Chapter 76: The Day of the Event

The day of the first prince's birthday came.

Aria and Lily were putting the finishing touches on Earl's outfit for the night.

"It's done!" Aria clapped and said enthusiastically.

"I'll bring the mirror over!" Lily said and ran over to tilt the mirror so that Earl could have a better look at himself.

Standing in front of the mirror, he wore a red velvet dinner jacket and a pair of black flannel trousers. The dinner jacket was bespoke in quality, like everything else in his wardrobe. The shoulders of the jacket were unstructured which went well with his body type.

The colour of the velvet was wonderful, being a deep wine red in colour which went well with his eye colour. For a dinner jacket, it was a classic colour. It's said that the velvet was sourced all the way from the eastern part of the Elven Kingdom. This could be felt in how soft the velvet was and at the same time, it emitted a natural woody fragrance. The fragrance was light and could easily be layered over.

Earl lightly adjusted his ribbon bowtie. Today, the bowtie was black in colour which he did not forget to colour match with his pants. There were many different shades of black in various fabrics and it was important to match them in an event outfit.

For his footwear, he was wearing black velvet slippers. He had the shoe craftsman craft it exactly to how he liked it. A leather sole and a red line of accent in the back finished off with luxe quilted linings. It was so comfortable to wear that no runes were needed to make it any better.

Earl nodded in satisfaction at his appearance and hugged the waists of his maids.

For the occasion, he had Aria and Lily wear simple, matching black dresses. Everything was cut classically with the exception of the back. The skirt ended right above their knee and the sleeves were sleeveless. The back of the dress was cut wide open to add an element of risque.

Their bare, smooth legs were exposed and open to be seen. If their skirt was lifted a little, one would see a leather leg garter worn on one thigh.

"Master... We'll be late if we do anything right now..." Aria reminded with blushing ears. Her hair was tied up today so her charming long ears could clearly be seen.

Earl laughed at Aria's reminder. "You naughty girl who said I was going to do anything? I just wanted to hug you guys. Right, Lily?"

Lily nodded cutely in response. Her red hair was tied into a double ponytail swung as her head moved. It looked very symmetric and fitting on her considering that she had demon horns protruding out of her head.

"It's because master-"

Before Aria could finish her sentence, Earl interrupted her with a kiss on the lips.

"Mhm! Mhm..."

The dark elf did not resist and readily opened her mouth for her master. When they parted, Earl did the same for Lily to which she responded very actively. The demon girl was so sensual she practically melted into his arms when they kissed. Her lips were sweet and her tongue was lively. It was very enjoyable to kiss her.

"Shall we go now?"

Ari was waiting in the living room when they exited. Seeing their freshly dressed appearance, her eyes lit up. "Everyone looks so good!"

She was wearing her usual black mage robe with gold trimmings. The standard attire for Court Mages. The reason for this was simple. While the first prince's birthday was meant to be celebratory, it was also very much a political move.

It was certain that his status as the crowned prince would be announced at this event and because of this, the presence of Court Mages was necessary to display power in any case of political deterrents.

Nevertheless, Ari looked as charming as ever even without dressing up.

""We thank Madam for the praise."" Lily and Aria replied in sync.

They entered the white carriage and made way to the Royal Palace. While on the way, it was almost as if the entire city was ablaze.

No citizens were sleeping tonight. Stalls lined the streets. The singing of bards filled the air alongside the smells of various foods. Banners were hung across buildings and houses were lit up.

If not for the certain fact that the sky was dark, Earl would mistake for the time to be day.

"It's said that when Prince Seth was born, currents of mana formed around the city!" Bards sang their exaggerated tales.

"It's just like when King Ablax the 66th ascended to the throne!" Another bard added.

"Cheers to another 100 years of prosperity for the Ablax Kingdom!" The people celebrated and drank.

Earl laughed dryly when he heard all the different stories the bards were singing. While the tales were silly, they certainly added to the joyous tone of the city indeed.

At last, they arrived at the gate of the Royal Palace. The trip felt longer than usual because Earl was so entranced by the shenanigans of the city. Compared to the usual desolation of the Royal Palace, there was a line of carriages waiting in front of the gate today.

It went without saying that these carriages were all the relevant nobles of the Ablax Kingdom who travelled far to see their future king.

Lines of soldiers and knights patrolled the surroundings of the Royal Palace. When it was their turn to enter, a guard knocked to identify their identities before letting them inside.

There was a special place to park the carriages because of the sheer number of guests today. Ari directed the carriage to the parking spot and together, they stepped out of the carriage. It was time to celebrate the first prince's birthday.