Chapter 4: A Tea Party

Ferdinand, 1st year Royal Academy

Justus helped me prepare for the tea party before the invitation even arrived. If the shock of the invite itself had not stunned Sylvester, then the fact that the princess would be in attendance did. Everyone who had been in the common room had stared very openly when word arrived.

"How did you even manage that?" My brother had a dazed look in his eyes.

I shrugged. "Apparently it has been going around that my voice is appealing. Or that is what the Dunkelfelger archduke candidate said."

Sylvester made a face that I knew meant he was very suspicious. "I don't recall anyone saying you have even spoken to any of the Dunkelfelger archduke candidates since the greeting?" He seemed to be doing some mental calculations and when he came to his answer a smug grin was starting to pull at his lips.

I kept my noble smile firmly in place, I had suspected some of the first years were keeping an eye on me, but this just confirmed it. Under no circumstances could I tell Sylvester I met Lady Minerva in the woods or that she had saved me. The humiliation of that alone was reason enough to keep quiet. No need to start rumors that will only bring trouble to me and teasing. So, I gave him a vague response, "It seems Dregarnuhr played a trick on us."

My response was not what he was hoping for. "Why are you so calm? Royalty and the upper duchies are going to be there!" It was something of a comfort that he was so worried for my sake.

"I cannot refuse, so there is no point in worrying." That seemed to take the wind out of him. He nodded acknowledging the truth of what I said.

"So, you have a plan?"

I simply gave him a smile in which he winced.

"Don't smile at the girls like that. They might take it as a threat."

Noted.

After that, Justus took me to a side room to discuss the information he had gathered. This included a list of all the ladies who would be attending, their duchy, their rank, a few points of conversation, as well as their personal preferences. With two notable exceptions on the preferences, Lady Minerva and the second Princess Eleonor. Justus had sighed about that.

"Information on the Princess was especially difficult to gather seeing as she is a couple years older. Though based on what type of tea party it is likely she is fond of music. Lady Minerva on the other hand." He clicked his tongue. "A lot about her warrior heart. Those of Dunkelfelger were not shy in pride of her skills, but not much else other than her preferred weapon is glaive. Apparently, she even brought it with her."

Why would a noblewoman bring an iron weapon, much less a bulky one like a glaive here? They were long and unwieldly, not something you could easily carry around the grounds. Where would one even practice-. I stopped that thought dead in its tracks as I remembered meeting her in the forest. So that's why she had snuck off into the woods without a proper attendant. From what little I had seen of Dunkelfelger she would have had a parade if those Ditter brained fools thought they would see a good fight. She was smarter than I gave her credit if she was hiding her practices. Anyone who went up against her would be at a serious disadvantage without knowing she was regularly training.

"Lord Ferdinand, have you given any thought to the music you will play?"

I thought about it and selected the songs that appeared the most in the information that Justus gathered. "These five should do."

"Will you also be performing one of your own? It would be a stroke of brilliance especially with the princess present. It would certainly boost your reputation."

He had a point, but as I looked over the list of songs I had and compared them to the ones I had written, none of them matched the vibe of the songs I had already decided to perform. Choosing the wrong song here could easily shift the mood in the room of a tea party. After mulling it over for a moment I realized I had been silent for too long.

"I do not think I have anything that would suit the occasion."

Justus smiled brightly, "Might I make a suggestion, Lord Ferdinand?"

I was wary of that smile and I very much suspected that I might regret what I was about to say, "Alright."

"Why not make a love song using the God of Darkness and the Goddess of Light."

It was a struggle to not cringe at the suggestion. I had never particularly liked love songs, but the idea had merits to it as something of that type would flow well with the songs I had already selected.

"It is not an inherently bad idea." I looked to my other retainers hoping to find a dissenting voice among them. Greifechan did not hear my prayer.

So, began the process of creating a song. It was a surprisingly slow process, probably because I was unused to romance songs. But it wasn't too long before I had come up with something that was pleasing to the ear even if it was only poetic drivel. Justus beamed and suggested I test it out on Eckhart and Heidemarie. There was a glint to my attendant's eyes that made me suspicious once more.

"We will want a woman's opinion, will we not?"

His thoughts were sound, but I was still wary of the motivation behind it. In the end my fears proved unfounded. Both Eckhart and Heidemarie were enthused by the performance. Eckhart lamented that he would not be able to go with me into the tea party. His comment however seemed to make Heidemarie perk up.

"Lord Ferdinand, will you be needing a woman to attend to you while at the tea party?" She very clearly was aiming to fill the role despite the desire to become a scholar rather than an attendant. Sadly, Justus and I had already discussed this and he assured me that he could in fact pass as a woman. Especially since all of the girls there would not be familiar with all the Ehrenfest girls. Still, if it was not such a useful skill for information gathering, I would have more objections to it.

"I believe Lord Ferdinand and I have come up with a solution that will get me inside."

Now Heidemarie looked just as dejected as Eckhart.

In the end, the day of the tea party came much sooner than I wanted. That day Justus got me up early to ensure I was ready. I even took extra care to have my long hair braided neatly so it would not get in the way. After I was dressed, Justus dabbed the barest amounts of perfume on my wrists. It smelled faintly of the forests back home. Both a comfort and a reminder of what I was trying to protect. After that, Justus had brought me to the table and once he had finished serving me, he disappeared with his older sister, who followed grudgingly. Gudrun returned a quarter of a bell later with a girl who could have passed for her twin. It was both impressive and disturbing how good Justus's disguise was. Even I struggled to see him in the girl I staring at. The high collar of the dress hid his throat, while velvet gloves covered his rough hands. I did not even want to know how he managed to get his hair so long or his feminine figure.

"Lord Ferdinand, she will do." The real Gudrun seemed torn between amused and like she had just eaten something very sour. Then she turned to Justus and hissed quietly, "If you damage that dress, you will be buying me two new ones, and if you cause me trouble while bandying about my name, I will tell mother what you are up to." As threats went it was a terrifying one. Rihyarda was a fierce woman who was not afraid of anyone, which was one of the reason's she was Sylvester's nanny. Even I was careful around her.

"Dear sister, you wound me." The voice was not Justus, more a huskier version of Gudrun's own voice. The real Gudrun scoffed at her brother, and left without another word.

"She agreed." I was admittedly surprised, I thought she would refuse to help when Justus revealed that he planned to use her name. But it turns out that the brother and sister pair trusted each other more than most. It also helped that now Gudrun had something to hold over her brother if he was being difficult.

"Only because she knew I wouldn't be caught and drag her name through the mud."

Failure was not an option for either of us.

I sighed, "Well, I guess we had better go. It would be rude to be late."

Justus quickly went to retrieve my harspiel from my room, and I checked it to be sure it had not been tampered with. Once it was assured that the instrument was undamaged or otherwise altered, we made our way out. Justus walked to my left while Eckhart walked on my right. He had insisted on least making sure I arrived without being accosted. Though the trip was blissfully uneventful.

When we arrived, Eckhart peeled away and only Justus and I went in. We were greeted by Lady Magdalena and we exchanged the usual long-winded greetings before she said quietly,

"I am truly sorry if my sister has been a bother to you. You weren't forced to come, where you?" She was exasperated, with her sister. And she clearly thought her sister had strong armed me into coming. In a way she was right, but Lady Minerva had not forced this meeting in the typical way.

"I was not, I am quite grateful to be here." Truth and lie, a very nice balance I thought.

I knew she did not believe me. She hid it well, but she was still very clearly suspicious of her sister who was watching us with barely hidden amusement. Once I was taken to my seat, the royal princess entered. Everyone already here immediately got up and kneeled.

"Oh please, do sit, we are all here to enjoy music." Her voice was soft and almost bell like. She glided toward the seat that Lady Magdalena led her to. But she stopped when she neared me.

"So, you are the Lord Ferdinand that all the first years speak so highly of. I look forward to your performance."

"You honor me with your presence alone, Lady Eleonor. I shall treasure the words of encouragement you have graced me with."

The princess blushed prettily. She opened the lace fan she had been clutching and used it to shield her face. "So, you knew my name."

"I believe every man knows your lovely name my lady." I flashed my brightest noble smile. Wanting nothing more than to be able to get out of this room and away from all these giggling girls as physically possible. My composure nearly wavered when I caught sight of Lady Minerva face. She wasn't even bothering to hide her amusement even going so far as to chuckle into her tea cup. It was as if she understood how uncomfortable this was for me and took no small amount of pleasure from it. But that was impossible not even she was able to find fault with my noble smile.

"Does something amuse you sister?" There was censure behind Lady Magdalena's question and smile. Unsurprisingly though, it did nothing to temper her sister's amusement.

"Many things amuse me. Life is wonderful gift like that."

"I see." Lady Magdalena managed to smile and scowl disapprovingly at the same time.

The princess giggled. "You two are quite close, I admit I find myself jealous of that."

This time when Magdalena smiled at the princess it had a softness to it that made it feel genuine and warm. "My sister will claim it is because we are twins, the Gods blessed us with our closeness. But I think there is something to be said for how much time we spent together." Lady Minerva chuckled into her cup again, but there were clear signs of affection on her face.

I was soon distracted by several of the teachers who were sat at the table with me. They were eager to learn what songs I had chosen to play. After hinting that I would debut a new song the chatter in the room increased. As more ladies arrived, a couple made comments about my presence here only to have Lady Magdalena intervene pointing out my talents. When the music teachers confirmed my talents the few who would gain-say me were shut down. Lady Magdalena in particular seemed to being taking it on herself to shield me from some of the nastier girls. She probably felt responsible since her sister was the reason for my presence here in the first place. It wasn't too long after everyone was seated, that the attendants began bringing out their ladies' instruments. Justus was also handing me my harspiel.

Lady Eleonore requested that I play first. Not that it mattered to me either way. I held the harspiel at the ready and plucked the first cord, letting the notes float through the room and draw everyone in. Then I began to sing as my fingers stroked the strings. The song of the God of Darkness and the Goddess of light flowed through the room, pure and perfect. Soon I realized the room was holding its breath as my song described the challenges the great couple faced. But they triumphed and were wed. I sang the close with one final skillful flourish. As I looked around at the faces, I was surprised to find many of the girls were staring at me with something close to longing. A few even sighed dramatically. Almost everyone was misty eyed with one notable exception.

Lady Minerva watched me with a strange mix of triumph and pride on her face. Her eyes seemed to say, 'Not bad at all, can you keep it up'.

It was Lady Magdalena who regained her composure first of those who had been star struck. She cleared her throat drawing attention away from me. Something I appreciated. "That was beautiful, Lord Ferdinand. Now who will be willing to follow that up." She put a hand on her cheek. "Sister, as you invited Lord Ferdinand, I am sure you have no issue with following up his performance." I understood right away that this was her revenge on her sister for all the trouble my presence caused. Judging by the way Lady Minerva looked at her sister with mock horror while her eyes crinkled with amusement, she understood the purpose of this move too.

"If everyone wishes for it, who am I deny you. Though if it is alright, I would like to have my attendant Lina join me." The gold haired attendant behind Minerva paled slightly, but nodded her agreement when no one contested her lady's request. The timid girl quickly produced a flute that had been tucked away nearby. Just in case. She took up position standing behind her mistress.

The song began with Lady Minerva plucking a few cords on the harspiel. A few beats later the attendant joined in with the flute. It created a song with a very haunting and melancholy feel to it. This was only reinforced when Minerva started to sing. Her song wove a tale about a mother whose only child was missing. The lady journeyed far and wide searching for her beloved son. After many challenges she finally found where the Goddess of Chaos had imprisoned her son. She entered into a battle of wits in order to gain her son's freedom. But Chaos was as brutal as she was clever. The final test was a choice to kill her son or abandon him. The mother could do neither so she turned her blade on her own heart because she rather die than choose between killing her son and abandoning him. Her life blood was the thing that unlocked her son's chains.

It was truly a sad song. Even my own eyes twinged uncomfortably from the burning jealously. I shoved it down even as the others in the room offered their praise.

"That was an interesting twist on that song. Why did you leave off that part where the Gods restored the mother after her show of devotion?"

Minerva's gaze took on a glassy stare as if she were no longer seeing this room and the people present, but something very far off. "Life doesn't always work that way. The Gods won't always fix our problems. Sometimes things remain broken." Then she immediately regained herself and smiled sweetly. "I hope you all still found it quite enjoyable."

The other girls made comments about the song, but one particular girl made a jab about it being so different from my own song. Clearly, she wanted to trip up Minerva. But the Dunkelfelger archduke candidate responded calmly.

"Love has many faces, as we do. It can be lifesaving medicine that soothes or it can be a virulent poison that drives one to madness. My song was simply a counter point to the-, Lord Ferdinand's song."

Vexing woman. She nearly called me 'Little Flower' again. And in front of all these people no less. On the other hand, her comparison was an interesting one. She certainly was not wrong, but I had a feeling there was more to her choice than what she was saying. The expression she had made when she had been asked about the change seemed too… visceral. She was much too young to be a mother. Maybe she had lost a sibling or another close family member. Though the Dunkelfelger princess was by no measure bad, it was also clear she definitely wished to avoid a close comparison between our singing.

After that, the other ladies each took turns playing a song before I was asked to play again. This time, several ladies chatted as I played music for them. I was just grateful to not have to converse with the teachers. Still, some of the girls stared at me with an intenseness that could be felt regardless of whether I looked at them or not. So, I focused on playing and listening to the chatter.

"Lady Minerva, I heard the harshest rumor the other day. Someone was saying that the tool you wear over your eyes is make up for your poor eye sight and boost your mana. I am concerned that you will be able to manage all your practical lessons like that?"

Minerva chuckled. It was a sound that had the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. A small voice in me whispered, 'do not draw its attention' "I'm afraid someone has played a rather cruel joke on you." She removed the magic tool and set it aside. "I can see just fine without the tool."

The other girl made a soft sound of surprise.

"Oh my, you must be careful dear. You wouldn't want ruin that dress, it is your best feature." Minerva purred those words in what should have been a consoling tone, but the room's temperature seemed to have dropped significantly because several people shivered.

The girl who had made the first remark excused herself and I caught a glimpse of dress that had tea spilled on it and tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Others seemed relieved when Minerva put her glasses back on. One even did her part to get the topic changed to something far less dangerous.

"Lady Minerva, I heard the tale of how you demanded a bride task from the handsome scholar. It was so romantic. But I was so shocked that your future husband would want you to battle in duels."

This time when she laughed it was a sweet thing, so full of joy it put the other girls at ease. "I am sure Peter thought it would be amusing. He does have an unusual sense of humor. Though I wish he would have given me an actual challenge. Then again, I am not looking forward to having to duel him in our last year."

Wait, was that not the name of her personal scholar?

"But I thought he was a scholar. Why would he want to duel you?"

She nodded. "He is. Which is what makes him so troubling. Peter doesn't fight like a knight, he will use tricks, tools, and every scrap of information he gathers on me to win. I may have skills, but even then, it will not be an easy fight."

The conversations soon turned to other people's love interests. Mercifully, the tea party did not last much longer and I was able to escape before some of the girls who had been staring particularly hard could work up the courage to approach me.

Free at last. I hope I never get invited to another one of these tea parties.