The sounds of silverware clinking against porcelain echoed throughout the dining hall as Scarlett and the other members of her household dined together. This included Evelyne, with Garside standing silently by the wall, wearing a calm but bland expression on his face.

Engaged in their conversations, the individuals at the table occupied themselves with talking while Scarlett focused on eating her food and occasionally listened in on their exchanges. Evelyne and Rosa were discussing the fashion choices of certain nobles for some reason, while Allyssa and Shin engaged in a lighthearted argument on a topic that had escaped Scarlett’s attention. Meanwhile, Fynn devoured his food without paying much regard to anything else.

It had become a familiar scene whenever they gathered like this.

A snippet of Rosa and Evelyne’s conversation caught Scarlett’s interest.

“You know, I bet one hundred solars that Scarlett will cause a ruckus of some kind during this ball of yours,” the bard said, partially hiding her mouth with her hand as she leaned closer to Evelyne. Her words were still perfectly audible across the table, though, and the woman almost certainly intended that.

Evelyne glanced at Scarlett briefly before turning back to Rosa. “I don’t think anything can surpass what she did at the Elysian Proclamation, honestly.”

“Oh?” Rosa’s voice brimmed with curious interest, as if she had just stumbled upon a clue to a great treasure. “And what did she do there, if I might ask?”

Evelyne gave her a surprised look. “You haven’t heard?”

“No, but now I’m dying to.”

“You are not, Miss Hale.” Scarlett decided it was time to interject. “And take my word when I say that it is not something you need to know, either. It is for the greater good of all those around you that you never do.”

She had intentionally never mentioned it to the bard because she knew what the woman could do with that information.

“You have to know that’s just going to make me even more curious.” Rosa gave her a wounded look, as if Scarlett had just informed her that her pay was getting docked. “Are you trying to deprive me of my sleep at night?”

“I believe you will survive, Miss Hale. If not, then do provide me a warning in advance so that I may begin looking for a replacement in time.”

A soft snicker escaped Allyssa, and even Evelyne wore a small smile. Scarlett concealed her relief at how everyone seemed to be behaving relatively normally today, without trying to act excessively cautious around her as some had been in the past few days.

She had been trying to rein in her emotions lately so that they weren’t worn on her sleeve, and none of it should be bleeding through from the Loci anymore, either. It was good to see that her efforts had yielded some results.

Even if it also meant enduring some minor annoyances at the dining table.

The previous conversations resumed, but after a while, Allyssa shifted her focus to Scarlett. “When are you two leaving for that ball?”

“In the afternoon. The event itself does not commence until evening, but guests are typically led to their quarters earlier. Is that not correct, Evelyne?”

Evelyne nodded. “That’s right. The duchy has always provided guests with their own private chambers for the ball. Most of them can rival what we have here at the mansion, and the service afforded is said to eclipse anything else other than that experienced by guests at the Dawnlight Palace. Not to mention the connections that can be forged there. It’s not only nobles who receive invitations; many merchants and influential individuals spend small fortunes just for the chance to attend.”

Allyssa’s eyebrows rose at that statement. “Now I wish I could go. Sounds like an experience.”

“I don’t really get what’s so special about it,” Fynn grunted from the seat beside her as he tore into a thick piece of meat specially prepared for him.

“Fynn, I genuinely don’t mean anything bad with this, but you’re not the type of person these kinds of events are meant for. I’m fairly sure you would have more interests in common with a dragon than with most people.”

A slight frown creased his forehead. “Dragons like the taste of people,” he said. “I don’t.”

“Is that really the first difference that comes to mind for you?”

The white-haired young man just shrugged his shoulders, continuing to eat.

Allyssa shook her as if unsurprised by the response, then redirected her attention to the rest of them. “Anyway, it would be nice to get a chance to witness something like this ball with my own eyes at least once in the future. Do people from the Guild get invited as well?”

“They do,” Evelyne replied. “In fact, if my memory serves me right, I think your father might even have attended once. I can’t quite recall when it was, but I remember my own father pointing him out to me at the time.”

“Really? He never mentioned that to me. Though he rarely ever talks about work around me, so that much is normal.” Allyssa sighed.

“It’s because you never listened when he did, so he stopped doing it,” Shin told her.

“What?” She spun around to stare at him. “That’s not true!”

“He told me so himself.”

A peeved expression formed on her face. “Dad…”

Evelyne appeared to watch this with a hint of amusement, while Rosa cheerfully remarked that at least her father seemed to care enough about Allyssa not to bore her with ‘uninteresting work tales’, though the girl herself didn’t seem to quite agree.

Like that, the mealtime continued in relative peace for a while longer.

—————————————————————

Later that afternoon, Scarlett and Evelyne sat together in the carriage, ready to depart from the mansion. The sounds of the servants loading their luggage into the trunk pierced the wooden walls as they waited for the final preparations to complete.

“Are you ready for tonight?” Evelyne asked her.

Scarlett’s attention had been fixed on the view outside the window, where she gazed at the front of the mansion and the empty courtyard nestled between its two wings. “I am as ready as I will be,” she responded absentmindedly.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed the younger woman studying her.

“I suppose that’s as much as we can ask for,” Evelyne said. “We’ll just have to pray this won’t be a repeat of what happened at the Elysian Proclamation, won’t we?” There was a hint of humor in her tone.

Scarlett shifted her gaze towards Evelyne, eyeing her for a moment. This was perhaps the first time she had heard the woman attempt anything resembling a joke in her presence.

It seemed Evelyne herself was equally surprised by her comment, judging from how she turned away with a somewhat stiff expression, not saying anything more.

Scarlett watched her for a few seconds before returning her attention outside.

She didn’t find the remark particularly amusing—it felt awkward and slightly annoying, if anything—but the logical part of her thought it a welcome change from how they usually were around each other.

The two of them sat in silence for a while longer, accompanied by audible conversations from the servants outside. Soon, the coachman called out that they were ready, and the carriage set into motion. As it turned, Scarlett caught sight of Garside standing by the side of the gravel road, accompanied by Marlon, the head servant, Kinsley, the family’s seneschal who often worked closely with Evelyne, and a couple of other staff members bidding them farewell.

She raised her hand in a short greeting as they passed by.

Before long, they had left the estate’s gates behind. As they got further away, her connection with the Loci gradually faded into the background of her mind. She had traveled through Freybrook by carriage enough times now that she was used to this part, so she let her thoughts wander as they moved past the small forests and prominent buildings of Freybrook’s northern district, heading towards the heart of the city. From there, they continued on their way to where the Kilnstone was located.

As usual, the large square that housed the ancient artifact was crowded with various individuals and vehicles by the time they arrived. The traffic might even have been denser than usual. Not that it mattered much, since their carriage simply rolled past most others towards the line reserved for nobles awaiting their turn to pass through the Kilnstone.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the front of that line, where they were then ushered onto the platform that held the open marble structure that was the centerpiece of the square. Through its curled pillars, a floating obelisk was visible. After a brief check with the driver, the Kilnstone officials allowed them through without any hassle, and their carriage pulled up next to the Kilnstone.

“When was the last time the two of us traveled somewhere like this?” Evelyne suddenly asked.

“Does our trip to Count Knottley’s estate or the Dawnlight Palace during the Elysian Proclamation to count?”

“No, I meant longer trips. Not just across a city.”

“If so, I do not know.”

“Neither do I.”

Scarlett considered the younger woman for a few seconds. “Does that bother you?”

Evelyne shook her head. “No. It just makes what we’re doing right now feel strange, that’s all. I think even father would have been surprised to see us like this.”

“…Perhaps he would have.”

Scarlett wouldn’t know.

Outside, the Kilnstone’s reflective grey surface seemed to absorb the surrounding light, momentarily enveloping them in darkness. In an instant, the world regained color, and they found themselves at their destination, surrounded by new people and carriages within a marble structure similar to the one that had just been in.

After another pair of officials in black attire approached the coachman to speak with the man, their carriage rolled out onto another square, offering them a better view of Windgrove.

Windgrove was the empire’s second-largest city, and the Kilnstone’s elevated position allowed them a sweeping vista of the region. The immediate vicinity of the square was filled with brick and stone buildings, with carts and carriages weaving through the streets that connected to the various parts of the city. A not insignificant number of passing carriages bore the symbols of noble houses. Scarlett and Evelyne were far from the only people visiting because of the Tyndall Ball.

Their carriage soon joined a procession of others along one of the larger thoroughfares, leading them deeper into Windgrove. Scarlett watched the passing sights as they moved through the streets. The city’s architecture blended pointed stone arches, wooden storefronts, and a surprising number of miniature parks, where children played and merchants hawked their wares from small stalls.

It was a city teeming with life. It was easy to see why Windgrove was sometimes referred to as the “Emerald of the North.”

Occasionally, when they crested a small hill or when the buildings around them momentarily receded, a large lake came into view like a shimmering mirror, reflecting the bright blue sky above. Several small vessels floated upon its waters, though there appeared to be no real harbor. Overlooking the lake stood a grand castle, constructed from deep grey stone. Its towering walls and imposing turrets reached high into the sky, each adorned with fluttering deep green flags.

“Last time both of us were here together like this was before father passed away,” Evelyne said, her gaze fixed on the bustling streets outside. “I can’t remember if my mom came with at the time as well, or if it was just the three of us.” A touch of melancholy colored her expression as she turned to Scarlett. “I think that might actually have been one of the last occasions when all of us attended something together outside of the capital.”

”You would remember better than I,” Scarlett replied.

She didn’t even know what the original’s father looked like. For some reason, there weren’t any paintings of him in the mansion. At least not any that she’d come across. She had considered using the [Memory of the Covenant] to borrow his appearance and see for herself, but she had never done so. It felt like it would only stir up the emotions that the original had left behind.

“Maybe you’re right.” Evelyne spoke softly. “You always seemed so distant during those times, so perhaps they weren’t as important to you as they were to us. They’re not things you remember that well, right?”

“They are not, no.”

Evelyne fell silent, her gaze lingering on Scarlett for a moment longer before returning outside.

“…I will not forget this moment as easily,” Scarlett said.

Evelyne’s head spun, her eyes widening as she stared at her. Scarlett left it at that, though, looking back out the window again.

It seemed like Evelyne wanted to say something after that, but in the end, she didn’t, and they continued their journey in silence. The carriage made its way through the crowded streets of Windgrove, gradually approaching the castle that loomed over the city. As they drew nearer, the buildings around them grew larger and more extravagant. Eventually, they reached a long street that was packed with other carriages, each lined up behind another, leading up to a pair of enormous steel gates flanked by tall stone walls that obstructed the view beyond. Guards inspected the carriages at the front of the line before granting them entry through the gates.

Here, Scarlett’s status as a baroness wasn’t anything special. They could do nothing else but wait.

It took them roughly forty minutes to reach the front, but eventually, their carriage rolled up to the gates, stopping beside a burly man clad in dark green armor with black inlays running along the sides. He stepped up to them, peering through the carriage window.

“Greetings, my Lady. Welcome to Windgrove and Grovefort Castle.” He spoke in a loud voice.

Evelyne leaned over and unlatched the glass window. “Thank you. I’m Evelyne Hartford, from the Hartford barony.”

The guard briefly lowered his head before looking up at her again. “We’ll be performing a quick inspection of your carriage, if that is acceptable to you, before letting you through the gates.”

“That’s fine. Please go ahead.”

The man threw one glance at Scarlett through the window before signaling for another guard to join him as they inspected the carriage. Scarlett wasn’t quite sure what the purpose of the inspection was, since they only checked the outside of the vehicle and didn’t bother with the cabin. She had her [Pouch of Holding] lying next to her, which meant she could have easily brought in any number of concealed and dangerous items without their knowledge. Maybe they were mainly concerned with preventing suspicious individuals from entering? Or maybe that had alternative means of ensuring security? She doubted they would allow weapons inside during the ball, at least.

They didn’t have to wait too long before the guard gave them the all-clear and waved them along. Then they were through the gates and entered the castle grounds.

The sight that greeted them was certainly not one you saw often.

Scarlett had always considered the Freybrook impressive, and it was clear a lot of money went into building and maintaining it throughout the years. However, this place was far beyond that.

Several hundred meters away, almost as far as the eye could see here, stood the towering structure of the main castle, a prominent feature visible from most parts of the city. The space between them and the castle was covered with carefully manicured terraces and lush gardens, bursting with life. Elaborate statues lined the cobbled roads, crafted from various materials — bronze knights, marble dragons, and even crystal stags. Everywhere you looked, there was evidence of meticulous attention and exquisite craftsmanship.

But it wasn’t just the castle and the path leading to it that stood out. The area was also dotted with outbuildings, some as large or larger than the Hartford mansion, as well as a sizable stable accompanied by a glass greenhouse beside it. Scarlett imagined that maintaining this place alone would require an entire village’s worth of staff. The scale of it all dwarfed her own home. While it didn’t quite reach the grandeur of Dawnlight Palace in the capital, it was certainly not for a lack of trying.

Instead of heading straight towards the castle, their carriage made a right turn, passing through an expansive rose garden with neat rows of vibrant pink and red flowerbeds that defied the chilly late-autumn weather. Beyond the garden stood a wide structure with a courtyard already occupied by numerous carriages, with more arriving by the minute. Groups of people were exiting the vehicles and making their way towards the entrance of the building.

Their carriage pulled to a halt as well, and Scarlett stepped out into the courtyard, followed closely by Evelyne. The coachman and the handmaiden that had come with them would handle their luggage and the carriage itself, assisted by the castle staff, so they didn’t have to worry about that for now.

The two of them started walking over towards the grand set of stairs that served as the entrance. Two well-dressed servants stood there, each holding a long list. Guests gathered in front of them, approaching in small groups as they were gradually allowed entry.

Once again, Scarlett had to resign herself to waiting in line. It was annoying, and every fiber of her being screamed that she should be allowed to bypass the crowd, but she controlled herself. While most guests didn’t seem to be wearing their formal attire yet, almost all were dressed at a similar level to Evelyne. Scarlett also recognized several crests that belonged to noble houses. It appeared as if a few of them recognized her as well, casting curious glances her way, but she ignored it all for the time being.

Finally, when it was their turn, Scarlett and Evelyne approached the nearest servant. He was an older gentleman with slicked-back white hair, dressed in a long, dark-green overcoat. He looked up from his list at them.

“Welcome to Grovefort Castle, my ladies. If you are here for the accommodations prepared for you, may I please have your names?” he asked.

“Barones Scarlett Hartford.”

“Evelyne Hartford.”

The man paused for a moment, giving Scarlett a probing look. Behind her, whispers could be heard at her name. It seemed she was still a subject of discussion in these circles. The fact that a mere servant knew her name was slightly surprising, but considering his role, it made sense for someone knowledgeable about potential guests being assigned to greet them.

The man cleared his throat and extended his hand. “If I may see your invitations.”

It appeared he wasn’t actually expecting Scarlett to have one, as a brief look of surprise crossed his face when she presented it. Whispers grew louder from behind as the man received both her and Evelyne’s invitations, diligently verifying their authenticity. He then began leafing through the papers in his other hand, the process taking a short while until his eyes widened slightly, seemingly finding something unexpected.

If she were to guess, he hadn’t actually anticipated her name to be on the guest list. Did he perhaps think she had forged an invitation?

To the man’s credit, he handled the situation with prompt as he returned their invitations with a small bow. “There are attendees inside who will guide you to your rooms. The Duke hopes that you will enjoy the event.”

Actual conversations buzzed behind them now, and Evelyne looked a bit uncomfortable with the attention. Scarlett noted that most of the chatter came from the same group of individuals and briefly glanced back, memorising their faces. It wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye out for them in the future.

With that, she and Evelyne ascended the stairs, setting off to find their temporary quarters.