I was immediately swarmed and greeted by the marquis, counts, and viscounts even by some of the Clifonue on account of me being the son of a duke. They do help to intimidate the newly arrived merchants who're constantly seeking an audience with me, or should I say with the house that I represent.
After I’m done with the greetings and shaking of hands, I grabbed a drink and sat in the corner like I usually do when invited to a party of such nature.
You see there is a reason why hardly anyone has had a 3rd glass of the expansive wine and how no one has touched the expansive food carter around. Like I said so many times before this party, this gathering, while advertised as such, is one of the few places where the attendants can find potential allies whether in business or the courts.
Of course, most of the attendance being noble, they do it in the most convoluted way possible.
Here’s a joke. What’s the difference between a peacock and a noble?
One an animal dresses in lush bright colors to intimidate and scare off its competitors another a peacock.
While this seems to be an exaggeration that you shouldn't take seriously, the truth is not so far off.
You see that man dressed in lime green?
He is the second son of Clover Company, it used to be a giant in the food trade and provision industry, for a time it was even given the royal seal of approval. If only they had played their hand right, they would have been seated at the top along with our house, but they didn’t. Instead, they embellished their newfound ego, taunted and made enemies out of nearly every house at the time, needlessly to say their reign didn’t last long. Scandals, sabotages and debts drown them and reverted them back to the small grain company they once were.
Normally he wouldn’t wear such a color, lime green, the same color that’s on his family’s crest, they must be getting desperate, this means that he can speak on behalf of his house in regards to the matter of alliances. This is also the reason why I sit here instead of interacting with the patrons, our house has achieved the peak of what a noble family can have, any more and we have to be royalty. Me being the eldest son of Ingalls house represents our house, if I start walking around aimlessly it might give other people wrong ideas, that perhaps we want to sit on that throne or something, no doubt my name would end up on the queen’s desk the next morning.
Every little thing you do and wear can be interpreted by the people here as a subtle hint, this is the reason why despite me looking arguably better in my gray coat, I did not wear it to this event. If I were to wear such dreadful color to this event people might get the wrong idea that I disapprove of this event or that I have a grudge with its host.
Such is the creature called nobles, so paranoid, hiding behind the fine clothing, luxurious jewelry, and elegant mannerism is a man that would bleed just like a beggar would.
I suppose some would call me a hypocrite that I’m enjoying the benefit of the status of nobility while criticizing everything about it, but I truly cannot get behind this sell pitch the noble have that they are above everyone else, that they are superior than the common folk. Like all sales pitches, this is something you convince your audiences, you are not supposed to believe it, I wonder how many of them realize this.
Who would expect the eldest son of the most prestigious house in all of Azlar to have such a cynical view of nobility? Speaking of the unexpected, there’s someone I did not expect to show in this gathering.
My younger brother, Kane is the second son of the Ingalls house. Judging by his looks you can tell he took the word handsome in a different direction. My slender figure and chiseled expression while no doubt charming couldn’t help but come off a tad bit aggressive. My younger brother on the other hand has a bulky figure and a roundish face, adorned with the same amber-like eyes and dark curly hair he is way more approachable compared to me. In truth he’s more of a trickster then what his appearance might suggest, me being one of the few to look past his disguises. However, his deceptively easy-going facade combined with his magnetic personality makes him extremely popular at personal gatherings and parties.
Strange, usually he wouldn’t attend such public events, like me he hates putting up a facade in front of these strangers. He would rather attend a personal one where he can talk freely amongst his friends and flirt with the ladies.
After he finished chatting, he took a glass from the servants and approached me, I’m sure he noticed he was looking at him.
He then sat down beside me and unlike our usual conversation this time I broke the silence first.
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“If you were going to show up you should have told me then I wouldn’t have come to this miserable place.”, I said to him, keeping my eyes on the crowd.
After all, it only requires one of us here to display our house’s attitude in such an event.
“Don’t worry brother, I’m here just to deal with some personal business, I don’t intend on staying.”, my younger brother says as he sips his glass of wine, looking at him perhaps waiting for me to inquire further.
“Well, aren’t you going to ask?” he asked, seeing how I’m disinterested in whatever he is up to. His expression slowly turned into disappointment when I failed to give him the response he was looking for.
He looked into the crowd, this time with a serious demeanor:
“The person I was talking to was the president of the Royal Bank of Lusian.”
So that’s who he was, he must be the newly appointed after the previous president met his demise at the hand of natural causes. At least that’s what they tell people; all I can say is that his death was way too sudden and too convenient; dead right after he agreed upon a loan to the first prince’s supporters. No doubt it was an assassination, a phenomenon especially frequent in Azlar, we just don’t know which one of the prince or princess called for his death. Regardless the damage is dealt, that loan is now on hold.
“And what business does the president of Royal Bank of Lusian have with you, the second son of the Ingalls house?”, I asked.
He looked at me in a surprised expression then into a smile:
“You know, this is the first time I see you not having full control of the situation. Does it bother you not knowing what I’ve done behind your back? ”, he said this in a teasing manner hoping to get some sort of reaction, even a hint of annoyance out of me.
He failed.
“Just make sure you don’t drag our house in pointless conflicts.”, I warned him.
Our house has everything a noble in Luse could strive for, power, status, influences, we are a behemoth in Azlar and the kingdom as a whole. That is why when all the other houses scramble like ants placing their bets on their favored prince and princess, we can be exempt from the brewing storm of a conflict that the princes and the princesses have in their competition to the throne. No one wants an enemy out of us more importantly none of them want to give us a chance at instilling a puppet on the throne. You see, just like there are hidden rules to be followed in everyday nobility, there are rules to be followed in this game the princes and princesses play with one another and one of them is not getting foreign powers or houses like us involved. Of course, this only applies if you are not caught, I’ve heard rumors that Princess Diana is getting rather friendly with the guilds of Omitopia. She denied this under the claim that their interactions are purely business-related, and through some pressure from some of her connections the scandals quickly died down.
My young brother looks at me with the same smile but this time shifting to a more serious expression, taking a break from his act:
“I... would never dare to risk the reputation of our house.”, he paused a bit, thinking that it's better to clear himself of my suspicion: “I was merely checking up on some investment with the bank. Like you, I also have some personal assets outside of the family.”
“Just make sure that you don't side too close with them.”, I reminded him under the implication that while we remained neutral in this conflict of the throne, the banks might already have bet on their favorite prince or princess.
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t”, he responded.
He takes one last sip of the wine before greeting the host and exiting the scene. “Well, I’ll be leaving now, take care brother.”
“You too, take care.”, I bid him farewell.
As Kaine returned to the place where his carriage is parked he paused for a bit, looking back at the building.
“Is there something wrong my lord?”, the carriage pulling servants asked.
“No, nothing at all.”, he says this then steps into the carriage where it disappears into the Azlar streets.
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I made my exit but not before shaking the host’s hand, and even though I did nothing but sit here, I have to say how much I enjoyed it. The wine tasted fine, the decor looked nice, the party was enjoyable something along the lines of those compliments.
I head back to my carriage attended to by Graham on my way to dinner with prince Jeremy.
On the ride there, accompanied by nothing but scenery, I had a moment alone with my thoughts.
My younger brother is another example of my failure in human relations. I remember a simpler time where the three of us, me, my younger brother, and our youngest sister would play together. They used to look up to me, you know, as the genius everyone was praising me for, they would be so proud whenever I received praise as if they were praised themselves, they used to say that they were happy to have a big brother like me. So where along the line, the love and admiration my younger brother used to have for me turned into animosity.
I’m not saying that being born into nobility is all to blame for how our relationships have turned out, but I’m sure that if we were born into a normal family then we would be able to get along like how a normal family would.
Perhaps this is why I’m so hostile towards nobility, they follow a similar line of thinking as Darwinism, the survival of the fittest, but instead of animals competing to survive, sons and daughters compete for the position of the heir. This system they have set up is to decide who is most fit to lead the family, where you outperform your competition or as with most cases make sure you are the only one remaining. It’s like a dog fight in the slum, sure there are fights where both combatants end up alive but we both know what these savages came to see.
Bloodshed.
So answer me. How are nobles so above the common folk? When their philosophy is filled with contradiction?
Demand elegance but excited at the sight of blood being spilled. Demanding moral excellence yet expects that siblings to claw over each other’s body for the position of heir. They think that they are more civilized than the common folk but in truth are more akin to animals in the wild.
I’ve arrived at a restaurant colored in a shade of white closely matching that of a clamshell, a color choice quite fitting for the location. The name displayed above the entrance simply reads
Graham opened the door for me and I was met with a servant who led me to a private room. There I saw standing one of the most influential figures in the Lusian kingdom, the third prince of the Lusian kingdom, Prince Jeremy