It wasn't long before Sophia insisted they attend another party.
"After all, the adventuring party was nice and all, but Maria needs to make her big debut into high society!" Sophia said with the earnestness of someone who wanted to see a friend undergo the same sort of suffering as her, no matter how belated. "So, you need to make your presence known! Show up to a lot of parties and establish yourself as Lady Maria of the Nightflower Workshop!"
"Don't they already know you as Lady Sophia of the Nightflower Workshop?" Maria said.
"That is that, and this is this!" Sophia said cheerfully. "Come on, I want to hear all the snooty side comments get made and then you just putting people in their place with your Maria-ness!"
"You're using my name as an adjective again."
"Trying to use any lesser word to describe Maria is an exercise in compiling words for a book," Sophia said. "Best just use the one word that works."
"That's… one of the uses of names, yes." Maria gave her an exasperated look. "Are actually telling me to my face that you want me to go to parties so people can look down on me for once being a commoner?"
"Actually, the idiots who'd make those comments would still see you as a commoner despite your title," Sophia said enthusiastically. "Unless they're the horny idiots who'd want to 'put you in your place' by seducing and using you, or just get you alone in a corner and bully you. Or say you just used your royal connections to gain power, and you're a bad influence on the princes, as if anything would be a worse influence on blondie than himself. Or just feel like gossiping maliciously. Lots of people are horrible after all."
Maria took the invitations Sophia had put on her desk and then moved to light one of her candles to burn them.
"Wait, no!" Sophia cried.
"Your description sounds utterly horrendous," Maria said. "Why would I choose to willingly go there?"
"B-but if you don't go, then how are we going to enjoy the looks on their faces when Mary, Katarina, Selena, maybe Lalatina, and I show up and have them realize you have friends in high places?!" Sophia wailed.
"Didn't you already say one of the slanders they will be repeating is that I am only using my connections to you all for power and influence like some sort of parasite?" Maria said blandly.
"Yeah, but those kinds of people are only jealous they're not in your position to do the parasiting," Sophia said. "So it doesn't matter what they say, what matters is they see you having fun with us and get all jealous!"
"Have you been reading a novel with a higher concentration of political intrigue scenes compared to romance?" Maria said. "You tend to get like this when you find a new novel."
"I might have been reading 'Borne of the Mists' lately, and just got to the scene were the heroine meets the slovenly intellectual lady who likes books, but that has nothing to do with anything!" Sophia declared.
"Sophia, if you have some sort of ulterior motive you're building towards, tell me," Maria said. "Friends make their friends co-conspirators, not ignorant pawns."
Sophia winced slightly, then sighed. "I want to relive my childhood, all right?!" she cried. "People know better than to say those things to my face now, so I can't rub it in their faces how successful and confident and happy I am! But if you're there, they'll see you as fresh meat, and I'll be able to do what Lady Katarina did, swoop in, and then… and then…"
"So… you want to find people to bully," Maria said blandly.
Sophia paused. "I can tell from your lack of tone you disapprove."
"Yes," Maria said.
"Er, it's not real, bullying, it's counter-bullying? It's basically self-inflicted! They're bullies, they totally deserve it!"
"Sophia, the only reason I'd be willing to go to these parties if I did not know the host personality is to find those interested in nightflowers and establishing cordial relations with them so they will be willing to commission us," Maria said sternly. "We are adults, Sophia. Even Katarina has made allowances to maturity, in her own way. I expect better from my business partner. Adults do not endanger business opportunities for the sake of mere pettiness."
Sophia had the grace to look down, ashamed.
"No, as adults, we meet with these people, we treat with them maturely, and then when we have their custom, we charge them triple price," Maria said. "The pettiness must come after we have established the business opportunity. I thought you already knew this, since we discussed it when we first established our partnership, but clearly you have forgotten."
Sophia blinked, looking up, shame forgotten. "Wah?"
"Remember Sophia," Maria said. "We are adults. We need to be responsible with our business and our employees first, then satisfy out petty urges against those that offend us. Anything else is childish."
"All right, I'll admit, this wasn't the reaction I was expecting you disapproved," Sophia said.
Maria allowed herself a small shrug and a smaller smile. "While I was only enforcing Academy rules when chastising those threatening a member of the Student Council… just between you and I… breaking their arms was not without enjoyment."
Despite this, they chose an invitation that was guaranteed to be mostly welcoming.
Lady Selena and Prince Ian had decided to hold a party together at the castle, and already rumors were flying they intended to announce their impending marriage. They didn't—Selena had said they wanted to utterly crush certain people who thought they could dictate their wishes to the prince and Selena—but that hadn't stopped the rumors. As with many such parties, Maria surmised many of the guests would be political supporters of the prince that had bowed to the inevitable and accepted that he was marrying Selena and that continued opposition to this fact would not be countenanced, but there were more personal invitations as well. Personal friends of Prince Ian's from his own time at the Academy, and friends of Lady Selena, of which Maria was counted among…
In fact, another invitation for Katarina had also been addressed, though it had come with a private letter from Lady Selena that said she understood if Maria chose to refuse to allow her squire to attend. Had it been from anyone else, Maria would have refused. However, this was Lady Selena… and Maria's debt to the woman for the words she had cast at her before realizing duke's daughter had been influenced by Dark Magic needled at her.
She sighed and passed the invitation on to Katarina, hoping she didn't regret this. It wouldn't erase her debt, but it did assuage it.
Selena was also getting nightflowers, at cost as one of their venture partners. Over the past few months, thanks to time, experience and familiarity, they and their workers at the Nightflower Workshop had been learning to make more and more impressive displays. It was not size that mattered but the timing and coordination in launching several different charges to create the most effective displays where elements complemented each other. Selena had asked to be surprised, and so Sophia, Maria, Master Acme, and those experienced in setting up displays had met and pondered for half a day as to what was to be done. Afterwards, Sophia and she discussed making this an official job, someone who planned and coordinated the displays. Clearly they needed someone to specifically plan them out at this point. Just throwing them into the air and watching them explode wasn't enough anymore…
Then came the day.
Maria pouted.
"Maria, stop sulking about Rafael not being able to attend," Sophia said as they sat together in her carriage, waiting for the line of vehicles to progress enough for them to get off. This wasn't a knight-hosted event after all. More rigid rules of etiquette applied, so they couldn't just leave their carriages and walk to the door. Still, there were some small ways around that. Sophia and Matthew had both left their carriages and joined Maria and Katarina in theirs so they could talk while waiting for their turn to disembark.
"I hear Mary is going attend without Alan too," Katarina said, trying to be helpful. She wasn't, but she tried. "I really don't get it though. I mean, why would Prince Ian have a party but not invite his brothers? They live in the same house, they're right there!"
"Politics," Maria sighed, involuntarily pulled from her malaise by the need to educate her squire. "Prince Alan, and all the other princes, are all opposing political parties to Prince Ian in his bid to gain support for the throne. This is a party for political supporters. As such, it would be awkward if the other princes were present."
"Eh?" Katarina said, tilting her head.
"They can't come because reasons," Sophia summarized.
Katarina sighed. "Aw… that's too bad. I've missed everyone. But at least Mary will be there!"
"Er, why is Lady Hunt invited?" Matthew asked. She was coming on Katarina's invitation, though Selena had been informed beforehand and had been agreeable to her presence. "Isn't she one of Prince Alan's supporters?"
"I guess her being friends with Lady Selena trumps her being Alan's fiancée?" Sophia shrugged.
"I suppose it's a tacit admission that Prince Alan doesn't have a faction, per se," Maria said. "Just people who are fans of his music."
"In some ways, that makes him more dangerous," Sophia pointed out. "Political allies are there because they see some benefit to them, even if it's only because they see the person they're supporting as a better leader, and they would benefit from his leadership. The word 'fans', however, comes from 'fanatics'. Often, they don't care about benefit for themselves, and are willing to drive themselves to poverty for their obsession. And I'm pretty sure Prince Alan has more fans than the other princes have political allies."
They all stopped to think about that.
"So… Prince Alan might get on the throne even if he doesn't want to?" Katarina said.
"Given all the princes are perfectly capable, it's not actually a blow to the kingdom," Maria mused. "Even Prince Alan would have the training and ability to do it, he's just lacked reason and enthusiasm."
"At least he's not the Third Prince," Matthew said bluntly.
"So true, so true," Sophia agreed.
"I try to stay out of princely politics," Maria said in a blatant display of cowardice.
"I just don't want to get exiled or killed for being a corrupt noble," Katarina said.
"Cousin, it would need to be a truly perverse definition of corruption to apply to you," Matthew said.
"When she came to ask me to take her as her squire, her definition appeared to be 'someone who just spends money on their hobbies and doesn't do her duty'," Maria supplied.
Every non-Katarina in the carriage pondered this.
"Depending on how you define 'hobby' and 'duty', that's about seven in ten of every noble, and most Marchionesses," Sophia said. "So you're definitely safe, Lady Katarina."
"I don't want to take the chance!"
Maria glanced out the window at a knock in the door. "We're here," she said, undoing the lock.
One by one, the four of them stepped out, some accepting the assistance of the footman who greeted them. Strangely, Maria's formal suit drew no comment.
"Pardon, your ladyships," the footman said as he closed the carriage door behind them, "but it appears your driver has run off. Shall I have one of the lads park your carriage until they can be found."
Maria gave the man a strange look. "What driver?" she said. Really, shouldn't a footman know how carriages worked?
The carriage rolled off to park itself and await them as the part headed for the door, leaving a befuddled footman behind them.
They were met with Lady Selena and Prince Ian at the receiving line. Unlike many others who received only a smile, a greeting and a hand clasp, Lady Selena greeted them with open arms. Though since Katarina had immediately cried, "Lady Selena!" and rushed forward to give her a hug, barely waiting for the lady that Lady Selena had previously been greeting to get out of the way, Maria had to wonder how much of that was her idea.
Still, Lady Selena's smile was notably larger and warmer as she said, "Lady Katarina! I'm very glad you could attend. Lady Mary and Dame Lalatina are already here somewhere, I'm sure they would be glad to see you." The two parted, and Katarina had the presence of mind to bow properly to Prince Ian, who acknowledged the greeting with a small, almost Nicol Ascart-esque smile.
"Hey, Lady Selena!" Sophia greeted, the two of them eholding each other's hands and exchanging genuine smiles. "How does it look?"
"Oh, you know, many whisperers and gossips who still haven't learned, no matter how I gently try to teach them," Lady Selena said, with the sort of smile that one uses to say 'try jumping' when standing next to a cliff or ledge.
Maria got the feeling Sophia hadn't been the only one who had wanted to go baiting for bullies.
"Ah, you know Dame Matthew, Katarina's cousin?" Sophia said.
The purple-clad knight bowed to the royal fiancée. "Greetings, Lady Selena. It's nice to see you again."
"Dame Matthew," Lady Selena greeted. "How nice to see you again. I had not realized a the time, but tell me, are you the daughter of Lady Leona Romani, the far superior rival of that charlatan, Larna Smith?"
Dame Matthew blinked. "Why… yes, Lady Selena. You've heard of mother?"
"I should think more people should know of her," Lady Selena said. "I'd like to speak with you later, I would dearly love to make your mother's acquaintance in addition to your own."
Finally, it was Maria's turn.
"Lady Selena," Maria bowed.
"Dame Maria," Lady Selena smiled. "Thank you for coming. I'm glad you could find the time to join us. I'm sorry to see Master Rafael is not with you."
"He had business, Lady Selena," Maria said.
"Larna Smith causing trouble, no doubt," Lady Selena said. She clearly had no intention of ever forgiving the woman. "Well, I hope you enjoy the party, despite the politics involved. I know your stance on the politics of the situation."
Lady Selena then had to greet the next guest, and Maria was ushered on.
The party was being held in the garden, as was usual for parties held during the day, one dominated by the ancient, massive corpse of a gazebo surrounded with rose bushes. It was a truly massive specimen. Maria hoped there was a plaque that spoke of the one who had slain it.
They presented their invitations to a footman, who announced them. "Lady Katarina Claes," he spoke. "Dame Matthew Romani. Lady Sophia Ascart. Dame Maria Campbell."
There was a brief lull as they stood there to be seen, curious, discerning and inquisitive eyes falling on them.
Katarina tilted her head, frowning in confusion as she looked out across the party. "Why are so many women wearing suits?"