My party and I are led into a hysterically large high-ceilinged room – the master ballroom for the reception. Several roaming maids hand us wine glasses, and they offer us snacks. I accepted the wine, so I have something to do with my hands.
Before we have a chance to talk with one another too much, or to be approached by the nobles, elves start flooding into the room. The room is quickly bustling with activity, and our party gets separated.
Nina is overrun with common elves wanting to talk to her, but they keep a respectful distance and wear nervous expressions. Alto faces a similar fate, but they are less respectful of her boundaries. Being separated from me, I see her expression grow concerned.
[Fufufu…sorry, Alto, that's the price of fame! Please try not to worry about me. If it helps, consider your influence a way to make people less afraid of me. That's really the goal of tonight. You don't need to babysit me, I'll be fine.] (Mizuki)
Hearing my thought message, Alto's face relaxes slightly, and she turns her attention to the crowd around her.
I distance myself from Nina's and Alto's fans, and I see Zara walking up to me. She's wearing a flowy black dress, and she doesn't seem particularly pleased. I smirk at her.
"Hey there, Zara, why the sad face? Is it because they made you wear a dress? I think it suits you if that helps." (Mizuki)
Zara gives me a confused expression after looking down at the dress.
"No? I like dresses, and I agree that this one suits me." (Zara)
Oh…that's surprising. I guess I let my biased impression of her as a tomboy get the best of me.
"Oh, my apologies, it seems I misjudged you. So, what's bothering you then?" (Mizuki)
"Tch…these elves. Their reception of you baffles me. You're the person they should probably show the most gratitude and respect towards, but it's the opposite. If you were a guest in my village this would never happen. Why bother trying to be accepted here?" (Zara)
"Fufufu…don't you already know? Ilina is my potential wife, Alto is my dear friend, and they'd both be happy if the elves accepted me. I'm doing it for them. I'll make sure to visit your village again soon and we can test that theory of how they'd treat me. When that happens, I'll be just as invested in having them accept me, but it will be because of you. That's just how much I cherish my friends." (Mizuki)
Zara smiles briefly, then becomes thoughtful. I begin walking through the ballroom with her aimlessly and looking around the crowd. I've always enjoyed people watching.
After the better part of an hour, I see an elderly elven man walking towards me quickly, and he's wearing a smirk. My eyes widen in surprise.
"Kudra!? Shouldn't you be out there raking in all this business!?" (Mizuki)
Kudra flashes me a knowing smile and shakes his head.
"Fufufu…that's a novice's business attitude. There is plenty of time and customers, but finite product. If I save mine till a bit later, supplies will drop, and I can charge more. All that aside, this was the raffle position I drew, and there's no way I'm passing up an opportunity to see the inside of the palace. These events are rare, you know, and don't always include a public reception. Are you responsible?" (Kudra)
Kudra looks like an unassuming seller of baked goods, but he's got a ruthless side. I bet he was a real shark in the business world when he was younger.
"Well…I suppose I might be, but only indirectly. Would that bother you?" (Mizuki)
"Not at all, I'm grateful for the opportunity! Besides, who do you think scrounged together all those applause for you earlier? I'd hate to lose my best source of business because these young elves can't stop gossiping!" (Kudra)
"Fufufufufu…I wondered if that might have been the case. Well, regardless of your motivations, I want to thank you for trying to make my presence here more tolerable. It means a lot. By the way, this is my friend Zara! I don't believe that you two have met." (Mizuki)
Zara gives a light nod to Kudra and eyes him up and down with a curious expression. Kudra gives a polite nod back and smiles patiently.
"It's nice to meet you, Zara. I doubt an old elf and baker is of much interest to a wolf-kin, but please feel free to stop by my shop and chat nonetheless." (Kudra)
"Fufufu…that's an oversight by my people that I hope to change. We need to learn to respect things like baking more, and I have respect for any elf that knows the value of Mizuki's presence here. I think you'll be of plenty interest to me, and it's nice to meet you as well, Kudra. I'll make sure to visit your shop another time." (Zara)
Kudra gives a surprised smile to Zara that transitions to amusement. He nods towards her appreciatively, then he turns his attention back to me. His expression becomes more serious.
"Mizuki, while I have you here…you told me the thing I needed to be worried about most for my people was the outcome of this royal announcement. Specifically, the kinds of decisions we elves made. I know that it's early, but do you have any other news you can share with me about that? How are the winds blowing for my people?" (Kudra)
"Actually, I've been pleasantly surprised by those developments. I can't tell you specifics, yet, but suffice it to say that there are no harbingers of doom. No promises, but I even see some indications that your people might fare better than I could have predicted." (Mizuki)
Kudra breathes a heavy sigh of relief and smiles at me.
"Thanks for setting an old man's mind at ease, Mizuki. I feel like a hundred years have been added to my life. I hope that continues to be the case, and I wish you luck in your efforts towards that end." (Kudra)
Kudra suddenly looks down at his wrist, and I notice a bracelet glowing red periodically.
"Tch…well that means my time is up, so I best be going. Zara, Mizuki, I'll see you around!" (Kudra)
With that, Kudra takes off into the crowd. As I watch him leave, I hear another voice speak behind me.
"Well, well…Kudra likes you, huh? That makes me even more convinced that my instincts were correct."
I turn around in surprise to identify the voice, and I'm greeted by a young, beautiful elf with dark red hair and amber eyes, wearing a red dress – Cara Egris. I smile at her in amusement and give a deep bow.
"Lady Cara, it's a pleasure to meet you again. You honor me with…" (Mizuki)
Before I can finish, however, she cuts me off with an annoyed expression and dismissive gesture.
"Mizuki, save that shameless flattery for Tessa and Jorah. I think you know that it's not getting you anywhere with me, and somehow it just feels like I'm being teased. Also, just call me Cara unless we're in a meeting with other nobles." (Cara)
Teasing? Me? Never. This almost feels like she doesn't want to keep up our little game. She was a lot more fun earlier. I direct a shrug at her and smirk.
"Fufufu…have it your way, Cara. Obviously, I deny on record that I was teasing you. That aside, what can I do for you?" (Mizuki)
Cara grins in response to my behavior change.
"Oh, can I assume that this is the real Mizuki? If so, you're a lot more fun this way. As for what you can do for me…" (Cara)
Cara walks up beside me and loops her arm through mine, like she's my date to prom. Then, she begins leading me through the crowd as we talk. Zara looks surprised and quickly moves to my other side to accompany us.
"…we'll get to that. For now, why don't you introduce me to your friend here? Can I assume that you're the wolf-kin girl with enough sword skills to beat a demon general in single combat? I was curious about you." (Cara)
"That sounds accurate. My name is Zara. Who are you?" (Zara)
"Nice to meet you Zara, my name is Cara Egris. I'm one of the nobles that Mizuki met with earlier. The others gave him quite the interrogation, you know? You missed an interesting meeting." (Cara)
"Fufu…every meeting with Mizuki is interesting. I have no regrets about missing this one, though." (Zara)
Cara stares at Zara curiously for a moment, while Zara just keeps looking straight ahead with a disinterested expression.