Year 1023 of the new calendar, Month of the Sun, 12th day.

That incident with those three left a sour taste in my mouth, but I have to keep on appearances. Laizi should be taking care of the Lendenburg cartel at the moment, good, I have a little under two hours to make my way to the interview. It’s set pretty close to the building I was in at the moment, my escort should be here thirty minutes before the designated time. What to wear, what to wear, I made my way to the closest closet. It was a small walk-in closet, much smaller than the ones I’m used to, but it would suffice for my needs. I smelt myself, a thick scent of blood hung over me, I would usually take long baths, but I don’t have the time now. Inside the closet, a coral dress with a floral pattern caught my eye, good, that will be my clothing for the interview. As for my hair and make-up, hmmmm, I’ll leave that to someone else.

Taking a shower at the moment would be feasible, but eh, I didn’t feel like it. My mana supply was still full, it’s been a long time since I used any magic that is straining. A tenth of my mana supply went towards making hot water, and another tenth went towards making a warm air supply. The air gently floated toward some name-branded body wash, a company that started in Iabrun and was fairly popular among the richer parts of the populace, though I didn’t care much for it. I usually bought foreign products, Iabrun was the greatest at many things, but shower products weren’t one of them. The air kept my clothes lifted away from my body, as the water and body wash took to spotlessly cleaning every part of my body. The hot water was a joy to be in, some air went to get shampoo next. A twentieth of my mana then created extremely hot air to quickly dry my body and hair. In just under five minutes, without even having to move my body all that much, I was immaculate.

The coral dress was of a lighter tinge of coral, and a few yellow-gold earrings were next to it. Its floral pattern was only on the top half of the dress, a flowy bottom half reached down to my toes. It looked nice and complimented my olive skin tone; a set of beige sandals were next to them, and they had a strap right before the start of my toes, and a chunky heel. Finally, there was a small, yellow-gold necklace next to it all, a final small touch to complete the look. Good, this was perfect, all I had to do now was wait for my escort to arrive. Oh right, and my make-up. I would finish that up forty-five minutes before the interview, what to do until then? Hmmm, I am a bit hungry, I walked to my room and called my personal chef, “Give me something light.”, he replied, “Yes, Your Grace.” I hung up my phone after that, and five minutes later, Aaron came to the door holding a small platter. It was a piece of toast, with a thin smear of a buttery sauce, a thinly-sliced piece of meat atop that; and finally, an egg to top it all off. There were two of these on the platter, I thanked him and bit down. It was good, these eggs had an extra tang to them, and the meat complimented the buttery sauce.

An hour later, I called my personal makeup artist to fix me up for the interview. She came quickly and had two bags filled with all the tools one could wish for when it came to makeup. I quickly pointed her in the direction of the clothes I chose to wore, she nodded and said, “An excellent choice, Your Grace.” She carefully handed it to me, I put the entire ensemble on besides the shoes, and then she started on her work. After a few minutes, she finished and handed me a mirror, I lifted it up and looked at myself. Her work gave me a small glow; a small amount of gold delicately danced on my eyelids, it complimented the glow well; and finally, a small amount of gloss on my lip sealed the whole look off. I stood up and looked at my whole body in a full, large mirror.

I put on my shoes and looked at myself once again. The coral dress went with my olive skin tone well, the beige shoes also worked well with the dress. The yellow-gold accessories made me look regal, yet they weren’t gaudy and simply added to my whole attire. The long, flowing dress hid most of my body, and nothing about the outfit really stood out from what normal people would wear. I wasn’t trying to look superior, simply someone of a higher stature that still understood the surrounding people. The dress and entire outfit really conveyed that, and it still looked exceptionally excellent on me, now all that is left is to wait. After a few minutes, my escort arrived, and I quickly made my way to it.

Laizi was not going to be with me, as she was going to deal with some other things, that wasn’t a large hassle, though. I was perfectly fine on my own, but my father should have some people tailing me to make sure I don’t get caught up in some accidents. I walked onto the street to see a few people waiting for me, my chauffeur, the person responsible for setting up the interview and making sure it runs smoothly; finally, a person of small stature was waiting by the side for no apparent reason, bodyguard I suppose. The three were all humans, my chauffeur had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was of a medium build. The director was tall and lanky, with black eyes, black hair, and a repulsive face. It annoyed me to simply look at it, he had a non-existent chin and horrible, beady, shifty eyes. His entire build evoked a feeling of utter disgust inside me, I still smiled on the outside and looked at the final man. He was a short man, with brown hair and brown eyes; and his fair skin was blemished with freckles.

The chauffeur opened the door for me, I quickly made my way to the car, ignoring the people on the street taking a photo of me. Before I got in, I noticed a small child with a small set of wings staring at me slightly down the road. I turned to her, and waved a bit, smiling at the same time. Her father — who had two fully developed angelic wings — waved back at me, and so did the small child. After I got in the car, I noticed that the entire back two-thirds of the car was open for people to do whatever. An icebox was near the window, dividing me from the — now inside the car — chauffeur. Inside the icebox were two bottles of champagne from the Horus province of Solaria, famous for its champagne. A couple of glasses were near it, set in place in a holder.

My seat was a third of the way from the back of the car, sitting halfway between the very back and the dividing line. There were four individual seats and a large one at the very back that could fit nearly four people. The icebox was in between the two seats in front of me that faced the back of the car. The director came in next, sitting right across from me, after that the small man sat on the seat right next to my chauffeur. I didn't know their names, simply their occupations, and I didn’t care to learn their names at the moment. The director was still grating on my nerves with his simple appearance; the car started to drive, and I felt the director's eyes on me. Looking at the passing scenery was all I could do to take my eyes off the director, whose current fault was being horrible to look at.

Outside, I looked at the people of Iabrun going about their daily lives; one was on his phone, speedily going to whatever place he needed to go; another with their significant other waiting for a light to turn green. When the car stopped at a light, the director was looking outside and started to talk, “Your Grace-”, even his voice was irritating to me. “Yes?”, I looked at him while smiling and keeping my true thoughts hidden. He looked none the wiser to my thoughts, as he kept looking outside the window. “Why did you agree to this?”, he asked me, “After all, no other noble has ever agreed to an interview, so why?” He looked at me with those hideous black eyes of his, something about his every moment, his very existence, irked me to the core. Something about him just affronted most of my senses.

The more I look at him, the more I wanted to tear the entirety of my eyes out. His entire appearance, despite not changing, disgusted me more and more. He said something, which I didn’t clearly hear, but my ears felt like they were bleeding. His smell, despite not changing, got worse over time, to the point it was nearly unbearable. “I’m sorry, but could you repeat what you said, I wasn’t paying attention”, he smiled and nodded a bit. “Your Grace, why did you choose to come to this interview? No other noble has, and seeing that your family is reaching the level of Arch dukedom, why?” I smiled a bit and said, “Well, you see, I’m here to represent the voice of the entirety of my family. I am the one most associated with the Lendenburg line, after all. My father is secretive, and my two older brothers are at the very top of the military, so they can’t interact much with those outside of their circle. As for my older sister, she left for Solaria a while ago and is also quite secretive. My two younger sisters are simply too young, so I chose to represent my family.”

He nodded, readily writing down the entirety of what I said, I tried my damnedest to not look at him in disgust. I turned back to the window, glancing at the streets outside me. After a few minutes, he offered to pour me some Horus champagne, I nodded in order to not be rude. He quickly poured a glass and handed it over to me, and then poured a glass for himself. I raised it up a bit, inciting him to do the same, he did so and we toasted, “To Iabrun.”, he said. “To Iabrun.”, I said as I started to take my first sip, the flavor of Horus wine is said to be exceptional and it didn't disappoint. The flavor was well-rounded, with a slight tartness to it, and the fizz only added to the experience. I quickly finished it, and we had finally arrived at the interview spot ten minutes before it was supposed to start. I got out first, only to be swarmed by a large crowd of paparazzi, and normal people simply wanting to see me.

My bodyguard created a small shield that allowed me to walk unimpeded into the area. Then, a small woman greeted me and took me to meet my interviewer. There, I saw a Naga with deep, dark red scales and an inviting smile. He was sat down and drinking tea, eating a biscuit. When I walked over to him, he smiled and stood up. “Thank you, Your Grace. I never expected you to agree.” I nodded and smiled, looking at myself one last time, and I looked as perfect as ever. “You look wonderful.”, he said as we both started to walk towards the area set for a live filming. A final list of questions was given to me, I scanned it one final time, and it was fine, eight questions was good. Gus sat down facing the cameras, but keeping his posture angled towards me. I did the same, facing the cameras and angling my posture to make talking with him easier. The director came to us, and said “One minute.”, the two of us nodded. “You nervous?”, he asked, holding a slight dialect associated with the more isolated parts of Southern Iabrun. I giggled a bit and said, “Not in the slightest.”, he chuckled and agreed, “Not in the least.” It was around four in the afternoon now, I didn't expect this to go on longer than an hour and thirty minutes.

The man behind the camera lifted five fingers up, then four, then three, then two, then one, and finally, time. “Welcome, beautiful citizens of Iabrun; and we finally have a sneak peek into the extravagant life of a Noble. And not just any Noble, her Grace, Arianna. Soon to be the future Duchess of Lendenburg.” Gus started it energetically, I smiled and waved to the cameras. "No other Noble has agreed to an interview of any kind, her Duchess is the first to agree in the quickly rising age of technology.”

“Your Grace Arianna, future Duchess of Lendenburg. We have quite the question line-up for this, I’m surprised you even agreed to this, but I am grateful to you for it.” Gus said this, and I smiled and said, “The people must know their own leaders, after all. I am here to represent the entirety of the Lendenburg family, so ask away.”

He asked his first question near-instantly after I said my sentence, “Our first question is, why go to the Magic Academy? It has been on the minds of many people, especially those in Lendenburg.” I looked into the camera, no, into the audience, and said, “What is the point of leaders if they just hide away in walls? I am a Duchess of the people, I would rather be among the people rather than sit at home inside closed walls. It is simply unlike me to be there in a walled up home, the experience of learning magic is exciting, but the joy of seeing the citizens one rules over being happy and content is even more than that.” I slightly changed my posture to better look at Gus, who said, “Indeed, being a Duchess is a job about governing as much as it is a job to know the citizens.”

“Of course, after all, I am the one most hands on with the governing of the entirety of Lendenburg. Only fair for the people to know the person that governs them.”, he nodded and said, “Yes, the people of Lendenburg were a bit worried about you going to an area that, while not unsafe, is not perfectly safe either. Your confident attitude, though, has surely swayed quite a bit of them.”, he said with eloquence and grace. “Now, our next question is a bit of a heavier topic. What's your opinion on the current Emperor, and the next one?”, hmm, a political question? I ever so slightly narrowed my eyes, what person gave him this question? “The current Emperor is good, if not slightly too ambitious. Under his reign, we have seen significant growth and the new advent of technology. Of course, it is time for him to put down the mantle. Iabrun has not been an absolute monarchy for a long time, and it has worked beautifully since the abolition of it-” Though the Emperor was basically absolute and could kill people on a whim if they disagreed, it was a good precedent that they don't. “As for Constantine, I am a bit apprehensive of his rule. However, any final judgment on him must come after his rule. After all, he is the soon-to-be Emperor, and I'm also a soon-to-be Duchess.”

That answer should satisfy most of the people, the normal people and mages would see that I don't blindly follow the Emperor, but I am not against him either. As for the really powerful mages, they can see I'm flexible and not a hardliner on a single topic. “On your Duchy, and soon to be Duchess status. The Lendenburgs are close to meeting the requirements of being categorized as an Arch dukedom. What's your thoughts on that?”, he said, with his shiny red scales on display.

I have to be humble, and appreciative of this, “Well of course it would be an honor, the title of Archduke has not been in play for a long time. The Lendenburg's carrying on this line would…, well, it would be great. Of course, chiefly responsible for this is the people in our duchy.” That should convey my gratitude and still be humble enough, good. “All you're missing now to be granted Arch dukedom would be, well, what exactly? Care to shine a light?”, he said to incite me on. “Land would be chiefly responsible for this, but we have already passed that threshold a long time ago. Colonial holdings we have as well, the only thing holding us back is that I'm simply not old enough as the heir.” He laughed, finding what I said amusing, “About you being the heir, why? Your two brothers are in the military, and thus out of the line of succession, but shouldn't your sister be the one?”

I smiled a bit, “My sister, ever since she was a small child with me, never was one for power. She abdicated a while ago, choosing to go to Solaria and follow her passions there. As you all know, the Lendenburg line gives power to the heir when the current leader is sixty-five years old or so. Magic can extend the lifespan of people for a long, long time, and so, we give power at the age of sixty-five. This allows us to make sure no one person can command the entirety of the power we hold for a long time.” Of course, that was a total lie. Gus stood up, and said, “Your Grace, we have just happened upon some information. You like someone? And not only that, you like a commoner?”

A slight blush overcame me, this was perfect. The commoners do love a good story about a Noble falling in love with a commoner. A great idea for a novel, surely, and the public eats it up. As for the ramifications with the rest of the nobles, most don't care, and only one really does. The other Duke, and his son, that wish to wed me. However, those two can be easily pacified with some words, they became too complacent sitting at the top of their power, and it wouldn't be hard to knock them down. “Uh, we-well. I- Uh.”, I faked stuttering a bit to really nail down that I was supposedly flustered. Gus seemed to fall for my acting ability quite well, and if he did, most did as well. He laughed quite a lot, as my blush deepened — which isn't natural, I could control the blush fairly well. “Haha, alright, moving on.”, he said after laughing for a few more seconds. Still blushing, I said “Thank you.”, in a quiet voice to squeeze out all the cuteness I could. I moved my head a bit to look at the cameras, and I saw the director's horrible face.

It, by itself, nearly ended the facade of a cute, flustered noble girl I had. It took all my willpower to not grimace and cringe at him. I did get by and turn back to Gus, and his much more manageable face. Simply thinking of the memory made me want to kill the guy, and I got an idea. But I can leave that for later, I have to focus on the task at hand for now. “Now, Your Grace. With your massive fortune, why not give it to charity?”, ah I see, a person that disliked me gave him this question. Oh well, “You see Gus, instead of giving it to companies who I don't wholly trust. I plan to, instead, open my own charity within one year time.”, he smiled readily. “Thank you, your Grace. Could you give us any information on your father?” I nodded and started to talk, “My father has been struck with an illness that struck straight at his mana source-,” I could see him physically wince at the mention of that, “He has been out of commission for a month, now, and so I have been his voice.”

Gus nodded, seemingly taking in the answer to be true. Well, it wasn't entirely false, he did have an illness that struck his mana supply. “Final question, Your Grace. Why did you agree to come here?”, I chuckled heartily. “The lives of the Nobles have for too long been secretive, we are in a new age now. And if none of them will go into the spotlight, I'll be the first, and I do hope they follow in my lead.” It was both a threat, and a suggestion, a good way to give the other Nobles a fire under their behinds and get them moving. “Well, that is all the time we have now. Thank you for coming on.”, said Gus as, under the table, he started counting down from five. From five to four, to three, to two, one, and then finally zero. Once that happened, the cameras turned off, and it was time to get moving. “Thank you.”, he said once again as I left the room. The director came up to me, vying to shake my hand. I did, despite desperately wanting not to, and his hand affronted my entire sense of touch. It was oily and grimy, with a weird grit to it, and it made me sick just touching it. We ended it a second later, and as I was walking, I invited him to walk with me.

“Thank you for your time.”, he said once again. We left the building soon enough, “I have a business deal.”, I swiftly said to him as I got inside my car. The paparazzi and other people still being blocked by the small man. He got inside quickly as well, the chauffeur started driving back to the building. “We will discuss it there.”, I said as I poured another glass of Horus champagne for myself, and disgustingly, him as well. He chugged down the entire glass without savoring the taste, disgusting. We didn't talk the rest of the way there, deciding to stay silent and simply look out of the window. When we arrived, I got off first and quickly made my way to a small office room on the second floor. He followed in suit, and we sat across from another in an entirely empty room, perfect.

“What is it?”, he asked me giddily. This man wasn't a mage, so this was going to be exceptionally easy. I quickly produced an elemental binding to him, earth, gluing him to his seat. “Wh-What's the meaning of this?”, he asked, now not so giddy. “You're going to die.”, I said bluntly, removing any facade I had before. “Wh-Why? What'd I do?”, he asked me in an increasingly panicked voice. “Oh, you did nothing.”, was the last thing he heard before I killed him by slitting his throat. Not a second later, my phone rang, and I saw it was my father.

Any coldness I had melted away, with shaky hands, I picked it up — nearly dropping it along the way. In an equally shaky voice, I asked, “It's time?” and my father in his signature rough voice said, “It's time.”