Calla had a surprisingly wonderful trip despite everything. She didn't really like travelling but everything was better when in good company.
She had been very scared of the howling hill and kept herself hidden under a thick blanket the whole time they were inside but aside from that, she rather enjoyed herself on the way to Red-water.
The low woods were pretty fun to discover and it was also the first time for Eda and Azalea to see this place like her. Because of how their trip was paced however, they ended up camping in the low woods for two days in a row and it rained through all of the first night. The constant strong wind and bad weather made it almost impossible to sleep.
None of the ladies liked the rain at all but Calla had to admit that receiving the rain from the side instead of from above was a pretty special experience as well. A few knights even stepped in the way and spread out their capes to block the rain from assaulting the girls during the day. Calla thought it was pretty gallant of them and many of the girls shared the opinion and were pleased by the attention.
Eda and Azalea felt very special to be shielded from the rain by actual knights. Having been raised in the village with her, they never expected this sort of thing to happen like in a story. In the end, they all ended up drenched anyway because the rain was just too strong but Calla wasn't the only one that felt they had a pleasant experience.
On the way to Red-water she also met Cyril Lowfield. He had been a student from Emp's school and followed Aminui back to Highsteel to further his training as a knight. He was doing his best to keep up in ability and appearance with the others and was one of the men who tried to shield them from the rain.
All the knights were scary for Calla and she didn't want to get close to any of them but she had already met Cyril in the past and he was one of Emp's friends so she was more tolerant of his presence. He was born in a village too so, of all the knights here, he was the one who understood the best how strange it was for her, her friend and her sister to travel with a large group of knights. He was the most approachable of the knights.
She still didn't speak to him though, she let the others do the talking. She just had a better impression of him. From what she heard him say, he was extremely surprised to discover that his strange friend Emp was in fact the young lord Muracier. He said he was so shocked that he stayed frozen in place for the better part of an hour when he first heard.
That was rather funny but he wasn't the one who received the biggest shock. Cyril already knew that Emp was a noble but Eda knew next to nothing so when the girls started telling her about who Emp really was and where they were all going, her childhood friend fainted on the spot and almost fell off the wagon.
Like most of those living in the village, she had not realized that all the girls living in Calla's house were noble ladies with ranks ranging from daughters of knights to all the way up to the daughter of a count. Of course, she knew that something strange was afoot but to guess that Emp possessed a rank equal to that of a king... She would have never believed it if not for the fact that Aminui Muracier himself was saying that Emp was his grandson.
Eda's childhood friend had become a really highly ranked noble by linking herself to Emp and that was what Gilbert was trying to exploit to raise in ranks.
"So Gilbert is using the title of your husband to get himself a pompous sounding position and make himself look good to me? He's an idiot, I should definitely have stopped him before. What if he gets himself injured?" Eda complained with a pout.
Despite her words however, calla could tell that her heart was filled with love at the thought that he was doing all that to impress her. She didn't want him to put himself in danger but she couldn't help but feel pleased that he was going this far for her. Plus, since his brother in law was the man in charge of everything, his job should be pretty stable and that was what she had asked Gilbert to find.
"It's inconvenient if he's going to be this far away however."
Well, Calla suffered from the same problem so she understood what Eda complained about. Maybe they could ask Emp and his grandfather to move Gilbert somewhere closer? Would that be unfair for the other soldiers?
She felt that one of her friends spoke about something like that before.
They were mentioning how the higher ups in the army tended to give the better posts to those they favored instead of those who deserved it. They said that the Muraciers wouldn't do that because they frowned upon that kind of practice but was it the same thing? She just wanted her brother to be close by.
In contrast to herself and Eda, Azalea was having the time of her life. She had always wanted to leave the village and explore so she only expressed childish wonder and excitement over everything on the way despite being older than Calla. She was in an extremely good mood all the time and spent all her time speaking vividly with the knights escorting them or gasping at the special landscape.
Calla was fine with that, she had been told to watch over Aza and stop her from doing anything dangerous not to stop her from enjoying herself. The other girls mostly found her genuine happiness funny too so no one complained about her manners while they made their way to Red-water.
The city by the lake was only the first step of their long trip to Highsteel but Aza was really looking forward to seeing the big city she had heard so much about from the travelling merchants.
When Calla first saw it from a distance, the first word that came to her mind was ominous. The fog surrounded the whole city and encased it in dull grey and creepy emptiness. Aza on the other hand thought it was mysterious and impressive. The size of the city was a spectacular view for her and she praised it highly. Calla thought that it was nowhere near as pretty as Bêtéclair instead.
"Is it always this foggy?" She asked Galana who lived there for a long time.
"No, just sometimes. It's all the water from the lake that rise up into the air thanks to the sun but then stays there because of the cold air."
"Yeah, I really don't like the cities around the lake, it's always so cold." Maria complained.
Calla didn't think it was all that cold at all but it was true that it wasn't as warm as in Dark-glint.
Galana explained further but Calla didn't understand much of it. Apparently, the air was colder in the middle of the lake and the north wind going through the hills was slightly colder than the usual temperature of the empire. The cold and hot collided and that somehow explained the fog. Galana explained that it would eventually turn to rain, probably in the night and then the sky would be clear again.
Even if Calla was nervous about the fog masking everything from her eyes after a few steps of distance and dampening the sounds around her, the others weren't disturbed by it at all. She did her best to appear as unfazed as possible in front of the knights but because of her precedent performance in the howling hill, her brave act wasn't that believable. She was thankful that the knights were kind enough to pretend that she wasn't intimidated by the city and its walls.
The city walls here were massive like those surrounding Bêtéclair but these ones weren't as pretty and there were no towers sprouting all over the place behind it. She didn't want to stare at those looming and oppressive walls for too long but they got stuck at the gate for some time.
Aminui rode back along the column to reach her and her friends and explain what was going on. Apparently, the lord of Red-water, the count Staedler wanted to greet them personally and invite them to his castle so they were waiting for him to show up.
Calla had never been in a castle before so she was pretty nervous about it but Aza was very excited instead and couldn't wait to see the inside of a real one. While she was trying to imagine what it would look like, the ladies tried their best to reassure Calla.
"There is no need to worry Calla, that place isn't just a fortress, a count lives in it, it won't look scary at all." Sarissa told her while patting her back gently.
"I'm sure it will be very elegant and bright. The son of count Staedler also married recently so the castle must be brimming with life still." Lusine agreed.
"Wasn't that years ago?" Bailey asked skeptically.
Lusine nodded but still kept her confident air as she explained her reasoning.
"Yes it was but our lady didn't stop being happy about her own marriage after just a few years did she? As long as the responsibilities of the count won't be transferred to his son, the heir will keep enjoying himself frivolously."
Calla somewhat understood what she meant. The man and his wife lived there with nothing of importance to do while his father still held the title of count. If both of them loved each other then they would do their best to please the other and show their happiness openly.
In that case, the new wife must spend a lot of time brightening up the place while the husband did his best to find some entertainment for them. A normal person would just put on some more work while they could and grow some reserves but nobles weren't like that.
Calla was the same too. Since she had been married to Emp, she did her best to learn and make him happy but she also enjoyed spending a lot of time with him just taking things slowly. Everyday was fun because she spent her time with people she liked. Overtime, the house looked more and more like them as it was filled with their feelings and their hard work.
Thanks to Sarissa and Lusine, the castle was much less scary to imagine now. She pictured it as a giant house filled with the personality of the couple and the count living there.
Galana had already been there in the past but she didn't comment on anything. She kept quiet and made herself unusually small. She really didn't like this city. Calla decided to leave her alone for now, she had a lot of history with the place and Calla didn't want to force her to speak about it.
She waited for the count patiently along with everyone and listened quietly to all the conversation. For most of the ladies, this was an ordinary trip and they didn't feel anything special facing this large city. The only exception was Lea but it was expected from the girl who never wanted to leave her room in the first place. Except for her, they all talked casually and carefreely as they waited which reassured Calla and Eda who had never left the village either.
Finally, the man arrived riding his own horse. The black stallion was massive but the man riding it not so much. It gave the feeling that the man was very small even though she was certain that he was normal sized.
The count greeted Aminui very politely in an almost servile way but Aminui kept his stone face. At this point, he must have been very used to how respectful people acted around him.
He accepted the greeting with a few words and looked towards Calla. He had told her that she should present herself properly in front of the count which was the scariest part for her. The worst was knowing that she would have to do it again and again from now on. She was feeling weak in advance for all those future times.
All of her friends and family were right there with her to lend her their strength however. She didn't want to disappoint the old man either. Feeling the silent encouragements of everyone, she resolved herself to do her best.
She took a deep breath that sounded shallow like every time she was stressed and brought her magic cuff to her lips to speak.
"I'm Calla Muracier, the wife of Emp Muracier."
She stopped there but she understood right away that she missed an important piece. The moment she closed her mouth, she thought: "Oh no, I forgot to greet him, I just presented myself." Everyone was waiting for her to add something else and in her sudden panic, she remained silent. The moment she realized that she had made a mistake, everything she had been taught flew away from her head and left her defenseless.
She really didn't know how to fix this.
Her eyes quickly darted over her friends looking for any idea or help from them.
Her sister and Eda didn't know anything about nobles so they couldn't help, Harriett wasn't in a position to speak, Galana was powerless in Red-water and Lea was of no help for this sort of thing.
Lusine had many good advice usually but she didn't have any time for those right now since the silence had already been stretched for an awfully long time. Sarissa was next but she would play it of as a cute quirk of Calla which wasn't what she needed right now. Destiny and Victory would play it as an exaggerated drama which was the opposite of helping, she could already see that sparkle in their eyes as they were about to say something nonsensical. Then there was Kaisla... She was the one she needed right now.
Calla hurriedly pleaded for her help with her eyes. She didn't know what to do but Kaisla was an expert of the Muraciers so she should know how to fix this strange introduction without her appearing oddly out of character.
Thankfully Kaisla reacted quickly to her plea, all the girls here knew how Calla usually acted and what those eyes meant.
"She's waiting for you to greet her first." The knight improvised.
Calla rejoiced in her heart that she was able to find an excuse for her. She would not forget to thank her properly later.
"Of course! My apologies, I was just so surprised to meet the rumored young lady Muracier at last that I forgot my manners. I am the count Staedler, lord of Red-water and I am very pleased, thrilled even, to welcome you in my city and to meet your flowering beauty." The count answered in a hurry.
Calla didn't know about the flowering beauty or about his manners, she was just glad he went along with her own nonsence. Now she had a second chance thanks to Kaisla.
"Thank you. I am also pleased to make your acquaintance and flattered by your attention."
Did she say that right?
She wasn't even sure, she was just reciting what she learned before. Maybe she should say something more personal?
"I heard about you from my husband before and my sister has been very excited to visit your city."
She felt bothered by her sentence right away, wasn't it a weird way to phrase both of her thoughts? The two weren't even connected at all. What was she saying? She felt her head spinning in embarrassment.
The count didn't seem to notice that and answered on a very pleased tone instead. He looked filled with pride for some reason.
"But of course! The weather is a bit foggy today but by tomorrow, the whole city will turn lively again for you and your attendance to explore. The last time he came here, young lord Emp promised to feast with us and let us show him our hospitality but it would be our joy to receive you instead!"
Eh?
"There's a renowned theater troupe currently playing in the theater on the old glory fountain square. I'm sure your sister and you will love the play. I'm sure my son and his wife would love to show you the best place to admire the setting sun over the lake as well." The count continued his excited speech.
Calla wasn't sure what was going on exactly because she couldn't follow his thoughts speed but apparently, her schedule was being filled at a rapid pace. She worried that it would cause trouble to the others or that she'd be stuck into something troublesome but Azalea at her side seemed really happy about all this. The excitement she was exuding was feeding the momentum of the count, encouraging him to propose more and more activities for her and her group.
Aminui didn't do anything to stop this all either, from what she guessed, it was because Emp promised to assist to the feast and as a Muraceir, he was bound to those words. Calla had no other choice than to resign herself to spend some time in Red-water.
*-*-*-*
Calla, her friends, Aminui and the knights protecting them all were led through the city all the way to the castle at its approximate center. Calla felt intimidated by the looming buildings on either side of the road and the general gloominess induced by the fog but kept her calm by staying very close to her friends.
Meanwhile, Azalea marveled at everything, pointing here and there as they rode towards the castle and admiring the large constructions. Because they had spent all their lives in the village, her and Eda had never seen buildings so large before. Her old friend was very impressed by the large constructions too. She was wondering about how many people lived in those structures with two or even three floors.
Calla had seen taller buildings in Bêtéclair but it didn't do much to make her feel more at ease here. Even if it wasn't her first time seeing something like this, she still felt out of her element.
She remained silent the whole way to the castle. From outside, that construction was very intimidating too. It had quite a few towers, the doors had a giant portcullis attached to it and the windows were all high and narrow.
The inside of the castle had a few wide rooms but also many narrow corridors. The walls were decorated with draperies and portraits of previous lords and ladies. Despite the many touches of red, the place didn't feel warm to Calla because the many portraits didn't relay any familiarity. No one seemed attached to them and it reminded her of how Emp just decorated like how he was told to instead of how he felt to.
Maybe this place was like that just because it was set to receive visitors? They'd set the inner parts of the home to their liking but keep the entrance and the feast hall neutral to please more people. Calla herself wouldn't do things this way but she could see how others could like the idea.
She chose to think this was the reasoning behind the decoration as she was led around the stone construction by the count. It wasn't ugly at all, it just wasn't personal and that was what she was noticing the most.
Aminui, her friends, her sister and herself were all given guest rooms for their time in Red-water. All of those rooms were pretty, clean and furnished to appeal to noble visitors. Suffice to say, this place was the most expensive looking place she had ever rested in. At least on this, Eda shared her unease and was rather scared to be left in a room filled with items probably all more valuable than anything she owned and possibly more than everything she owned combined.
At least she had been presented as a servant despite being one of her oldest friends so she wasn't just thrown into a room for the nobles on her own. She shared one that was a bit less expensive looking with Harriett and Galana instead.
Aza shared Calla's room too, not because she wanted to or because there weren't enough room for everyone but because Calla asked for this. She wanted to keep an eye on her elder sister and she was worried to stay alone so having her sister with her was reassuring.
Thankfully, no one had any problem with her request and it didn't cause any trouble. The only problematic part of the tour turned out to be when the count finally recognized Galana. He had presided the trial that condemned her tormentor so of course he remembered her.
"I didn't recognize you immediately but aren't you the book merchant the young lord came to rescue last time? Did everything go well for you afterwards?"
Galana looked uncomfortable to be talked to by the count. She would clearly have preferred to be left alone. Her previous experience with the nobles of Red-water had been really bad and she wished nothing more than to never see any of them again.
She did her best to remain calm and answer properly however.
"I... Yes, I've been well. I have no regrets."
Galana said she had no regrets but she also had a lot of things she still wanted. Maria would start arguing with Galana until she boiled up and confessed all her grievances. She was the kind to speak a lot once she got started so Calla knew very well.
She still wanted to know about the ruins her parents died in, she was still angry about the nobles and the rich people in general, she hated to have a mark on her forehead, she wanted to improve her magic a lot more still and she was upset that Emp spent more time with the Porter sisters than her.
That last part really amused the girls Calla remembered. At least, Galana made some efforts to get along with them all. She didn't like nobles but she was slowly opening up to the idea that not all of them were as bad as she believed them to be.
"Good for you then." The count added before returning his attention to Calla and Aminui.
He apparently didn't really care about the answer to his own question. For him, Galana didn't matter because in the end, she never got married with Emp, she ended up being just an attendant.
Galana got angry and was about to shout something before Maria put a hand over her mouth to shut her up. She was a bit abrasive and very egoist too but at least she was earnest, she was a hard worker and was oddly caring to those she felt attached to.
Calla had a mixed opinion on her. She was a schemer and a loud person with a burning personality but she sometimes did a lot of good. Calla believed that Galana was the sort of person who would do the wrong thing for the right reasons which was sort of scary. With the slave seal on her forehead however she felt that the chances of her causing trouble were small. Plus, she was determined to make herself liked by Calla.
It was interesting to see her and Emp struggle to understand one another and try all sort of things to get to the other. Emp sent the sisters to Galana in order to understand her from her interactions with the two while Galana tried to make him jealous by spending a lot of time with the mage Martin. Of course, neither of their plans worked because neither of them understood what the other was trying to accomplish.
Hopefully they'd come to understand their own feelings at some point. In the meantime, Calla was ready to accept Galana's presence as long as she didn't shout at her because that was too scary.
In any case, after being led and presented to their temporary rooms, they were all brought to a dinning hall where they met with the rest of the Staedler family.
A feast was to be organized but it was already too late for the day they arrived so they planned it for the next day and prepared a more intimate reception for now.
Calla had to meet with the count's two wives, his eldest son and the wife of that son. It was a nightmare for her and it was only exacerbated by the fact she would have it way worse later at the feast when every nobles in the city would try to meet her.
She showed a stiff smile for the whole time she was sat at the table and listened halfheartedly. She wanted to listen properly to everyone's speech but every time someone turned her way and addressed her directly, she would freeze and the inside of her head would turn all white.
She kept eating what was on the table but didn't taste anything because she was too worried about doing something wrong and about all the important strangers sat close-by.
By the time she left the table hours later, she had no idea what was discussed at the dinner or what was served in it. She really hoped she didn't seem too rude with her lack of answers and how she clearly didn't listen to anything.
What if they hated her now? What if she made it even worse at the feast?
If she didn't show a proper countenance at the feast, it would reflect badly on Emp and she would hinder him instead of helping. She had to improve fast but she feared it was impossible.
She didn't think she would have to do anything scary before she reached Highsteel, she didn't feel prepared. The only thing Aminui told her was "Don't worry too much about it, they just want to see your face and maybe have you say a good word to Emp for them." It didn't really help her calm down at all! She had no other choice but to call over all her attendants and friends to ask for their advice.
She needed to wipe herself clean too, she was covered in sweat from the encounter with the count's family and she didn't even catch the name of anyone!
Oh, she felt horrible and she felt like she wasn't breathing enough air. She kept repeating to herself to calm down while she splashed water onto her face. Harriett was staring at her in worry from the side and it didn't help at all. She just wanted Harriett to leave as well now, she wanted to be left alone to breathe and gather her thoughts.
In her desire to be left alone and her anxious pacing, she didn't notice her sister Azalea leaving to explore on her own.