"Good Morning Milady!" Mellie singsonged as she cruelly opened the curtains and let the morning light in.
When I groaned in protest, Edna told me, "Milady, if you want to get to your artifact guild on time, you have to wake up earlier today."
Sophie sensed my despair and came to cuddle me awake. My little cat was so cute that it actually worked. I felt a bit more energized after looking into her big round eyes and feeling her soft white and grey fur as she nuzzled against me.
When I looked around the room I was surprised to see that Sedgwick wasn't there, he was usually right next to Sophie as he followed her wherever she went, reflecting the morning light with his crystalline scales.
"Mellie have you seen Sedgewick anywhere?" I asked.
"Yes Milady. Rudyard is feeding him a candle stand downstairs since he seemed quite hungry this morning." She replied.
It was a really weird sentence but even weirder was that it made perfect sense to me. Sedgwick only ate metals and rocks so Rudyard feeding him a candle stand actually made perfect sense.
The falling season was starting to get really cold, so Edna and Mellie helped me into a beautiful long-sleeved silken white gown with delicate floral embroidery. The dress was warm and elegant, plus the fabric felt great on my skin.
When I went downstairs I found a plate of pancakes and Augustus's ridiculously good 'sweetened milk' (Augustus take on condensed milk) with fresh fruit and a heart fruit smoothie. It was literally the perfect way to start a day.
Just as I was finishing off the last piece of fluffy golden pancakes, Bard came knocking on the dining room door.
"Milady, a guest has arrived. I have let them wait in the drawing room next to the library when you are done with your breakfast" Bard bowed from the door.
"Thank you Bard. I'll go right now." I swallowed the last piece of pancake and immediately sped off to the library, thinking that Alice had come to pay me a visit, maybe even Lucian, but I doubted that since I knew how busy he was right now with serious matters going on in the palace.
I gracefully burst through the large oak doors expecting to see my friends. The smile on my face dropped as I recognized the bright red eyes standing by the window. I stood there for a moment unsure if I should just leave the room since Red-eyes had been so rude to me the other night when Alice threw me a surprise party, or if I should stay here and confront Red-eyes.
He spoke up before I could make my decision.
"After the other night, I employed some experts to examine the water pipes in Azmeth..." His voice was not in the same irritated and accusatory tone I had heard last night. In fact right now he sounded kind of awkward and possibly even apologetic.
When I didn't respond to him he carried on.
"They did a thorough examination of every pipe in Azmeth. The results were not what I expected..." His bright red eyes were pouring into mine and I found myself unable to look away.
"They told me that all the pipes had been mended, that somebody had obviously filled the pipes with a brilliant quality of water magic and had fixed the entire system." He sounded as if he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his own mouth.
"You did that, didn't you?" The heat was completely gone from his eyes. I would say that he almost looked happy, except that he wasn't smiling and his red-eyes kind of made it impossible for him to look very happy or cheerful.
Red-eyes suddenly dropped his sword and kneeled on the ground.
"Lady Delton, please accept my sincerest apologies for my conduct...."
Before he could say anything else, I rushed forward to his side and helped him up from the floor. In Girannon, apologizing by kneeling on the floor was a sign of complete regret and disgrace on the kneeling party's part. It was the most sincere and severe an apology someone could give. Furthermore it was pretty unheard of for anyone of Red-eye's standing to lower themselves by getting in such a position. If news got out that a High Lord has kneeled to someone, the gossip would be widespread and viscous.
"High Lord Fenrys, please get up!" I pulled on his leather tunic trying to lift him from the carpet.
"Please, I accept your apology! There's no need for this!"
We kind of stayed there for a moment in a strange tug-of-war scenario. He kept trying to kneel and finish his apology while I kept pulling on his tunic trying to get him to stand up. After a few minutes of this I was breathless and couldn't continue anymore.
"Please stop." I croaked out as I collapsed back into a sofa, so tired from exerting myself in a tightly wound corset.
Lord Fenrys on the other hand looked completely fine, maybe just a little unsettled that I would not let him finish his apology. Reluctantly he stood up.
"Lady Delton. I just wanted to express to you my regret about the other night. I was just infuriated that somebody so well off would steal from such disadvantaged people... It seems that my anger got the better of my judgement." He sent a pitiful look towards my arm, the one he had gripped. That arm was covered by the dress I was wearing but I had seen that it had been slightly bruised from his hold when I was in the bath.
"It's really okay. We can just forget about it." I told him.
An awkward silence filled the room again.
"I wasn't born wealthy like the rest of the nobles. I was born in Azmeth actually, I grew up on those god forsaken streets and was part of the lowest class in Gismead."
His words shocked me, it was almost impossible to believe that a High Lord like himself wasn't actually born a noble.
"I more than anyone in the noble sect know what it's like to be hungry and poor and desperate. And it infuriates me everyday to see how the nobles view the poor in Gismead. They think of them as disgusting eyesores, they would rather look away and pretend to be ignorant of the situation, or even worse, there are some who exploit there desperation and use them to gain more wealth."
His words were harsh but true. The upper echelon of Gismead that I lived in behaved just like that.
"Never in my years as a High Lord have I seen nobles ever try to help the poorer class. Nobody, except you..."
He stared at me again, like I was some strange puzzle that he couldn't figure out.
"Some people told me that you were also a commoner once. Perhaps that is the reason you helped the people of Azmeth like you did."
For the first time ever, he smiled a small smile. For once his blood eyes didn't look threatening. They actually looked warm, sparkly even.
"On behalf of the people of Azmeth, I thank you. Your Ladyship has no idea how much you have helped them."
"Please just call me Riley." I smiled back at him. A few moments ago I pretty much hated the guy, but right now I completely understood him. I even identified with him. He and I weren't like the other nobles, we weren't born into prestige and wealth and we didn't have this noble mindset that the other seemed to have. Although I had been better off than him on earth and I couldn't really identify with being hungry or desperate, I could identify with his need to see a change and to help those people. That after all was my mission.
"I'll take my leave then, I don't want to take up anymore of your morning." He began to head towards the doors.
"Wait! Please wait for a minute!" I dashed out of the room and into the kitchen.
I knew that Augustus had been baking this morning so I wasn't surprised to see a table full of his most decadent cakes yet.
"Augustus, could I take one to give to our guest?" I asked.
"Certainly Milady. I suggest you give them the milk tart." He said, proudly pointing to one of the dishes.
"Thanks Augustus. I quickly picked up the dish and wrapped it in a silk cloth that we kept in the kitchen for such purposes. I swiftly left the kitchen and caught Red-eyes, just as he was leaving.
"Here take this." I said shoving the wrapped milk tart into his arms.
"A token for our new friendship..." I giggled as he looked down at me with a questioning stare.
"What is it?" He asked, probably getting a whiff of the Devine smell of milk tart.
"It's a type of cake, milk tart."
"Your cook bakes cakes?" He asked with a bemused expression.
"Actually I own a café in the Harbour side..." ughhhh! I am so dumb! My dreams of keeping my café a secret were quickly going down the toilet, especially if I was planning on blurting out that I was the owner of Sophie's café like this.
"Thank you." Red-eyes said and nodded his head to me. I curtseyed as a goodbye.
Bard then opened the front doors for him and he left. I waved goodbye as he mounted his horse and rode off on the forest path back to the noble center.
Ping!
I was surprised to suddenly hear the sound of my phone going off in my pocket. I took it out and read the notification:
Award granted by Gods for giving the people of Azmeth clean water.
Skill bestowed: Dark magic: Lost art of inscription.
Inscription... I wondered. The word sounded familiar, I felt like I had read about it in the tenebris intellexerent. I wasted no time in finding out. I googled what the skill was using my phone.
It read:
Lost art of inscription: is a skill that only highly advanced dark magic mages can use. Since there were very few who reached such a level of dark magic, the skill was lost a few thousand years ago before the four great kingdoms were even formed. The last remaining record of the skill is in the tenebris intellexerent.
The skill allows the user to encrypt magic directly into an object, which allows an object to hold the magic spelled on it forever. The user channels their magic through a writing tool and can write their magic onto an object. This I the only way for a spell to last for eternity, besides bonding magic to Crystalline.
The gods were awesome! Inscription would be perfect for creating artifacts. Now I could place spells on any kind of metal, not just crystalline that assures a permanent bond with magic. Agh this was perfect!
After running to the library to fetch the tenebris intellexerent, which I thought would come in handy while making artifacts, We all loaded into the carriage. Today Bard, Auberon and Edna would be accompanying me into town today. Bard really wanted to go and buy some flowers to plant in the greenhouse. Auberon was going to replace some of our metal ornaments that Sedgwick had eaten over the past weeks and Edna was going to buy some clothes and accessories for me.
When we got to the noble center we could see that the pavements and the ornaments had been fully repaired. Everything was back to normal as if there hadn't been a massacre a few days ago. However the center was not only more empty than it usually was. I guess people were nervous to go there since such a horrible event took place here.
When we got to my guild, the Kaltain family was waiting for us inside. They had already started to heat up the ovens and ready some metals for melting. I said my goodbyes to Auberon, Bard and Edna as they all left to run their errands. My day of creating artifacts began.
Third Person
Although Riley didn't notice the people pointing and staring at her, Edna noticed their obvious interest in her Lady.
It wasn't unusual for the poeple of the noble sect to get in a buzz when someone of a very high rank like Lady Riley came to visit, but their attentions seemed very loud and excited today. From the corner of her eye, Edna saw a group of women reading the Gismedean and then eyeing lady Riley and giggling excitedly. After Lady Riley entered her guild, Edna went to where the women had been sitting to retrieve the newspaper they had left behind. Edna's eyes widened at the front page.
It was a highly exaggerated drawing of a very voluptuous lady dressed in white, with long flowing raven-black hair capturing a hideous monster in great red barrier amidst a scene of dead and bloodied soldiers. Edna immediately recognized the scene as a portrayal of what happened a few days ago in the center when Lady Riley defeated Lord Fitz after he had become demonized.
The title read: Lady Riley Delton defeats terrifying monster and saves Gismead from an invasion!
Edna read further down the article but was puzzled to see that there was no mention of Lord Fitz. It only said that a demonized monster attacked the city and that Lady Riley single-handedly defeated it. Edna wondered if the newspaper was trying not to ruin Lord Fitz's reputation or if they didn't want the public to know that human demonization was possible.
Edna brushed the situation off, at least lady Riley was getting some good publicity. Today Agnes had tasked Edna with doing some shopping for Lady Riley, Edna wasn't worried that she would be able to find some items that her Lady would enjoy, afterall Edna had payed special attention to her Lady's tastes. Lady Riley seemed to prefer more subtle colours, however the lady wasn't afraid of some sparkle or jewels. Compared to the other ladies in Gismead, Lady Riley was more modest and didn't feel the need to show off her wealth, a quality that Edna found really admirable.
Edna made her way to the most popular street in the noble sect for wealthy young ladies. It was Sorscha street. Named after the most legendary designer and clothig industry in Girannon, Madam Lahestia Sorscha.
The long street was filled with boutique after boutique of extremely expensive gorgeous designer clothing, the only street that Agnes thought was suitable for a Lady of Lady Riley's standing to shop at.
Today Edna was tasked with picking out her Lady's clothes. She had to keep in mind that during the four great kingdom summit, Lady Riley would have to wear only her best clothes. Furthermore, at the beginning of next year was Gismead's annual fashion banquet where all the nobles in attendance would be made to wear the most cutting edge fashion that Gismead had to offer.
Edna entered the first boutique that specialised in shoes. Although in Gismead the general rule was that dresses worm by noble ladies had to touch the floor or be longer, that didn't mean that a lady's shoes didn't have to be magnificent.
Edna chose four pairs of highly decorated and extravangant shoes since she knew that lady Riley already had lots of plain sensible shoes.
First a gorgeous turquoise bejeweled believer pair:
Then a pair of golden half-heels with embroidered violet flowers.
Then a pair of green velvet traditional gold buckled shoes:
Then some yellow-green bejeweled believer shows with an adjustable strap.
"Thank you for coming!" The shopgirl called after Edna as she left with the four parcels of shoes. Edna nodded her head to the girl and took off to the next shop. The ladies in the shop stared with gaping mouths that Edna had just purchased the most expensive shoes in the shop.
The next boutique specialised in stunning little bags or hampers for ladies. Edna who was always so calm and composed had a hard time remaining so after looking at all the bejeweled handbags.
"Good morning Miss." greeted the shop girl with a curtsey.
"Good morning." Edna curtseyed back to her.
"Which Lady are you shopping for?" It was a common question for the shop girls to ask of women wearing maids uniforms. The women wearing the uniforms were always in these shops to buy for their mistresses after all.
"Second rank Lady Riley Delton." For a moment the shopgirl's eyes went wide, but then they snapped back to normal.
"This way please miss. We will show you our best designs." This was a service they only offered to the most noble of nobles.
After the girls had shown Edna the selection, Edna selected four bags. The shop girls gifted Edna a trolly to place all her things in as she left, as a thank you for buying so many expensive bags.
First was a gorgeous high quality silver bag, that shown beautifully in the light.
Next was a black material bag with multiple floral decorations.
Next was a more traditional bag, something Lady Riley could take to a ball.
Lastly there was a gorgeous and extremely expensive bejeweled bag, because all the jewels were real and high quality.
At the next few boutiques Edna bought a few winter cloaks, some stockings, some scarfs, some gloves and some hats. She only had two more boutiques to go to, both were dress shops where she could purchase some gowns for lady Riley. She decided that she would first go to the smaller boutique where she could buy more plain and comfortable dresses, the type that would be suitable for a holiday in Hadrian that Lady Riley wanted to go to.
When Edna entered the shop she noticed that it was full of young girls, most of them were probably wealthy merchants' daughters or very low ranked nobles. Edna wasted no time in listening to the gossip the girls were giggling about and went straight to the shop girl and told her she was shopping for a second ranked noble. The shopgirls immediately attended to her. By the end of her visit Edna had picked some light, more casual dresses for Riley to wear on her holiday.
Although they weren't the warmest dresses, Edna knew that lady Riley could just wear a coat over them.
Edna then moved onto the last store, she took in a deep breath as she walked into the shop. The boutique was so luxurius that she felt out of place. As per usual the shop girl approached and asked who she was shopping for, once Enda told her the girl showed her to a private collection.
Edna was content with the quality of dresses. All of them were extravagent and all of them were gorgeous, most of all they were extremely expensive. They were like the clothes that she had seen Lady Von Esterheim purchase when she had worked as a maid in the Von Esterheim mansion.
Edna payed for the dresses and waited patiently for the shop girls to package them and secure them to her trolley before heading out of the shop and making her way back to Riley's guild.
"Excuse me!" Edna heard a man shout out, but assumed the call was directed at someone else so she didn't turn around.
"Excuse me!" Came the voice again but closer this time, louder and more persistent. Edna turned to see an out-of-breath young man stop just behind her.
He stood there for a moment unable to speak because he was so out of breath, he was hunched over and panting like a dog.
"May I help you sir?" Edna asked. She assumed that he wasn't a noble because of the way he was so readily showing how tired he was. A young noble man would have faked it and pretended to be in top condition. Who is this strange man? She wondered.
"I am sorry to disturb you miss, but I heard you say at a few shops down the street that you were the maid of Lady Riley Delton... A-And seeing how many things you bought, it must be true!" He smiled.
Edna wondered why he was smiling. The man before her was boyishly handsome with clear skin and bright eyes.
"Yes, I do work for Lady Delton."
"Ahh great!" His smiled got wider. "Could you please give this letter to her." Edna took the envelope the man gave her and curtseyed her goodbye before setting back towards the guild.
"Thank you very much Miss!" He called out.
Edna cringed a little. The man was very loud and was attracting unwanted attention from the people walking along the street.
Edna turned over the envelope as she walked to take a look at the name written on the front.
It read: Percival Peregrine
Edna wondered if Lady Riley was acquainted with him. Nevertheless she set the letter in her bundle and walked to the carriage. Once got there she found Bard and Auberon had finished their errands and were lounging by the carriage.
They helped Edna load all the goods into the back of the carriage, where she got a look at the new candle stands and the sacks of seeds Bard had bought.
"Shall we go inside and take a look at what our Lady has been doing?" Auberon Suggested as he eyed the shop front keenly.
"I think we shall!" Apparently Bard was interested too.
The three stepped inside the shop to hear a little bell ring as they did. They looked into the shop and were utterly shocked to see what they were seeing.
"Heavens Above!" Bard's mouth went dry.
"Milady it's amazing...." Auberon was practically drooling at the sight.
"I've never seen a weapon like that..." Edna said, very unsure as to what she was looking at.
"Isn't it so cool!?!" Riley gushed a she swung the weapon through the air.
"ToOtallY!" Shouted Tierney Kaltain as he jumped up to give Riley a high five.