The banquet hall was huge. There were over six hundred guests and an orchestra but when Valerian and Thalia walked through the hall's doors the entire orchestra hit the wrong chords. Everyone from the herald announcing them to the waiters carrying drinks stopped and stared.
Many had hoped to catch a peek at the vampire but seeing him enter dressed the way he stopped immediately and looked on in shocked awe.
Valerian was overcome with disappointment. The clothes the people wore were...lacking. It was not as innovative as he hoped.
The noble fashion was definitely richer than what he saw when he arrived but not by much. Their outfits were gaudy but not eye catching, not enchanting and sincerely not interesting.
For the first time since he joined Idris society, he felt overdressed. Val held Thalia's hand and descended down the staircase.
The orchestra reluctantly had to turn away and continue playing music. The aristocrats were, of course, under no such obligation.
They, unashamedly, watched every step Valerian and the princess took. Biases aside, this vampire was too good looking and his presence was enthralling. He was like a high elf of royal descent that also had a dangerous edginess. Pretty to look at but life threatening to touch.
Princess Thalia instantly gave herself praise for her decision and foresight to walk in with Valerian when she saw the looks in the noble women's eyes when they were looking at Valerian.
They reached the bottom of the stairs and to Thalia's surprise, Valerian let go of her hand. He took a few steps back and bowed.
"Thank you for accompanying my entry, dear princess but I will await the arrival of Alexander. I am sure that as a royal of this kingdom, you have people to greet and matters of which to attend. I thank you for your time. It was a pleasure."
Valerian did not give her a chance to argue. He turned his back to the princess and walked away. Val moved into the crowd and those he approached, unconsciously parted to make way for him. Valerian stopped and waited fo Alexander to be announced.
Needless to say, Alexander's arrival did not garner as much attention as Valerian's. Alexander walked in before the prince and made his way to Valerian.
"You attract a lot of attention, my Lord." Alexander stated.
Valerian smiled, it was not malevolent or insidious but a genuine and warm smile.
"I really do not know what to make of this world, Alexander."
A voice chastised Val after he spoke.
[Enoch: You need to stop whining so much. You are starting to sound like a spoilt child. Get over it.]
Valerian ignored Enoch's statement.
The Prince Nikolai entered and moments after him, the crown prince was announced. His name was Finn. Surprisingly, however, the herald did not announce Finn as the crown prince but simply as a prince of the nation.
Finn looked at Valerian and then cast his eyes away, in frustration. The nobility did not miss the look that Finn gave Valerian but what surprised them was Valerian's nonchalance.
'Are high nobles of the empire so powerful that they can have open animosity toward a future king?'
"He hates you, my Lord." Alexander thought out loud.
Valerian shrugged and grabbed a goblet of wine and downed it in one go.
"I want to dance." Valerian said.
He looked around the room and his eyes fell on a girl who faded into the background. She was the daughter of a merchant.
She was extremely uncomfortable at these banquets. The children of merchants were ignored by the snobby aristocracy.
Rich or not, merchants were still commoners.
Valerian began his walk. His moved slowly, proud and arrogantly.
A group of noblewomen felt enthralled. It seemed that they expected Val to approach them.
The princess who was surrounded by ambitious sons of nobles also turned to watch what Valerian moved.
The orchestra finished playing and Valerian passed the group of noblewomen.
The girls turned their heads to see where he was going and he did not go far. He bowed to the daughter of a merchant.
"May I enjoy the honour of having the next dance?" Valerian asked.
The daughter of the merchant did not know what to make of the situation. She looked around the room searching for her father but her eyes saw the envious and annoyed looks of the other girls there before she finally saw her father who was too stunned to signal his daughter in some way.
The girl looked at Valerian and swallowed. She curtsied and agreed.
The music started up again.
Valerian took her hand and took her to the dance floor.
"Please allow me to lead this dance. I doubt you know it so I appeal to you to trust me." Val asked humbly.
The girl, whose mouth had betrayed her and refused to speak, could only nod.
Valerian smiled. He held her hand and waist then began to move in accordance to the music.
The merchant's daughter looked into Valerian's eyes and almost felt hypnotised by them.
They both danced as if no one was watching. The music picked up yet they did not miss a step. The dance was foreign but elegant.
The noblemen were not willing to be outdone. They sought out female partners but the most surprising thing is that the majority ignored the daughters of nobles and sought the daughters of merchants.
For merchants, forming a connection with nobility was ideal for the businesses. Therefore, they paid through the nose for lessons to make sure their daughters were as good or even better than the girls of noble society.
Many of the nobles had seen the merchant's daughter dancing with Valerian. She was so beautiful that they were almost enraged that they had not seen her first.
Valerian bringing her into the spotlight lit a fire under their arses.
Soon there were more people dancing and the mood became more and more upbeat.
The heads of noble houses began to approach the merchants whose daughters were dancing with their son and a whole lot more surrounded the merchant who was dancing with Valerian.
It was a complete one-eighty spin of how these banquets usually went.
The music reached its crescendo. Valerian and the girl danced with zeal and beauty. They were unfazed by those around them.
The girl's heart was thumping in her chest but for the first time in what felt like a long time, she felt noticed and was having fun at these events.
The orchestra was energised and played with enthusiasm and the music became just as enchanting as Valerian's movements.
The night went on like this for an hour. In this time, Valerian did not change his dance partner and the princess noticed.
The time finally came to stop. Valerian finally let go of his dance partner and she seemed to snap back to reality.
The merchant's daughter did not even feel tired after dancing for an hour. Valerian bowed and thanked her for being his dance partner.
When he turned and walked away, the girl was quickly surrounded by the daughters and sons of nobles who wanted to befriend her or court her.
Valerian walked to Alexander and smiled. Alexander slightly bowed his head and smiled.
"Announcing the arrival of their Majesties, King Angus and Queen Enid of Saras." the Herald stated.