Coy and Athan went inside the castle and passed by the foyer, where they separated. Athan took the grand stairs to the second floor, where the ceremony hall and the teleportation room were located, while Coy went to his mother's side. Back in the days when the first vampire resided here, the ceremonial hall was the court hall.
The castle's interior was brownish-dark with a red carpet. Scones were rooted into the walls of the hallways, illuminating the place. The candles on these scones were from the Elves, and they were known for their longevity.
Sticking to the ceilings of the halls were canopies, from which pendalogue chandeliers of bright yellow hung.
The castle had a basement floor, a ground floor, and four other floors above it. The ground was where the kitchen and pantries were located. The first floor had guard rooms used by the guards of the castle and the teleportation room that was near the ceremonial hall. Lastly, the upper two floors had boudoirs, lots of guest rooms, a master bedroom, a library, a gallery, lavatories, a dining room, and a saloon.
As for the basement, its purpose was not known to anyone except the king since it hadn't been opened after their passing.
Inside the teleportation room, where there were multiple teleportation gates, guests flooded out of them in pairs or crowds. Dense but harmless mana vortexes accumulated at the center of the gates, keeping them working optimally.
The guests coming out of the gates vary from Elves to Humans, to Demi-humans and Dwarves. All of them were either from a prominent family or had succeeded in life due to their own luck, hard work, or talent.
A handsome man with golden hair and brown skin who wore an eastern-style dress got out of one of the gates. On his right wrist was a gilded bracelet-like object. Athan, who was welcoming the people, saw him and waved. When the handsome individual noticed that, he walked towards Athan.
"Few years ago I set foot in this historical place because of the young miss, and now I have been given the opportunity to once again come here because of the young master. Felicitations my friend, hahaha!" The man greeted Athan remarkably as he reached for a hug.
Athan reciprocated his hug. "Thank you, Kaz. Welcome once again. The ceremony would have felt incomplete without you, who have been here before."
This man was the owner of the Golden Sapling Company, which had its headquarters in the Biskar kingdom and branches spread throughout Mundus. If you ask a child from the slums or a mountaineer from the mountains about the Golden sapling, they will not be ignorant about it.
Kaz was from a middle-class background. He was born without a father, but he had a mother and an older sister who provided for the family. His mother was a clerk at a fishing company, while his sister was an inn manager. When he was in his 17s, he began to prove his worth and opened a small business called the Golden Sapling with the help of his family. Throughout the years, he faced adversity and many competitors, but with a stroke of luck, his company soared, and with his flexibility, he made it what it is today; a company that dealt with all types of products.
The reason he named his company so was because of his flamboyant golden hair. His father, who had blonde hair and was white, was a native of the Biskar kingdom. He married his mother, who was from the Ordell empire, whose citizens were known for their darker skin tones. As such, he inherited both traits from his parents, while his sister inherited her mother's dark hair and brown skin.
Their hug was a short one, as they parted quickly. Athan said in amusement as he cast his eyes on Kaz's wrist, "A peculiar gadget you have there."
"Hahah, your keen observation has only become sharper. This right here is a revolutionary gadget that is going to change the old-fashioned pocket watch. I called it a wristwatch. With the help of the dwarves, it was made possible, but what I have been puzzled about after its invention is how no one even thought of this before," recounted Kaz.
This wristwatch was a prototype that he specifically wore tonight to entice and make a deal with Athan. Athan could be said to be one of his VVIP customers who was the cause of where he is today. If not for him, he would have gone bankrupt long ago.
"Interesting, but let's save the business discussion for later. You should go ahead and make some connections with those from afar at the ceremonial hall."
Kaz nodded at him and said with a sigh, "Working me to death while we are at such a joyous occasion? You never change, my friend… Well, I will see you later."
Following one of the maids behind Athan, he left the room and headed to the hall. Athan stayed behind and went on with his greetings.
***
As Athan was welcoming the guest coming from the teleportation room, Melaina, Luna, and Coy were at the doorsteps of the castle doing the same as Athan. The ones coming straight to the door were mainly vampires who thought that teleporting inside the castle was an act of disrespect against their progenitor's legacy, and a few invitees that were residents of Carerlon, the capital city of the Mira kingdom of the vampires. Carerlon was northwest of the forest where the ceremony is being held.
A slender and elegant black carriage that was drawn by four white steeds and a coachman arrived. On the carriage was an insignia of a woman embracing her legs in a fetus style.
"Mother, the Maxwell family is here!" Luna said.
Getting out of the carriage were three people; a man and two women, one of whom was a child. The man had shoulder-length amber hair and brown eyes; he donned an immaculate double-breasted suit, and the same insignia as the carriage was on his left shoulder.
The other two were Tanisha and Lily. Tanisha had a short wolf fur coat and a green sleeveless, slit gown that matched her blonde hair. Her neck was bare, yet it only made her look lovely.
Lily wore a beige dress and a coat, like her mother. With her innocent green eyes, Lily looked like an angel that was gracing the night with illusory lights.
Walking over to the Blake family with hers, Tanisha smiled with glee and hugged Melaina. "What a joyous night tonight it is! I can't wait for it to truly start!"
"The feeling's mutual. How was your way here?" Melaina asked.
"Smooth as flying over the abyss," joked the man with amber eyes.
"Cut the dry jokes, Luke; flying over the abyss is anything but smooth. And where have you been these days, leaving my sister and sweet Lily at home alone?" Melaina said this with her hands on her waist. Although she addressed Tanisha as her sister, they were only friends, but their friendship had surpassed that point long ago, and calling each other sisters could be regarded as the norm for them.
"Ahem… I have been busy, aiding the king with a particular task."
Melaina raised an eyebrow and said with an unamused one, "Oh yeah, what task?"
Before her husband could be trapped under Melaina's swamp of questions, Tanisha laughed and saved him the embarrassment. "Ahaha, It's not that big of a deal, Melaina; cut him some slack this time. He is already tired from my nagging."
While the adults were talking, the children were also talking among themselves.
"You have a pretty dress this evening, Lily," Luna complimented.
With a beautiful smile, Lily replied, "Yours is much better. It looks like a starry night with all those white dots on them."
Coy was on the sidelines, forgotten.
{Hahahah, you might as well not be standing here.}
This… Coy's eyes twitched.
{At least I have a material body, rather than a certain voice,} expressed Coy.
{No one present is worthy enough to cast their sight upon my material body. They would simply perish if that were to happen.}
'What a time to live in, to be perished by just looking at a cube…' lampooned Coy.
"Congratulations Coy."
Luke said to Coy as he placed his hand on Coy's shoulder. "Thank you, uncle," responded Coy.
From his memory, Luke was barely present whenever Tanisha and Lily visited them; what little he knew of Luke was that he was an easygoing man.
"Congratulations dear."
"Congratulations Coy!"
Tanisha and Lily said, to which he replied, "Thank you, both of you.'
"Coy, can you show Hesper once again to me later?" Lily whispered at Coy as she came closer to him.
"Sure." Coy smiled.
Clap.
Pulled by Melaina's clap, everyone looked at her. "Now go on inside and relax from the tedious journey as you get along with the other guests."
"Alright, I will chance upon you later." Tanisha said, while Luke nodded. With Lily in the middle, they bowed before the house and went in. Their carriage was driven by the coachman to park nearby.
Just then, another carriage came. Brown and luxurious, driven by a coachman and two black steeds, the insignia on the door facing the castle was a coiling white snake with black jewels as eyes. It looked real and ready to pounce.
'Celia… ' thought Melaina.
The coachman got down from his seat and opened the door. Exiting out of it was a breathtaking lady with black eyes and silky, long white hair. She wore a long dress the same colour as her hair. It trailed behind her like a serpent.
"Good evening," she said, her voice ethereal and hypnotic as she drew closer to the hosts.
"Good evening, Celia." replied Melaina with a smile, but her eyes were saying otherwise.
"Congratulations to your son… Now, If you will excuse me." She left as abruptly as she arrived, bowing to the hallowed yet looming castle and then entering it.
The air turned tense and awkward before Coy broke it with a question. "Who was that woman, mother?"
Eyeing where the snake-like lady was standing seconds ago, she replied with a flat voice, "Baroness Celia Avitus, an old friend."