Eleanor followed her brother and Margrite as quickly as she could through the grand halls of the manor. As they passed, the servants all stopped what they were doing and nodded at them. When they reached the door of Lord Valen's chambers, Elliott stopped and knocked on the door, "It's I, father. I'm here with Margrite and Ellie."
"Enter."
Elliott pushed the door open and walked in, with Margrite and Eleanor following behind him. Lord Valen was standing in front of a floor length mirror, having his clothes adjusted by his attendants.
"Happy Birthday, Father!"
"Happy Birthday, Lord Valen."
Eleanor walked up to her father and kissed him on the cheek. He turned look at her with a large smile on his face.
"Ah, the light of my life! You look absolutely stunning today. That circlet really does suit you. Oh, will you allow me to escort you to the party, sweetheart?"
Eleanor nodded at his request, causing an even bigger smile to spread across his face. 'He loves to make big show of asking me, but it's not like either of us would go with anyone else. Still, it's sweet,' thought Eleanor as she smiled back at him.
"Wonderful, wonderful. Ah, Margrite, you look lovely as well."
"Thank you, my lord."
"We're all done, my lord." Said the attendants as they stepped back from him.
"Excellent. Now, Eleanor, come take my arm."
She took her father's arm.
"Is there anything else that you need, Father? The guests should be waiting for us."
"No, I have everything I need right here." He said as he glanced at his two children.
"Then let's go. Margrite?" Elliott proffered his arm to her. She took it without hesitation.
The four of them left the room and headed down more halls. They reached a large set of doors, where the steward and more servants were waiting for them. Everyone bowed their heads at them as they approached. The steward approached Lord Valen and said, "My lord, it is almost time."
"Is there anyone of importance who has not arrived yet?"
"No, my lord. Everyone is here and waiting in the ballroom."
"Wonderful. Then let's getting things moving. I do want to enjoy my birthday."
"Of course, my lord."
"Elliott, go ahead and get in front of me."
"Of course, Father."
As the steward was getting things ready, Lord Valen turned to Eleanor, and quietly said, "I hope you enjoy yourself tonight, I know how difficult these large parties can be for you. If you need to, stick with me or your brother and we will take care of you."
Eleanor nodded at him with a thankful smile. She really didn't like these large parties, she always felt like she was being judged for her inability to speak. Not that anyone would say anything to her, they were too afraid of what her father or Elliott might do if they heard even a whisper of a remark. As she was lost in her thoughts, she heard the fanfare of trumpets to announce their entrance.
"Announcing Sir Elliott Valen and Lady Margrite Valen!" came a voice from the other side of the doors. The doors opened and Elliott and Margrite entered the ballroom. Eleanor and her father stepped forward waiting for their turn to enter.
"Announcing Marquis Edward Valen, and his daughter, Lady Eleanor Valen!"
Lord Valen and Eleanor entered the ballroom to thunderous applause. They walked to the railing of the balcony and looked down at all the guests. A servant approached and handed them both a glass of champagne. Elliott stepped forward from the crowd, went up a couple of steps, and turned toward Lord Valen and Eleanor.
"Happy Birthday, Father!" exclaimed Elliott as he raised his glass of champagne.
Everyone joined in with a 'Happy Birthday, Marquis Valen!' and they all raised their glasses to him.
Lord Valen smiled at them all and said, "Thank you all so much for coming to celebrate my birthday! Please enjoy yourselves! Musicians, play us a lively tune!"
With that the music started up and the partygoers went to their reveling.
"Eleanor, dear, why don't you stay by my side for a bit. I think I'll need to lean on you, I can feel my knees are acting up a little."
Eleanor smiled and once again took his arm, and they headed down the stairs to mingle with the other partygoers. As they got to the floor, people came up to greet them, and to wish Lord Valen a 'Happy Birthday'. As people greeted her, Eleanor responded with a smile and a nod. It was well known throughout the kingdom that Marquis Valen adored his children, and that he considered his daughter to be the light of his life. It was also well known that Eleanor was mute, though few people were aware of the cause of her muteness. One thing was certain, to treat Eleanor like she was anything less than the doted-on daughter of the Marquis could ruin you and your family, because Elliott and Lord Valen would get their revenge for dishonoring their family name, and you wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it.
As Eleanor was standing next to her father, she noticed that more people than usual were staring at her, making her shift uncomfortably. She gripped her father's arm tighter.
"Pardon us, I think I need to sit down and rest for a bit."
Lord Valen led Eleanor to a seating area designated for them. After they sat down, Lord Valen whispered, "Is everything alright, Eleanor."
Eleanor looked at him, then quickly glanced around the room, then looked back at him with a slight tilt in her head. Lord Valen turned and took in what she was seeing. He turned back to her and whispered, "They're staring because of how beautiful you look. I'd stay you're the most beautiful woman in the room right now. Of course, I'm biased, but I do think I've hit the mark."
Eleanor blushed at her father's words.
"Eleanor, dear, there's nothing wrong with people seeing and admiring your beauty. You should enjoy this feeling, after all, you deserve all this admiration."
Eleanor looked down at her hands that were clasped in her lap. 'My father is too much sometimes. I know he says I'm beautiful, but beauty doesn't outweigh that whoever I marry will lose patience with me before long.'
Once again lost in her thoughts, Eleanor barely noticed her brother approach with a number of men in tow.
"Father! Ellie! There you are, I want to introduce you to my friends from the Academy."
Standing in front of her were five men, all of them appeared to be fairly close in age to her brother.
"This is Thomas Marks. He's a Colonel in the Royal Army. This is Colin Rasten. He's an advisor to the Crown Prince. This is Andrew Carst. He's a Knight of the King's Personal Guard. This is Lucas Kent. A scholar. And this is Michael Kent. Earl of Kent and an elite knight."
As Elliott introduced everyone to Lord Valen and Eleanor, Eleanor took them all in. She had heard stories about all of them from her brother over the past ten years, but this was her first time properly meeting them. They were all good-looking men, though the one who caught her eye was Lucas Kent. He was tall, with black hair, and beautiful dark blue eyes.
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you, this is my daughter, Eleanor."
Each of them looked at her with a smile on their faces as they greeted her. As they sat there talking with Elliott and her father, she kept noticing that her brother's friends kept sneaking glances at her. After a little while, she caught Lucas Kent staring at her, and he smiled at her. The next moment another man from the group stepped towards her, got down on one of his knees, and asked, "Lady Eleanor, would you do me the honor of taking this dance with me?"