The windows of Reitzlake Castle shone in the distance.
Each was a little beacon of warmth, for within were enough chandeliers, hearths and smiles to make even ergency napping difficult.
A problem during most functions in the castle. But a dire one during the Sumr Solstice Festival.
Usually, the doors were barred to all but those wealthy enough to wait outside until my guards could officially fine them for vagrancy.
Instead, they were thrown wide open to all the aristocracy during this week of festivities. And so for the minor lords of Reitzlake who spent their ample free ti dreaming of owning their own generic dark tower, it was a rare opportunity to gather insight on interior design, to pay tribute to my family and to vomit over our carpets.
Usually in that exact order.
If we were lucky.
Indeed, while revelry was never in short supply, adherence to etiquette often was … and yet for our part, we never failed to et the expectations placed upon us.
To acknowledge the lesser nobility was a tradition deeply rooted in the establishnt of the Sumr Solstice Festival. Because when all was said and done, they served a vital role in the kingdom.
So long as they existed, nobody more competent could take their places.
Like errant dandelions in a field, they helped stop the greater weeds from taking root.
As a result, it didn’t matter if it was tradition for our castle to be muddied in ways that Apple trotting through a puddle could never achieve. To humour those who represented both ambition and a lack of loyalty was simply a matter of duty. And one my family perford with dignity and grace.
After all–
We always returned the favour.
“Ohohohohohohohoo!”
I raised a hand to my lips, barely covering my smile.
Here in the noble district, a scene of sponsored bedlam was ruining the usually pristine streets.
Misfits, louts and hooligans booted from the dockside bars wandered arm-in-arm as they sang, fought and drank beneath the lines of ribbons and lanterns. A drumming procession was making its way through the centre of the district. A plague of fruit slis were bouncing from gardens to rooftops.
And most of all … a troupe of the worst musicians that could be specifically hired from halfway across the continent was serenading the revellers around a large bonfire.
Such was the torturous lack of skill that the bonfire swayed and spluttered, as though desperately doing its best to incinerate the closest lute.
All it did was light up the smiles of rrymakers dancing around the fla, the horror of nobility as they peeked out of their windows, and also the confused blinks from drunkards who had repeatedly lurched directly into the sa hedge.
Yes.
Here in an upmarket district where no strange maidens in scandalous attire troubled , a scene of vandalism was occurring to match what was taking place in Reitzlake Castle.
In short … weaponised festivity!
“Oooh~” Coppelia raised her fists in encouragent, watching as a group of brigands tried to excavate one of their own from a well. Mostly by pushing him further inside. “So this is where you were keeping the hoodlums! I was wondering why there were so few concentrations of spillages!”
I smiled with satisfaction, all the while trying not to use my nose.
“Ohohoho … wonderful, no? Bonfires are the height of sumr imagery. It’s only natural that troublemakers … I an visitors would convene to dance and frolic to their hearts’ content.”
“It’s great! It’s like being in a guild hall. Except with a huge open fire and no receptionist to frown when people start using furniture as weapons. I’m surprised the people living here agreed to this.”
“They didn’t. But it can’t be helped. Reitzlake is an old and proud city. But that also ans plenty of flammable buildings. There are few places where a bonfire can be safely held. The wide paved streets of the noble district with all its fountains and wells are perfect.”
“I an, if everything catching fire is an issue, shouldn’t the bonfire be near the lake?”
“Yes, but the lake isn’t where nobility gather to subtly cackle when they know soone is listening. The theatrically secluded corners just beyond their front gates are. And, oh my, it would appear that all the best eting spots are now being taken.”
I nodded as I took in the usual suspects.
A marble gazebo clearly designed for eavesdropping. A rose garden in full view of nine different balconies. A pond with just enough splashing goldfish to draw attention. A wine cellar door just misaligned enough to allow voices to escape.
There they all were.
The decorative pockets of shadow and moonlight that all the worst schers enjoyed advertising … and now they were being used in the sa way that their owners were using the carpets of my castle.
“Bleerughhh …”
Yes.
Just like that.
“I can’t believe you guys have weaponised fun,” said Coppelia, having never sounded more impressed. “Do you always use hoodlums vomiting over conspiracy spots to find where they are?”
“Not at all. We already know where all the gathering places are.”
“Oh. So this is just for entertainnt?”
“On the contrary, this is serious. The purpose of the hoodlums is to leave behind an odour so foul that it prevents any clandestine etings for the rest of the year. Flooding the noble district with hooligans every sumr is vital to the kingdom’s security, for here is where treason breeds the most.”
Coppelia giggled, just as she shooed away a bouncing fruit sli.
“I think you have other things than treason to worry about. Is it normal for there to be so many fruit slis here? That’s a problem. They’ll be eating through all my suspicious berries soon.”
“Your suspicious berries are safe. The fruit slis are well fed. My squires make sure of it before putting them here, after all.”
“Fine. I’ll admit it. Nobody does antagonising like you guys.”
I feigned a look of shock.
“Coppelia, my family hold the nobility in only the highest regard! … That’s why releasing fruit slis directly into their open windows isn’t antagonising. It’s helpful.”
“... In case there are rotten apples hiding in their kitchens?”
“No, because the fruit sli collection ga is one of the most popular activities in the festival. It’s even sponsored by my family. Those who find the most are granted rare prizes.”
“Okay, now I’m excited. Let’s start!”
“We can’t. Collecting all the fruit slis is for the hoodlums. It helps ensure they stumble onto every nook and cranny … which is why we’ll only be looking for the golden fruit sli.”
Coppelia let out a gasp.
“There’s a golden fruit sli … ?!”
“Ohohoho!” I held up a finger and smiled. “Indeed, there is! Sowhere in the royal capital lurks a very rare golden fruit sli, and whoever finds it shall claim the grand prize. In my family, its discovery has always been a matter of sibling pride.”
“Eh? You guys look for golden fruit slis in your own festival?”
“Of course. Just because it’s illegal to win against us doesn’t an we can’t take part. Many of my sumr mories are of my brothers and sisters competing to find the golden fruit sli first.”
“Uwah~ the prize must be really good! And expensive!”
“Hmm … is it now?” I tilted my head in thought. “In truth, I don’t recall what the grand prize ever was. Or if we ever asked for it. For us, rely taking part in the festival was the joy.”
“Ooh, that actually sounds kind of cute! Will you be doing that this ti, too?”
I shook my head slightly. The smile I wore began to fade.
“Sadly, no. That was then and this is now. Only the fae queens can experience the seasons unchanging. For all others, we must follow the clear horizon as it stretches ahead, lest we find ourselves beneath a cloud that refuses to part. I’m afraid that the ti when my brothers and sisters can sneak off as we all did in the past is quite behind us.”
A mont of quiet passed, filled only with my hum.
“... Why, I’ve no doubt that right now, they’re currently in the midst of their duties. I expect I’ll be required to assist them soon, extrely popular that I am. In fact, I didn’t expect that I’d have the opportunity to enjoy the festival like this again. It would be far less enjoyable on my own, after all.”
Coppelia smiled as she leaned forwards.
Then … she poked my nose.
It was still less shocking than soone grabbing my knee.
“Heheh~ I’m handy to have around, huh? With around, you’ll always have soone to lose to no matter what gas we play!”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? … You speak confidently, but you don’t know my ways. For example, I have insider information on all possible locations for the golden fruit sli.”
“Hey, that’s cheating!”
“Yes. Because I’m a princess. Life is unfair, and so should any ga played against . But there are other activities as well. The usual stall gas, district-wide challenges, and even the theatre. Now that we’re here, we should thoroughly enjoy everything the festival has to offer. What would you like to do?”
Coppelia puffed out her cheeks in thought.
A mont later, she pointed at the bonfire, surrounded by revellers.
“I want to do that!”
I let out a tiny groan.
“Coppelia, please. I understand it looks exciting, but haven’t you witnessed enough fires coming from Clarise’s observatory yet? … In fact, this one seems rather modest.”
“Mmh. But that’s why I’m not talking about the fire.”
“You’re not?”
“Or well, maybe a little bit. But mostly, I an the dancing.”
“... Excuse ?
“Let’s try dancing. It looks like fun!”
My mouth fell open in shock.
“Hm? … Are you … are you asking to dance with you?”
“Yep, let’s do it!”
Smiling more brightly than the bonfire, Coppelia lifted her fists and nodded.
I was utterly stunned.
Naturally, I was filled with joy. But that also ca with a large dose of exasperation.
After all, as delighted as I was that my loyal handmaiden wished to dance with , there was a ti and a place. And it certainly wasn’t a haphazard bonfire surrounded by stumbling drunkards and music worthy of classification as a weapon of war.
Yes, it was completely inappropriate for as a princess to offer my footwork in such a place.
But moreover …
“Coppelia! You cannot dance with . Why, you don’t know how to!”
Indeed, it was as simple as that!
In truth, while a public bonfire instead of a royal soirée was a problem, it paled beside the fact that Coppelia hadn’t been trained in even the basics. I knew she was light on her feet, but I wasn’t certain I wanted my first mory of dancing with her to be spinning endlessly in a circle. Even if it was fun.
That’s why–
“Mmh?~ Is that what you think?”
When Coppelia hopped before , it was with a pose I never could have expected.
With a neat twist on the spot, she crossed her feet, relaxed her shoulders, settled her weight onto her back foot … then offered a curtsey, lifting the hems of her starry skirt.
Then, with a look of satisfaction brighter than any constellation above, she extended her hand at waist height and bead.
Hm?
Hmmmm?
Hmmmmmmmmmmm?!?!
This … This was …
Why, this was the pose of a dancer waiting to be led … !
But how … ?!
“C-Coppelia! This pose! … Where did you learn that?!”
“Where?” My loyal handmaiden blinked innocently. Too innocently. “I an, I obviously learned it from Miss What’s-Her-Na. You know, the dancing tutor with the permanent frown and the really stupidly long ruler.”
“You … You attended your dancing lessons?! But I thought you skipped them all!”
“Well, I skipped pretty much all of them. But I at least wanted to take one. Maybe two just to be sure. But I didn’t need more. I’m pretty smart, so it’s not like I needed a whole bunch. Just look at what I can do~”
Breaking her pose, she pirouetted on the spot.
Frankly, it looked like all the other pirouettes she did. Except now it wasn’t with a nacing scythe over her shoulder. She was just a maiden spinning on the spot.
… And she looked wonderful for it!
“But why?! When did you gain interest in dancing?!”
“Hmmmm …” Coppelia placed a finger to her cheek. “Who knows? Rather than interest, it feels like you’ve gotten a lot of stuff. Like a fae ring, smoothie ingredients, huge explosions–”
“I … I did not give you any explosions!”
“–And it’s like, even though you say they’re for all the tis I carry you away from said explosions, I have fun too. So it feels a bit wrong to just accept bonus extras. At the very least, I definitely need to give sothing too. You know, to keep things fair. That’s why I learned enough that we can dance maybe once every 200 years if I feel like it, even though it’s super embarrassing because I’m not a princess–”
I let out a gasp.
Why, all this ti, I assud Coppelia didn’t want to learn how to dance because she found it dull! .. Which she probably did!
However, she was also a maiden! And that ant it was only natural that she’d feel disheartened by the idea of being judged alongside a princess!
Even so, she was willing to put all that aside for !
“–But if you don’t want to dance here, that’s also fine! I an, it’s way less stuffy than a castle, but you like stuffy, right? I suppose if you really want to, I could–ehhh?!”
I grabbed Coppelia’s hand, then began dragging her to the bonfire.
“Very well! I accept!”
“Hey, you were ant to say no!”
“Ohohoho! Fear not, I would never do sothing so uncouth!”
Indeed, as a princess, it would be utterly unlike to turn down a worthy gift … hence why I wore an overjoyed smile as I squeezed my way through the crowds, before positioning us as far away from the musicians as possible.
“... By any chance, were you taught the secret technique to dancing with royalty?”
“Nope, I was taught that wooden rulers are surprisingly bendy and can reach the ceiling.”
“Excellent. Because the secret technique is simple. Chin up, shoulders square, and most importantly of all, if you’re unsure of what to do, just pretend like you do!”
“Okay!”
I nodded, satisfied with my veteran tutorship.
Then, I placed her free hand on my shoulder–and with no other fanfare, I began to lead.
In that mont, an item sitting at the top of the bucket list I didn’t even know existed was ticked off.
Calmly, and without any thought to those hopping around us, the shapeless music, the rowdy noise, the terrible sll, the uncomfortable bonfire heat, the sound of brawling in the nearby tavern, or the lack of proper shoes, I carefully nudged Coppelia along, improvising a swift waltz that would never see the light of day in any formal setting.
… To my delight, my instincts were correct!
Coppelia truly was an excellent dancer. Even without lifelong tuition, she deftly followed along without complaint, her feet never once stumbling or tripping over mine.
Most importantly, however, her proud smile was impeccable.
It was a mirror of my own, after all.
Thus, I directed her movents as she skipped, spun and twirled alongside mine, caring little for anything other than ensuring this was enjoyable enough that Coppelia would do it again.
It might take so ti to convince her … but that was fine!
I had already gained sothing important.
Indeed, it was the most scuffed dance I’d ever participated in. The list of complaints was as endless as the number of people I had to bump aside. And yet I didn’t mind in the slightest.
I had another cherished mory to add to my sumr collection.
This, more than anything else, was the finest gift Coppelia could ever offer .
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