After idly turning the invitation over, Garrett put it down and closed his eyes. He had no desire to marry Henrietta, or to make her think that he would. However, if he was going to continue to convince his father that he was on his side, it was necessary to at least feign interest. Weighing the pros and cons, Garrett finally decided to go, and penned a quick reply, sealing it in a simple envelope that bore the Klein family logo.

There were still a few days before the party began, which Garrett intended to take full advantage of. Earl Boren's estate happened to be in the new territory he had just seized from Vengel, which would help provide an extra layer of security if this was some sort of a trap. He had no reason to suspect it was, but thought it better to be safe than sorry.

The next few days were quiet, at least for Garrett. He spent his waking hours taking care of the Klein family's business and organizing for the weapons and armor Victor had requested to be brought into the city. He also brought Ryn out to look at a few businesses, including a large wholesale flower business. After a brief negotiation with the owner, he bought a large stake, becoming a silent partner.

Once evening came and the sun set, Garrett sat on the dreamer's throne, using its power to continue and refine the new energy in his body, until any hint of corruption had been removed. Once again, it set him back with regard to his soul spark, but the assurance that he wouldn't go crazy was well worth it.

In addition to refining his soul spark using the power of the throne, Garrett focused on the new territory he had acquired, sending the flower ghouls to hunt down any goblins that remained on the surface, while also working to expand the network of dream flowers aggressively. Since he only had one Overmind flower, Garrett found it a little bit harder to control the dream flowers at a distance. But since he knew that with their new abilities, every dream flower planted would provide a significant increase in both his survivability and the power of his forces, Garrett didn't hold back, spending every single experience point he had gained in strategically placing dream flowers throughout his new territory.

It was incredibly gratifying to watch as the flowers rapidly bloomed, and thanks to his new breath of life ability, each seed produced multiple blooms within only a few minutes. The more flowers that appeared in the new territory, the thinner the mist grew, and the easier it was for the awakened dreamers to navigate.

Garrett issued repeatable missions in Dreamer's Rest, encouraging the awakened dreamers to take out teams to the new territory, clearing lingering nightmares, and encouraging the spread of the dream flowers. Anytime one of the dreamer teams needed to rest, all they had to do was go and find the nearest clump of dream flowers, which would instinctively use their new ranged attacks to infuse Lesrak's life-giving flames into the tired Dreamers.

This allowed the Dreamers to stay active longer, providing a positive cycle that caused their progress in the new district to snowball. By the morning of the party, Garrett was incredibly pleased with the state of his new territory and felt completely confident in entering it. Previously, anytime he had left the area around Dreamers Inn, it had been with a faint nervousness. But now, he felt like he was going for a stroll in his backyard. When the carriage pulled up that evening, he was completely calm. He had dressed in a fashionable, though muted, suit of dark fabric that contrasted with his pale skin.

Ryn was going to accompany him and wore a simple ballgown, with a filigree half mask to cover the scar on her cheek. As the carriage carried them through the streets of the city, Garrett noticed that Ryn's lips kept twitching, as if she was trying to suppress a smile. Raising his eyebrows, he caught her eye.

"Something amusing?"

"I was just thinking about you and your new sweetheart," Ryn said, giggling when Garrett gave her a blank stare.

"My what?"

"Oh, you know, the noble lady who invited you to the ball." Despite her best efforts to suppress her laugh, Ryn couldn't help it when she saw Garrett's face fall.

"Don't be silly," Garrett said, turning his head and looking out the window.

"Oh, come on, Garrett. A girl can hope."

"Why are you so eager to marry me off?" Garrett asked.

Ryn didn't immediately reply, instead turning her attention to the beautiful houses they were beginning to pass by. Garrett didn't press her, giving her time to process her answer.

"You know," she said finally, "I think people need balance."

Unsure where this was going, Garrett's brow furrowed as he stared at Ryn from across the carriage. Still not turning to face him, Ryn's face was lit up by the passing lights. The silver mask she wore across one eye and one cheek, glimmering in the soft light.

"If we live our whole lives with only what is cold and hard, we'll become cold and hard. Just like if we live our lives constantly surrounded by violence. It seeps its way into our souls, dyeing our whole lives in blood."

"What about you?" Garrett asked.

A wide smile spread across Ryn's face as she turned to look at him.

"I spend my life in darkness, and it's colored me through and through. But thanks to you, I have light."

Lifting her hand, Ryn's gaze dropped to her palm, where a pin showing the five-petaled flower of the Klein family rested. It caught the light streaming in from the window, throwing rainbow-hued rays in all directions.

"And it's a truly wondrous light."

"I agree," Garrett said. "But like you, I too have this light. What makes you think I need something else?"

Ryn's smile slowly faded, and she put the badge away, her eyes meeting Garrett's, as the carriage came to a stop outside of the large mansion.

"It's true that you have the Klein family," Ryn said, "but you're in a different position than me, Garrett. You are the Klein family’s king, or at least as close as we have, and every king needs a queen."

Even if Ryn had given Garrett a chance to respond, he wouldn't have known what to say. But as it was, she opened the door and got out, waiting for the driver to get Garrett's wheelchair down before helping him into it. In front of them was Earl Boren's large mansion, and a steady stream of well-dressed nobles were making their way in through the wide-open front door.

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It was an impressive building, four stories high and made of solid marble that gleamed in the warmth of the setting sun. Taking hold of Garrett's wheelchair, Ryn pushed him forward to join the stream of people heading into the mansion. A few of the nobles looked over when they noticed Garrett and Ryn's arrival, but apart from a few pleasant nods, they were otherwise ignored. Keeping her face impassive, Ryn looked every bit the professional servant, while Garrett's calm, aloof expression marked him as little more than an indolent young nobleman. When it was their turn to enter, the steward, who was standing at the top of the stairs, saw them and, with a subtle gesture, sent two of the footmen down to assist in lifting Garrett up the stairs.

"You must be Mr. Klein."

"One of them, yes," Garrett said, flashing a smile.

The steward smiled and gestured for them to proceed inside.

"Lady Henrietta is expecting you in the library. If you'll follow Benjamin here, he'll show you the way."

"Thank you."

Benjamin turned out to be one of the footmen who had helped Garrett up the stairs, and he led them back through the long hall that ran the length of the home, past the ballroom, where everybody else seemed to be gathering, to a small library, where he opened the door and announced Garrett.

"Mr. Klein."

There were four people in the room. Henrietta, two other young noblewomen, and a handsome young soldier. When they heard the door open, they all looked over, and Henrietta's eyes lit up. Rising to her feet, she hurried over to greet Garrett, as the others slowly got up as well.

"Garrett, I'm so glad you came. Come, I'd like to introduce you to my friends."

Tugging on his arm, Henrietta practically pulled him over to the couches where everyone had been sitting.

"This is Olga, Charity, and Lieutenant Cobb."

The lieutenant, about to stretch out a hand for a handshake, noticed Garrett's missing limb, and quickly turned his motion into a bow.

"A pleasure to meet you, sir."

Lieutenant Cobb had an open and frank air about him, and an easy smile that flashed through his eyes whenever his lips moved.

"The pleasure is mine," Garrett said, bowing slightly in return.

"Olga and Charity are two of my very best friends. Well, except for Princess Eloise, of course."

Faking a look of anger, Olga rolled her pretty brown eyes.

"Etta won't shut up about the fact that she got to see the princess before us."

Seeing Henrietta stick out her tongue at her friend, Garrett was suddenly struck by the oddest feeling. If the events of the last six months hadn't taken place, if the attack against the royal family hadn't occurred, this is what his life would have looked like. He had just reached the age when it was customary to start attending balls, getting to know other young nobles, starting to build alliances as they looked for potential spouses. Instead, his world had been blown wide open. And he suddenly realized that he had very little in common with any of the children standing around him.

I guess they're not really kids, as they're all the same age as I am. Well, why do I feel like they are?

"Henrietta tells me that you're a businessman in the northern district."

Garrett realized that Charity had addressed him, and with a calm smile, he nodded.

"I am. I've been developing a few different operations there over the last half a year."

"Were you there during the March of the Dead?" Lieutenant Cobb asked, and when Garrett nodded, his eyes widened. "Wow, that must have been tense. My unit was on standby right across the bridge, and once the alarm sounded, we joined the other units in moving out. It was bad enough coming in at the tail end of the fight. I can't imagine what it was like having participated directly."

Shaking his head, Garrett lifted his arm to reveal his missing hand.

"I wouldn't say I participated directly. After all, my body's not very well suited for wrestling with zombies."

Giggling, the girls all sat down as Henrietta took a chair next to Garrett, her hand resting lightly on his arm, until Olga gave her a knowing look. With a faint blush, Henrietta pulled her hand away and straightened her skirt.

"Garrett is being modest. His group participated directly in the defense, holding the southern wall of the graveyard alongside the Grave Walker Gang." Surprised at the certainty in her voice, Garrett glanced over, but she didn't see the look as she continued to talk. "They were so successful in their defense that there were no casualties among the civilians on that side of the graveyard. In fact, they even were able to support Commander Fernek and the city guard in holding the graveyard's gate."

"That must have been something," Lt. Cobb said, shaking his head. "What a terrible night. Thankfully, it seems that the root cause has been dealt with, so it's unlikely that we will ever have to deal with another event like it."

"Well, I'm glad," Charity said. "Can you imagine what would have happened if the zombies had gotten over the bridge?"

"That would have been impossible," the lieutenant said with a smile. "The defenses on the bridge are too strong."

"Besides," Garrett said softly, "the army isn’t to be underestimated, and once they moved out, the situation was cleaned up quickly."

Seeing the girls looking at him with shining eyes, Lt. Cobb couldn't help but straighten his shoulders and lift his chin. Soon the topic turned to who would be attending the ball, and Garrett sat quietly as Ryn stood behind him, as still as a post.

According to the girls' gossip, most of the adults would be attending one of the small card parties, hosted by Earl Boren and his wife. This party, mainly intended for the younger members of the nobility, seemed to be about getting a chance to be introduced to each other before the season officially started, which wouldn't happen for a few more weeks.

Hearing them talk about the various eligible bachelors who were likely to show up, along with those they wished to avoid, Garrett quickly realized a couple of things. First, Charity and Lt. Cobb were in an unofficial relationship, no doubt hidden from her parents. He had been invited under the auspices of accompanying Olga, who was his cousin, but his real goal was to ward off potential suitors. Second, Henrietta had likely invited him for the same exact reason, intending to use him as a shield to keep other suitors at bay.

That didn't bother Garrett at all, as he was likewise using her to ingratiate himself with Victor. After a little while, a servant entered the room and informed Henrietta that the food was about to be served, and it was time for her to make her appearance as hostess. With a sigh, she stood up.

"You know, I would much rather send everyone else home and just have a party with the five of us. Six, if you count Miss Ryn," she said, giving Ryn a soft smile. "But, duty calls."

Henrietta led the way out of the room, with Garrett following behind and Charity, Olga, and Lt. Cobb behind him. The Henrietta he had seen in the private library was fun and engaging, full of life and quick wit. But the closer to the party she got, the calmer and more regal her bearing became, until Garrett felt as if he was looking at an entirely different person as he watched her walk into the room to be announced.

Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Garrett flicked a finger, erasing their presence from the minds of those around them, and had Ryn slip into the room, parking at a table near the back. The room they were in was a dozen times larger than the library. A massive drawing room, with multiple fireplaces, huge windows that overlooked the lawn, and collections of expensive-looking couches scattered here and there. There were a few tables set up near the back of the room, with food being served nearby. No one was yet sitting down, so Garrett chose a table at random, and had Ryn push him up to it.

"Once our hostess is done with her speech, you can go get us some food," Garrett said, throwing a glance at the long tables piled high with delicious-looking morsels.