White-furred stags sat in front of the inn. Blue streaks carried inside of their antlers. They were harnessed to an elven made stagecoach of the finest wood and the same streaks of blue gracing parts of it. Magic was inlaid along those sigils, dancing across the frame.
Inside of the inn, guests buzzed while gazing out at the foreign thing. Their hushed murmurs grew like a beehive. Their honey laced words were full of fascination at the hidden deceiver queen who wore the guise of an elf. She took a step onto the platform and opened the door behind her maid.
Elise grabbed the offered hand and sat across from Rela. She glanced towards the front of the carriage where another familiar member of her court sat. This time, it was the werewolf in a butler suit. Victoria's tail waved slightly, her ears twitching as she grabbed the reins.
"Take us to the count's manor."
"As you will, mistress Sha---."
A glare from Elise cut off the werewolf's words. She pushed a black fan out in front of her and pointed it at the driver, shutting it with a snap. "Don't make me regret this decision."
Victoria nodded and gripped the reins tighter. "I apologize, I will correct it, Lady Emerald."
"Good."
Elise sighed and slumped a bit in her seat. I am sorry, Victoria. We already stand out a lot. I wanted to stand out, but I don't want to do it that way.
She turned her attention to her elegant black and green dress instead. Green was not a color that she preferred to wear, but it matched her eyes and her name. When she accepted the request to play piano the day before, she prepared an outfit from her inventory for the occasion. This way, she would seem out of reach and distant.
The outfit itself was mostly a role playing dress that she'd gotten from a mid leveled quest anyway. There was a similar event in the game, but it was for an entirely different kind of ball. She could still remember the decorated city streets and festivities inside. She played the gachas and got several outfits with minor effects, including the one she wore now.
Most of them were similar to each other and didn't share unique names, and this one was the same. It was an [Elegant Dress of Charisma]. All it did was give a slight buff to your character's speech when talking to NPCs, and it had its own set of flavor text.
A woman who wears this dress will steal the spotlight and become the center of attention, for her beauty will surely be magnified.
Though, Elise knew better than to trust that the flavor text would have no effect at all. At the same time, it was the moment when Emerald would be known. Her name would be etched into this event and spread like a disease, giving birth to a knew otherworldly beauty.
The woman in question chuckled and held a green flower in her hand, twirling the stem between her two fingers. The flower rotated, dripping the smell of poison in the air, yet such low leveled toxin would not do anything to her. She took a breath of it through her nose, smelling the sweet trickling Death.
"You're beautiful in your own way, little flower. Behind your sweet scent and gorgeous presence, you hide your ominous self. The real you sits inside of a splendid cage, encased in a wondrous outer shell."
Rela smiled. "The flower is like yourself, My Lady."
With those words, the carriage climbed higher towards the nobility. She put the flower away as she reached the district with Count Regulus's house. At the gate, Victoria presented a butler with the sealed parchment.
The servant gave a bow, sparing glances towards the stags, and pointing the way inside.
Elise was pleasantly surprised by the inside. Grass sprung up from the lawn, maintained and trimmed. At the edge of the property, there were bushes shaved into hedge figures. There were figures of horses and other noble items. Though, one of them was of a girl in a dress twirling. I guess they really went all out for this.
The ground they tread on was even smoother than the city entrance they came from. It created an awkward road dichotomy, making this new one seem perfectly off-putting.
As for the manor itself, it was made of grand white stone, roman columns rising from the ground to support the entryway and sides. The glass windows along the side were thick and slightly opaque from the outside. A flag rose from the top like it was a parliamentary building. It bore the black dragon-knight emblem of the Bjorn kingdom, flapping in the breeze with the autumn winds.
A butler opened the door of their ride for them. "Lady Emerald, Count Regulus and Sir Friede await you inside."
Elise stepped out and followed him towards the imposing double doors. Even these bore artistic designs, etched into the wood in neat swirls. Towards the middle, two dragons opened their mouths towards the handles. They certainly know how to create a monument.
Two servants opened the doors from the other side and held them, the foyer presenting itself. A set of double stairs presented themselves on either side of the entrance, going up towards a second floor. A large chandelier hung from a lifted ceiling, and artistic depictions were scattered across the roof, mirroring shining murals on the floor.
Count Regulus made his entrance from further in, behind another set of double doors beneath the stairs. The man wore an expensive red and black suit, embedded with bits of gold. Golden strings dangled from his shoulders and matched the buttons on his blouse. A red cord wrapped around his right shoulder, tying itself to a Dragon-Knight badge at the top.
The man smiled and blinked his fiery red eyes, blazing with the same color as his vibrant red hair. He extended his hand and spoke in a posh voice. "You're the elven lady I've heard so much about. Emerald, is it?"
Elise took his extended hand, shaking it, and giving a quaint nod. "And I presume you're count Regulus who I've heard very little about."
The count's smile grew wider, his vibrant laugh echoing in the entrance chamber. "I imagined that would be the case. I admit it is a bit shameful, but such is the way of Ambergrad." He extended his arm towards the next set of double doors that remained open. "This way is the ballroom. I was just speaking towards your guarantor." He glanced down at her outfit with a nod. "Also, you look stunning, by the way."
On the other side of those double doors, a room with an even higher ceiling rested. It spanned across a wide distance like a gymnasium, and there was a staged platform where the piano from her room had already been moved. The room held a beautiful open view towards a garden on one side of the mansion. The other side was a wall with paintings, one of them bearing a slain black dragon. Magical light fixtures sat at intervals between those depictions, gems sitting behind pieces of rounded glass waiting for someone to invoke their enchantments.
Elise looked at the merchant man who smiled at her entrance. "Odd of you to be my guarantor when the only thing you heard is my piano."
Sir Friede chuckled. "Nonsense, I have also felt the depth of your coin pouch. After all, you did book one of my most expensive suites. Still, I don't dislike a bit of serpent's tongue."
Elise let out a small laugh of her own. "Leave it to the merchants to take to the liars and cheats of the world."
He gave her a challenging grin. "So, you admit you're a liar?"
"I admit nothing. I am as much of a liar as any lone woman."
Count Regulus's own laugh echoed again. "I presume that means the lies are plenty."
Elise let amusement play out on her face. "Leave it to the nobility to show their sexism at the gate."
"Not quite. I believe strongly in the rights of women, which is why I am to speak honestly." He cleared his throat and gestured towards the staged piano. "Enough of that, I wanted to hear a bit of your playing before the guests are to arrive."
Elise crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe, but do I get anything if I do? My piano is not meant for the ears of those nobles who can't even bother to give an ounce."
"An ounce? How about this, if you play right now, I will give you a small magic item as a token? Also, I heard your friend has recently taken interest in the Mage Society." He reached into his blouse and pulled out a sealed letter. "Perhaps if I like it enough, I will give a nice word."
"That'll do."
"I guess even elven women harbor in them the lust of wealthy men."
Elise scoffed and lifted her chin. "Please, you couldn't reach me in your dreams, Count Regulus. Save your petty jokes for the pleasure districts."
He blushed and cleared his throat. "Don't assume that I go to those places. Despite what I said, I am a gentleman. Maybe it is your tongue that has brought us here?"
Elise's footsteps echoed inside of the vast, mostly empty, room. Her heels climbed up the steps and onto the stage. She moved with grace, her two subordinates stepping behind her.
Victoria's tail and ears had not gone unnoticed, yet the count and Friede refused to comment on them.
I guess even these chronic lechers can spare some grace towards a wolf woman? Good thing the lustful poet isn't here yet. And Victoria, please hide your fangs and contain your Wrath a little bit.
Elise let out a small breath and lifted the hood of the grand piano, showing the kept strings inside. She pulled out the black bench and sat down, fixing her long skirt as she crossed her legs. There was sheet music in front of her, but she didn't bother with that. She would try those songs later.
Instead, she tried something else. She plucked a few piano keys and played some chords to make sure it was in tune and to warm up her hands. Normally, the Four Seasons are played with other instruments as well, but a lone piano is still good.
She started playing Spring, plucking the keys to mimic the sound of string instruments. She imagined the poem that this song was inspired by and pictured blossom-filled meadows. It was a contrast to the fall outside that would start killing the growth soon enough.
Elise could already see the colors beginning to change on some trees along the outside, but it was only a herald. Even though, it heralded the close of one chapter, it would open her chapter.
When Fall surely came, the Spring of her own self would rise to take place. And her spring was much darker than the chords she played. The sound of music echoed higher towards bright grins of the observers. Notes flooded into the chamber, a pianissimo that showed her range as a player.
There is no doubt about it now. I am much better than I ever was on Earth.
The growth of her piano skill was proportional to the growth in her strength. She'd imagined once that she was good, but that was all a delusion of grandeur born from not knowing the depth of sound. Her sound now was a night and day difference between what she held before.
She closed the song, accepting the claps of the two men.
Count Regulus started. "I had heard about it, but it is so much better than I imagined. Where did you learn that song, Lady Emerald? Do you mind if I ask its name?"
"That one is called Spring." She looked at his questioning gaze and smiled. "We are in the Spring of our youths, you know? There is no contradiction. Besides, there is an Autumn as well."