Chapter 154: Dancing with the Devil

Chapter 154: Dancing with the Devil

Reivyn walked arm in arm with Kefira, escorting her through the grounds behind the main palace building to the ballroom. The path had been lit with Mana lanterns, and there were decorations tastefully displayed along the way. Even though Reivyn knew that everything had been thrown up within the last couple of hours - there hadn't been a single decoration or lamp when he left the meeting with Garet - it looked like it had been planned for months ahead of time.

"If I didn't know better, I would think that your parents were prepared for this," Reivyn commented.

"Oh, they definitely were," Kefira snorted. "They roughly knew our schedule and the fact that we were headed here, and I'm sure my mother had several different plans set up before ever meeting you. Even if I hadn't dragged you home with me, there's a pretty good chance my mother would have thrown me a legitimate celebratory ball."

"That makes sense, and there's no lack of manpower to get everything in position promptly." Reivyn looked over and saw a maid topping up one of the Mana lanterns to keep it bright. "There's no way that maid is Tier 4. Do all of the palace staff have their Mana Skills and Affinities unlocked?"

"I wouldn't look down on the palace staff," Kefira said, glancing in the direction Reivyn indicated. "Most of the lower class maids are exceptionally talented people, just ones who've run into problems they can't solve on their own. They're not selling themselves into slavery, or anything, but a lot of them are orphans.

"We give them a home and a family of their own, and we take care of them. They're fiercely loyal. The upper-class staff, that's a bit of a different story. Some of them are even nobles from vassal states here to train their Skills.

"The most trusted subordinates, though, are families that have followed us for generations, and we even have marriage ties with them. Take Serilla for instance. She's technically a servant, but she's also my cousin."

"Speaking of Serilla, where is she?" Serilla had not been at the house when Reivyn arrived to pick Kefira up.

"She's got double duty tonight," Kefira answered. "The first part of the evening, she's with the guards, and then she'll be 'allowed' to attend the party as my attendant." Kefira gave Reivyn a pointed look. "She's an important ally this evening. Since you don't know everyone, and there hasn't been time for you to learn, she's going to martial some of the other ladies and intercept any of the exceptionally bad eggs before they can even get close to me."

"If they're so bad, then what chance do they have with you?" Reivyn asked.

Kefira glanced up at him and quirked an eyebrow.

"Don't be naive. The really bad ones are bad because they lean on their powerful families. It's not them that I'm worried about. Most of them are wastrels. It's the political pressure their parents or siblings can bring to bear."

"I see. Well, she's not going to be here during the first half of the evening, and I'm going to be with you as you greet everyone as they come in, so you'll need to give some sort of signal when we encounter one you think might try to approach you before Sera shows up."

"Will do. I'll ping your Traveller Affinity with my Space Affinity. It should go undetected, and if anyone does notice it, I can just say I was giving you orders."

The two turned on the wide path leading to the ballroom. The facade of the building wasn't as grand as the main palace building, but it was still quite grand. Reivyn could see a large dome topping the center of the structure. Imperial Guards were patrolling the grounds, and he could sense several hidden presences with his Divine Sense nearby. There was some sort of obstruction with his Sense Mana, but he was Skilled enough in it that he could catch some faint echoes of more guards further away.

The two entered the building, and Reivyn immediately scanned the surroundings. The floor was wide open, and there were only some small rooms along the edge of the building on either side. The rear was a large wall of glass looking out into an ornate fountain, and there was a clear exit that allowed people to go back there and stroll in the gardens.

There were two sets of stairs to the right, leading up to a balcony that hung over a quarter of the floor.

"That's where my parents are going to be entertaining the older guests," Kefira nodded to the balcony.

Staff was already present setting tables and making sure everything was perfect. There were no early guests, and none of Kefira's family members had arrived ahead of them, either. Reivyn was a firm believer in the saying: "If you're not fifteen minutes early, you're late." Sometimes that translated into arriving even earlier, as the meeting times already took arriving early into account.

"Looks like the time they gave us was the early time," Reivyn said, looking around.

"I don't mind," Kefira said, walking over to a table and taking a seat. Reivyn followed and took a seat next to her. "Just means we get to spend more time together. They can't blame us or try to come up with ways to separate us for getting here earlier than they told us to."

Reivyn and Kefira sat at the table and spoke about minor things. They didn't go over any of their plans. They had already done all of that, and there was no reason to let their voices be heard by ears that weren't supposed to hear them. Kefira trusted the staff, but they were loyal to her parents, not necessarily to her. Her own maids weren't present.

While they chatted, additional people in service of the ball showed up. The orchestra arrived and set up, the food arrived and was arranged neatly on tables under the balcony where it could easily be retrieved for the dinner, and some of the nobles that didn't have children attending the ball but wanted to wine and dine with the monarchs and other nobles filed in and went straight to the upstairs.

Reivyn noticed that Bellefrent, Silfa's brother, was among one such group, and he gave Reivyn a slight nod on his way up.

It wasn't a long wait until a few familiar faces showed up, though, and Trevor and Sophia strolled through the doors. Trevor was a lieutenant in the Imperial Army, working his way up through merit just like his older brother, but he wasn't dressed in a military uniform. Sophia's dress was still a shade of green that matched her eyes.

Reivyn had questioned Kefira about how her mother's eyes hadn't matched when she snuck in to get an early look at him, and it turned out that she could freely manipulate the color. She had to concentrate to do it, though, and her natural look was the full spectrum.

Sophia and Trevor walked over and greeted the pair.

"Don't have much time to talk, I'm afraid," Sophia pouted. "There's already some guests behind us. They'll be coming through the doors in just a moment."

"Thanks for the heads up," Kefira smiled sweetly at her elder sister. She got up and leaned forward to exchange kisses on the cheek. Reivyn stood up and shook Trevor's hand.

The two walked over to the door to await the arrival of the guests. Reivyn stood in a position where he could easily direct the parents up the stairs. A herald was standing at the entrance, ready to announce all of the guests who entered. If it was a function for Kefira's parents, that position would have been led by the major-domo. His duties were specifically for the monarchs when he acted personally.

Sophia sent a message over to the orchestra via one of the maids to begin some light background music, and it was just in time for the first guest to arrive.

The first guest to arrive was a young man, clearly younger than Reivyn or Kefira, and he practically bounded into the venue in excitement. His mother accompanied him, and Reivyn could sense exasperation oozing off of her. The Herald announced the two in a voice laced with a Skill. It wasn't a booming shout, but Reivyn was sure that every single person in the vast ballroom would be able to clearly hear it.

"Petre and Madam Ayalo from House Cordon."

"I'm so glad you could make it, Petre," Kefira greeted warmly, clasping hands with the young teenager. Petre had a face-splitting grin on his face.

"Yes, I'm so happy you're back safely," Petre said enthusiastically.

"Madam Ayalo, if you would, parents up the stairs," Reivyn gave a short bow, holding his left arm to his chest and his right hand flaring out in a deliberate display. "The little boys will stay downstairs."

Petre and Ayalo were visibly taken aback, and they quickly snapped their heads to stare at Reivyn. Kefira burst out laughing.

"Actually, Reivyn, Petre is a friend."

Reivyn inclined his head to Petre, a contrite expression on his face.

Kefira spotted him dancing with Petre's mother, and she laughed. He had warned her that he was likely to dance almost just as much as she was going to have to, but he hadn't explained exactly who he was going to be dancing with. He could see a slight look of relief on her face once she realized his plan.

Once the music was over, he escorted Madam Ayalo back up to her table. She sat back down, a little out of breath and flushed in the face.

"That was lovely," she said, smiling up at Reivyn.

"I'm glad I could offer you some entertainment instead of my liege lady," Reivyn replied.

He turned and held his hand out to the next lady sitting at the table, the one he had offered his tessen to. She didn't hesitate and immediately accepted his hand.

Once again, Reivyn made his way from table to table, dancing with the mothers of the invitees. He started with the most approachable, friendly ladies, and his act lowered the defenses of the more standoffish mothers. He kept an eye out on the dance floor, making sure that Kefira wasn't burdened with having to entertain one of the slimeballs.

It eventually happened, though. Reivyn wasn't sure of the particulars, but he guessed that the one in charge had coordinated with some of the others to get Serilla and the others covering Kefira distracted before making his move, and Reivyn looked down to see Remfort holding his hand out to Kefira.

This is where all of the groundwork I laid comes into play, Reivyn thought.

He walked straight to Madam Cylia, Remfort's mother, and held his hand out while bowing.

"Madam Cylia, it's such a fine evening for dancing, and all of the other young ladies are having a ball - if you'll excuse my pun. I see that you have a bit of anticipation in your lovely eyes. Would you do me the honor of joining me for the next dance?"

Reivyn could sense the conflict warring within the woman, and he felt his new Charm Skill tick up a point. Madam Cylia made her decision. She smiled as she laid her hand in Reivyn's, allowing herself to be helped up out of her seat. He escorted her down to the dance floor.

Huh, now that she doesn't have her nose to the sky, she's actually kind of pretty, Reivyn noted. Nothing compared to Kefira, of course, but still.

The music started, and Reivyn led the dance. He started off perfectly normally, but as the dance went on, he gradually shifted their location until they were dancing right next to Remfort and Kefira. He made sure that he was perfectly in sight of Remfort, but Madam Cylia didn't notice. She was enjoying herself and just watching Reivyn.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Remfort came to a stop in the middle of the dance floor. Reivyn glanced over at him but didn't stop dancing with his mother. His mother glanced at her son, too, and frowned. "That's my mother!"

"And?" Reivyn asked. "She's a lovely dance partner." He stepped back away from Madam Cylia and gave her a twirl.

"Get your hands off of her!" Remfort fumed.

Reivyn gave a confused look at Remfort.

"But your mother wants to dance. I don't understand. If I leave her, she'll have to go back without finishing her turn, and I could tell she's been waiting for a long time to get the chance to dance."

Reivyn pretended to think about the situation for a second, never stopping dancing. Kefira rolled her eyes at his antics, but he could see the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Oh! I have a solution," Reivyn said. "Let's just switch partners."

Remfort looked back and forth between his mother and Kefira. He struggled for a moment, but he finally let go of Kefira, and Reivyn smoothly came to a stop, allowing Remfort to take his place. He stepped up to Kefira, and the two of them began where they had left off.

"Thank goodness," Kefira said with a smile. "I don't know how much more of that I could take."

"Bad dancer?" Reivyn quirked an eyebrow.

"Bad person," Kefira rolled her eyes.

The two finished the song, and Remfort took the liberty to escort his mother back upstairs. Madam Cylia made eye contact with Reivyn and gave a slightly apologetic look to him, but he just smiled and nodded.

"I'm tired, so I'm going to announce a break in dancing," Kefira said. "You go and do your thing with the invitees down here. I think you've done enough with the parents for now."

Reivyn smiled as she walked off, and he turned and made his way to a table where he spotted Petre and Trevor. Kefira had the herald announce a short break in the dancing, and Reivyn began to mingle with the young scions, using Petre and Trevor as a guide.

It wasn't long before trouble found him, though, and as he was laughing and joking with several young men, a group led by Remfort approached. One of the siblings of one of the boys following Remfort had the invite list in his hand.

"Lieutenant - or is it Liaison, I'm confused. It's definitely not lord - I think it's about time for you to get back to your station," Remfort said. He pointed down at the ground. "The ballroom and the dance floor are for invitees, not staff. I'm going to have to ask you to return to the second floor, or I'll have to petition Lord Garet to have you removed."

Reivyn nodded his head, looking at the faces of the several individuals Remfort had dragged along.

"So you want to enforce the rules by the letter of the law, then?" Reivyn asked for clarification.

"Exactly. You're not on the list, so you're not a guest. Please leave."

"Ok," Reivyn nodded his head again. "Trevor." He held his hand out, and Trevor reached into his breast pocket, extracted a little pocketbook, and placed it in Reivyn's hand.

"This here is the palace staff handbook," Reivyn held it up for them to see. He flipped it open to a particular page. "Chapter 8: Official Events. Section Three: Guests. Subsection C: The Imperial Liaison is an extension of his or her liege's will. As such they are simultaneously a staff member and a participant. In the circumstance that the event is held in his or her liege's honor, he or she is a de facto host."

Reivyn snapped the book closed and looked back up at their faces. Their faces had turned from ones of glee in watching someone about to suffer to ones devoid of blood as their faces paled.

"Do you know what category of guest isn't included in the rules?" Reivyn inquired. Remfort frowned, sensing that things were about to go from bad to worse. Reivyn smiled, his canines on display. "Siblings. There is no mention of siblings anywhere at all in the official rules of the palace. It's just been something that's been overlooked.

"Now, since you want to enforce the rules by the letter of the law, should I ask all of the siblings of the invited guests - per your request - to leave?"

Remfort's face was a mask of fury, and his lips drew a line. He took a step forward, lifting his finger and opening his mouth, ready to speak, but one of his allies grabbed his arm and leaned forward to whisper something in his ear. Remfort's eyes darted from Reivyn's face to his medals and back up again. He snorted and turned on his heels, stomping off.

"And thus ends the lesson," Reivyn said, tossing the pocketbook back to Trevor.