Luna couldn't stop the sudden invasion of butterflies that moved in her stomach at the thought of what was waiting on the other side of the white doors, "Yes. I know. I can do it". The words sounded like lies to Luna but Akasuki-san seemed to believe them.
Akasuki-san smiled at her false confidence, "I know you can. Like I said earlier, I will be waiting for you after the meeting so at least look forward to that".
Luna fought the urge to cling onto Akasuki-san knowing it would be very inappropriate and tried her best to relax. She turned toward the guard and nodded her head letting him know she was ready to enter.
Akasuki-san let go of her hand and Luna walked through the doorway into the sparking white room where other young nobles were mingling.
The room, like most of the architecture in her town, was almost pure white. Luna thought the color was almost sterile, like a hospital, which was no surprise since she frequented that place more than most seven year olds. She wasn't alone in the room since she had arrived at the same time as most nobles had. There were already small groups forming around the small tables that were placed around the room. On the tables lay beautiful vases full of flowers while butlers made their way around the room offering small foods like oer d'oeuvres, calamari, and foie gras on chips. Akasuki-san had mentioned that while the get-together was meant to be for people in her class, older nobles were welcome too due to how few of them there actually were.
Luna spotted a few nobles who were clearly older than her holding flutes of what appeared to be sparkling cider. Luna loved the taste of cider but Akasuki-san rarely let her have any. She always claimed, "there will always be time to drink sugary beverages when you get older".
Luna hesitantly approached one of the groups that was forming near the door she had entered, she was too nervous to enter the room any further and wanted to have a way out in case she really couldn't do this whole socializing thing. A boy that looked a couple of years older than her was holding a flute while waving his hands in the air, appearing to be very much into the conversation going on at the table.
" -said no to gettin' the gun I wanted. He's worried over nothin' I don't understand, we have the best doctors available. A little lead will do nothing against us and these suits," exclaimed the boy, clearly irate over the fact he had been denied something.
Sympathizing with him, another girl standing at the nearby table replied, "He obviously knows it's cheaply made. Imagine walking around Mary Geoise with something that looks like a commoner could own. Let those people hoard that lead while we use the real stuff, gold and silver."
The people around them let out a series of chuckles and agreements. Luna didn't have a clue as to what they were talking about. Everything she owned was "made from the finest material", as explained by all her servants. The jewelry she wore to important events were strictly gold and went to professional jewelers for cleanings every month or so.
Luna approached a girl who hadn't said anything in the conversation that was slowly becoming a loud debate on the worth of lead. Her brown hair was in what appeared to be an uncomfortably tight ballet bun and what little makeup she wore was flawless. She was dressed as impeccably as Luna was but had an air of self importance, not that her pig-like nose helped her at all. She gave off the aura that she had better things to do other than debate with kids about jewelry. Normally Luna wouldn't approach such a person but she didn't know anyone in the room and Akasuki-san's earlier words were still ringing in the back of her head.
"Hello, my name is Luna, this is my first formal meeting, may I know your name?" Luna asked as politely as she could, her brain scrambling through all the lessons she'd had on etiquette.
The girl looked her dead in the eye for a moment before giving her a quick up and down glance and turning her head away.
At first Luna thought the girl was going to ignore her but after a moment and letting out a sigh, the girl looked back at Luna and nodded her head. "First of all, if you're a real noble then you should be familiar with the rest, but I'll let it go since you're new," she said with a nasally voice.
Luna was beginning to regret approaching the girl and was just about to apologize and go be a wallflower when the girl spoke again, "Anyway my name is Elizabeth and this is my third annual meeting. I'll show you the ropes if you're not an idiot."
"I would appreciate learning from someone with experience and I won't forget your kindness," Luna replied with extra fluff as she was taught.
When Luna had asked Akasuki-san what to do if she felt uncomfortable with any noble she talked to, Akasuki-san had simply told her to add extra praise and to make them feel as if Luna was glad for their presence, even though Luna was just as important of an individual as any noble. She hoped this worked now since she really didn't want to fail with the first person she talked to.
Elizabeth seemed happy to be hearing Luna's subtle praise and nodded her head once again, "It's a favor for a favor then. Listen carefully, I'm going to point out who's who and give you advice as to who you should avoid."
Luna nodded her head eagerly and wished she had a notebook to write such valuable information.
"First and foremost, you should avoid any blubbering fools like that Charlos imbecile over there," she pointed at the boy who was still complaining over the gun he wasn't allowed to have.
"He has a little sister who was too young to come to this event but I wouldn't be surprised if she's just a copy of the idiot, her name is Shalria," she continued as she focused on the loudest noble in the room.
"Their father is Rosward who I sometimes question is even related to them," Elizabeth went on.
"What do you mean?" Luna asked, Elizabeth's statement confused her, she knew no family was perfect but the way Elizabeth seemed to dislike the family overall made it seem like Elizabeth had juicy gossip to share.
"I said what I said," Elizabeth snorted as she picked up a flute of cider off a tray one of the butlers had as he walked by. "Their father has more going on upstairs than his kids do, I mean look at Charlos, he's practically an invalid," Elizabeth said before taking a sip.
Luna wasn't sure what to say to that statement without coming off as extremely rude to Charlos or disagreeable to Elizabeth, so she just hummed.
"We're kids but we're not idiots," Elizabeth continued, "at least most of us aren't", she said while giving another glance over at Luna.
"Charlos looks nothing like his mother or his sister, and I definitely remember my parents laughing about how that family was suspected to have had a tiff years ago because of the disappearance of one the lanky house maids that used to follow Rosward around. My parents said she disappeared a few months before Charlos was born and looked like she was getting fat," Elizabeth explained while swirling the contents of her glass.
"Maybe it was just a coincidence?" Luna asked, not wanting to insinuate anything.
This made Elizabeth laugh, "Oh you're so naive Luna, but don't worry, you'll catch up with the rest of us." She chuckled some more at Luna's now flustered face, "there's only two possible reasons that could explain why Charlos turned out the way he did. Either he really did fail the genetic lottery, which I doubt since we're all descendants of gods, or-", Elizabeth cut herself off here as she noticed Luna was leaning in due to the suspense.
"Or?" Luna hated that she loved gossip so much, her mother and Akasuki-san had told her multiple times what a terrible character trait that was to have. However, Elizabeth was so good at getting her to latch onto every word she said.
"Or, his father messed around with the easy commoner that the maid probably was. It would explain why he came out so stupid. Tainted blood is worthless blood. And everything we put out to the world is based on appearances so either way, we'll never know I guess," Elizabeth concluded with a sip of her drink.
Not wanting to be the only one standing around not drinking or contributing to the conversation, Luna took a flute from a butler that walked past them again. Copying Elizabeth, Luna brought the glass to her lips and took a large sip. However, what entered her mouth was not cider, it tasted horrifically bitter and for a moment, Luna felt panic growing inside her and thought she had been poisoned. She had overheard some chefs back at home talking about testing food for poison and now she had taken a drink that hadn't been taste tested by one of her servants.
A sharp slap to her back brought her back down to earth. Luna sputtered pathetically while Elizabeth looked at her in disbelief. "Have you never had a drink before or something? How old did you say you were?" Elizabeth sneered at how Luna was quickly wiping her mouth.
Ignoring her questions, Luna grimaced at the lingering taste, "what on earth did I just drink?" she asked Elizabeth. It was so bitter, Luna would rather not drink anything during the meeting than go through that again.
Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth turned her head to observe the party while replying. "It's champagne, dummy, haven't you had it before?" She took another sip of her glass all while looking like she always drank like this.
Luna was too embarrassed to reply to that with a truthful answer so she responded with a, "it's not to my taste", a response Elizabeth thankfully accepted. Wanting to move on from the drinking, Luna went back to a safer topic, Charlos.
She cleared her throat, "so a commoner huh?"
Elizabeth snickered, "Yes, a commoner. I wouldn't be surprised if his father did go after the maid, she was pretty. Pity her lineage was trash. I suppose it could have been worse, she could have been a criminal or a lowly fish creature."
Elizabeth spoke as if what she was saying was fact. If Luna wasn't as close to her servants like Akasuki-san as she was, she would have been tempted to agree with Elizabeth. But she was still too afraid to speak up and oppose anything Elizabeth was saying. Did that mean Luna was wrong? Shouldn't she be more confident if she was sure about how she felt about Akasuki-san and her kind?
As the chatter in the room continued and Elizabeth made a remark about how the butlers weren't walking around enough with snacks, Luna continued to focus on what Elizabeth had said regarding they're ancestry and the slaves they had.
"This is too difficult to think about, maybe she's right. There's a reason they're slaves and we aren't. . . but why don't they just leave if they don't like it here?" There was a growing list of questions in Luna's head that she couldn't wait to ask Akasuki-san about once the meeting was over.
Glancing over at the grandfather clock that stood by the fireplace on one side of the room, Luna mentally noted time had flown by and there was only about ten minutes left before the scheduled meeting was supposed to end. Technically they could stay as long or go whenever they wanted, but since this was Luna's first year in an official meet and greet with other noble families, she thought she should stay for the full event.
Elizabeth nudged her with her elbow to get her attention over the loud conversations that were happening around them. "We better go pretend to be friends with the others and do our duties for our families, I know you have to do this too," Elizabeth said and grimaced when she looked over in Charlos' direction again. With that, Luna followed Elizabeth over to the closest group to introduce themselves, or in Elizabeth's case, remind them of her presence.
The other kids they spoke to were fairly forgettable to Luna, she had nothing against them but unlike with Elizabeth, she didn't feel as encouraged to talk. Whenever they joined a group, the conversations usually revolved about the wealth their families had and what things they were hoping to buy. One group was debating about the uses of different slaves which was a conversation Luna had zero interest in contributing to. Sometimes they would say things she felt were unnecessarily cruel or rude and while Elizabeth laughed along with them, Luna only felt alienated. She found herself glancing at the clock more often now, willing the hands to move faster.
Deciding she couldn't hang onto Elizabeth forever, Luna wandered off to the initial group she had been listening in on when she entered the room. The group was still debating the worth of different types of metals and jewels but right now, anything was better than the topics raising moral questions in her head.
"I'm telling you, gold is always going to have value, hell, even silver is more precious than whatever trash you want from that town," said a green haired boy with beady eyes and a sneer on his face.
"I don't know why you're so bothered over the type of metal. It's no more than a background for what's important, the jewel. Y'know, I'll bet Elbaf has the best jewels in the world. Those giant oafs on the island are probably hoarding them, they wouldn't be so closed off if they didn't have something to hide," said another boy next to him, this one with blonde hair and bug shaped eyes.
Glancing at Charlos, who had been silent during Luna's re-joining of the group, Luna noticed he was growing to be an unhealthy shade of red and looked ready to yell.
"I don't care what you think about gold or whatever those creatures in the New World are up to, don't you care that we aren't allowed to have something dumb humans can have?" he said with a loud voice, spit flying over the table that the group was standing around. The commotion made some of the butlers that were making their way towards the table make sharp u-turns towards the opposite sides of the room and avoid risking eye contact with Charlos.
"Aren't you listening you imbecile, that lead is worthless to us, let the humans kill themselves with it. We have the real goods here is Mary Geoise," yelled back the girl from earlier. The argument escalated and guards wearing black suits and ear pieces ran into the room to break up the fights between the parties involved.
Luna backed away and felt herself bump into someone. She quickly turned around and saw a butler who had been trying to sneak around the group to escape, dropping his serving tray and its contents on the ground. Luna tried to bend down to help but the butler had already thrown himself on the ground and was showering her with apologies ranging from, "forgive my idiocy" to "that was my mistake, I apologize for my lack of care". His mouth moved at such a rapid pace while his hands collected all the plates and cups that had spilled, that Luna was impressed.
"Just clean up and get out of here you floundering thing," spoke Elizabeth, who had come over to check out what the commotion was about.
"Well, it was my fault for-" Luna never got to finish her sentence since the butler gave a louder apology that drowned her out while bowing deeply. A couple of other butlers quickly strode by and ushered him out the room.
"What were you saying?" asked Elizabeth who looked at her questioningly.
"I-nothing," replied Luna, now noticing how many other kids were staring in her direction in a mixture of disbelief and disgust.
"Good. Anyway, what were they going on about," Elizabeth gestured toward Charlos and the other nobles who had now cooled down but continued to debate the worth of lead to royalty.
Luna briefed her on the issue and finally asked one question that had been bugging her. She hated feeling left out but what she hated even more was feeling dumber than other kids. Luna prided herself on educating herself on the matters of the outside world but this topic in particular was beyond her. "What lead are they talking about? My family says we have the finest jewelry but I've never heard of that?" asked Luna in a hushed voice in case anyone was eavesdropping.
Fortunately, Elizabeth didn't look at her like she was dumb or tell her it should be obvious. She explained after seeing how everyone's attention had re-focused on the group still debating, "they're referring to a white ore that is produced in Flevance, an island in North Blue. Supposedly it glitters in the sun and is very beautiful in person. It's actual name is amber lead and it's super popular to use in stuff like jewelry, makeup, and other things you'd want to show off. Of course, because it's banned here I can only repeat what my parents have told me, I've never seen it for myself."
"Why is it banned here if it's so popular? Shouldn't we be the first ones to get something so sought after?" replied Luna. She had not once heard of this substance and felt like she was being let in on a secret. Anytime she read books on other islands and the material and customs they had, she felt like she was reading a fictional story. All she knew was what Mary Geoise and her family provided.
"Supposedly, now this is mostly a guess since the adults are keeping the real info to themselves, amber lead causes an illness that can kill you. I don't have any more information than that but if the world government recommends that we stay away from it then maybe that means it's so toxic, they don't have a way to keep us safe from its effects. Yet. It's way better to see how humans react to it before we use it. I'm sure some nobles have things made from Flevance but I've never seen anyone walk around with something that could look like it. Probably keeping that stuff isolated until the government gives us the okay," Elizabeth explained.
Luna nodded her head as Elizabeth spoke, perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing to come to these meetings. Although the other nobles such as Charlos repulsed her, Elizabeth was a fountain of information, Even though Luna didn't feel entirely comfortable around her, she wanted to build a friendship with at least one person here.
A final glance at the grandfather clock told Luna that the meeting was officially over even though nobles were still talking to each other and butlers were still serving snacks and refreshments. She caught Elizabeth glancing at the clock as well and re-adjust a diamond pin in her hair.
"Well, it was. . .nice meeting you Luna. I'll be seeing you around," said Elizabeth, who was looking around the room like she was searching for someone.
"I'll be goi-"
Not wanting her to just run off and never see her again, Luna quickly interjected, "where could I find you? I did enjoy our conversations and you've been very helpful. I want to learn more from someone so knowledgeable." She made sure to lather on more praise in case Elizabeth really didn't like her and had just been putting on a front for the past hour.
Unexpectedly, Elizabeth looked flattered and for a brief moment, happy, before responding to Luna.
"I live by the grove near the second gate entrance. It's impossible to miss the mansion but if your driver does, ask the guards by the gates for directions to the Donquixotes," she responded quickly as she eyed a tall man dressed in a similar fashion to the guards from earlier that had broken up the jewelry argument.
"Where do you live? I'll send someone out to collect you so we can talk some more."
"Pangaea," replied Luna, who was confused at the suddenly bug eyed expression Elizabeth gave her. She didn't think about it too much since Elizabeth quickly recovered after clearing her throat and putting on her neutral face.
Giving one last look to Luna, Elizabeth began walking away. She did however take a pause to look over her shoulder and call out to Luna one last time, "don't you forget about our favor for a favor talk earlier". She quickly walked off to join the man who was now waiting by the door.
Relieved that she had something to tell her mother and Akasuki-san, Luna put down the glass she was still holding and started making her way to the doors she originally came through. She was glad that she had made at least one connection and had an idea of what the rest of the noble members were like. She didn't feel like she had let down her mother today.
Letting a sigh of relief and pride as the heavily armored guards opened the doors, Luna immediately made eye contact with Akasuki-san who was standing right where she left her. She had already collected Luna's bag from the maid and smiled as Luna approached her. Luna nodded to her after Akasuki-san bowed slightly to her.
"Botolf is waiting outside for us Lady Luna," Akasuki-san told her and they both began to make their way to the building's front door.
Once they made their way out the doors and found Botolf waiting for them just as he had been that morning, with one arm offered out to them and the other tucked behind him.
There was no evidence left from the commotion this morning other than a suspicious looking skid mark that Luna didn't recall being there. There were a few slaves nearby with buckets and mops. The smell of bleach wafted over when a gentle breeze passed.
Luna flinched at the harsh scent and looked at Akasuki-san who ignored her look, choosing to gently guide her over to Baldtolf. After guiding her and Akasuki-san onto the grizzly man from earlier, Akasuki-san let Baldtolf know they were ready to go.
The ride was just as unpleasant as it was earlier, Luna was convinced she was never going to get used to this form of transportation. She greatly preferred carriages pulled by horses or even walking but the animals require more maintenance than slaves and her mother looked scared when she had told her that she would rather walk.
A tickle appeared in the back of her throat and Luna did her best to suppress it. The meeting had taken a toll on her and she was beginning to feel fatigued. She took a deep breath to try and stay calm but the urge to cough was too great.
A hand began rubbing her back as Luna leaned over the edge of the carriage to let out a series of dry coughs that were followed by wheezes when she would try and breathe in. It took a few minutes for the attack to pass but Akasuki-san continued to rub circles on her back. The maid who had also been holding Luna's hair from falling over her shoulder, stopped only when Luna sat back against the cushions in exhaustion.
Akasuki-san opened up Luna's bag and pulled out an inhaler and placed it over her mouth. The minty taste of vapor entered Luna's mouth and provided quick relief as she leaned into the opening of the device.
Baldtolf threw a worrying glance back at them and gave a kick to the man under them to move faster but Luna didn't notice in the cloud of panic that gripped her.
"You're fine. Don't worry, we're headed to the doctor now and your dose will probably be increased. Just stay calm," Akasuki-san reassured her.
Although Akasuki-san was trying to make her feel better, her words only made Luna feel worse. While the doctor entertained Luna by teaching her the uses of different medical instruments he carried and explaining any procedure he was doing to her, Luna hated the reason she was even there. She couldn't remember a time where she didn't have a doctor's appointment scheduled in the near future. Every time she went she was poked and prodded and never given a reason as to why was as sick as she was.
Luna often had good days where she felt physically fine, but whenever she did anything that required extra energy, such as standing around talking to strangers which in turn heightened her anxiety, her body would take a one eighty and remind her how normal she wasn't.
Luna had closed her eyes and hadn't noticed how much time had passed but the ceasing of movement told her they had stopped. She heard shuffling and Baldtolf unmounting. When Akasuki-san began to stand, Luna opened her eyes and saw they had arrived back at the castle.
"We aren't going to the hospital?" Luna questioned.
"No. Come on now, he's waiting inside for you," Akasuki-san urged Luna, offering a hand to help her stand.
Luna gladly took her hand and got off the carriage with the help of Baldtolf who was waiting on the ground for her. Once Baldtolf made sure she was standing safely, he helped Akasuki-san down. Without another word, he nodded at Akasuki-san and bowed at Luna, turned and yanked the reins attached to the slave. Luna didn't watch them leave as Akasuki-san was urging her along the staircase that led to the castle's front doors.
The journey seemed to take an eternity. The staircases weren't even that long but Luna needed to take a few breaks to catch her breath.
"This is humiliating, I was fine this morning," Luna thought to herself as she leaned over again to breathe in while Akasuki-san stood dutifully next to her.
Eventually the two made it to the tall white doors where a couple of servants opened them before they had a chance to get close enough to reach the knobs. As Luna and Akasuki-san walked inside they heard a quiet conversation going on between the doctor and Luna's mother.
Her mothers waist length hair was down today and although she had been caring for her younger siblings all day, not a hair looked out of place. While Luna resembled her mother in many ways. hair color wasn't a trait they shared. Her mother had told her that once upon a time, she'd had golden hair,it had just faded to the snow white color it was now due to stress. She'd also said she'd tell her all about it when Luna got older but perhaps since Luna had gone to the meeting and made a noble friend, her mother would tell her today. The possibility of finding out more about her mothers past excited her despite the chill atmosphere in the room.
Despite admiring her mothers beauty and thinking about what stories she could hear later, Luna noticed her mother had a concerned look on her face as she listened to what the physician was telling her. Her youthful face was marred by the wrinkles forming between her eyebrows and the frown her mouth was in. She had one hand held up to the dainty gold necklace she always wore and was fiddling with the pendant. The other hand was grasping the elbow of her other arm.
Luna, who had finally read the atmosphere, was hesitant to speak up and greet her mother. Akasuki-san had similar feelings but luckily the doctor noticed them before they stood there long enough to be awkward bystanders.
"Aah look who it is! Luna, how are you feeling? You're looking taller and more beautiful every time I see you!" The doctor joyfully said, his voice booming throughout the room. He was a tall and plump old man, Luna thought of him as being similar to Santa Clause due to his appearance. He was bald but had a long white beard. His bright red nose peaked out over his bushy mustache and his cheery eyes always made Luna comfortable. It also helped that he was supposedly one of the best physicians in the world, at least that's what everyone seemed to tell her. Luna wasn't sure what to think since she'd been his dartboard for his syringes as long as she could remember.
"Hello, I'm doing well, how are you Dr. LaClerc?" Luna asked, minding her manners and being careful with what she gave away since her mother was standing right there watching her.
"I'm doing well young lady, thank you for asking! Now today will be an easy day for you, I just need a few samples and to sit down with you and your mother to talk about what the next step for us is. Are you up for it? I even brought Spud for you today," Dr. LaClerc said, pulling out a brown fuzzy stuffed bear from one of his enormous pockets.
Luna didn't have the heart to tell him she had outgrown stuffed animals and took the bear with a smile on her face to show her appreciation.
The group of four made their way to the right side of the castle. There were hardly any servants that tended to this area that mostly had rooms that contained documents and expensive artifacts that served as trophies for the nobles. One of the rooms had been cleared out for the doctor's use and served as a makeshift clinic just for Luna. Other than her mother, LaClerc, and Luna, the only people who regularly came to this section of the castle were guards that patrolled the area.
When asked why the doctor would examine her on this side castle, Luna's mother told her that there was less of a chance someone would be listening in. Because she was a noble, she had to be private about her health.
Since the situation was so private, Akasuki-san was usually waved away before they got to the hallway with the room. Even though her maid was privy to the fact that Luna had health issues that plagued her, she wasn't aware of the specifics. If anything, she knew less than Luna did about her illnesses.
As usual, after they turned the first corner, Luna's mother turned to Akasuki-san.
"The kitchens require your assistance, your duties to Luna are finished for today," she said in a factual way.
Akasuki-san bowed to the group and walked away, disappearing around the corner they had just walked by.
Luna felt her hand now being grasped by her mother. When she looked up at her mothers cerulean eyes that matched her own, her mother gave a small smile before refocusing on the doctor who had continued to walk ahead.
Comforted in the warmth her mothers hand gave and the way it enveloped her smaller one, she followed suit.
Authors Note:
I'm thinking I'm gonna do an update every 2 weeks to once a month. I'm still trying to figure out what a good chapter length is. I only gave an update today because I wrote half this chapter in a day, literally all the words spilled out. It felt weird to just keep sitting on it.
Later c: