Alice and Braydon spent the days before the banquet doing quests and getting familiar with the city. Late into the morning on the day of the banquet, a carriage arrived and Alicia, Braydon, and Alice quickly entered.
Alice entered first, followed by Braydon, then Alicia. Upon entering, Alice noticed a man with brown hair, a woman with brown hair, and a woman with blonde hair. Alice sat in the middle of the bench on the left part of the inside of the carriage.
Braydon sat on Alice's right and Alicia on her left.
"Why are you here?" Liam asked as he looked at Alicia.
"Straight to the point as usual..." Julianna said.
"I was invited by my adorable Alice-chan~!" Alicia said with a happy tone.
"I take it you are Alice, then." Liam said as he held out his hand. She nodded and shook his hand.
"I take it you also know who I actually am." Alice stated flatly.
"Correct." Liam said.
"Wait... No, there's two of you!?" Julianna asked as she backed into the corner of her seat.
"What do you mean?" Alice and Liam asked simultaneously. Julianna sighed.
"Nothing..." She said as she gave up on fighting the inevitable.
"Anyway, what all do you know about this world?" Alice asked.
"Not much. Slavery is legal and slaves are thought of as nothing more than livestock by most, The merchant's guild owns most of the real estate in the city, if not country or world, and the currency is one hundred to one, starting with copper and ending with platinum." Liam said.
"I see. It is surprising that the real estate isn't controlled by the state though." Alice said.
"I agree. I am curious as to what may have caused it." Liam stated simply.
"Hey, is he a clone of Alice's brain or something?" Braydon whispered to Alicia. She chuckled slightly.
"No, but they do operate in a similar way." Alicia said.
"I see... I don't know if I can handle that..." Braydon whispered once more.
"I can hear you, you know?" Alice said blandly.
"Ah, sorry, I'll be quieter next time." Braydon said flatly. Julianna and Yue giggled a bit.
"You do that." Alice said as she rested her head on Braydon's shoulder. "I'm sleepy for now, night." She said. Braydon sighed.
"There are other people around, the least you could do is speak with them, plus, we will arrive shortly." Braydon said as he crossed his arms. Alice sighed.
"Fine, fine, I'll stay awake, but I will conserve energy by resting my eyes and leaning on you." Alice said.
"It's strange how much you two behave like siblings." Yue said.
"Well, it is the story we give others." Braydon said.
"Really? Why is that?" She asked. Alice sat up and opened her eyes.
"I realized I will be unable to properly rest, so I shall explain." Alice said blandly. "Before joining the guild, we would have been traveling together, so it was just simpler if we said we were siblings." Alice said flatly.
"Oh, I see! So in this world, are you guys really related?" Yue asked. Braydon looked at Alicia.
"Ah, no, I didn't give you two any blood relation." Alicia said as she waved her hands.
"That makes sense." Braydon said.
"I see. Well, you two really do seem like siblings though." Yue said.
"Well, we have known each other for seven years." Alice said.
"That's quite a while. No wonder you two are so close." Yue said with a warm smile.
"I've been meaning to ask, are you and Liam engaged?" Braydon asked as he looked at her ring.
"It's rather recent, but yes." Yue said. "If you ignore his seemingly cold outside, he is really a sweet person." Yue added.
"Kind of reminds me of her." Braydon said as he pointed to Alice. "She comes across as aloof a lot of the time, but she actually wants to help people. Though it can be a bit..." Braydon trailed off.
"Blunt?" Yue asked. Braydon nodded.
"Exactly." He said. "She thinks about how she would react to things and forgets that most people don't react the same way. She doesn't usually mean any harm when she says things, she's just a bit clumsy with people." Braydon said as he patted her head.
"I don't try to be. I just have a hard time reading them, is all. Things that are obvious to you, I have to actively search for." Alice said.
"It's the same for me though." Braydon said.
"Yeah, but that's when it comes to concepts of power, authority, and things of the sort. For me, it's a skill most people have, something unconscious and simple, but it's not that way for me." Alice said blandly as she looked down at her hands.
"You shouldn't worry. It will come with practice." Julianna said with a gentle smile.
"Well, yeah, obviously, but that doesn't mean it's not a downfall of mine." Alice said.
"Agreed, you should always search for ways to improve yourself." Alicia said.
"R-right..." Julianna said. 'Am I misreading this girl, or is she just weird? Wait, those aren't mutually exclusive...' Julianna thought.
After a bit more talking, they reached the estate and the carriage stopped. Once they exited, they were escorted into a large ballroom with several tables, each one stock with small plates and confection forks, as well as a large amount of food.
Once they were in the ballroom, a man in a grandiose outfit greeted them. "Welcome to my home, I am Earl Gray Herms, pleased to meet each of you." He said.
"Thank you for the invitation, I am Alice Bannerman." Alice said flatly as she did a perfect curtsy.
"You have much better manners than most adventurers, do you come from a gentle background?" He asked.
"I do not." Alice said. Following Alice's lead, Yue did a curtsy.
"I am Yue, soon to be Yue Torrson." She said happily.
"Pleasure to meet you." The earl said. Liam walked forward.
"I am Liam, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Liam said with a low but soft voice as he stuck out his hand. Earl Gray shook Liam's hand.
"Likewise." He said with a smile then moved to Braydon.
"Braydon Bannerman, a pleasure." He said with a kind tone and a light smile as he stuck out his hand. Once the earl had greeted everyone else, Alicia and Julianna both curtsied.
"I am Alicia, it is wonderful to meet you." She said with a smile.
"And I am Julianna, it is great to meet you." She said with a warm gaze and soft smile.
"It is wonderful to meet you two as well." He said. He stepped back and made sure each of them was in his view. "I hope this will lead to a blooming relationship for each of us." He said, then turned and walked to the stage.
A few minutes later the room began to fill and people began to converse. Another few minutes passed and the sound of metal hitting glass could be heard from the stage. Everyone turned in the direction of the stage and saw the earl tapping a spoon to his glass.
"Welcome ladies, lords, adventurers, and merchants to this one-time event. We will have various alcohols, foods, and types of entertainment throughout the night. I have arranged for each of you to have a room here, though you are welcome to stay at a nearby inn if you prefer." He started his speech.
"I take it I fall into the category of merchant." Liam said.
"It is likely." Julianna responded.
"The party is to be separated into three days of events, the first is a banquet, the second is a show of sorts. Any individual who believes that they are skilled may come on stage to entertain others. In the event that no one would like to, I have prepared the best orchestra in the city to entertain us while we speak. It is a social event, after all. And the last day is a tournament of wits for all those who are interested. The greatest players of Kantak in the nation will be attending, it will be the greatest test." He continued.
"What is Kantak?" Alice asked.
"A strategy game not dissimilar to chess or shogi in your world." Alicia said.
"I see." Alice said.
"My greatest hope for these few days is for everyone to garner connections and get to know each other, and once again, I thank you for coming." He finished his speech.
"Will you teach me to play later?" Alice asked. Alicia nodded.
"Sure." She said.