"Presenting her Royal Majesty, Queen Rianna redydd. Queen of the Fiafyr Kingdom!" The Lord Steward announced.
Rianna walked through the archway and stood tall on the top of the stairs. Her dress was made from a deep green silk, which shimred in the sunlight, and had gold-colored threads sewn throughout it. Her hair was in an elegant bun, and she had one of her finest crowns atop her head. She carried herself with confidence and grace, as she descended the stairs.
Rianna couldn't help but feel odd as she saw everyone looking at her. It wasn't nerves or anything like that. It was like she was giddy about being at a Ladies' Court eting or sothing. Usually, she avoiding these things because she didn't trust any of the won who attended these things. Marchioness Isabella and Countess Alexandria would be the ones that all the other won would follow. And those two were always looking to gain more influence by exploiting Rianna, while Leandra was trying to find a way to destroy her.
Now that Rianna had Rya, she's gained allies she's never had and friends in the nobility that she was reluctant to trust before. And now, she had no worries about dealing with Isabella's clicks or had no qualms about making sure Leandra was the one being destroyed.
'Huh... Maybe I've been looking at these things the wrong way all along,' Rianna thought to herself. She almost had a skip to her step as she continued to descend the stairs.
Nearly all the Ladies of the Court's mouths dropped when they saw Rianna's beauty. Most of them haven't seen her in months and ever since Rya healed her and helped her develop her mana vein she started looking younger. It was like seeing an angel coming down the steps, and so of the male staff even stared at her with wide eyes.
"W-When did her Majesty look so youthful?' Lady Lakia Dordithas muttered to her friend, Baroness Elowen Winderre.
"I-I know that the won from Corialis don't age easily, but I've never heard of anyone looking younger after a year!" Anastasia Alia Abernathy whispered.
"She's only a few years older than us, and yet it seems like she's still a teenager. How does she do it?" Cecelia von Falkenstein wondered aloud.
"M-Maybe befriending a Dark Elf isn't such a bad prospect? If Princess Rya could make the Queen look young then... what could she do for us?" Lady Laura Whistlo wondered aloud.
"You can't seriously be thinking of being friends with the likes of her. They're evil creatures! I'm surprised that the Queen has kept her around," Baroness Elowen Winderre snapped.
"I-I don't know. Her Majesty looks really happy," Katie Clents whispered, and she looked at her friend Bethany von Maus. "Bethany, I think we might want to start talking to her and find out more about her."
Bethany couldn't help but notice how much more confident Rianna was when she entered the ballroom. It was like the Queen ca out of her shell. Bethany wanted to speak to the Queen but the ache from Leandra straggling her and threatening her life for asking about the gold they were promised made her afraid. But, she had a feeling that the winds were changing. If the Duke and the Duchess were this cruel to their allies, what would they be like if they took the throne?
"I-I'll think about it," Bethany replied.
Rianna noticed all the different looks and smiles she was receiving. This was a different attention than she was used to, and she didn't hate it.
'Maybe I have been looking at these events the wrong way all along. And now, I think it's ti that I changed the way I deal with these won,' Rianna thought with a smile. The Queen stopped halfway down the stairs and waved to her guests. The guests responded by giving their respect to the Queen, bowing, or curtsying.
"Thank you, ladies, for attending this year's gathering. And, thank you for coming to celebrate Lady Lydia's tenth birthday," Rianna said.
All the Ladies responded with words of gratitude and well wishes for Lydia.
"As you know, Lady Lydia will be presented as a debutant soon, and she will begin her search for a husband. To help her and other eligible ladies with this, the Ladies' Court will be hosting a ball in her honor," Rianna declared to the ladies.
Many of the ladies were surprised by this as it was usually Isabella who would host these kinds of events.
"A ball? But, your Majesty, it's normally Marchioness Isabella who hosts such a gathering. Are you sure it's not too much trouble for you?" Countess Alexandria Ingham asked, but really she was trying to deter the Queen from taking over Isadora's duties.
"I wouldn't have announced it if I didn't want to. Besides, I was always invited to the balls the Ladies' Court held. This will be a good way to give back and get involved. I know I wasn't around much before, but that will change. Also, I think it's about ti that I had a say in these types of affairs. Don't you think Lady Isabella?," Rianna replied, and her words were laced with an air of authority.
Isadora's face paled when she heard the Queen call her out by her first na and not her title. 'Did I mishear her?' she thought. She was also upset that Rianna was stealing her thunder and taking over what she built over all these years.
"Y-Yes, your Majesty. I've always ntioned to the others that we needed your guidance to make these events morable," Isabella replied and tried to sound gracious.
"Hm. You always know the right words to say. I appreciate it," Rianna said, not letting her mask drop. 'Well, she's not too pleased. Hehe! I've been too passive, but no more!' the Queen thought.
Ysandra was getting a kick out of putting the Marchioness in her place. She may have been apart of Duval's coalition in the past, but she couldn't stand Isabella's arrogance. She acted as if she was the Queen at all the events she attended. She had been the one who benefited the most with Rianna's absence, but it seems like those days are over. 'Good! About ti. She's always been the leader of the Ladies' Court, so it makes sense for her to take control,' Ysandra thought. She could see the Queen was enjoying herself, and that's why she decided to throw oil on the fire.
"Marchioness, you seem a little pale. Are you feeling well? Should I call for so tea?" Ysandra asked, a smirk on her face.
The other ladies tried their best to stifle their giggles. Isabella wanted to scream.
Leandra though was furious, it wasn't up to the Queen to find a husband for her daughters. It was up to them. The Queen may have changed, but she's not going to let her ruin her plans for Lydia.
"Your Majesty, if I may, I think you've overstepped your boundaries. Finding husbands is the duty of the father and the mother. Not the King and the Queen," Leandra said.
Rianna had a glint in her eye. Leandra had taken the bait and was ready to fight. The Duchess has totally forgot about accusing Rya of murdering Marcus by grandstanding and making the Dark Elf look like a villain.
"I'm sorry, Duchess, but I don't understand. Lydia's coming-of-age ball is to announce that she's ready to find a partner to be engaged to. And she's my niece. I may have missed throwing a ball for my older nieces, but that ends today," Rianna stated.
"B-But, it's not up to you to decide!" Leandra sputtered.
"I think the King and I are the perfect choice. As I recall, Lydia was so shy that she hid behind Sara at the party last year. I want her to enjoy herself this year. And I'll be sure that happens," Rianna said confidently as she continue down the stairs.
Leandra was so focus on Rianna that she forgot about Rya.
'Oh, nice! Quin's Mom is aweso! Okay, go with the plan and mingle with the younger crowds to get them on my side while, Rianna deals with the older folks,' Rya thought as she quietly stepped away from the Major Noblewon.
Rya successfully made her way towards Tayna, Nieren, Elaine, and a Dalia, who was still standing by the carving station. Stuffing her face like an aristocrat, one small helping after another.
"Hello, Ladies," Rya said, bowing her head.
"Lady Rya," the girls all replied with the exception of Dalia.
The carver had a perplexed look on his face as the Wolfkin was stacking dirty plates and down one whole quad-horn roast. The staff ca by with a new roast and took the stack of dirty plates.
"Hey, Dalia?" Rya called out to the Wolfkin.
Dalia turned to Rya. "Yes, Alpha? Ah!? I an! Yes, Lady Rya?"
Rya smirked as Dalia was trying her best to act proper.
"Save so of the food for the rest of us please," Rya teased.
"Oh? Ah!? I an! Oh, right. I was taste testing the first quad horn roast! Yes! I was making sure it was safe for you to eat," Dalia said proudly while striking a power pose.
Nieren pinched the bridge of her nose, Tayna raised a brow, and Elaine was giggling at the Wolfkin's antics.
Rya had to hold back her laughter, "Um?... You do know that you are the whole thing, right? I an, if it wasn't poisoned then you would have let us eat from the sa roast. You didn't have to take the whole thing."
Dalia put on an apologetic smile, and her tail began to wag, "Oh no! Well, I better try the next roast just to make sure it's good enough for you, Alph—Lady Rya."
Rya frowned, "You aren't sorry at all, are you?"
Dalia feigned ignorance and gave Rya a confused look.
Rya shook her head, "Just save so food for the rest of us."
"Okay~," Dalia said, and her tail was wagging fast.
'She is going to stuff herself sick... Who am I kidding? She'll eat ten of those things and will ask for a ten-foot chocolate cake for dessert.' Rya thought.
"How about we start off with a few small snacks and then have a bigger plate later, Lady Rya?" Tayna suggested.
Rya nodded, "Yeah, that would be for the best."
Rya, Tayna, Nieren, and Elaine got their plates and began to make their rounds. Rya had a goal, and that was to gain as many allies as possible.
"Hey, Tayna?" Rya asked.
"What is it, Lady Rya?" Tayna asked back.
"When I scanned the room with the Seer Stone, I noticed that both your mother-in-law and sister-in-law had the sa issue that Johan had," Rya said.
Tayna had a confused look on her face and after a second she looked like she figured it out, "The brown particles?"
Rya nodded her head. She didn't want any one who was eavesdropping on them to hear what they were talking about.
Tayna was surprised, "I guess we shouldn't be surprised... But you think Elizabeth passed it down to them?"
"Most likely, but I don't know if it was her that was first inflicted with it or maybe it was passed down from her mother... I need to ask questions, but your mother-in-law seems to be a bit skittish," Rya ntion softly as she looked across the ballroom and saw Elizabeth glancing over at them. Rya smiled and waved, which made the Baroness flinch and avert her eyes.
"Yeah... She's been getting more paranoid lately. She caught Johan and making out in the hallway of their estate. We had to play it off like nothing happened. I think she thinks I'm evil now?" Tayna said, feeling mixture of amusent and guilt.
Rya and Nieren giggled while Elaine was confused.
"Well, with all the rumors being spread about being a murderer, enchantress, witch, demon worshipper, and all of that. I'm surprised they aren't calling for to be burned at the stake," Rya said as she ate a strawberry.
"Pff! They wouldn't know what evil was if it hit them in the face," Nieren scoffed and Tayna nodded.
Rya could only smirk at her older sister and friend as they forgot that they acted similar to all these won when Rya first t them.
'Should I humble these two?' Rya thought while examining her friend and sister. 'Nah!... I'll bring it up another ti.'
Dalia rejoined the group after eating another five plates of otherworldly snacks, yet she kept glancing over at the Quad-horn roast. She wished to finish off that one as well. But she needed to be there for her Alpha.
"Ahh! That hit the spot. So, what's the plans, Alpha?" Dalia leaned in and whispered to Rya.
Rya was brought out of her thoughts and looked at the wolfkin. "Hm?... I guess you're right. Give a second."
Rya observed her surroundings trying to co up with a plan of attack. She first spotted Queen Rianna, Yuliana, Ysandra, and her allies squaring off against Duchess Leandra, Isabella, Alexandria, Evelina Dravenhart, and her allies. They were surrounded by Elizabeth Dule, Baroness Elowen Winderre, and a few other Minor Noblewon who weren't apart of any faction. The knew tensions were high between the two factions and wondered how they would deal with their differences.
'Alright. Looks like Rianna and Mom are ready to take down Leandra. I'll let them do their thing. Rianna said sothing about putting Leandra in her place. Nothing like sister-in-law rivalries, right?' Rya smirked and continued her observations.
She then spotted the older crowd of Noblewon talking amongst themselves. They were close to Rianna and Leandra's groups but far enough not to be involved in the tension. This group had a split of similar factions, Fyrella Coldforge and Countess Seraphina Valerian, who were on Rya's and Rianna's side. They were up against Viscountess Cassandra Blackwood, and Lady Lucinda Montclair who were on Marchioness Isabella Wrightwood's side and were forced to be on the Duchess's side. Baroness Isolde Stirling was the only neutral party among them.
'Okay, Fryella ntioned that she was going to deal with the older ladies. So, I won't get in their way. Let's see...'
Rya glanced to her left and saw Lydia Revelia and her sisters. Lydia seed calm but Sara, Jemma, and Eleanora were still on edge as the watched Rya like a hawk. Rya wanted to get to know them to make sure they weren't on their parents side. Breaking the ice between them was going to be difficult right now and Rya thought it would be better to swing by at another ti.
'I've seen those looks before. That's fight or flight mode. I think it's best to give them so space. Let's see... who else is there... Oh? Nieren was right. There are won with their babies here... Why didn't I hear them like my sisters and mother did?'
Rya tuned her ears to listen in on the won in the far corner of the ballroom with their babies in their arms. It was like the were forbidden to leave their seats. So were whispering among themselves while others were just sitting in their chairs silently rocking their children.
'Wow! Those babies those babies can talk? But most of them don't look like they are one year old... Wait... When are babies supposed to learn to talk again? I don't think they are supposed to start talking until they are at least one and a half years old. But those babies are speaking clear as day... I an, it's only a single-word sentence, but still. Is this so magic thing I haven't heard about?... Freaking fantasy worlds man! I thought I knew everything there was to know about fantasy. Guess not... Speaking of which. I hope there's a woman or two that's on the period. Gah! I'm getting off track! I'll swing around to those mothers later. I need to make a good impression on another group that will counteract these stupid rumors. Hmm?'
Rya spotted three different groups of won that looked like they were in their 20s. Two of the groups were occasionally glancing at Rya with a wary eye. But the last group had Johan's sister surrounded. Alia Dule was trying to get to her sister in law during Rya's entrance into the ballroom but she was cut off by her cousin Fiona Dupree and her three friends.
'Hmm?... Looks like Alia is in trouble. Let's help Tayna's sister in law with so Minor Noblewon who should know better than to bully a daughter of a Major House,' Rya thought as she made up her mind on what she was going to do first. Then she turned to her friends.
"Alright, let's help your sister-in-law with her issue. Who's with ?" Rya said.
Tayna looked over to where Alia was and spotted who was giving her problems.
"Well, well, well. So, Fiona is here with her cohort of... deplorables."
"Whoa there, Tayna. Don't say sothing that you're going to regret," Rya said sarcastically.
"Oh, shut—uh... You were joking, weren't you?"
"Of course. I would call people like them with sothing worse," Rya smirked.
"You have a rather crude sense of humor," Tayna sighed.
"Yeah. That's why people like ," Rya joked again, which made Dalia and Elaine giggle. Tayna rolled her eyes, but she smirked all the sa.
"Alright, that's enough lightning up the mood. Let's get to work," Rya said with a serious tone.
"So, who's Fiona Dupree, and why are her friends such a problem for Alia and you?" Nieren asked as she was staring down the group with Tayna and Rya.
"She's my husband's cousin, and those three are her best friends from other Minor Noble families. Her father is the youngest brother to Johnathan Dule and he always treats Johan and Alia like trash. If I had to put a bet on who would challenge Johan and Alia for the title of Eder Hills. Lord Linus Dupree would be one of the few on that list," Tayna explained.
"I see... I'll have to send a couple of my Golems to watch him. But there are so many rumors of Minor Houses aiming for Johan that it is impossible to know who will try to strike first," Rya whispered.
"Pff! It would be simpler just to kill them and be done with it," Dalia huffed as she didn't see the point in these gas.
"And ruin my perfect reputation?" Rya joked while glancing at her Wolfkin friend, who just shrugged.
"Chieftains did it all the ti," Dalia said, "You kill an enemy before they have a chance to strike first."
"How well did that work out for them?"
Dalia scratched her chin and glanced up and to the left as she thought about it.
"Uh, not that well. They would kill to many and be betrayed by their strongest warrior if they weren't careful."
"Exactly," Rya nodded and continued, "It is far better to outplay your enemies than kill them outright. Fear can only work for so long until they rally behind soone who has the courage to fight back. Then you have a bigger problem than what you had before. Besides, if I were to kill them, that would bring a whole bunch of problems that I can't handle at the mont."
Dalia frowned at first but then her brows went up as if she had an epiphany.
"Oh, I see... You want everyone around you to like you and make them fear your enemy so the group agrees with your idea of dealing with them. Very clever," Dalia grinned.
Rya's face blushed, "I an, that's one way to look at it. But you don't need to kill them if the is on your side—You know what. I'll explain this another ti. So, who coming with to help Alia? Tayna? Nieren? You in?" Rya asked.
Tayna smirked, "You'll have my support. Alia deserves better."
"I normally don't care for these petty battles, but I'll watch your back, Sis," Nieren offered.
"Good! Dalia? Elaine? Do you gals want to join?"
Elaine looked apologetic, "I don't know if I will be that much help. I'll go and talk to the girls that are closer to my age. Sorry, Sister."
Rya waved her hand, "It's fine. I just didn't want to leave you out. Go have fun with the others... Dalia? You coming or staying?"
Dalia tapped her chin and thought about it. "Hmm?... I would love to watch Alpha put these females in there place, but you said you needed to find females that are on their cycle, yes?" she asked.
"Yeah, that would be helpful. But maybe soone in those groups might—"
"They are not. We are down wind of them and I'm not picking up the scent. But I did notice a few in the direction around those mothers. I'll hang by Little Woody as her backup. I'll peel off if things are going well. Okay?"
Rya nodded, "Thanks, Dalia. I appreciate it."
"Anyti, Alpha," she gave a toothy smile.
"So, you're calling Elaine, Little Woody now? Stubborn dog," Nieren muttered under her breath, but she wasn't annoyed that Dalia was giving Elaine a nickna. She was annoyed that she was getting a similar nickna as her sister.
"Hey! Looks like Elaine has earned Dalia's respect. Nice one, Little Sis," Rya winked at her.
Elaine blushed and shrugged, "I'm just happy that Dalia and I get along."
Rya smiled. Then turned her attention back to her plan.
"Okay, we all know what we are going to do. Let's move out and win so hearts and minds while breaking a few in the process," she said and everyone nodded in agreent.
The group moved out and split up, with Nieren and Tayna following Rya and Dalia heading the other way with Elaine.
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