āWould you stop fussing already Akane? Iāve been to these sorts of meetings before.ā Grumbling a little to himself as he was dragged down the street, Tetsuo was only faintly resisting his younger sisterās tugs. In his mind they still had plenty of time to attend, and there was something to be said for being fashionably late. Naturally however, his reputation as a bit of a slacker was well established amongst his family, so heād been assigned a chaperone to assure he didnāt do anything to harm the Alastar family name. Akane Alastar was his younger sister by four years, but she was a capable and charming young lady. She was also a nagging drag, but perhaps that was a side of her that only he got to see? Still, she was dressed somewhat nicely, even if she wasnāt going to be joining him for the evening. A bright yellow summer dress with white lace decals, a stunning accompaniment to her emerald eyes and twin blonde braids. Stopping just outside the gates to the royal estate, Akane turned back to her brother, gently pushing him back against the wall as she got to work fixing up the ribbon tie by his neck and straightening his jacket.
āThis is a royal ball Tetsuo. Thereās going to be nobility and other high class individuals. You have to make a good impression, commerce is built on trust and relationships. If you can make a few key contacts, weāll have a leg up in trade agreements.ā Dusting Tetsuo down, Akane heard her brother sigh, and made a point of tightening his cravat a bit roughly. āDonāt let us down. Besides, this is an opportunity for you to meet a nice young lady thatāll get your head out of those books.ā At those words, Tetsuo looked away and to the side, eye rolling.
āNot likelyā¦ā He mumbled to himself, but thankfully it wasnāt heard as he stood up straight. Stepping back to appraise her handiwork, Akane checked over the details. It was a fine business suit, a faint purple tinge rather than a pure black, with golden highlights and red trim dressings. With his white shirt untucked and black leather pants, it added a bit more style and showed a bit more personality than if it had been completely neat. Satisfied with how he brushed up, he certainly looked like heād blend in with the nobility. Like a prince or something. At that thought, Akane sighed to herself wistfully. āOh, how I wish I got to go! Imagine if I found myself a sweet prince who took me away to a life of luxury~ā Fantasising to herself, Akane had clasped her cheeks and shut her eyes. Shaking his head, Tetsuo moved up and ruffled the top of her head.
āAs if anyone would be interested in a runt like you.ā Laughing to himself, Tetsuo smirked at her slight struggles, but before she could do too much to protest, he clapped a hand onto her shoulder and kneeled down slightly.
āThanks though. I appreciate you looking out for me. Donāt worry, Iām taking this seriously. I donāt want to cause trouble for the business.ā Smiling to his sister, she did seem a bit pouty, but satisfied with his serious expression. She smiled, giving him a firm pat on the back and pushing him towards the gate. āWell, get going then! If you mess it up, youāre disowned from the family.ā Laughing to herself as Tetsuo stumbled forward, her older brother shook his head again, waving over his shoulder.
āYeah, sure. Iāll see if I can find someone to date you too.ā At those words, Tetsuoās sisterās face lit up. Smirking a bit, Tetsuo glanced back to her, giving a shrug.
āI mean, if I can sell you, Iāll prove myself to be quite the businessman. Has the added benefit of getting you outta my hair too.āBristling, Akane gave a simple wave, but it was clear she was pretty miffed at that final comment. Still, she let him continue on his way without another word, letting her eyes burn death into the back of his head as he made his way inside and out of sight.
Stepping into the main ballroom, it seemed Tetsuo was the last of the commoners. Striding with confidence and purpose, Tetsuo immediately scanned the room, taking note of the Mithii and enormous gentleman on the wall. He wondered what their purpose was in this sort of meeting, but it didnāt entirely concern him. Instead, his priority would be to establish connections with influential people to make his familyās trading easier, not fraternise with those closer to his social standing. After all, moving up in the world would only make life easier. Rather than make a beeline for a drink as he preferred to ātalk with his handsā, Tetsuo instead made his way over to a group of gentleman that were already drinking, introducing himself and shaking hands before attempting to take control of the situation. Hopefully these men had enjoyed enough drinks for some compliments to butter them up and make discussing business a bit easier. As he spoke, he took note to the layout of the royalty on the balcony above, separated from their guests, as well as each other. Tensions between the regions made travelling and sales difficult, so he could only hope that the fact they were at least meeting was a sign of good things to come.
āBreathe. You can do thisā¦ Stand straight, be polite. Lead with your name, thank them, allow them to lead conversation, but donāt be too passive." Whispering to herself under her breath, Haruna adjusted the wrinkles in her dress for the eight time. She wasnāt used to wearing anything of this quality, and it was a little embarrassing. Of course sheād worn dresses before, but this was something on a whole different level. The shorter girl was in a decorated teal dress, various shades highlighting and darkening areas to provide a pleasant contrast. Intricately woven patterns of embroidered symbols danced along the hem; and although the bottom of the skirt was quite wide and required her to lift it to move, the upper portion of her ballgown was far less bulky, openly baring her shoulders and showing off the intricate jewelry she wore around her neck. The long, shoulder length gloves were white and delicate, and made her slightly more uncomfortable, as part of her worried that she might forget she was wearing them and accidentally damage them with her nails. Her hair had been curled and primped, sparkling, shining and cradled together loosely in a weaved golden clip that held it neatly into place and prevented it from getting untidy despite still hanging loose and long against her back.
Awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Haruna remained on the outside of the dance floor and the main social groups, using the wall as protection to stop anyone sneaking up on her. She wanted so desperately to impress her parents and act as a princess would, but she was far more nervous about making a mistake or a fool of herself in front of all these nobles. Yes, sheād trained. She knew the basics. But this was the first real test, and one mistake would colour everyoneās impression of her from this moment forward. She couldnāt afford to mess this up. Glancing up to the balcony, she met her motherās gaze, and immediately felt the hairs on the back of her neck crawl from the piercing glare. The expectations had been set. Swallowing nervously, she made her way across from the wall towards one of the buffet tables to meet with the nobles there. She was alone in doing so. Even her personal attendants, whom her mother insisted go with her most everywhere, had been restricted to remaining on the upper floor. Taking another deep breath, she prepared herself to make introductions and small talk when suddenly, the attention and air of the room changed as everyone turned to the main entry.
Short as she was, she thought she might not be able to see what all the fuss was about. Despite that however, there was no way she could miss the gentleman that entered the hall, as he towered above the other occupants of the room. Was he one of the commonersā¦? Immediately, Harunaās face flushed and she turned away, thinking back on it. She was so nervous, she had almost completely forgotten WHY she was at this ball in the first place! It wasnāt just to socialise and test how she was coming along with her etiquette training. Sheā¦ Was to be wed. Everything in her life had changed so drastically over the past few months, but thisā¦ Could she really do this? Taking a few hasty steps away to the opposite side of the room, Haruna breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed the tall man make his way over to the east table, and although she was scared, her curiosity bested her as she observed him claim a drink, peering around the small group of individuals that she was hidden behind to stare and observe. He was like a giant! Was she really expected to marry someone like that? Squirming slightly, she ducked back behind the crowd to avoid his gaze when he planted himself on the east wall. As she did so, she realised that sheād now drawn the attention of the group she was using as a shield, and so she hastily made her own introduction.
āHaruna Lingquis. Itās a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I recognise you as one of my fatherās business contacts? Thank you for all your service to our nation of Althuum.ā Bowing slightly, just as sheād been taught, the people seemed genuinely jovial in her company, commenting on how lovely she looked and asking her opinions on Althuumās current political climate. Though the compliment made her feel quite pleased with herself, she froze at the question. Her opinion? What was her opinion? No, not her opinion. What was the opinion of the Princess of Althuum? Hesitating a slightly awkward amount of time, her mind began racing as she thought through how best to answer.
āWell that isā¦ A delicate matter, butā¦ā Harunaās stalling seemed to pay off, as once again, the attention of the room was brought to the front doors, looking towards the second commoner to enter. Observing the Mithii before her, Haruna tried to recall what her mother had said about him. Wasnāt he a diplomat? He also was very tall, and quite imposing. Keenly observing him as he also went to claim a drink, the princess of Althuum immediately felt her body tighten up in panic as he began to make his way over to her side of the room! Immediately, Haruna began circling the crowd again, slightly surprising the nobles sheād been speaking with once their attention returned as the princess had silently slipped away and seemed to have disappeared. Conveniently, it helped her somewhat politely escape the questions asked of her.
āThis is so stupidā¦ Youāre a princess, and youāre to be wed one of these men! You canāt keep running and hiding like this!ā Moving up to the north wall, farthest from the two men and the entrance door, Haruna silently thought to herself and tried to psych herself up to introduce herself to her potential suitors. Continuing to blend in to the crowd and watch them from the sidelines, she was a bit surprised to see none of the other princesses, and in fact, none of the nobles made an effort to speak with them. Were commoners really that despised..? Was she inadvertently acting as a princess would by avoiding them? With these thoughts running through her head, Haruna missed the entrance of the third commoner, as did most of the nobles given how well he mixed with the upper class. With another long exhale, Haruna noticed that the north door was open to the courtyard. It was a pleasant evening, a nice warm breeze, and a hundred dotted stars shined across the skyā¦ Perhaps she could get some air to calm down, then sheād return and make a full effort to introduce herself?
Heading over to the tall doors, Haruna slipped from the ballroom, slowly making her way to the edge and resting her arms against the railing. Looking out over the garden of the Valkyom Estate, she realised how beautiful this country was. It was a peaceful, stable nation. Althuum wasā¦ Well, it looked beautiful; the gardens were as meticulously well presented as any kingdom. Underneath it all however, it was unstable. It was a facade of control and perfection, but it wasnāt real. But maybeā¦ Maybe one day, they wouldnāt have to pretend. Maybe she would be real too. She wished that was the case. Leaning forward more to rest her head slightly in her arms, Haruna realised such a stature was unbefitting of a princess and glanced behind her. Seeing no one, she sighed, sitting up slightly and looking up to the stars. Wishes were what got her into this mess. She couldnāt rely on the gods to sort this out. Sheād have to fulfill her own wish with her own hands. Butā¦ What was it she truly wished for?