"Of course not!, your beauty is only second to that of Miriam!". He answered with a serious expression.
"Now, now, let’s not be late for the ball, you can argue later when you get there". Astoria interrupted with a smile.
Opening the door, a purple carriage, sleek and polished with faint gold accents, glided through the streets behind six white horses, lanterns swaying gently as it parked directly Infront of the mansion.
"Right this way, your majesties". The coachman alighted and bowed as he gestured the family with respect and fear plastered on his face.
The previous banter and amused expressions that were on the faces of the family, dissapeared like it never existed to begin with.....even Miriam.
As they walked calmly toward the carriage with neutral expressions, an unfathomable pressure settled over the surroundings; even the birds and beasts scattered, fleeing as though afraid their presence alone might taint the air.
Entering the luxurious carriage, the sweating coachman clicked his tongue softly, and the carriage rolled smoothly into motion.
"The Crimson Blade are on the move, so make sure you’re all on alert at all times". Luke started
Oliver nodded in response, "I met a few of them during my travels".
"And I heard a few of them have already infiltrated the upper echelons". He added.
Luke nodded, "This ball was created solely for the purpose of spotting and possibly eradicating people like that, so let’s not get too carried away".
A moment of silence ensued as the family pondered on their lines of action if anything went wrong.
After a while, Ava broke the silence with a teasing smile, "Say, Miriam, I’m sure the young masters would love to see you there".
With a harrumph, Miriam replied, "I’m not interested in any of those haughty fools".
Oliver, being a sis–con that he was, added, "I shall raze the family of any man that forces my baby sis to do anything, to the ground".
"....I’ll be praying for them". Ava responded
"How do you think that boy is doing?". Ava asked Miriam again.
"Hmph, I’m sure he’s dead by now". Oliver interjected.
"I–i don’t think so". Miriam muttered lowly.
"What do you–"
Before Oliver could continue, the carriage slowed to a smooth stop before a grand white castle, where a long red carpet stretched from the gate to welcome the guests.
Alighting from the carriage with a hidden anger, Oliver and the rest of the family walked down the red carpet which had been vacated by the other nobles upon sighting them.
Entering the ballroom, a large chandelier glistening with golden lights, hung on the concave ceiling lined with golden rims.
The marble floor shone like still water, polished so finely it reflected the gowns and boots of the guests as they swept across it.
Tall arched windows, draped with crimson silk, allowed the moonlight to blend with the warm glow of countless candles.
Musicians played softly from a raised platform near the corner, their strings and flutes weaving through the gentle hum of chatter.
Servants in crisp livery moved gracefully between the crowd, offering trays of sparkling wine and delicate pastries.
At the far end of the hall, a pair of golden doors stood closed, their surfaces carved with intricate patterns of lions and roses, marking the path deeper into the castle’s heart.
"Luke!, you came!". A loud friendly voice resounded in Luke’s direction.
Walking towards him with a glass of wine in his hand, the red haired man shook Luke’s hand with a smile on his face.
"Leon, how are you". Luke asked with a smile on his face.
"I’m good, still waiting on the proposal I gave you though". Leon added, as he stared at Luke from the corner of his eyes.
Letting out a sigh, Luke pulled Leon to one of the secluded tables and started, "It can’t workout".
Leon smiled as if he had already expected this outcome, "I know".
"I know that you know". Luke nodded as he poured himself a glass of wine.
Leaning forward with his hands clasped in front of him, Leon answered, "But that doesn’t mean I would be satisfied"
A heavy silence descended as they stared down at each other for a while before Luke broke the silence, "I can’t marry off my daughter, Leon".
With a soft click of his tongue, Leon answered, "Please, don’t give me that father sob story, we know how these things work and you tend to gain more from this deal anyways".
"Look, i will tell you this once and only once". The air turned cold as Luke stared deeply into the unbothered eyes of Leon.
"My family is not a deal that we can negotiate any how we please".
"..... Fine,but if we’re going to have a chance at defeating the head of those freaks, your family’s [soul severance] would be of immense help".
"I understand Greg mastered Mana manipulation to an impressive degree". Luke
nodded as he took a sip of the wine.
"Yes, and the mixture of Soul severance and mana manipulation could improve the already declining skill of your family".
"...I could arrange a date with our children and see what happens". Luke came to a compromise.
Leon nodded with a wide smile as he clinked the glasses with Luke’s and they talked about some other stuff that the author has no idea about.
At another end of the ballroom, Miriam could be seen with a dark haired lady, who had a red dress that accentuated her curvy body.
"Miriam, I’ve missed you so much!".
"I’ve missed you too, Maira, so how was your trip to Vossier?". Miriam asked
"It was alright, I got some weapons, had a few get togethers with some of my old pals....and yes, I found that slave boy I gave you!". Maira’s excited expression turned to that of fleeting disgust and anger as she recalled his face.
"...Clark?". She asked carefully.
"Yes!, him!, it was such a disgusting experience...urgh". Maira shuddered
A moment of silence dawned, as Maira made the last statement.
"....Excuse me". Miriam stood up with an unreadable expression.
"Huh?, where are you going?". She asked confusedly.
"To the bathroom". Miriam answered with an unreadable expression.
Before waiting for the response of her friend, Miriam went into the luxurious bathroom and leaned on the glittery white sink that had a mirror resting on top of it.
Staring at her reflection for a while, her angry emotions finally came out and her expression contorted I anger and frustration.
’How dare she call him disgusting?!, she’s lucky I’m her friend and any actions I take could give me a bit of trouble’. Miriam muttered as her anger had yet to dissipate.
After a few moments of pacing around, she fixed up her flawless appearance and walked out of the bathroom calmly.
"Madam Miriam, may I have a dance?".
A pleasant voice belonging to a man in his early twenties traveled to Miriam’s ear, increasing her frustration.
Turning her face calmly to stare at the golden haired man who had one of his hands extended with a confident smile, the image of a certain man crossed her mind for a moment.
’I see him everywhere’.
Miriam sighed inwardly as she shook her head lightly and walked over to the man with a neutral smile on her face.
"Mr. Virsch, as much as I’d love to dance with you, I must decline".
With the smile still on his face, he answered, "Just having an audience with the prized possession of the Rothschilds is enough".
Chuckling softly, she answered "You speak as if you cannot see me whenever you want".
"It would be rude to force the way through the heart of a woman". He responded calmly.
"That’s very nice of you, Will, but you’ll have to excuse me for I’m a little tired". Miriam answered with an apologetic look.
With a light nod, Will, sat on a table close to the wall and took a sip of his drink with a swirl, "You could sit here and you wouldn’t know I even existed". He suggested.
With a sigh, she agreed, "....Fine, I’m sure a few drinks wouldn’t hurt".
Pulling out a seat for her with a wide smile, he gestured her to sit, "I don’t see your friend...uhh... Maira, was it?". He asked
Taking her seat, her expression darkened a little before dissapearing like it was never there, "She has her own things to do".
Sensing the awkward situation, he started rambling about topics related to the royal family, the tournament and how awesome the author is.
Unbeknownst to him that the person he was trying so hard to win over, currently had different thoughts swirling in her head.
’Maira said she saw Clark in Vossier, maybe I could go visit him later....’
’I hope he’s not doing too badly, he’s still weak and needs my protection...’
"So...–"
’But what if he finds another girl and falls for her?’
Miriam’s anger surged as she imagined a girl next to Clark; clinging to his arm, hugging him, kissing, even h–holding h–hands.
"Miriam?".
Will’s voice jolted Miriam out of her thoughts as she looked at his confused face and smiled weakly, "I apologize, I’m a little tired, I will take my leave now".
Without waiting for her response, Miriam stood up and patted her dress lightly before walking away calmly.
’Did I say something wrong?’.
The poor boy was questioning his life choices.
Walking down the hall and sharing a few greetings with the different people, she bumped into Maira again.
"Hm?, Miriam, where have you been?, I’ve been looking for you!".
Miriam simply nodded and followed the pull of Maira to her seat.
"So, as I was saying, I met that peasant in the female section of the boutique and he looked pretty well".
Maira continued as anger clouded her expression.
"I’m sure he was looking for another girl to leech off of, it’s most likely he’s already found another rich nobody".
Miriam’s anger and frustration rose to unbelievable degrees as she listened to her so called best friend.
’Clark would never do that to me, he promised....’
Maira, unbeknownst to the storm she was brewing, continued with a disgusted expression, "And when I confronted him about it, he tried framing me for things I didn’t do!".
"The only reason I couldn’t defend myself was because I hit him first, tsk."
The air came to a stand still as that last line came out of her mouth and an intangible pressure descended over where they sat.
"You did what?". Miriam asked coldly.
Maira’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she stared at Miriam. A cold sweat rolling down her back, she answered, "I hit him?"
Big mistake.
Miriam’s anger surged and her eyes glowed a light purple hue that sent shivers down anyone’s spine if they looked at it.
"You.....hit Clark". She spoke with an eerie calm in her voice.
Maira was already filled with fear and confusion at this point and she couldn’t answer.
Staring straight in her eyes, Miriam said again, "You hit Clark?".
Maira didn’t know when she nodded, and almost immediately, she felt as if her soul was struggling to leave her body.
Extreme fear washed over her, her face turned pale, but before Miriam could go any further, someone placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Miriam, that’s enough".
Miriam was brought back to reality and Maira got the chance to live another day.
"S–sis, what are you doing here?". Miriam asked nervously.
"Come with me". Ava spoke with a neutral tone.
"Mm".
Gone was the fear instilling woman, all that was left was a little girl as she trailed behind Ava.
Maira, on the other hand, still hadn’t recovered from the near death experience she had. A few minutes passed and she eventually came back to her senses and took a big swig of her drink.
Letting out a deep sigh, Maira thought to herself, ’Something isn’t right, I’ll have to do a little digging’.
Maira stood up with an unreadable expression and went to the upper part of the ball room.
Sorry if it was boringgggg and I didn’t update yesterday. We moved houses and the luggage wasn’t small. Love you 💕