210: Gala

Turning around, everyone in the room was slowly making their way back into the foyer, with Kathrine standing just off to the side, watching us as we made our way over.

“Whoever organised Crisplet’s brazier, thank you,” I said as I got close enough.

“Surprisingly, that was Luis who suggested it. They made a cushion for Lily also, but she wasn’t with you,” Kathrine laughed.

I looked at Kathrine for a long while, stunned by that revelation. However, I had to know. “Can I see it?”

“I don’t have it myself, but I’ll be sure to show it to you when I can,” she smiled.

“I’ll let you know if it has Alira on it, she might not sit on it,” I chuckled as I led the way to the door, hearing Liane laughing behind me.

“I will have to check it and make sure,” Kathrine said nervously.

Quickly, everyone caught up. Kathrine and myself, with Crisplet, entered the hall together, followed by Liane, Luis, and Elijah.

Apparently, even entering the hall was causing a stir, as all heads turned to us; there were hushed conversations happening everywhere.

Instantly, I felt nervous and excited. The room had completely changed from when I walked in over an hour prior. There were now red banners hanging from the walls and off the balconies above. The mural was now lit up. It was practically glowing.

Moving through the crowd were dozens of staff members, carrying drinks and food.

Already I noticed groups were forming, but something that stood out even more was the space that everyone was providing for us. Even as we moved into the room, the crowd seemed to shift like water, moving away.

“Is there an actual dinner for this?” I asked, following Kathrine as she made a path across the hall.

“Yes. This is just pre-dinner drinks for people to mingle and to show off,” Kathrine explained.

We made our way to the opposite side of the hall, where three waiters arrived at our corner with drinks and food.

“So many people want to come over but are too scared to approach,” Liane chuckled.

“It is a pleasant change. Usually, we get swarmed with people trying to improve their position through our approval. It’s exhausting,” Luis laughed.

As I looked out over the crowd, I saw dozens of people looking at us, either directly or indirectly, before a man who I was very familiar with broke the stalemate, as Reginald Fellwood made his way towards us, followed by a lady who looked incredibly elegant in a sleek red dress and so much jewellery I was amazed she could walk.

As he approached, they both bowed.

“Your Highnesses, thank you so much for the invitation to this lovely event,” he said, still in a bow.

“Hello, Lord Fellwood. You’re not scared off by our newest house, I see,” Kathrine said with clear mirth.

Reginald let out a soft chuckle. “Scared? Always, but not enough to avoid my business partner. Lady Ashmoon, congratulations.”

The mention of the business partner was clearly loud enough for the surrounding people to hear.

Liane blushed immediately before waving it off. “Please, just Liane,” she attempted to say.

“If I’m not allowed to say that, you’re not either,” I quipped.

Elijah and Luis both held back laughter.

“Lord Ashmoon, I don’t think I’ve had the opportunity to introduce my wife to you. This is Scilla.” He gestured to the lady next to him, who just bowed again.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, and thank you for doing business with our house,” she said softly.

“Pleased to meet you,” I said, nodding my head.

“It seems you’ve emboldened the others,” Kathrine said.

Looking over the shoulder of Reginald, I caught sight of what Kathrine meant. No longer was there a large gap between us. The crowd had seemingly shuffled closer, now with only a couple of feet between us and the groups.

Reginald let out a chuckle. “I’m truly sorry for that.”

The next to arrive was Nicholas Fairmont, with a lady I assumed was his wife. However, he never introduced her to us, instead loudly thanking me for visiting him at his residence, and ultimately just putting on a show.

Being used as a pawn like this was frustrating, but I’d play along. Hari and Milo both warned me of this.

Liane wasn’t free of it, either, with everyone moving on from me, visiting her and congratulating her on becoming a member of House Ashmoon.

At this stage, the regular crowd had been emboldened and was making its way towards us, with three small groups walking directly towards us, never making it to us in time. Instead, a short, stocky man with a beard that went to his waist pushed through the crowd.

“Greetings, Your Highnesses. Lord Ashmoon,” the man said.

“Hello, Lord Blackmere. Not scared off like the rest, I see,” Kathrine commented.

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The man laughed. “Absolutely not. I’ve been wanting to meet Lord Ashmoon for some time now, but he’s notoriously difficult to see.”

I felt embarrassed by that. I knew Blackmere was on our list to have a meeting with. We just never got around to it with everything that had happened.

Kathrine stayed composed, while Luis held back a laugh, turning to appear as if he were in conversation with Liane.

“Well, let me introduce you properly. William Blackmere, meet Trevor Ashmoon, Crisplet Ashmoon, and Liane Ashmoon,” Kathrine said.

Holding out my hand, the short man took it and shook, pausing for a moment as he looked at my neck.

“That’s quite the piece of cloth you have around your neck there. No normal scarf, and the armour it hides, incredible,” he said, not letting go of my hand.

“Thank you. They were gifts from friends of mine,” I simply said.

Letting go of my hand, “You’re a hard man to get a hold of.”

I awkwardly laughed, but Liane joined the conversation. “Intentionally so, especially with the events that have occurred.”

William appeared to spit at the floor, while not actually spitting. “Curse their names. The scheming types always end up the same way. Short-term power for a messy end.”

He said this loud enough that a couple of groups noticeably shrank back behind him.

“I believe we had planned to have a meeting with you already. We were just waiting to organise a time,” I said.