"Well, that was unexpected," Selene said softly as she approached a table in a quieter corner where a lone figure sat with their head down.

"Hmm?"

Alaric lifted his head to meet her gaze. The flush that had colored his cheeks throughout the evening had faded, his crimson eyes were now sharp and clear, implementing his complete sober state.

"I didn't know you were the type to step in and play hero," she said, settling into the chair beside him. She rested her elbow on the table and propped her cheek against her palm, studying him with that familiar calculating smile.

Alaric exhaled deeply, rolling his shoulders to work out the tension before offering a casual shrug.

"I was drunk. Didn't know what I was doing."

"Oh? Dismissing it now, are we?" A soft laugh escaped her lips, and for once, her carefully maintained mask slipped.

warm, a rare sight that Alaric had never seen before.

"Though I suppose it doesn't matter."

She rose from her seat with fluid grace, smoothing her gown before extending her hand toward him.

"Come, dear nephew. The main event is about to begin."

Alaric stared at her outstretched hand for a long moment and then took it,

Rising with a quiet groan as he shook off the last lingering effects of the wine.

Then without hesitation, Selene linked her arm through his, her touch surprisingly gentle as she guided him toward the grand ballroom.

As they entered the ballroom, Alaric couldn't help but pause momentarily at the sheer opulence that greeted them.

Crystal chandeliers descended from the vaulted ceiling like frozen waterfalls, each one containing hundreds of enchanted flames that cast dancing shadows across walls.

The floor beneath their feet was polished marble. Massive pillars were wrapped in silver and gold filigree, while tapestries depicting the Rithvale family's victories hung between towering windows.

The space was vast enough to hold more than five hundred nobles comfortably.

Musicians occupied a raised platform to the left, their instruments already filling the room with a gentle prelude.

Servants in pristine white moved like ghosts between the gathered nobility, offering wine from crystal decanters that caught and refracted the light.

Alaric's crimson eyes flicked over the crowd. Beside him, Selene's posture was perfect, poised with that serene composure only she could wear, her hand brushing lightly against his arm as though guiding him forward with effortless grace.

They walked together toward the heart of the ballroom, where Duke Rithvale stood elevated upon a marble dais, commanding attention with the sheer weight of his presence, his imposing figure dressed in formal attire of deep sapphire and silver.

His gray beard was meticulously groomed, and eyes swept across his assembled guests with the confidence of a man who knew his power.

He raised one hand, and the murmuring crowd fell silent instantly.

"My lords and ladies," his voice resonated through the hall with practiced authority.

"Tonight marks a momentous occasion for House Rithvale. For eighteen years, my daughter has been the light of our household. Tonight, she crosses the threshold from girl to woman, taking her place among the nobility of our great realm."

He paused, allowing his words to settle over the audience before continuing.

The doors at the far end of the ballroom opened with deliberate ceremony.

First came a mature woman, in elegant deep purple silk, her blue hair crowned with a circlet of white gold. She moved with the quiet dignity of someone who had long ago mastered the art of being watched.

The Duchess of Eastmarch.

Evangeline Rithvale.

Then, a step behind, came Verelia herself.

The young woman was breathtaking in the way that only comes from perfect breeding and careful cultivation.

Her gown was a masterpiece of a pale silver that shimmered with her every movement.

The fabric seemed to capture and reflect the light like moonlight on water.

Her most striking feature was her hair, silver like polished platinum with natural streaks of blue that caught the light with every turn of her head, arranged in flowing waves that cascaded past her shoulders. A delicate tiara of white gold and sapphires crowned her head, the traditional coming-of-age gift of House Rithvale.

Her blue eyes, clear and bright like winter sky, swept the crowd with a mixture of confidence and carefully hidden nervousness.

Despite her youth, she carried herself with a poise that spoke of years of preparation for this moment.

As mother and daughter ascended the platform to join the Duke, the room erupted in polite applause. Verelia curtsied deeply to the assembly, the gesture both graceful and perfectly timed.

Duke Rithvale raised his goblet high.

"To Verelia Rithvale! May her path be bright, her choices wise, and her future blessed with prosperity!"

"To Lady Verelia!" the crowd echoed, raising their own glasses in unison.

The first part of the banquet flowed smoothly, nobles raising glasses and offering courteous words.

But soon the atmosphere shifted, servants carried forth a long velvet-draped table and placed it at the foot of the dais.

Duke Rithvale lifted a hand. "Let us begin the ceremony of gifts."

The air grew thick with anticipation as young nobles positioned themselves for their moment in the spotlight showcase both their wealth and their eligibility as potential suitors.

Lord Cassius Blackmere stepped forward first, whose family controlled significant mining interests in the northern territories, his movements deliberate and confident. In his hands rested a jewelry box carved from rare blackwood, its silver inlays catching the chandelier light.

"Lady Verelia," he said with a deep bow, "my family wishes to honor this momentous occasion with a token of our highest regard."

Verelia accepted the gift, though her ice-blue eyes never warming despite her perfect smile.

"How very thoughtful, Lord Cassius."

Another peacock displaying his feathers, Verelia thought, her fingers tracing the box's intricate carvings with detached interest.

Duke Rithvale observed the exchange from his elevated position, his hands clasped behind his back.

Blackmere's mining operations would complement our trade routes nicely, he mused.

Though the boy lacks the backbone.

Beside him, Duchess Evangeline maintained her practiced composure, though there was a subtle tightening around her eyes as she watched yet another suitor circle her daughter like a predator.

Another vulture circling my daughter. Though at least this one has manners, unlike...

Her thoughts darkened as the memories or the earlier argument with her husband flashed in her eyes.

Then came Lord Aldric Ravencrest, a distant cousin to the Duke whose lean frame moved with inherited confidence.

He bore an exotic gilded cage containing a songbird whose azure feathers seemed to shimmer with their own inner light.

A rare creature from the distant southern kingdoms that few had ever seen.

"A creature of beauty and grace," he declared, "much like the lady it's intended for."

The bird trilled softly, its voice hauntingly beautiful in the vast space.

A caged creature for a caged daughter, she thought. How fitting.

From across the room, Alaric watched the parade of suitors with amused detachment, though Selene noticed his crimson eyes tracking every interaction with sharp interest.

"Quite the performance," Selene murmured beside him.

"Indeed," Alaric replied, his gaze never leaving the central drama.

But his mind was still wandering around.

House Valtair... What had they done for the system to create a task for their annihilation.

His brows furrowed, not able to wrap his head around the idea of completely destroying an entire household.

Well, not like I care.

He shrugged and continued watching the scene in front of him.

Meanwhile, across the ballroom, Viviane had positioned herself like a spider at the center of a carefully woven web.

She stood among a cluster of influential ladies whose opinions could make or break reputations with a few well-placed words.

"Such an unfortunate incident earlier," she said to Lady Thornfield, her voice pitched at precisely the right volume to carry to nearby ears without seeming intentional.

"One wonders what kind of man resorts to such brutality at a celebration meant to honor a young lady's transition to society. Hardly the behavior of true nobility, wouldn't you agree?"

Lady Thornfield's expression soured as she followed Viviane's meaningful glance toward Alaric. "Most concerning indeed. Such behavior speaks to breeding, doesn't it?"

"Or lack thereof," Viviane added with poisonous sweetness.

As more gifts were presented, rare books, exotic perfumes, commissioned artwork, Verelia's responses remained perfectly polite yet distinctly cool.

Then her ice-blue gaze swept the assembled crowd with growing irritation until it paused unexpectedly on the dark-haired figure, noting how he seemed more interested in observing the theater than participating in it.

The ceremony continued.

Then Duke Rithvale stepped forward again and lifted crystal goblet high. A hush rippled across the hall, silencing whispers, drawing the crowd's attention.

"On this most delightful day we celebrate not only my beloved daughter's birthday, but also the strengthening of bonds between noble houses."

He paused deliberately, eyes sweeping over the gathered nobles, until they settled, unmistakably, on a certain pair among the crowd.

Then his lips curved into a satisfied smile as he declared, "It is with joy that I announce the engagement of my daughter, Verelia Rithvale… to Alaric Glimor, heir of the House Glimor."

————

{A/N:}

Hey, guys I'm sure you must be wondering why even after saying I would continue updating 2 chapters a day, I've done like 4 or 5 chapters in whole week.

Well, something personal had come up and I had to stop writing for few days, so I was just uploading my stacked chapters and only writing whenever I get the time to write.

I'm really sorry for all of that. And I'll try to wrap it all in just few days and will try come back to regular 2 chaps a day.

Thanks for the support, see you guys soon.