"I must say, Lord Zathiel, those clothes of yours bear an awfully close resemblance to my husband's new robes. If you don't mind me asking, where did you buy those from?" Lady Veythar questioned, causing Rian's breath to hitch for a second. Honestly, he had been waiting for her to point it out as soon as he had found out who she was.
"Oh, these." He spoke, slightly lifting the robe covering his body. "These were handcrafted by one of the finest tailors in the Redvale Province, and considering they match Lord Darian's fashion preferences, he might be an even greater tailor than I had predicted."
Lady Veythar didn't say anything and instead only smiled and nodded before abruptly turning back toward Noemi. "I should get going now, Miss, and attend to other guests. But I am hoping you will be staying with us for a while after the festivities end."
"Yes, of course, Aunty," Noemi replied with the same smile as before.
With that, Aunty Veythar excused herself, melting back into the crowd and finally leaving Rian alone with Noemi, causing him to let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Yeah, she was definitely on to him. Seems like his time to get the blood and leave this place had been cut short once again.
"She really is something, huh?" Noemi asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Rian just nodded, grabbing a fresh glass of wine from a passing tray and gulping half of it down in one go. "Speaking of meeting new people," he began, "could you perhaps introduce…"
Rian had only begun speaking when a jolt of sudden alarm shot down his spine, causing him to freeze, glass still halfway to his lips.
No, wait, something's wrong. His eyes began frantically searching across the garden , the laughing nobles, the scary-looking guards, the band playing that tune. No matter where he looked, everything seemed normal. Then why?
No, something was definitely off. A person's instinct was nothing but information picked up by that person's subconscious brain that hadn't yet been processed by the conscious part of their mind. Those very same instincts of his, honed by a lifetime of narrowly avoiding consequences, were currently screaming at him.
"You okay?" Noemi's voice sounded distant. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I'm fine," he lied, still looking around the garden. "It's nothing. I just remembered a crucial task my father gave me that I was supposed to do…"
He hadn't even finished speaking when his eyes picked up on one of the nobles walking around the garden. Looking at the guy, Rian slowly narrowed his eyes.
Ever since Rian had entered the garden, he hadn't seen that man make contact with anyone at the venue, not even once. Instead, he had spent the last half hour or so circling the princess.
Is he just some awkward guy who really wants to talk to the princess? No, that wasn't it. There was something else… something about that guy that had suddenly started ringing bells in Rian's mind.
"Who are you looking at?" Beside him, Noemi questioned before also beginning to stare at the man.
Under both of their gazes, the suspicious noble, as if finally making up his mind, quietly walked toward the princess and the people surrounding her , and then… exploded.
A thunderous BOOM ripped through the music and chatter. The ground under their feet shuddered as smoke and debris went flying near the mansion's wall, resulting in a second of stunned, perfect silence.
Then the screaming started.
Guards all around the garden snapped into formation, drawing their weapons as they rushed toward the broken statue. Nobles in the garden retreated in a panic, knocking over tables and glasses, only a few of them staying calm as they activated their magical treasures.
"The princess, look." Noemi's voice from beside him caused Rian to peek his head over the table he was hiding behind and look toward the massive crater in the center.
The princess, whom he had fully expected to be blown to pieces, was instead lying unconscious in the grip of a young man who was already sprinting across the mansion's roof, slung over his shoulder like a sack of grain.
That guy… Rian mumbled as the man's face turned for just a second, illuminated by the magical fireflies drifting through the garden.
Wait a second… Rian's blood ran cold. He knew that guy. His name was Kaelen , something , from the Introduction to Warfare class. What in the ever-loving hell was he doing here?
"HE HAS TAKEN THE PRINCESS!!!"
"SEAL THE PERIMETER!!!"
"CAPTURE THAT FIEND!!!"
"No, no, no…" Rian's thoughts spun as the orders flew all around him. The princess. Her blood. His chance to get the Solarius bloodline ability was literally being carried off before his eyes. Not to mention his escape. If they sealed the area and began investigating, who would be considered the most suspicious?
He needed to act, and he needed to act now.
"HE HAS THE PRINCESS!" Rian screamed, his voice cutting through the panic as he bolted for the main gates, pointing dramatically toward the rooftops. "ANYONE WHO CAN USE MAGIC, FOLLOW ME! WE MUST SAVE THE PRINCESS! DO YOUR DUTY TO THE ROYAL FAMILY , CHASE THAT FIEND AND RESCUE OUR PRINCESS!"