The new semester got off to a smooth start, and soon enough it was time for the ball. Hosted by the king, this little shindig was for all the academy’s best students. Colny also had her social debut (her debutante ball, as they called it), but that wasn’t until the end of the month. Evidently, praising academic excellence came first. Not that there weren’t students attending both. Like Colny. Ville and Loks, by the way, had done so themselves in the past. The Aspozat siblings were just built different.
Like last year, we got ready at the Aspozat residence before taking a carriage to the venue. Loks, Colny, and even Ville all finished getting ready before me.
“You’ve got two more years of this, Loks?” Ville asked.
“That’s right. Now that I’ve come this far, I’d like to participate all six years.”
That sounds like the sort of thing he’d do.
“Not that much comes of it,” Ville added.
He could say that because he had also participated in these academic balls all six of his years at the academy.
“Having two competent brothers only makes life harder for the young sister,” Colny whispered to me.
“I bet,” I whispered back. Though she was no slouch herself.
Since Ville and Loks weren’t my actual siblings, I didn’t have it as bad as she did. Or so I liked to believe. I still had Sheila threatening me if my grades dropped. If I had known this was going to happen, I would’ve made sure to slip in some mistakes in my first year.
The royal opera house was overflowing with ladies and gentlemen fabulously dressed. Okay, maybe that was normal for this place. I hadn’t been here since the last ball.
My dress that evening was a silver gray fabric with deep blue embroidery. While the colors looked a bit muted, the large flower embroidered into it gave it plenty of splendor. Colny’s dress was indigo with silver. She also had a floral pattern, making her a rather pleasant sight. Once again, we were matching, which is to say we had the same sort of flowers in our embroidery. We didn’t match up perfectly though, as the blossoms were arranged differently.
As for accessories, we used pearls obtained in Peylon. Gold for Colny, and black for me. Our hair ornaments, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings—all pearls, and no expenses spared for the quality. There couldn’t be too many other women with so many pearls. Even Sheila looked a little envious.
Maybe I’ll make her a set sometime soon. I wonder if she’d appreciate that?
As we did last year, we headed to the waiting room, where we found a familiar face—the competent younger Nogdeid, and the girl who had previously brought me to him. Seeing them together, it clicked in my head that they were both fourth-years.
Just as I noticed them, they noticed us in turn, and greeted us with smiles.
“Good evening,” the girl said. “It’s a fine evening, isn’t it?”
“Good evening,” I replied after a pause.
“You don’t have to be so wary,” the Nogdeid boy told me. “Though I guess I can’t blame you.”
Well of course not. Nobody likes being bothered, and his dimwit brother was an expert at being a bother. And after those young lords and ladies made so much extra work for me in general magic, I didn’t have a good impression of the noble faction. Except this one in front of me didn’t look like he would give me any trouble. Granted, he had been warned not to, for whatever that was worth.
Before I could resolve my internal argument, Loks stepped forward. “Hey there, Nogdeid. I see you got invited once again.”
“Evening, Aspozat. Oh, maybe I should call you Loksusad?”
“Guess so, since my brother and sister are here.”
That was a pretty normal exchange, wasn’t it? So what’s with this tension?
It wasn’t just me; other attendees had taken notice and began keeping eyes on us.
“That reminds me, your older brother has said some less than pleasant things to an acquaintance of mine. He isn’t here, is he?”
Oof.
Loks was basically saying “I take it your brother isn’t here because he’s a dimwit.” That remark was made all the more vicious by the presence of both Loks’s older brother and his younger sister. So how would the younger Nogdeid respond? Would he get angry? Express displeasure? Something else?
The competent younger brother smiled and laughed. “Yes, he would be out of place at an event like this.”
Just as he laughed, the girl next to him wore a knowing smile. Were we supposed to take that as a tacit agreement that his brother was an idiot? Everyone nearby appeared unsure how to react. However, some of them were giving Nogdeid dirty looks. I was willing to bet those kids were from the noble faction.
As I focused on our surroundings, the younger brother offered us some—what might be described as—encouragement. “For now, let’s not worry about factions and other trifles. Let’s celebrate our hard work and enjoy this ball His Majesty has so graciously arranged for us.”
“Yes, let’s,” I replied. I didn’t know what else I could say.
When the two fourth-years were called for, I watched them leave the now awkward waiting room. Without saying anything, they noticeably glanced at me as they departed, which brought everyone’s attention my way.
Honestly, what did you do that for?
Still, everyone in the waiting room was here because they were good students. The room emptied as, one after another, their names were called, reducing the potential discomfort. Put to it, that was kind of a relief.
Just as I was starting to space out a bit, my escort, Ville, called out to me. “Lera, we’re almost up.”
“Okaaay.”
Reality doesn’t go away, no matter how much you avoid it.
With our names soon called, we entered the hall, where I saw many faces that I recognized from last year. Even with the strict invitation criteria, there was a sizable crowd.
“Ville, would it be fair to say dancing to one song would be enough to fulfill any obligations I have?”
“You never change.”
I certainly don’t. Just be glad I haven’t made a break for it. But if I did that, Sheila would actually drop a thunderbolt on me.