In her human form, Fyrwal had the appearance of a lovely woman in her early thirties who could barely pass as Faluel’s older sister. She was about 1.78 meters (5’10”) tall, with ocean blue eyes and light brown hair.
For her return to the Royal Court after over 700 years, Fyrwal was wearing the very same dress that Valeron had gifted her for his wedding and with which she had later attended his funeral and the birth of his children.
It was an emerald gala dress with a square neckline and embroidered with small white crystals the size of a pea that formed a hydra pattern. The upper part of the dress was skin-tight, emphasizing her shapely figure leaving exposed her arms and shoulders.
The hoop skirt covered her from waist to toe and made it impossible to get close to her.
The two women walked up to the Royals and gave them a deep bow before moving to the sides, where the seats reserved for the members of the founding pillars of the Kingdom were.
The Royals Guards didn’t move and the King and the Queen even stood up from their thrones to return the bow, leaving the room in a shocked silence. Only the voice of the valet announcing the next guest managed to break the stupor of the nobles.
“The Empress of the Gorgon Empire, Milea Genys, and her apprentice, Kelia Sunbry.”
Except for the Royals, everyone’s eyes went wide in surprise.
“What is she doing here?” Many asked, receiving only confused shrugs in surprise.
“Maybe it’s true that after Verhen’s cowardly escape to the Blood Desert she offered him to move to the Empire.
“Has the Empress come to make fun of the Kingdom for bestowing upon an oath breaker the title of Magus or for one last attempt at recruiting him?” A Duke asked, making half of his peers turn purple in shame and the other half gasp in curiosity.
“Let’s hope that she has come to offer us an alliance. After all, Belius is already lost and if the Kingdom falls into Thrud’s hands, the Empire would be her next target.” A Marchioness said, wishing that something good might still come out from their latest disgrace.
“What are we doing here?” Kelia, the host of the Red Sun, half-walked and half stumbled on the gold embroidered red carpet that led to the dais where the Royal couple sat.
She had dreamed countless times of attending a gala and having all eyes on her.
Yet none of her dreams had prepared Kelia for how scared she would feel nor did they involve her wearing the plain crimson uniform of the Red Emperor academy instead of a dress.
‘Thank the Red Mother you are wearing pants and not a gown.’ Dusk said via their mind link. ‘You can barely walk as it is and your face is already red enough to match your clothes. If you trip in front of this many people, I bet you’ll catch fire from embarrassment.’
“I’ve brought you here to impart you several lessons.” The Empress said while striding forward. “Right now, the Kingdom incarnates both our past mistakes and our future.
“It’s what the Empire would have become if we didn’t reject something as stupid as the nobility system and is facing a fearsome enemy that we might have to deal with in case they fail.”
Milea wore a gorgeous white dress that covered her from the neck down. It was decorated with lace and puffs arranged so that the folds of her dress resembled soft metal plates.
Along with the white crystals on her shoulders, hips, and joints, it looked exactly like the White Armor that only the ruler of the Empire could wear.
“Just like the Kingdom is a distorted image of the Empire, Verhen is yours.
“Learn from both his successes and mistakes. Remember that your goal is not to become like him, but to surpass him.” Milea slowed her pace by half step to give her apprentice the time for a single question before they reached the Royals.
“Which one is this exactly?” Kelia panted, having a hard time keeping up with the Empress’ long legs. “Becoming a Magus is quite the feat, but risking his life to protect a bunch of morons who despise him is really idiotic.”
“Only time will tell.” Milea stood tall in front of the thrones, giving her dress a small tug and the Royals a polite nod of the head that they promptly returned.
She was their peer, not their subject, and owed them no respect aside from what etiquette required as their guest.
The King took a long look at the woman and the girl in front of him, wondering about the motives of the former and the identity of the latter.
He had many questions about their sudden request for an invitation, but they had no obligation to answer him. On top of that, it would only prove how lacking their intel about the Empire had become ever since the War of the Griffons had started.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kelia and Milea moved to the right side of the room and waited for the next guest to be announced.
“Spellbreaker Archmage Lith Tiamat Verhen and Royal Constable Kamila Verhen.” All heads turned around abruptly in surprise.
Not for Lith’s arrival since without him, the whole event would have been pointless but because he was supposed to arrive last, after his parents and sister.
According to the Kingdom’s etiquette, the more important a guest the later they would be announced.
This way, they wouldn’t need to introduce themselves.
“It seems you got yourself a middle name.” Kamila nervously laughed to hide her embarrassment.
She wore a silk-satin ocean blue evening dress embroidered in silver to form a feather pattern, complementing the attire of her partner. It left her tanned arms and shoulders exposed while a v-neckline emphasized her bosom.
On her head, she wore a golden circlet that Lith had made for her which appeared to be made out of small camellias woven together. The gold of the circlet brought out her black hair and vice versa, while both shone under the magical lighting of the room.
The rest of the parure at her neck and ears also consisted of rubies etched into golden petals forgemastered to resemble a camellia.
Looking at her adamant gaze, the nobles thought she was returning the contempt of their gazes, whereas she was just focused on not tripping over her dress and hiding the terror she felt.
“Damn, I should have patented it after our quarrel.” It was Kamila’s second time walking the red carpet of the Banquet Hall, but her knees felt so weak that she needed to hold on to Lith’s arm to not fall.
Even mirrors were framed with solid gold, while all the tapestries and frescoes on the walls were not only masterpieces of such caliber that even a layman of arts like her gasped at their beauty, but they were also enchanted.
Every single piece of art on the walls and ceiling depicted epic scenes of battle and the magical breakthroughs of the past Magi that had shaped the Kingdom’s history. The thought that her husband might one day be among them was enough to make her dizzy.
