Two days.
Two days had passed without Lianza directing a single word at me that wasn't an order.
"Bring me the book." "Accompany me to the classroom." "Wait at the door."
Each instruction was a nail. Driven in hammer blow by hammer blow, slowly.
But the second night came.
I did what I always did: listen to her through the walls of my bedroom.
I thought this time I would hear her cry, let out everything she was carrying.
Nothing.
First there was silence. Minutes passed, then hours. It was too prolonged for what I was used to from her, since when she was alone, Lianza used to recite poems, speeches, or even, when she was in a better mood than usual, she would read aloud and cheerfully. It was the kind of voice that could wring a smile from you just by hearing it.
And suddenly, the long silence was interrupted by her laugh. Bitter and fleeting, almost manic.
That was the only thing I heard from her that night.
And I could tell you that, as contradictory as it seemed, hearing her laugh hurt me more than hearing her cry. Not even I understood why. Maybe because crying means relief, releasing what you carry inside, while laughing... laughing has more nuances. You can laugh out of malice, out of panic, or to hide an indescribable pain.
And so the weekend passed.
Tomorrow would already be the Welcome Ball. One of the most important parties in all of Earolden, as it was the one that presented the future rulers and other people in important positions to the world.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I touched was the watch resting in my pocket. I always carried it on me. It only had one use, and I didn't know when I would need it.
Could I use it to see Ardwyn's stats and thus know what I'm up against? Even the most perfect prince must have weaknesses.
Or maybe I could use it on Lianza to know how to help her improve? That way, the chances of her being saved would increase.
Although, there was also a third option, but for now it just stayed as that: my third option to choose.
[Ready for the big night, Romeo? 🎭]
I closed the notification immediately. The Harem System hadn't interrupted me all weekend. That made me form the theory that its missions were only shown on school days or when the plot of this novel advanced. I still wasn't sure which of the two it was, but anything I knew about it, no matter how minimal, would help me outsmart it and use it to my advantage.
However, I wasn't in the mood for its buffoonery. Not for a day as important as today.
I dressed in silence.
The Elcronne house's dress uniform was black. No embroidery and no cape with a royal seal. It was more of a servant's suit with pretensions.
Lianza would no longer pick my clothes. She would no longer fix the collar and sleeves of my suit... She would no longer tell me to comb my hair when the morning wind of Mayorka ruffled it.
I went down the stairs. Alone.
The ballroom of Mayorka was a cathedral. To reach its other end, you would have to walk for three whole minutes. Chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceiling adorned with paintings by each of the great painters of the nobility.
I stood by the left column. It was my post. The guard's place.
As a guard, I was expected to arrive early, so I took advantage of the time to appreciate the landscape before my eyes.
There was a harpy with silver wings and brown eyes belonging to the Taint, the house whose domains were in the mountains of northern Earolden.
However, the one that stood out the most was the painting of an enormous treant with green eyes, whose roots spread from its legs to the walls of the hall. The painting was made by a member of House Garialys, hundreds of years ago. It was beautiful, the result of a lifetime of effort and talent.
There were also others of smaller size, but no less detailed for that. Unicorns walking on clouds, lions with rainbow manes and white fur, a hydra with more than ten heads; each one different. But among all those small paintings, the one that caught my attention the most was that of a dragon.
Dragons in this world were beings of ancient power, the magical creatures with the greatest capacity for Empero. Capable of erasing entire cities.
This world was full of a history of millennia, and I barely knew the small fragment that took place in The Throne of Ashes and Thorns.
I was absorbed in all those paintings when I saw her.
At first I didn't recognize her because, instead of her glasses, she now wore a fine red crystal mask.
She came down the stairs in a dark garnet dress that fell from her shoulders to the floor, with white embroidery that accentuated her curvilinear figure. The glasses she always wore replaced by a fine garnet crystal mask.
She didn't bother to look at me.
When she passed by my side, only her heels were heard sounding on the floor. Nothing else. She didn't even bother to look at me.
I was left with my mouth open.
She was the most beautiful woman I had seen in my two lives. And she no longer spoke to me.
Ardwyn intercepted her at the foot of the stairs. The same white and unnecessarily long cape. Uniform with amber embroidery. And of course, his smile.
He also wore a sword on his belt and, what stood out the most, was that he wore his crown as prince of House Jahke.
"Princess," he said after passing by my side and also ignoring me. "The first waltz is mine by right."
Lianza responded with a slight nod.
People kept entering.
Alexia Vane escorted by her two best friends. Lord Caspian of House Vereth, accompanied by his younger sister, Aradia Vereth, the one who in the future would be nicknamed The Princess of Flowers.
Also present were Liryl Taint, Oladior Garialys, and many other heirs of the great houses.
It didn't take even half an hour for the atmosphere to start flowing.
All the students were there, and therefore, all the noble houses.
It seemed Ardwyn had noticed this, because he took Lianza by the arm. She resisted a little at first, but then Ardwyn whispered a word in her ear and she yielded.
He led her to the center of the hall. The musicians were lined up. Pianists, violinists, and harpists; some of them belonged to noble houses, however, I only managed to identify two who were current students at Mayorka.
[Oh, wow! Looks like our hero beat us to it. 😏]
[Anyway. Mandatory Mission: Dance with your 'Cloak Bearer' for an entire waltz.]
[Penalty for refusal: Lianza will suffer a fall on the stairs. She will break an ankle. Three weeks of recovery. Just in time to miss the audience with the king. Convenient, right? 😊]
Audience with the king? When I was about to ask, Layda appeared in front of me.
She was standing by the wall. Her simple dress gave away her status. However, it wasn't at all badly made. It just wasn't eye-catching. Even, I could say, objectively speaking of course, that it suited her well. It matched her introverted and easily impressionable personality.
"May I have your cloak, Sir Dariel Elcronne?" she said with a shy smile.
"Of course," I replied, almost by inertia.
My eyes kept looking toward Lianza. But above all, my heart started beating faster.
Today was the day when the main plot of The Throne of Ashes and Thorns began. The first great turning point.