As the two little princesses' movements grew bigger and more obvious, a different sort of mood crept into the dance floor.
The couples dancing nearby watched them like mischievous children at play, exchanging knowing smiles before simply shuffling a little to the side.
Since this was, after all, Dark's thirteenth birthday party, a touch of childish playfulness only added to the charm.
By the time the song ended, Diana had already noticed the two little princesses' antics.
But since neither of them had actually stepped on her toes, she only covered her mouth and giggled, then happily ran over to Rose and clapped hands with her to hand off the dance.
Realizing the gap in skill between themselves and the older girls, the two little princesses slunk off the floor, deflated.
Dark then took the initiative and invited Rose to join him.
Rose's eyes were tinged with shyness, but she accepted the invitation anyway, and the two of them danced the second song together.
The melody drifted on, graceful as swirling skirts, and time flowed by like water.
…
The close bond between Dark Demon and these two classmates had now been put on display through those two dances.
The Demon family's relatives and friends, though they meant no harm, quietly filed this relationship map away in their minds.
Parental alliances built on the closeness between children were common enough in any social circle.
So the Flotly family and the Greatbear family found themselves gaining a certain favorable standing in these relatives' hearts.
The Demon family of this generation, after all, revolved entirely around Alvit, and everyone knew the Duchess could refuse her son nothing.
So the establishing of ties between the Demon family and the Flotly and Greatbear families had already become an unstoppable trend.
For the family scions who basked in Alvit's protection, all they had to do was go with the flow.
Alvit's presence alone could guarantee the family's peace for a century, at least.
So long as the world didn't undergo some great upheaval.
…
When the second dance ended, Dark's Magic Guide Spirits poured onto the floor and circled around him in a ring dance, and the mood surged even higher.
Diana pulled Rose in to join the circle, and laughter rang out nonstop.
The two little princesses, unwilling to be left out, squeezed into the ring too, delighted beyond words.
At the head table, Aurora felt the urge to join as well, but the thought of why she'd come made her lower her head again.
City Lord Montielfali, meanwhile, had struck up a conversation with the Eldest Princess about the Free City.
Eldest Princess Eliza wanted to bring the Free City under the kingdom's territory — a prospect that was a mixed blessing for a city built within Demon race territory.
The upside: the kingdom would send garrison troops to help defend against monster incursions.
The downside: the Free City's government would be infiltrated.
City Lord Montielfali was, in principle, opposed — the Free City was, after all, a homeland for mixed-bloods, fundamentally at odds with a purebred human political system, and there was no shortage of opposition within the city itself.
But if the threat from monsters kept intensifying, she might eventually have to make some compromises.
Built as it was within Demon race territory, the Free City was like a nail driven into a blank sheet of paper, fully exposed to those terrifying monsters' watchful eyes.
The threat was enormous.
…
Of course, City Lord Montielfali hadn't come to discuss official business, so the topic was touched on only briefly.
What Alvit cared more about was the relationship between Suna and Camilla. "So much time has passed already — isn't it about time the grudge between you two got settled? Should I act as a go-between?"
"No need," Suna Montielfali said, looking away and putting on a bit of a pout.
Alvit said, somewhat helplessly, "Is the grudge between you two really so deep? All these years, and neither of you has ever thought about mending it?"
Suna lifted her wine glass and took a swig, a bright trickle of red wine spilling from the corner of her mouth before she licked it back in.
Memory swam in her eyes.
…
Suna Montielfali, City Lord, would never forget that sunset.
Just as Camilla had never imagined Alex would choose Suna, Suna herself hadn't expected it either.
At the time, though she and Alex had already developed feelings for each other, she'd assumed those feelings could never outweigh the bond between brother and sister.
And yet Alex had chosen her anyway, and she could only take it as a sign of Alex's resolve to "rise up" on his own.
What followed only proved her right.
Alex clearly hadn't wanted to stay wrapped up in his sister's protection forever. He had strength, talent, and a determination to avenge himself against the Demon race.
But once he'd left Camilla's side, he'd pushed himself too hard, too fast.
The later "Sun Warrior" Suna wasn't skilled at protecting others — she was a fighter who never looked back, one who had inherited the bloodline of the "Sun-Chasing Giant," a lineage that gave her the right to charge at the very front of any battle line.
Alex, on the other hand, followed a path of speed and agility — deadly effective, but fragile the moment he found himself in a situation where he couldn't use his speed to his advantage.
Barely half a month after parting ways with Camilla, a moment of carelessness left him gravely wounded.
That wound left behind a hidden affliction.
Over the years, the accumulated toll of fighting the Demon race let that lingering affliction slowly take root and grow.
In the end, not long after the war ended, he died of illness.
His death, in truth, was nobody's fault.
And he never regretted his choice.
Fighting on the battlefield for humanity's sake, though his name never rang out quite as loud as the "Sun Warrior," Alex too was counted among those hailed as heroes.
He left this world with a smile on his face.
Suna's resentment toward Camilla stemmed, in part, from the fact that Camilla's overprotectiveness had left Alex without enough real combat experience, making him reckless once he was on his own — and that recklessness had gotten him gravely wounded.
But at the same time, she was consumed by guilt.
Her resentment toward Camilla was, in no small part, a reflection of her own guilt at having failed to protect Alex.
She could never quite let it go.
Alex had wanted to fight, so she'd let him fight, and it had ended like that.
But nothing in life could ever be perfect on all sides.
…
Suna said to Alvit, "Camilla probably still believes I got Alex killed. But that was the path Alex chose to walk. There's no need to patch things up between her and me — just let it be."
But then she turned to Aurora and added, "Still, she is your aunt, after all — the person closest to you besides me. I don't want the two of you to remain strangers forever."
Alvit nodded. "That is indeed a problem. Aurora, what do you think?"
Aurora lifted her head slightly, a spark flickering in her bright eyes. "I don't think Aunt Camilla is a bad person. If I make the first move, she'll accept me."
Alvit studied Aurora's expression closely, and something stirred in her heart — what a good, wonderful child!
So she nodded. "Once the party's over, I'll treat them both to tea."
…
The banquet at the Duke's estate turned out to be surprisingly pleasant, nothing like the tense affair the Flotly viscount and his wife had worried about.
The arrival of City Lord Montielfali and her daughter caused only a moment's stir of surprise.
The two of them chatted with Viscount and Viscountess Greatbear, the conversation gradually drifting from surface-level pleasantries to the children's schoolwork.
Viscountess Greatbear went on at length about Diana placing fifth in the year, which made Viscountess Flotly — who'd been quite satisfied with Rose's respectable thirteenth place — frown.
Then Viscount Greatbear brought up Diana's impressive showing at the Rookie Tournament, and Viscountess Flotly realized she didn't even know whether Rose had joined the Dueling Club.
But as the conversation went on, she gradually realized just how little attention she'd been paying to Rose.
With the birth of their son, she and her husband had poured nearly all their attention onto him, growing more and more neglectful of their niece.
Now that their son was a bit older, it was time they started properly looking after their niece.
"If Rose wants to compete with Diana, we can't offer her much support on the family-background front — she'll have to rely on herself. At the very least, her grades can't fall behind."
…
Rose likely never imagined that this birthday party would end up saddling her with academic pressure.
Still, for her, perhaps it would turn out to be a happy sort of burden.
…
Around nine-thirty, the party began winding down, and guests started trickling out.
Just as the Flotly and Greatbear couples were about to leave, a maid came over with a message.
"A private late-night tea gathering?"
The two couples exchanged glances, their pupils involuntarily contracting — tonight, it seemed, really was a banquet with hidden motives after all!
…
By ten o'clock, nearly everyone had left, and the maids swarmed in to clean the ballroom with brisk efficiency.
The Flotly and Greatbear families, meanwhile, were led upstairs to the second floor by a young maid.
The second floor was decorated everywhere in "[[Paradise]]" motifs, utterly unimaginable as something belonging to a Duke's estate.
This, however, clearly delighted Diana and Rose's young cousin, who could hardly restrain himself from diving in to play.
The Flotly and Greatbear couples exchanged rather bewildered looks, unable to fathom what this whole display was meant to accomplish.
If someone had dressed up a hallway to look terrifying just to scare guests, fine, that would make sense — but what on earth was the point of a fairy-tale corridor?
Still, they couldn't very well decline the Duke's invitation, so they gritted their teeth and pressed on.
The young maid didn't lead them to a reception hall or a study, but directly to a cozily furnished family-style sitting room.
At the room's center sat a low table, ringed by a circle of plush sofas.
Stepping inside, a faint cool breeze washed over them, chasing away the summer night's heat.
That was the work of a Magic Tool installed in the corner of the room.
When the two families entered the sitting room, they found Alvit and the others lounging on the sofas, chatting idly.
The lineup of people present gave them a bit of a start.
Besides Alvit and Claire, Eldest Princess Eliza had also been invited to this after-party tea gathering.
And Dark, along with the two little princesses, were there too, of course.
Only Dark's Magic Guide Spirits had been whisked off by the maids to the grand bathhouse.
The maids fussed over them like they would over small children, trying to scrub them clean and coax them into an early bedtime.
Dark found it amusing and didn't stop them.
Besides all of them, the Montielfali mother and daughter, who'd just arrived that evening, were there as well.
Assuming nothing unexpected came up, they'd likely be staying at the Duke's estate for quite a long time.
…
"Make yourselves at home — I won't bother with any formal hosting," Alvit said with a smile as she saw the two families arrive.
Two sofas by the tea table stood empty, clearly reserved for them.
The Flotly and Greatbear couples nodded slightly and took their seats on the two empty sofas.
Sensing they were still a bit tense, Alvit spoke frankly: "There's no hidden agenda tonight. Think of this as simply a parents' gathering for children who attend the same school."
The Flotly and Greatbear couples visibly relaxed, setting aside whatever other suspicions they'd been harboring.
Alvit continued, "In three months, our Dark, and your Diana and Rose, will all move up to second year. And Anna, Angie, and Aurora will be entering first year.
In fact, they've all already received their enrollment letters ahead of time. As their parents, I'd like for us to keep in closer touch going forward — perhaps arrange to go watch one of their dueling matches together sometime. I've always rather envied that kind of life, honestly."
The Eldest Princess smiled as well. "I really am looking forward to Anna and Angie's school life once they enroll. When the time comes, I'll have to ask Diana and Rose to look after them a bit — don't let them run wild."
Anna and Angie pouted, grabbing pieces of fruit and biting into them with loud crunching sounds.
Alvit picked up the thread again. "And also — Aurora."
Though her heart was fluttering with nerves, Aurora forced herself to stand, picked up a cup of tea she'd prepared beforehand, and walked toward Camilla.
City Lord Montielfali leaned back against the sofa, a shadow crossing her face.
In truth, she approved of Aurora taking the initiative, but with Camilla right there, she still couldn't help putting on a sour expression.
Aurora walked up to Camilla, set the cup of tea down on the table, and murmured softly, "Aunt."
…
That single word, "Aunt," was all it took to shatter whatever composure Camilla had left.
Her eyes welled up, and she pulled Aurora into a tight embrace.
Diana, sitting beside Camilla, blinked in confusion, not quite understanding how she'd suddenly acquired a cousin.
…
"So it's really true, then?"
Dark and Rose thought the exact same thing at the exact same moment.
The world really was too small.
…
Camilla and Aurora's reunion instantly warmed the atmosphere in the room.
Eldest Princess Eliza offered her congratulations on the surface, but inwardly, she let out a quiet sigh.
Aurora and Camilla's reunion meant the Free City now had the solid backing of the Greatbear family.
Combined with Alvit, who already had good relations with City Lord Montielfali, the Free City looked set to stand firm no matter what.
Perhaps she ought to change her plan of folding it into the kingdom's territory into something more like a friendly alliance instead.
Still, if the circle forming here right now could hold together, her own faction would only grow stronger, and she wouldn't have to worry about her brother keeping her in check overall.
When the time came, it would all come down to who could better serve and benefit the people — a matter of virtue and governance.
This was the kind of healthy competition most people would rather see, after all.
…
Of course, Aurora and Camilla's reunion didn't mean the relationship between City Lord Montielfali and Camilla had softened at all.
She sat like a lion set off in the corner, watching coldly as Aurora and Camilla grew closer and closer.
Then she picked up her own specialty lemon tea and took a sip. Sour!
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