I reached out with one hand and knocked firmly on the door of Amelia's room. As I did, I grimaced in annoyance, disliking the stiff, restrictive clothing I was wearing for this banquet.

The entire ensemble was a ridiculous blue and silver affair, made of some sort of heavy cloth. The sleeves were close-fitting, the pants restrictive, and the boots high and stiff. In total, it was most uncomfortable, and I was already looking forward to changing into something more comfortable to move in.

Despite my instincts screaming at me, I decided not to bring along my dagger tonight, to avoid standing out. After all, knives were the weapons of assassins and thieves, not wealthy nobles.

Holding my arm up, I wondered if it was possible to hide a sheathe of some kind on my forearm to hold a small knife, just in case. Or maybe along my leg instead, though that would likely be much harder to reach quickly.

Amelia's door opened, breaking my thoughts, and I lowered my arm, looking up at Amelia, feeling my heart slam into my throat.

I was always aware Amelia was objectively attractive. She is smart, pretty, and skilled with both magic and weapons. Add to that her sense of humor and confidence, and few would say she was anything other than an excellent choice in partner. But it had not fully occurred to me until now.

She had done her hair up into an intricate braid of some kind, with curls falling around her face. A green and gold dress flowed down to the floor, and she was wearing makeup that accented her deep brown eyes. After a second, I took a half-step backward, suddenly aware of how close I had been standing to her.

"Good evening, Vayne," Amelia said, smiling at me.

It took me a second to think of a reply, and when I did, I said the first thing that came to mind.

"You look beautiful, my lady," I burst out, bowing stiffly and struggling to remember my training with Girem.

Amelia burst into laughter, rolling her eyes and replying, "None of that, please. We are friends, and there's no call for such strict manners, is there?"

I smiled and nodded, thankful for her permission. I would prefer to keep the night one between friends, and not complicate it with too many formal manners and customs. However, I still had one thing to clear up before we left.

"Before we leave, I had something I wanted to discuss with you. I...did not exactly inform my lords that I am learning martial combat with Sig."

"Oh? I didn't expect you to be the lying sort." Amelia said, glancing at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I prefer to look at it as having discretion. If you could avoid mentioning that in front of the Esttons, I would be in your debt."

Snorting, Amelia smiled and nodded before replying, "Of course, Vayne. Like I have had to repeat frustratingly often, we are friends, and I won't spill your secrets to some noble I have never met. Though, you'll have to explain to me later why exactly you're hiding this from them."

I nodded, accepting the deal and held out my arm, which she took with a grin.

In short order, we arrived at the Harvest Banquet, held in a massive, circular room with several floors, all packed with former and current studies and faculty of the Academy and covered in decorations of flowers, vines and other greenery. Servants walked around the crowd, holding massive trays covered in food and drinks while an orchestra played some soft melody in the background.

While it was possible to use magic and accomplish the same effects with far greater ease and efficiency, servants emphasized the Academy's wealth and power. I would have preferred to save the gold and mana, and use some sorts of automated constructs instead.

As we stood by the entrance, I half-wished I had brought a weapon with me. Hundreds of mages, many rivals, packed into a small room and filled with alcohol, sounded like a recipe for disaster.

An old Ferren saying is translated as "A true Ferren party does not begin until the first lightning bolt." Hopefully, that would not be the case tonight, but I would still feel better with a weapon nearby.

"So, what's our plan for tonight?" Amelia asked, leaning in and speaking loudly over the clamor of the crowd and the music.

"Have fun, socialize, and hopefully not insult anyone along the way. Easier said than done, though." I joked, smiling at her.

Nodding, she prodded me with her elbow.

"Relax, Vayne. It's a party, not a fight to the death. Follow my lead." Amelia said, walking forward, her arm dragging me along.

I took a deep breath, moving through mental relaxation techniques Sig had shown me months ago, to release stress and tension and began weaving my way through the crowd with her. As we moved, Amelia whispered in my ear, indicating various people in the room.

"Oh, look over there, Vayne! That's Marquis Allos. He lost one arm in battle, but crafted an enchanted prosthetic to replace it." Amelia said, pointing to a large man standing in a large crowd.

Passing by him, I noticed that his right arm was noticeably bulkier than his left, and his hand appeared to be metal rather than flesh.

"It looks a bit crude, and I would assume he cannot use it anywhere near as well as a regular limb."

"It's primitive, but he recently suggested using mana crystals to form artificial channels so he can use magic with it again. Don't tell anyone, but my mother told me he stole the entire idea from the Wandering Cities, though their versions are decades more advanced."

"Over there is Master Oliver. They call him Oliver of the Scorching Winds. He took inspiration from an old archmagi and combined a unique cultivation technique to apply fire mana effects to his wind magic. They say he can cook his foes alive in battle. And that's Countess Yulia! She is an expert beast tamer. Stories say she has even begun breeding domesticated drakes, for use in battle." Amelia continued, subtly gesturing to the figures as we walked.

"You seem to know all the big names here," I remarked, turning towards her in surprise.

Shrugging, Amelia smiled and replied, "My mother has friends in high places, and I have been attending banquets and balls since I was a little girl. Besides that, they are all famous figures in Ferris. If anything, you are the odd one out for not knowing about them."

"My teachers felt my training should focus on more mundane efforts for the time being. Languages, economic theory, and battle tactics took precedent over famous mages in the kingdom. My instructors assumed I would have plenty of time to learn more about magic here in the Academy." I answered, smiling at the irony.

"You've heard the saying about assumptions, I hope?" Amelia said, hiding her smile behind a hand.

I turned to reply, but stopped when I spotted Leon on the second floor, near a balcony and talking to several others.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I found my lord's son. I need to make an appearance with them, if only to make sure Leon does not harass me tomorrow." I said, turning to Amelia with a smile.

"Lead the way," she answered, gesturing with one hand.

After some careful maneuvering through the crowd, we approached the group with Leon noticing me out of the corner of his eye.

"Vayne! I was worried you'd not come, and I'd find you down in the Library with your head in a book." Leon said with a laugh.

"Of course not, sir. After you went to the trouble of purchasing me these clothes and arranging for me to attend, it would be improper to refuse. And truth be told, it sounded fun." I replied, shrugging and smiling.

Turning his attention to Amelia, I saw Leon raise his eyebrow.

"My apologies. My name is Leon Estton, first-born son of Duke Estton." Leon said, bowing to Amelia and brushing the back of her hand with his lips.

She giggled, blushing slightly, and I hid the scowl that threatened to show on my face. After a second, I pushed down the unexpected surge of jealousy and schooled my features into a neutral expression.

"I am Amelia. It's a pleasure to meet you, Leon," she replied, retrieving her hand from his grip.

"How do you two know each other?" Leon asked, glancing at me curiously.

"Oh, we met down in the Library a few months ago. Vayne here was walking around, browsing the aisles and barely paying attention to where he was walking, and nearly knocked me over. One thing led to another, and here we are." Amelia answered, and I felt my heart begin to beat rapidly. She lied casually, and I noticed that she had none of the identifying traits of someone falsifying a story.

"I can't say I'm particularly surprised. Vayne here has always been a bit too distracted to pay attention to his surroundings. When we were younger, he tripped and broke a vase because he was too busy reading a book." Leon answered, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Although Amelia laughed, I grimaced at the memory. Girem had been furious and confined me to my room for a month after that incident. Leon suddenly turned his head, noticing that the music had changed to a more upbeat song.

"I need to stretch my legs somewhat. May I have this dance?" Leon said, turning and offering a hand to Amelia, who glanced at me before nodding and smiling at him.

I watched the two walk away into the crowd, sighing a bit before shaking my head and moving away from the group and up to the third floor. Finding a relatively deserted area, I leaned against the stone railing and watched Leon and Amelia dance slowly. I gritted my teeth, and squeeze the marble under my fingers hard, feeling another flash of jealousy.

Trying to distract myself, I wondered if Archmagi Alexandria herself might be somewhere in this room. Some of the most influential and well-known mages in the kingdom were here tonight, so it was possible.

Closing my eyes, I focused and opened up my senses. If there were an Archmagi here, she would undoubtedly have the largest mana in the room. Almost instantly, a wave of sensations slammed into my mind, and I instinctively cut off the connection, recoiling physically.

Well, that was a valuable lesson to learn. It seems there is a limit to how much I could sense at once, and a room with hundreds of mages in it surpassed that threshold. Maybe I could weaken my senses and make it so that only the most potent mana signatures would be perceptible?

"Having fun?" a voice from behind me said, startling me, and I turned to see Master Julian standing nearby, dressed in some suit of brown and bronze colors.

I shrugged, before replying, "I suppose. My friend Amelia is dancing with the Duke's son, but I cannot blame her. After all, Leon is an attractive noble who will become a Duke someday, and I am just a commoner."

Master Julian chuckled, shaking his head at me.

"Self-pitying and jealousy are not particularly attractive emotions. Or helpful, for that matter. I figured you would be the type to look for solutions, not whine or feel bad for yourself."

Not for the first time, I cursed his empathetic powers and the perception it granted him. Since our last meeting, I speculated on ways to block Julian's senses, but I was unable to test out any of my theories. But since he was using his abilities to sense my emotions, it seemed a good time to try them out.

Reaching down to my core, I pulled a small amount of mana up through the channels leading to my head, and formed it into a coating around my skull. It was difficult, and pain shot through my head as I did so, but I pushed past the uncomfortable headache forming and held the shield in place. After several seconds, Julian raised an eyebrow and smiled widely.

"Not a bad idea, but you'll need more practice to fool my senses. And I didn't need to be a skilled empath to figure out what you're feeling. You're smart and determined, but you're also still a teenager.

Snorting, I shook my head and released the hold on my mana, turning my eyes back down to the floor. The dance had ended, and Leon was now speaking something into Amelia's ear, likely a joke judging by her laughter.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Master Julian looking down at the crowd before turning back to me.

"Let me give you some advice, Vayne. Go ask her to dance. Don't make it awkward or uncomfortable, just ask and smile. It's a dance with a friend, not proposing marriage or challenging Leon to a duel."

I turned to him suspiciously, narrowing my eyes.

"Why are you helping me with this? You have never seemed particularly invested in my social life before, so why now?"

"Maybe I just don't want to see your sour face up here scowling all night? The least I can do is give you some tips so you don't make a complete fool of yourself." Julian said, shrugging with a grin before turning and walking away.

"Good luck!" he shouted, walking down the stairs and disappearing into the crowd.

Pushing away from the railing, I rubbed Cortos' ring and briefly wondered if I should just sneak away and teleport to his sanctum. I could get plenty of training done if I called it an early night now. I wanted to get my Mana Shell mastered before we left for the expedition, and a few hours of practice would be invaluable.

Sighing, I shook my head and laughed at my nervousness. If I planned to face off armies and monsters in the future, the least I could do was gather up the nerve to ask a girl to dance. Mentally reciting a relaxation mantra Sig taught me as I walked, I slowly began making my way through the crowd and towards Amelia.