The day of Maria's housewarming party was dark and overcast, threatening rain.
As omens went, it was a bad one. Still, the party must go on, and even if it were actually pouring down the guests would still arrive, expecting last moment change of venue by their host. Which would be unfortunate, since the ballroom was used as a classroom for all of the children, some adults and the village's children, and still had desks, tables and chairs scattered all around. She'd had her armsmen hurried clear it out and move the furniture in the dining room, and the maids had hurriedly cleaned it, but…
Maria really, really, REALLY hoped it wouldn't rain. Not that she wasn't prepared for if it rained… but her main 'if it rained' idea was reliant on Keith Claes, and he wasn't here yet, while the ballroom was… much less well-prepared for visitors…
She really hoped it didn't rain. The sky day was already tenebrous and cold, and Maria had needed to quickly get candles and lanterns out to the various tables and posts of her party to provide light so that her guests wouldn't need to be standing around in the relative dark. Fortunately, she had planned for this eventuality and had ordered the candles in advance from the alchemists' guild in Estus…
The party was to start at late morning, so that her guests could arrive at a leisurely pace instead of rushing first thing and hurrying to her manor. That wouldn't have made for a very enjoyable beginning for her party. Her new magic tool was filled and ready, and the temptation to just test the contents was great, but she restrained herself. After all, she'd already tested the contents five times, and it was unlikely anything would have changed in the meantime.
Despite the great temptation, she hadn't made it blood-flavored. As a compromise with herself, she's used strawberries and cherries, cooked together into a compote instead of a jam.
She and Rafael had discussed long and hard about whether he wanted to be present for the party. Actually, he had discussed long and hard, trying to convince himself it was all right, talking himself out of it, worrying if someone would recognize him, and whether his presence would start a series of events of world-ending cataclysmic proportions that would bring about the ruin of the kingdom, if not the world, while Maria had nodded, talked him down, and tried to get him to choose either way, as she was perfectly fine with his presence or absence. Obviously she would prefer that he be there, but if he didn't feel comfortable, then he didn't need to be. All their friends would understand.
In the end, he had decided to stay, if only so that someone could keep Larna Smith in line.
Now he stood next to her as he prepared to greet her incoming guests and lead them into the, for lack of a better term, party garden, where the various knights in formal armor and one squire were already milling about, setting up a party atmosphere. In truth, they would be attending the party in shifts so that all of the knights stationed on her land to protect the Arsenal Workshop could find the time to attend and enjoy themselves. After their diligence in assisting in protecting her estate, to invite them and offer some merriment was but the least she could do.
Her maids, now wearing clean new uniforms, stood prepared to serve food and drinks, take away the remnants of same, and hopefully not need to endure being fondled and ravished by her guests. Maria didn't expect it to happen, but… well, Keith Claes and his father WOULD be in attendance. Thankfully mother had bowed out of attending the party to stay at home. Maria had made the offer to show that she wasn't ashamed of her mother, but mother clearly didn't want to draw noble attention to herself.
And now her gates were creaking open, and carriages began to roll up her driveway, familiar carriages of friends so far. At their head was her own carriage, sent to the Academy in case some, such as Diana, did not have a carriage at their disposal for traveling. After what seemed both too long and too short, her carriage stopped in front of her, and the door opened as Diana slowly stuck her head out the door, sighing in relief when she saw Maria. Ghirardeli, standing nearby for exactly this, helped her down from the carriage, followed by the other young ladies and young lords of the student council that she remembered from the year before. They were all in various find party dresses, with low heels on their shoes because Maria had mentioned it would be an outdoor party, where the ground would not be as reliable.
"Welcome, Lady Diana," Maria greeted, giving them a bow of greeting. "Lady Landoor. Lady Tucker. Lady Redmane. Lord Silverberg. Lord Copperfield. Thank you very much for attending my little housewarming party today."
Diana curtsied gracefully, and the other members of the Student Council followed suit. "Thank you for inviting us, Lady Maria," she said with perfect formality and restrained, but genuine warmth. "It has been too long, despite our regular correspondence. You have been missed, Lady Head Clerk."
"Ice on our hands just isn't the same as Light Magic," Lord Silverberg said, and everyone nodded fervently.
Maria smiled. "Take heart, and be strong. Soon, this too shall pass, and the fire of your suffering will burn out, even as a new batch of fools attempts to link the flame of Student Council once more."
"Poor wretches," Lady Landoor said, and everyone nodded in agreement once more.
Maria stepped aside slightly—a symbolic gesture at best, since she wasn't blocking the way—and waved her hand. "Welcome to my humble abode," she said. "I hope you enjoy yourselves."
"We thank you, Lady Maria," Diana said, her eyes roaming to take in the tables, the candles, the statuary, and the wooden statue of the gazebo. Then her gaze went beyond that, taking in the manor proper with its dark windows, the hedges and trees barely hiding the farm field, rice paddies, factories, and small military outpost from view. "Your domain appears much changed from what I remember."
"Lord Keith was agreeable to performing some Earth Magic on my behalf," Maria said.
Diana nodded. "I look forward to hearing of it, Maria. Well, we shall not keep you from your other guests." An incremental turn, another, perfect greeting. "Master Wolt. A pleasure to see you again. And may I personally congratulate you both on your engagement."
The other members of the student council also gave their congratulations, then moved on into the party area proper while they waited for other guests, which would be soon to come. As they left, she head Lord Copperfield whispering something about 'not asking about the carriage'.
The next carriage had the royal Darksign on the door, and said door was immediately enthusiastically opened. The Third Prince stepped down first, hands conspicuously free of baskets of jam or wine, and wearing a white suit that… honestly looked like he'd forgotten his cape. He actually looked underdressed, of all things. "Hello Lady Campbell. It's been a while," the Third Prince said as soon as he stepped down. "How's your mother? Will she be attending? My, what a lovely new venue you have. And with such a fine gazebo as well. Did you hunt it down yourself? How do you do, Rafael. Congratulations on your work at the Ministry. The Magic Tool Laboratory is a new rising star once more, it seems."
"Can we please not talk about work?" Rafael said, but he smiled as he said it.
"Hello as well, your highness," Maria said. "My mother is fine, but has chosen not to attend to avoid attention. Thank you for asking. Yes, I'm quite proud of the new venue. No, sadly I cannot claim to have felled this gazebo myself. It is but a mere sculpture, though I hope to reduce it to a placeholder as I find time to properly replace it."
"Well, I wish you luck with that," the Third Prince said. "Should I go badly, I'll see to it your dependents are well cared for."
"You are too kind, your highness," Maria said, with a bow.
"Are you trying to get her killed?" Prince Alan said, having forgone his disheveled shirt, coat and scarf for his own dark, equally elegant suit, which unlike his brother actually did look formal on him. "I've known Sophia long enough to know that kind of talk sets up a terrible and fatal plot twist. Hey, Maria. Hey, Rafael." The greeting was casual but the bow was formal.
"Prince Alan," Maria said, giving another bow. "I hope you like the décor."
Alan seemed to see the candles for the first time, and his casually sardonic expression morphed into a surprised and pleased smile. "Ooh, purple flame candles! Nice!"
"Yes, combined with the overcast, they really give the party an abyssal gloom you don't usually find in housewarmings," the Third Prince said. "Very 'black flames of humanity'."
Maria tried not to think about the mythical abyssal fire and whether the flames cast by her Dark Familiar were the same thing.
Another blond man stepped out from the carriage, then held his hand out to help a small woman down. Prince Ian also wore a suit, and though it fit him, well, he had an aura of always wearing a formal suit, such that the suit just seemed part of him. In contrast, Selena Burg was elegantly dressed, as was fitting for a future princess.
"Lady Maria!" she greeted with a smile that, while not as broad as one of Katarina's, certainly seemed to have gotten a lot of pointers from it. "Thank you for inviting us to your housewarming!"
"No thanks are needed, Lady Selena," Maria said. "Of course my friends would all be invited."
An eyebrow arch. "Even that… Larna Smith woman?" she said, speaking the last word exactly the same way Rafael did when he spoke of the late and unlamented Marchioness Dieke.
"She did suffer injury to save my mother, Lady Selena," Maria said. She was not apologetic. Not at all.
Lady Selena sighed. "Well… for you, I shall restrain myself," she said, a truly great sacrifice on her part. Maria knew how much she loathed the woman. "Though I hope you do not find it strange I avoid her entirely."
"I completely understand, Lady Selena," Maria said. "May I point out to you Lady Diana Cavendish? She is a good friend of mine from the Academy, and I believe you might find common ground with her."
Selena glanced that way. "Ah, yes, I remember her. From the play, correct? She was the narrator." She nodded. "Shall I wait until you can introduce us, Lady Maria?"
"If I may, Lady Selena?" the Third Prince said smoothly. "I would be glad to introduce you to her."
"That sound splendid, your highness," Selena said, casually hooking her arm on her fiancé's.
"Please, Lady Selena, we're practically family," the Third Prince said as they began to step away. Alan had already drifted off to the nearest candle and was looking into the flame gleefully like a child. "Feel free to call me…"
The next carriage was Lady Hunt's. She supposed the royal carriage didn't have enough room for five people. Beyond that was Dame Lalatina's carriage, where Maria could see the white, wing-like shape of one of the pauldrons of her formal armor through the window. And beyond them was a Claes carriage, and an Ascart carriage.
Maria smiled to have her nervousness hide in a blind corner where it wouldn't be noticed and got ready to greet her guests, even as she internally panicked and kept using Dark Magic on herself to summon up memories of passages from 'The Noble's Proper Etiquette Reference and Manual of Propriety and Action, seventh edition' so that she wouldn't forget how she was supposed to act…
Why had she thought this was a good idea again?