Liliana stared at the thick piece of paper, covered in gilded writing and long looping characters denoting a high level of skill with calligraphy. She stared at the paper for a long moment, as if waiting for it to turn into a snake and bite her. Yet the paper stayed utterly harmless, for all that the words on it filled her with dread.

Lady Liliana is cordially invited to the Mirador Palace by the Crown Princess Marianne Summerwarden, who requests your presence on the 29th of Syn.

The ball will be in celebration of the Crown Princess’ Debut into Society.

May Vita’s light shine upon you.

It perhaps shouldn’t be that surprising. Nobles had a habit of finding out information quickly, and for a Duke’s family many eyes rested upon them. The Rosengarde family controlled a considerable amount of land and had the largest militia of the kingdom. A necessity being on the border of the Frostfang mountains to the northeast, where there would be incursions from the neighboring country of Athana and from the roaming bands of tribesmen who lived in the mountains. And the border to the Gadria kingdom to the west. She knew part of her father’s responsibilities were maintaining the borders. It was why they didn’t live in the capital. He had to be within a few days’ ride of the borders in case something happened.

So it shouldn’t be of any surprise to her that the royal family had found out about her Awakening and the subsequent events. It had been over two weeks since that fateful day, ample time for someone to blab the information and get back to the royal family. What scared her, besides the attention, was that this would be her first ball. Never had Liliana been invited to a ball, and she couldn’t say she’d attended one on earth either.

This gives me about a three weeks before the ball, Liliana hummed and set the invite down. She couldn’t decline, not a royal invitation. That Astrid delivered it meant her father had likely seen it as well. It was a silent command.

“Astrid, I think we may need to go… dress shopping,” Liliana winced as the words left her lips.

“We could have someone come to the manor for that, if you’d wish,” Astrid offered and Liliana hummed. She had only just gotten back into training the past week and a half. It had been three weeks since the Bandit incident, and Liliana had finally begun to sleep without nightmares. She still had a deep dread that filled her anytime she thought to leave the manor. Instead, she’d been working to raise her skills to their cap and on her Magic Power and Control. She wanted to avoid getting stuck at a bottleneck come level 85, though it was difficult to raise those two stats.

Liliana summoned [Shine] and danced the light over her hand, shifting it between a rainbow of lights. She’d figured out how to change it into more colors than red, slowly, and now it looked like a floating ball of rainbows. She could expand it to be half the size of her head, or shrink it to be smaller than her clenched fist. The brightness she could also increase or decrease, and she’d been working to speed it up. She wanted to use it in battle to disorientate opponents, but for now it didn’t shift fast enough.

Flicking her eyes to where Lelantos was in a pounce pose, eyes focused on the light, she flung it out into the garden for him to chase. Using half her attention to direct the ball around the rest, she focused on the invitation.

Her father had undoubtedly gotten wind of her not leaving the manor to level. She didn’t imagine he wanted his miracle prodigy child to stop growing. It would look bad on him. This invite was both to get her out, and probably to spur her into leveling more so she could be suitably impressive for the ball. Liliana would admit, showing up to a gathering of nobles at level 40 when most her age would be higher irked her. Yet the fear was almost as strong.

“I need to clear my head,” Liliana murmured as she stood. She canceled [Shine], much to Lelantos’ disappointment, as she moved towards her closet. Grabbing her improved training clothes, far more fancy than her previous, she set to changing. Astrid hurried over to aid her in removing her gown and soon enough, she was dressed for a fake battle.

Liliana stalked out of the manor, mind full of conflicting thoughts and emotions. Servants bowed and curtsied to her at the appropriate depth. Liliana wondered how long it would stick. Already the fear that had been in their gazes was fading. With it, the protection that fear offered.

Liliana arrived at the training grounds, having been followed by her bodyguards, who shadowed her steps at all times now. They had become more troublesome since the attack, although she hadn’t left the manor. Liliana turned to Jason, one of her most common bodyguards, and nodded towards an empty training ring.

“Fight me,” she ordered, and Jason sighed but didn’t argue. At first he had, but over the past week and a half, Liliana had gotten her guards more comfortable with training with her. They still wouldn’t go nearly as hard as Silas did during their practice, but it was something.

“I’ll fight you,” a voice called out, and Liliana turned to see Alistair and Emyr leaving their own ring. Emyr had been the one to offer, Alistair still refused to look at her since the attack. She had expected something from him, vitriol or an apology. Yet she got nothing. It was as if he did not know what to make of her anymore and had decided upon pretending she didn’t exist. A trait she desperately wished his mother would share. It would make dinner far easier on everyone if she did.

“Fine,” Liliana shrugged, summoning her wooden naginata. It too had suffered the hand of wealth and was far sturdier than before, and weighed the same as her new real naginata. It made the hits it dealt harder, if she could manage to land any. Emyr was above her in level and she had no illusion about how this fight would go.

“No skills or spells?” Emyr asked, and Liliana nodded. This wasn’t a real duel, so anything that could cause severe injury was banned.

“Jason, you’ll call start. It’s to three hits. Head, neck and groin shots aren’t allowed,” Liliana instructed, and the guard lieutenant nodded. The two combatants entered the ring. Waiting to start until Liliana had stretched her muscles out. She was frustrated, not dumb. She didn’t want to pull something and have to call a stop two minutes in.

When both of them were ready, Jason held up a hand and called a start to the fight. Liliana took off, her higher Speed her greatest advantage in this fight. Her naginata spun around her in a blur as she brought it down onto Emyr’s shoulder. The boy side stepped, just enough that her wooden weapon slid past him harmlessly. Liliana danced away from his retaliating strike with his wooden rapier.

“You should consider a whip sword, with your affinity,” Liliana’s voice was conversational as she moved around him. Circling with delicate steps, as if she was being guided by [Tempo] despite the skill being unactivated. Her weapon spun around her like a moving shield, blocking the hits that Emyr lashed out at her, not quite on par with the speed of her own attacks. The other boy just glared at her, not responding as he sent out a set of rapid strikes, aiming for her weak points. Liliana struggled to keep up, her weapon not made for close combat blocking.

A stinging hit bloomed on her chest and she hissed as she leapt back several feet.

“One point to Emyr!” Jason called out, a small cheer coming to life around them. Liliana noticed they had gathered a bit of a crowd as they fought. With an annoyed huff, Liliana charged back in, spinning around Emyr’s attack and lashing a foot out at his knee. Somehow, the other boy noticed the attack and jumped it, but it left him open long enough for Liliana to spin her naginata around and score a hit across his back.

“One point to Liliana!” Jason called out, and Liliana grinned at Emyr as he backed off.

“Getting tired?” She asked as she moved forward once more, going for an obvious jab. Emyr narrowed his eyes at her and sidestepped the attack, going for his own stab. Liliana grinned as she dropped her weapon, enjoying the way Emyr’s eyes widened as she stepped past his stab and into his guard. She grabbed his extended arm and flipped him over her hip. As he landed behind her, she scooped her weapon back up and tapped his chest with it.

“Another points to Liliana!” Jason called out, and she jumped back with a grin as Emyr got back to his feet. The surrounding crowd cheered for her and Liliana gave a small bow to her lovely admirers, almost getting stabbed by Emyr for it. Liliana barely brought her haft up in time to deflect. She pushed him off and lashed a hit out at his feet, eyes widening when he jumped and landed on her blade. Her weapon pinned and with her shocked, Emyr easily landed his second hit of the duel.

“Second point to Emyr!” Jason called out, and the crowd seemed to have grown based on the shouts and cheers. Emyr jumped off her weapon and Liliana yanked it back with a glare.

High Dexterity, definitely higher than mine. His Speed is impressive but lower than mine, and his Endurance is shit. He’s probably mostly Intelligence, Wisdom, and Dexterity. With Speed his fourth highest. Liliana surmised, as the pair circled each other. Emyr was panting while Liliana still had enough Stamina to drag this on for another ten or twenty minutes. It was amazing how long her Stamina lasted when she wasn’t draining it with skills.

Emyr, though, didn’t have the time, and the charge he made was evidence of his Stamina running low. He needed this fight to end soon. His rapier struck out at her, Liliana worked to dance around the attacks, her Speed aiding her in avoiding his slowing attacks. Her eyes open for the first opening she could find. She finally spotted it. As his rapier raised for another hit, Liliana’s naginata flashed into his unguarded side, overextending her as she tasted victory.

Emyr twisted around the attack, and with her body overextended, Liliana couldn't reposition or dodge as his rapier came down across the back of her shoulders.

“Third point to Emyr!” Jason called out, getting a round of applause from the watchers. Liliana huffed as she activated [Regeneration] to take care of the minor bruises. Emyr had little strength behind his hits. She wasn’t sure if he was holding back or if his Strength was just that low.

Putting her training weapon back in storage, Liliana wiped off the bit of sweat that had gathered on her brow. Emyr was panting, sweat dripping down him. Had she not gotten so impatient, she could’ve outlasted him. Her frustration from the day had dulled her better sense. She supposed she shouldn’t be too upset at the loss. Emyr had been training far longer than her. Both with levels and with his weapon. Unlike her, he would’ve been trained from a younger age to wield a weapon of his choice. In comparison, she was nothing but a novice, bumbling around with her weapon like a baby. Her superior Speed and Endurance had helped her in the fight, more than her skill with her weapon.

“That was a good fight,” Emyr panted out after drinking water offered by a guard. Most of them had wandered off to continue their own training. Liliana shrugged as she took the water offered to her by Jason.

“I still lost,” she said, looking around. She noticed Alistair was standing back, and for a moment, she caught his golden gaze. She detected some small sliver of respect in the gaze, but there was anger and dislike in there too. Liliana sighed as she looked away. She couldn't do much about Alistair. As long as he stayed out of her way she was fine.

Her bigger concern was the hero who seemed to decide on his own that they were friends. He had been by another three times since he’d dropped off the alchemy book. Every time it had ended with them in the garden, playing with Lelantos and not really talking to each other. It was… comfortable. And she hated that she always seemed to feel lighter after Emyr visited. As if he helped rid her of some of the demons dogging her steps.

That first day, after he’d left, she hadn’t had a nightmare. She didn’t know what it meant, but she could see that it was getting pointless to deny the friendship that was building. She still didn’t trust him, but perhaps she could turn him away from his fate. Make him her hero, rather than fates.

Maybe it was her loneliness talking. She hadn’t had friends in her last life, not really. And this one was just as lonely. Lelantos helped, but he wasn’t a human and there were things he didn’t understand. Things someone like Emyr could. So perhaps she was being a dumb teenager, desperate for a friend. Someone she could trust, and who could understand her.

Either way, she’d stopped really fighting. Doing nothing more than putting up a token resistance. She hadn’t tempered her tongue, and Emyr was liable to suffer her sarcastic wit, yet it wasn’t something he seemed to mind. In fact, he seemed to enjoy returning it back to her.

“Barely, you barely lost,” Emyr corrected her as he regained his breath, walking towards her. His own practice weapon gone into his storage ring.

“My Lady, it’s almost time for dinner,” Astrid informed her and Liliana groaned as she turned.

“Fine, fine,” she told the maid before turning to Emyr and Alistair. “I’ll see you two at dinner,” she bid them farewell and trudged back to the manor. Her emotions had settled some, and she decided that she’d go out leveling tomorrow. She’d have ample anger to unleash on whatever beasts she ran into after tonight’s dinner, surely.

Liliana took a deep breath before the door to the dining room. She hated these meals, even if going to them meant she was beginning to be recognized as a member of the family rather than an unfortunate stain. She was usually too angry or stressed out to actually enjoy the meals served, and Astrid often had to bring her a second dinner to her room for her to actually eat.

“Ready, my Lady?” Astrid asked, hesitating over the door. Liliana nodded, her familiar mask secure as she watched the doors open. Her father was already there, and she was the second to arrive. Which meant she’d need to field a few questions from him, maybe. Sometimes he was so distracted by paperwork, even at dinner, that he paid no heed to his family.

Liliana crossed the unnecessarily long distance between the doors and the table before taking her spot two seats down from her father on the left. Her stepmother got the right-hand spot next to him. Alistair would get the spot to his left hand, while Emyr would take the spot on her own right. The twins were too young for family dinners, but when they came of age, Liliana assumed they'd take the spots next to the Duchess.

“Ah, Liliana. I hear you had a duel with young Bealstal today,” Frederick looked up from his paperwork and fixed her with his piercing dark blue gaze. Liliana unconsciously gulped at having the full force of her father’s attention.

“I did, though my own skills aren’t enough yet to match someone with so much experience,” Liliana admitted to her loss, the words feeling bitter on her tongue. Some part of her didn’t want to disappoint her father. For all that his approval shouldn’t mean anything to her.

“I hear it was close, impressive considering you haven’t been training for all that long,” her father responded, but his attention was already diverting back to his paperwork. His compliment filled Liliana with a confusing mix of emotions. His obvious lack of interest hurt, even if she tried her hardest to pretend it didn’t. The ache in her chest didn’t lie.

The sound of the doors opening announced the arrival of Alistair and Emyr, leaving only the Duchess to arrive before their dinner could begin. Alistair wouldn’t meet her eyes as he passed and sat beside her, turning to her father. The two quickly engaged in a conversation about the supply chain to the guard outposts in the north on the border. Emyr was silent at her side, though not out of maliciousness she knew now. His character in the game matched up that much, at least. He was painfully introverted and wasn’t comfortable speaking around others. His bit of conversation at the training grounds had been a bit out of character for him.

His shy personality matched well with Alistair’s more outgoing and charismatic persona. Alistair could talk for Emyr in most cases and handle any of the uncomfortable social interactions he didn’t want to. It meant that sometimes Alistair would steamroll over Emyr’s wishes, or at least in the game it had played out as such.

Liliana summoned a small rainbow [Shine] at the dimmest possible light and directed it to dance over Emyr’s hands. The boy startled before he shot a look at Liliana, a small smile on his face. The opening of the dining room doors cut off Liliana’s spell as she straightened, seeing the Duchess enter. Imogen was dressed beautifully, too elaborately for a mere family dinner. Yet the Duchess seemed to believe that if one was going to be seen, they would be seen. Liliana was certain the woman probably spent no less than 4 hours getting ready every day, with the amount of skirts, petticoats and hoops she needed to sustain her rather large and boisterous dresses. The jewelry she wore practically dripped off of her, an obscene show of wealth. Her face looked like a painting, though Liliana was sure now it resulted from her Illusion magic.

“Good Evening, my love,” she greeted the Duke, bending to give him a kiss on the cheek. The Duke nodded at her, still deep in discussion with Alistair. Liliana had to bite back the smile that was summoned as the Duchess’s face showed ire for the barest of seconds before she recovered. She settled down in her seat and looked around at the servants.

“Well? We're all here, bring out our dinner,” she ordered, and in a flurry the servants rushed to obey. The Duchess’ golden eyes landed on Liliana and a cruel smirk bloomed on her face.

“Make sure it’s nothing too rich. We know how Liliana’s constitution can’t handle anything too rich,” the Duchess called out. For all that it was pointless, the cook would’ve already made dinner. The comment was meant as nothing more than an insult.

“Fear not, stepmother, my constitution is well and good. Though I know I gave you quite a scare after recent events. Thank you for being so concerned over my well being,” Liliana bowed her head, biting her lip to keep her expression neutral.

“Of course I’d be concerned for my darling stepdaughter. After your own mother abandoned you to fates devices, someone had to step in,” the Duchess recovered easily and Liliana’s hands tightened into fists in her lap, so hard she could feel her nails biting into her skin.

“One should not speak ill of the dead,” the Duke stepped in, his eyes flashing a warning. The Duchess looked like she was choking on her own tongue for a moment before she recovered and laughed.

“Oh, I would never! I simply meant it is so tragic for a young girl to be without a motherly figure for so long, my dear,” the Duchess simpered, batting her lashes at the Duke in a sickening manner that had Liliana restraining a gag.

“I hear little Liliana challenged Emyr to a duel today. Is that right, Alistair?” The Duchess switched tactics and Alistair seemed a bit startled to be brought into the verbal war ongoing.

“Emyr offered to spar her today,” Alistair answered, and Liliana couldn’t help her eyes darting to look at him in surprise. Normally, he wouldn’t hesitate to use any chance to mock her. Yet here he was, ignoring a clear offering from his own mother.

“And she lost, was the right?” Imogen prodded her son, and Alistair shifted in his seat, eyes downcast.

“Yes, but it was a close thing,” Alistair answered, and Liliana watched as an ugly expression flitted across the Duchess’ face before it was gone.

“Well, what could one expect of someone with such common blood?” Imogen tried, and Alistair shrugged noncommittally.

“She's only been training for a few months, allegedly.” There was a suspicious glare sent Liliana’s way at that, “she wasn’t utterly abysmal with her weapon.” He finished and seemed to perk up when the servants started coming out with the dishes. His attention was diverted, and he missed the venomous glare sent his way by his mother, but Liliana didn’t. It sent shivers down her spine.

He’s her son. She wouldn’t do anything to him. Would she?