The night of the celebration arrived and all the major figures in the nation of Callistea gathered at the Burciaga Palace, a larger than life palace, that was equivalent to more than ten noble houses in one. The exterior was a combination of cream white and brownish red concrete walls with an uncountable number of windows on all the different buildings that made up the palace. The walk to the front door was a long one as the path that led to it showcased all the different intricately designed bushes and fountains of angels, Statues of lions and divine figures, as well as beautiful flowers which were being tended to by an almost infinite number of servants.
The family of the night was already inside this palace at the grand ballroom, a room large enough to be its own house. The walls were a mixture of turquoise with subtle bits of white, with the gold engravings and patterns completely dominating them. The room was rather dark but was complemented by the many crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, which looked like it was designed by the gods, that emitted a shining golden light across the room.
Isabella, who wore a large black and gold silk dress with black silk gloves, was enjoying a conversation with the Duchess of Marivale and her good friend, Roselle, a woman with light brown hair and blue eyes who wore a beautiful dark green cross collar robe, while holding the baby of the hour in her arms. Matteo was also dressed for the occasion, with a tiny white silk robe embroidered with gold clouds. He was without a doubt the most visually striking member of this gathering, even among some of the most beautiful and high ranking members of Callistéan society. He was currently playing with his mother's chest.
"Wow Isabella, this is quite the soiree I must say" Roselle said. "Well thank you, Rosey," she replied with a chuckle. "However, it was the king who threw this soiree for us" Roselle had clear shock written on her face. "King Olivier is sponsoring this?" "Yes", Isabella replied, "Well, he and Thomas are rather close, so while it was quite the surprise that King Olivier would throw this ball for us, I guess it was also to be expected."
"Wow, the General certainly does have his connections." Roselle then paused and continued in a more cautious tone, "Speaking of, have you and the General spoken yet… about Matteo?" Isabella sighed then answered, "Yes, we have. Unfortunately it was not a very pleasant conversation. He said that he refuses to acknowledge Matteo as his son." A sympathetic look appeared on Roselle's face as she reached for her shoulder, "I am sorry to hear that Bella. I know of the hardships you have had to endure with regards to conceiving a child. However at the same time, unfortunately I must sympathise with General Dumont as well"
"How so?" Isabella asked.
"Well, if I was also General Thomas, I would also feel quite indignant at your decision, love. Do you really expect him to look at this child whom you claim to have found in your back garden, and look at him the same way a father would look at their own son?" Isabella replied sharply in frustration, "He is his son." "No he is not." Rosey answered calmly. "I know that you think of Matteo as this grand blessing straight from the gods themselves, but for General Thomas as well as anybody who longs for a child, It would be a far greater blessing for their child to be of their blood, and unfortunately… Matteo is not General Thomas' blood."
Isabella took in her friend's words and while she understood them, she still couldn't help but be upset, "I am done speaking of this. If you, my husband, or society decide to reject me and my baby, then so be it." Isabella said the last part with a tinge of fury as she drank from her wine glass. Roselle could only remain silent in fear of provoking her further.
***
A while later, still in the ballroom, a tall man with brown skin and dark hair made his way to the center of the ballroom. He wore a red and gold robe that was glittered with expensive jewelry, with a golden crown sitting atop his head. He was King Olivier Burciaga, the 11th ruler of the Burciaga dynasty and the 51st ruler of Callistéa.
The entire ballroom went silent as he raised his wine glass in the air, "Attention, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you have all been enjoying the festivities up until this point, however I would like us to finally turn our attention to the main reason for our gathering." he continued, "As I am sure you are all aware, tonight we are gathered to celebrate a major event that has occurred in one of our nation's most influential families. Our nation's very own Dumont family, headed by our military master, General Thomas Dumont, has decided to adopt a new member into their illustrious family" The room was flooded with applause, and Matteo showed signs of distress. "Now, I would like the Dumonts themselves to come and have a few words."
King Olivier left the center and allowed Thomas to enter, "Thank you, your highness. Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you all for coming tonight. As the king has just said, tonight we are celebrating our family's newest member, Matteo" The room erupted into applause once again. Isabella smiled through gritted teeth and Matteo showed even more distress than before, now moaning and flailing his body around. When the clapping stopped, he was soothed by his mother's rocking.
"I have achieved many great things in my life. I have won wars and conquered nations, but all of those pale in comparison to being a father." Thomas went and picked Matteo up from Isabella's arms, then continued his speech as he raised him into the air. "For the longest time, my wife and I had been told that having even one child together would be impossible .We tried and we tried, we failed and we failed. So, we decided to do something unconventional and save a child who was once thrown away by his wretched family, and give him a grand new home, a bright future, and two loving parents" The crowd erupted into applause for the third time. Isabella scoffed quietly, while Matteo looked like he had finally had enough. (Waaah!) He screamed and cried as loud as he could, once again flailing his body around, this time more violently. However this did not work as the applause was still going. After a few moments, the applause started to die down but Matteo was still crying just as hard. Thomas was confused as to what to do while Isabella rushed towards Thomas and took Matteo back into her arms.
"Shh, it's okay, my baby. Were we too loud for you?"
"Silence!" Matteo shouted at the top of his little lungs.
And it worked. The ballroom was completely silent now. Everyone's faces wore expressions of complete shock mixed with a pinch of fear. Matteo carried on crying but once the room became quieter, his cries got softer and softer.
"Well. I. never." King Olivier was the first to break the silence. "I thought he was only a month old?," Roselle said to her friend.
"H-he is" Isabella replied, just as shocked as everyone else. Thomas had no words either. He just stood there with his mouth agape. Roselle got even more afraid as she received the answer to her question. She could feel her heart rate increasing.
"B-but then… how?"