CHAPTER 43: 40: ARIA VAELTHORN. [4]

By the time Edward and Selene were done with their dances, Aria could tangibly feel the disbelief and envy oozing out of the people around her, especially so with the young men that was almost glaring at Edward now.

Hell, even the king had taken notice of him, staring at him from his seat on the upper floor.

Which was a given, because, well... the situation explained himself.

The crown princess and the famed daughter of Verdigris, who wouldn’t envy him a little.

He was most likely really nervous.

Aria chuckled.

There’s nothing I can do about it.

Even if she wanted to tell the people off, even if she denied the part where she was involved, Edward was just too hard to ignore really.

Sure, he looked more like a girl than a man, and he wore a little makeup too. Which people usually looked down upon, even would have slandered if he was not the son of the famed Myrvale.

Yet, it was undeniable that he looked too beautiful, enough to overlook all that.

It was like brute forcing through social values through sheer prettiness. Like some kind of hero of beauty.

He was such an idiot, really.

She exhaled through her smile.

"Had fun?" Edward was back and sitting in his chair when Aria asked him the question.

He gave her a tired stare.

"Yes... I had fun."

Selene just gave them a knowing smile as she took her seat too.

And then time slowly passed as the party settled into a rhythm. Before they knew it, it was almost sunset, the golden rays cascading down into the ball room as the event slowed down. The time for the main event was steadily approaching.

The tension in the ball room steadily rose as the time grew closer and closer.

No one really knew what the reason for the sudden event was.

It had been decided on a whim, and had been hosted really fast. Even by royal standards, this ball had been put together rather quickly.

Aria had her own suspicions. But she held back from making stupid assumptions.

Instead, she just waited, because there was no need to pry into anything yet.

It was going to be revealed in a few minutes anyways.

The final dance ended with a flash as the professionally hired dancers twirled around the stage, their mesmerizing movements a delectable sight for the eye after a long day of socialising. There was a cool breeze wafting in from the open windows, and the light from the outside was slowly fading fading away, replaced by the warm flickering waves of candle lights and mana bulbs.

Everyone that was not dancing had already taken a seat on their assigned tables, and the constant hum of conversation had settled into a comfortable volume. The atmosphere hanging the ball room was relaxed, completely different from what it had been earlier, almost like it was relaxing after a long day of work.

Still, every single person was anticipating the moment when the king will finally speak.

They didn’t have to wait long.

The king rose, a goblet in his hands.

Silence enveloped the room as all attention turned towards him.

"It gladdens me to see joy within these walls again. Too long have we known silence. But all feasts must end, and even celebration bows to dawn."

He let a long moment of silence hang.

It was an old habit of his, pausing for such a long moment that people would assume that he was delivering the news of someone’s death.

Aria had somewhat inherited that habit too.

The atmosphere grew tense as the king scanned the crowd.

Then lowering his goblet, he let out a tired sigh. Looking more like the weary old man he was than the proud king of a country.

"I believe that all of you, my dear vassals came here harbouring good intentions, hoping for a comfortable day at the royal palace. As an individual, and as king, I am proud to be the ruler of such a peaceful and prosperous nation."

Aria’s brows furrowed when she realised where this was going.

"Before we part, I must speak truth—harsh though it is. The plague we hoped contained has reached the western villages. The vile demons of the barren lands stirs once more, and I am afraid that we may have to take up arms once again."

The tension reached its crescendo, and Aria felt a slight tremor run down her spine.

"The Order of the Eclipse is moving again."

Several gasps and hisses erupted from the crowd.

Normally, this would have been considered disrespectful towards the ruler. But no was paying attention to that.

Aria looked at her father. Really

looked at her.

He had always been a subdued man. Choosing to keep the trouble of his kingdom to himself.

That meant that for him to announce such a grave matter to the public, even if it was to the higher society.

They’re drawing close.

Maybe it was the sudden shock, Aria felt a sudden foreboding overwhelm her.

She instinctively looked around the chamber, making a fleeting eye contact with four individuals.

The first was the person that had arrived with the king and the queen. The most meritorious subject, Rowan Le Vane.

Then was an old woman with greying blond hair. Grand mage Seraphina Therenhold.

Then a middle aged man wearing a pitch black robe. Grand mage Eriel Stormvale.

Then an unassuming young woman who looked like any other noble lady. Grand mage Isaria Auvren.

Time crawled to a standstill.

Everything that happened next took place in an instant.

Sensing the disturbance in the mana, Aria let out a curse as she immediately summoned her wand from her storage ring. Casting a protective barrier around Edward, Selene and herself.

Rowan took off from where he was sitting, shooting like an arrow towards where Aria was.

Seraphina’s expression twisted into something resembling horror as she cursed quietly and waved her her hand.

Eriel simply disappeared from where he was standing.

Isaria, the last one to react, threw something that looked like a ball of yarn into the air.

She also glimpsed the door to the ballroom bust open, and a man wearing a knightly uniform bolt in.

The barrier had almost formed around them before the man crashed in.

An instance of silence.

Then the entire Heaven and Earth was swallowed by a brilliant white light.