I walked in with my chin up and a stoic look on my face. Sebastiene was following behind me with his set smile plastered as usual. The people inside looked at me with surprised expressions before they curtsied.
I looked straight ahead not even sparing a glance at the people around me. When I reached my seat beside father, he smiled and let everyone be at ease.
"Where are your sisters?" He whispered as he leaned sideways to me.
"Athy had a fit and doesn't want to come saying it's too boring for her. Uriel is keeping her company." I whispered back.
Father nodded and relayed what I said to mother.
I looked at the crowd that gathered today, there were more people present than the number of invitations sent. It was clear that some neighboring nobles took the opportunity to come without any invitations.
"Seb," I called Sebastiene, who glanced at me, without looking at him. "Do you know all the nobles present here today?"
Sebastiene leaned a little closer to me. "Besides Count Polit, the man on the left side wearing a blue coat talking to him is Viscount Rutchel and the one in black with a checkered ascot is Count Van Gandor. I heard that they were present when count Polit read the invitation this morning and they came with him. The ladies talking with Lady Fuego are her aunt and cousins, which she is not very fond of if I may add. Those ladies invited themselves when they heard that she will become a general."
I looked towards Marrione who was frowning at an older, conspiciously dressed woman and two younger heavily painted ladies.
I frowned.
'How could they know about the result of the test?'
"It appears that lady Fuego sent a message to her mother about the result of the exam and it seems that her mother passed on the news to her aunt." Sebastiene answered like he read my thoughts.
I nodded and looked to the other side of the hall. Klent, who was dressed in a Knight's formal uniform, was speaking with a fancy dressed man with blond hair.
A fancy guy talking to a fancy guy.
The irony.
"What about that guy on the right talking to Klent?" I asked him.
"That is Baron Louvey, he is sir Klent's benefactor and also came here to support him. His wife is the lady who is now talking to lady Fuego's aunt. Though, I doubt any of these uninvited guests are actually here to support them but to see the Castellans." Sebastiene said with a knowing smirk.
I snickered at Sebastiene's remark and looked back at the crowd. I noticed Haktor speaking with a lady in a white flowy dress. She was wearing a veil on her hear and was facing away from me so I couldn't see her face.
"Who is Haktor talking with?" I asked Sebastiene who followed my line of sight.
"Hmmm.. That should be saintess Jubie Do Fredow, Lady Tribmaka's saintess." Sebastiene answered when another lady dressed in a white, flowy, long sleeved, turtle neck dress came in.
I stared at the lady who looked at me with a smile before she curtsied. Her presence sent me a warm and comfortable feeling, the same feeling I felt when I was still inside my room.
"The lady that just came in is saintess Karen Jane-"
"The saintess of Parsua." I finished his sentence.
"Ehem. Yes, she is, my lady." Sebastiene's mouth twitched.
I couldn't help myself from following Parsua's saintess with my eyes. She had platinum white hair which was braided and decorated with flowers. Her white dress had a flowy skirt and a little trail. It looks like a wedding gown but not 'weddy' enough to be a wedding gown.
She approached saintess Sachi who was standing in a corner talking with some knights to be. Everyone that saw her curtsied and she always smiled back. When the men and women around saintess Sachi saw her approach, they bowed and started to walk away. I saw both saintesses smiled widely at each other before doing a high five.
My jaw dropped.
What the hell, or underworld, did I just see?
Sebastiene chuckled beside me.
I covered my eyes with my hand and let out a sigh.
"We should start." Father whispered as he stood up.
The music stopped and the chatter slowly subsided as the people turned their attention towards my father.
"Thank you all for coming all the way here on such short notice. I know most of you have heard the challenge that House Castellan had just went through." Father looked at everyone.
"In the face of problems, our house still stand strong. It is all thanks towards the gods and goddesses that had and still is with our house." Father emphasized the word 'still' to clear the rumors surrounding our house being abandoned by the gods and goddesses.
Whispers and murmurs filled the hall.
"House Castellan has been given the duty to protect this great kingdom of Elleveire, but we cannot do it alone. With our knights abandoning their oaths, we needed new ones to take on the role." Father smiled as the men and women that are to be knighted lined in the middle of the hall. "Now our house have chosen new protectors to help us with our duties. Today, you are here to witness the knighting ceremony of our new knights."
"Do you swear to be loyal to House Castellan, to protect the kingdom from any harm and to fight for the people above everything else?" Father asks.
"Yes, I do!" They chorused.
"To be a Knight of Noktis, do you accept my eldest daughter, Melody, as your grandmaster?"
Puzzled looks flashed on everyone's faces. Murmurs and looks of disbelief could be seen from the crowd.
"Yes, I do!" Came Haktor, Klent and Marrione's answers.
The other knights looked at each other before lowering their heads following the generals' in front of them, they chorused the same answer.
"Kneel all of you and take the oath of loyalty to House Castellan." Father commanded.
The knights to be all knelt down to take the oath together.
"Wait" I stopped them and stood up. "You have all accepted me, so I will give you a gift for your trust. Take a look at your grandmaster."
Everybody raised their heads to look at me. I raised my hand sideways and took a deep breath.
"Come, Parsua."
Parsua appeared behind me in her spirit form. Her hair flowing and her eyes closed. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest. She was emmiting a faint light around her and her immense power could be felt.
The hall was pin drop silent as they stared wide eyed at the goddess before them.
The saintesses were the first ones to recover as they fell on their knees.
"Goddess Parsua!"
Watching the saintesses kneel and address Parsua, they all fell on their knees and bowed their heads.
"All of you, be at ease." I told them and they all relaxed and gazed at Parsua.
"I am Melody Castellan, eldest daughter of House Castellan." I looked at the kneeling knights and smiled warmly. "I am also the Knights of Noktis's Grandmaster and the vessel of the goddess of life, Parsua."
Loud gasps could be heard from the crowd. Even the saintesses were surprised by the revelation.
"The goddess Parsua will be the witness to your oath." I announced which made all the knights ecstatic. "You may now take the Oath of Loyalty to House Castellan."
The knights all bowed their heads and uttered the oath together.
"I swear upon House Castellan,
I shall give my loyalty to you,
I shall face thy enemies,
I shall protect thy lands.
I am a Knight of Noktis,
My life is in your hands."
After they made the oath, father started to approach them one by one and tapped them with the flat side of the Khamgaalagch. When the last of the knights has been tapped, Sebastiene and Anderson each brought a chest filled with Moon brooches and presented them to Parsua. She placed each of her hand to the chest and personally blessed the brooches. After placing her blessings, she smiled and uttered a thank you to the knights. She then floated towards her saintess and hugged her shortly before floating back above me and disappeared.