At the banquet afterward, there was one name on everyone’s lips: the infamous daughter of House Anderson who had made her debut tonight. House Anderson—the family that had the great hero Gazell Daz Anderson standing at the head. No one had ever seen his daughter Merellis Reiser Anderson appear in society before that night.
Normally, it was unheard of for no one to have ever laid eyes on a noble’s daughter, even before her proper debut. Even newer noble families had their children play together and throw tea parties for them, after all. However, the girl in question had never participated in such things.
Not many people dared to talk about it due to General Gazell’s power and influence, but there had been rumors that the girl was so homely that they did not dare allow her to appear in public. As time went on, interest in the girl waned and the rumors died down.
Before long, no one talked about her anymore at all, and the very idea of her faded from people’s memories. At least that was until it was announced that the mysterious girl was engaged to the House of Armelia’s son. At that point, the rumors spread like wildfire once more.
House Armelia was the most powerful noble family in the kingdom, producing a long line of prime ministers. Every family dreamed of marrying a daughter into the house. Some had approached the Armelias quite aggressively, but each time they were staved off and the son remained betrothed to no one as time went on.
So, of course no one—no one—would have guessed that he would become engaged to the daughter of House Anderson. The union would have very large implications, indeed, with the most obvious being that now the Armelias would be tied to the most powerful military family in the kingdom.
From now on, the Anderson girl would be receiving a great deal of attention from everyone—both good and bad. There would be some who would try to enjoy the new benefits from the Armelia family. However, there would also be others who would fear one family getting so much power and try to interfere with the engagement. And some wouldn’t be satisfied to just interfere—they would actively try to steal Louis away from her.
Seeds of this fervor were being planted all over during the banquet.
“Hello, Count Dranbaldt. You look like you’re enjoying yourself tonight.”
Count Dranbaldt had been happy to observe the festivities but took a break to exchange pleasantries with his acquaintances. “Yes, quite. I’m looking forward to seeing the young couple everyone is talking about. Now that my son is engaged, we can sit back and enjoy ourselves as outsiders, watching things unfold.”
“That’s true. Where is your son, by the way?”
“Over there, making the rounds with his fiancée.”
“Aha, I see. I’m envious that your son is the same age as the talk of the town. I’m sure he’ll have plenty of occasions to mingle with them from now on. My own child isn’t quite old enough yet.”
“That’s true… I suppose I’m lucky in that regard.”
The room had been abuzz with excitement, talking about the couple of the hour. But as the two men chatted, a hush fell over the room, starting from near the entrance.
“I wonder what’s going on over there?” Count Dranbaldt wondered aloud to his friend, who didn’t answer. Thinking that odd, the count glanced over at the other man and then followed his gaze.
Count Dranbaldt then froze himself.
Everyone was staring at just one person—the girl being escorted by Louis de Armelia.
It was Merellis Reiser Anderson.
She had skin so pale it looked almost translucent and silky platinum blonde hair that looked more like spun silver. Her face was so perfect and exquisitely beautiful that she looked more like a doll fashioned by a master craftsman. Her soft, aquamarine eyes glittered like gemstones, the only characteristic of her that proved she was a real person and not an inanimate work of art.
Every single person in the room was rendered speechless, captivated by her otherworldly beauty. All they could do was stare at her, dumbfounded. Even the swaths of people who had crowded around the door hoping to be the first ones to greet the couple were stunned and could only silently watch them pass.
They slowly walked toward the center of the silent room. Even though all they were doing was walking together, it was like a scene out of a painting. Everyone in the room was entranced by her elegant movements. The pair stopped slightly short of the center of the room and then began talking. Louis and Merellis would gaze at each other every so often and smile adoringly. They were the perfect picture of a couple in love—and everyone watching could only agree.
Finally, the music stopped, and everyone turned toward the entrance once more. A few moments later, the queen appeared in the doorway. Behind her was the first prince, Edgar Rue Tasmeria. He had his mother’s strong, deep blue eyes, and even while dressed in fine clothing, one could see how muscular he was. Every single noble girl in the room immediately turned on her charms when he made his gallant appearance. That was because the heir to the throne was not yet engaged.
Under normal circumstances, this would’ve been unheard of. However, just around the time when the selection process for the future queen would’ve begun, his father the king had passed away. Because of the customary mourning period, the selection was delayed.
“Everyone. I am so pleased to see that you are in good health. Much time has passed since our ceasefire agreement with Tweil, and the children of our kingdom are thriving in our peaceful time. Nothing makes me happier than to see their happiness. I can see that the start of a new era in Tasmeria is just around the corner. Tonight, we have guests in attendance from many generations. I hope that you all truly enjoy yourselves this evening.” After the queen’s address, the music resumed.
Merellis and Louis began to dance, and of course, everyone was watching them. When the song ended, they both shifted to new partners and began to dance once more. A slight buzz ran through the room at her new partner, because…
Merellis was dancing with Prince Edgar!
The crowd was astonished—Prince Edgar was even the one who insisted Merellis dance with him. Up until this point, there had been no talk of him fancying any girl in particular. It was said he was an innocent young man, more interested in developing friendships with boys than falling in love with girls.
However, Merellis was already betrothed to Louis. After the dance was over, the two exchanged a few words and then parted, with Merellis dancing with another partner.
After several more songs, Louis took Merellis to greet some nobles here and there. And finally, the two appeared before the count.
“It’s lovely to see you again, Count Dranbaldt.”
“Ah, Lord Louis! It really has been quite some time! I’m envious that you have such a beautiful fiancée on your arm tonight!”
“Thank you. Allow me to introduce you to her properly. This is my fiancée, Merellis Reiser Anderson.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Count Dranbaldt. I’m looking forward to getting to know you more.”
“Likewise! It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. You know, my son is also in attendance tonight! Unfortunately, he’s not with me right now…” The count looked all around but could not locate his son. He frowned with disappointment.
“Oh, you mean Lord Dan? He’s been such a help to me at the academy.”
“Ha ha! I’m quite sure it’s the other way around! By the way, will you be studying at the academy this year, Lady Merellis?”
“Yes, I will. Lord Dan’s fiancée, Lady Foulard, will be attending this year as well, correct? I can’t wait.”
Count Dranbaldt was impressed that she was so well versed.
“By the way, Count Dranbaldt. I heard that your wife the countess traveled to Rubel the other day?”
“Oh, you know about that? Yes, my wife is quite fond of the seafood and porcelain there.”
“Oh, it’s no wonder! The seafood there is absolutely delicious! And Rubel’s porcelain really is quite stunning. I can see why the countess is so drawn to it.”
“Is that so? Do you happen to know a lot about porcelain, Lady Merellis?”
“I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know as much as I should! But when I last visited Rubel, I was so impressed by how beautiful it was. I thought maybe I should begin collecting it!”
“Ah, I see. Well, in that case, would you like to come visit my home sometime? My wife has quite an extensive collection.”
“Oh, goodness! I would love to! As long as it’s not too much trouble…”
“Not at all! I’ll go ahead and send you an invitation.”
“Thank you so much!”
“Well, if you’ll excuse me.”
The young couple bowed their heads, and Count Dranbaldt stepped away to exchange pleasantries with another noble.