Chapter 173
“I… have heard of your father.” Riven replied slowly. He hadn’t heard GOOD things about Linela’s father, but he was also Lahn’s father - and he didn’t want to overstep by saying something rude. “A-ranker huh… that’s… impressive.”
Linela beamed with pride, and smoothed out the front of her green dress to try and emphasize her curves. “Indeed it is. He’s even a personal friend of the king, believe it or not. Not meaning to brag, of course, but I have even had the opportunity to personally deliver the king a letter - and he acknowledged my family’s house name in passing. So we ARE known to him!”
Linela let out a proud humph and her chin raised even higher.
“You… delivered a letter… to the king?” Riven replied, a little dumbfounded and not sure if this was supposed to be impressive. “That’s very…”
“Honorable, I know.” Linela smiled brightly and flipped her blonde hair out to the side. “My little brother Lahn probably wouldn’t know this because he is unable to attend such events, but my father was even given tokens to attend the upcoming royal ball next month. If you’d like, I could extend you an invitation…”
She let the words trail off, waiting for the expected reaction of shock and awe to set in. Instead, she got something else entirely. And not from Riven, or ‘Travis’, but rather from Allie.
“Why isn’t Lahn able to attend?” Allie asked, confused and more than a little irritated.
Linela frowned, barely cast Lahn a glance in his wheelchair, and raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious? He’s a cripple - and a cursed one at that. How is he supposed to dance and mingle in the crowd when half his body is afflicted with some kind of obscure cursed rot? I do truly feel bad for him, but we aren’t allowed to bring our own servants into the royal palace and none of us real family members can spare the time to babysit him.”
Lahn’s face fell, but he remained silent.
Allie was torn. Torn because she wanted to violently kill the dumb bitch for being so mean, and because she wasn’t sure if that’d upset Lahn due to Linela being his sister. She also wasn’t sure if telling Linela about her own invitation to Lahn as a date to the ball would be met with further problems for him, so she merely scowled and kept silent.
“I know you must feel bad. I used to as well.” Linela said with a fake pout and a tut. “But Lahn here has a different path in life. If I could change it I would. But I can’t, so why bring shame to the family name by dragging him out in public? It would only lead to embarrassment for him anyways. Better he become a librarian or something like that, instead of dealing with the politics of the noble houses or war efforts against the Tereen. Since you’re at the academy yourself I can assume you’re also interested in either political or military aspirations, so be honest with yourself. Do you ever see Lahn fighting on the front lines against the elves when he can’t even walk properly?”
Both Wraithtide siblings remained silent, and Linela took this as the go-ahead for her to continue - and that they agreed. “The only reason he’s here is because mother has a soft spot for him. We all know it, and we all know it’s a massive waste of time. Father was furious about the entire ordeal and it took weeks of mother arguing with him in order to even let him leave the house, much less attend the academy. I’m sure she spent many a night on her knees in order to woo father so he’d do as she asked.”
She let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes at that last statement, to which Lahn got visibly angry. Shaking in his chair and face flushed red, he pointed his one good hand up at his older sister with a wavery voice.
“Don’t you dare talk about mother like that!” Lahn hissed. “She’s your mother too!”
Linela hummed with amusement, hands clasped in front of her while other high class people in the shop continued to move around them while browsing. “Truly, she is. Though I do believe you’re misinterpreting my intentions when concerning mother. That woman is a true master of manipulation and seduction when it comes to father, one I aspire to be like.”
Linela gave Travis a wink, and let her eyes linger on his. “So what do you think? Would you like to attend the royal ball with me or not? Do not dawdle, it would be a great opportunity for connections and I will only extend the invitation once.”
Marsia Bortrost, the young woman who’d shunned Lahn all those months ago at the Lucio compound, did not like being put on the backburner. Even if it was by her friend and peer, Linela. “Linela - I do believe you have already offered your accompanying spot to Lord Bortrude’s son, did you not? Perhaps Lord Wraithtide should go with me instead as I have not given my extra token away yet.”
Linela shot Marsia a look that could kill, and her fingers tightened around one another with venom clear in her words. “Lord Bortrude the Second will have his offer retracted if Lord Wraithtide so wishes, as it was mere charity that allowed my initial exchange in the first place.”
“Is that so?” Marsia asked plainly, ignoring Linela’s frown and pushing further into Travis’ personal space to pull out an invitation. “Well it just so happens that I have my extra invitational spot with me. Do you have yours?”
Linela froze, and a building stormy glare centered on her peer while her eyes darkened. “I happen to have left it at home.”
Travis remained unconcerned, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. “I already have an invitation.”
Both women turned immediately, shocked into forgetting their brief squabble.
“You have an invitation to the king’s ball already?” Linela pressed with a frown. “I’ve never even heard of your house before. How would a small house such as yours gain such a boon?”
In response, Riven pulled out a letter with the king’s seal. Opening it and letting them read it for themselves for only a few seconds, he ripped it out of Linela’s grip when she reached for it and stuffed the letter back into his pocket. “My sister and I will both be attending.”
“How…” Marsia began, but she was cut off by Linela who beamed at the opportunity to deny Marsia a win.
“Then perhaps we can both plan to meet there!” Linela stated with a wide smile, pushing past Marsia and getting up right next to Travis who now had his back pressed to a shelf with arms folded. “I’d love to show you around! As a newcomer to the political ambitions of the kingdom, I’d be a lot of help navigating the social ladder-”
The sound of books and supplies crashing into the floor interrupted their chatter.
“TRAVIS!? Is that you!?” Fay’s singsong voice called out from behind the manservants near the stairwell, and everyone turned their heads to watch as the succubus in disguise made her appearance.
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She looked just like she had at the king’s luncheon earlier that day: wearing the guise of a blonde young woman with extremely pretty features and a form-fitting silver dress that put both of the other girls attempting to woo Travis to shame. In truth it looked almost exactly like she normally did, only that her skin color had gone from sky blue to a mild tan, her demonic features were missing, and her hair wasn’t a bright silky white in her current state.
Coming over from where she’d dropped an entire arms-full collection of supplies she’d intended to use with ‘Travis’ in their plans to learn runecrafting and totem making together, she completely ignored both of the other young women and even pushed between them. Wrapping her slender arms around Travis’ neck, she planted a long, drawn out, passionate kiss on his lips to the shocked inhales of Linela and Marsia.
Allie only snickered in delight at their reactions.
“I’ve been looking all… over… for.. you…” Fay said, booping him on the nose flirtatiously at every pause she made during her sentence. Again kissing him briefly with another peck, she turned to look at the two stunned ladies of the court with raised eyebrows - giving each of them a once-over and solidifying her spot next to Travis by wrapping her left arm around his waist. “Travis, have you been trying to pick up the local whores again? I’ve told you, no more prostitutes! EVEN IF THEY’RE PUSHY! You have me now and that should be enough.”
Marsia gasped in horror and outrage, eyes wide at the sheer audacity this newcomer had in calling them both prostitutes - and Linela’s eyes narrowed with a tightening grip along the seams of her lower dress.
“Did you just insinuate-” Linela began, but Fay cut her off with a loud giggle.
“Oh my, I’m sorry if I offended you two. I didn’t mean it! You were just both pressing yourselves up against my man in the aisle and I assumed you were trying to sell yourselves.” Fay rolled her eyes playfully, reached around and smacked Travis to grope his ass - making him yelp in surprise while grinning dangerously back at Linela while maintaining eye contact. “Unfortunately this fine specimen is taken by someone better - being me. Go along and find yourselves another man. For someone like you two - I’d suggest a pimp of some sort.”
Marsia let out another exaggerated and shocked gasp of disgust. “HOW DARE YOU!”
“How dare you!!!”” Fay repeated in a high pitched and whiny voice while poofing out her cheeks, and she poked her fingers into the sides of her face, creating impromptu dimples that were far exaggerated from what Marsia had - but the point was taken. It was a mockery. Absolute mockery.
“MY WORD!” Marsia huffed, now red in the face and stamping down a heeled foot with trembling hands clasped in front of her in an attempt to maintain as much of a ladylike appearance as possible. “HOW IMMATURE!”
Linela looked from Travis to Fay, from Fay to Travis, and kept her frown to a thin-lipped look of discontent. “Is this one yours, Lord Wraithtide?”
Travis looked down at Fay, who suddenly became sheepish under his gaze - something that Linela definitely caught. Then he smiled warmly. “Yes. I am courting her.”
“I see.” Linela flatly replied, glaring back at Fay - who’d just become public enemy number one. “Well then. I am Lady Linela Lucio, daughter of Lord NIkola Lucio - high inquisitor of his majesty. Who might you be?”
“Why should I share my name with you?” Fay replied, gaining her composure now that she’d turned her attention away from Travis - but also feeling bolstered and glowed with a new warmth as his hand came to settle on her waist. “I have no desire to do so.”
“Yes, well seeing that I’ve never seen you at any of the public events - I’m rather tempted to say that you’re not nobility at all. You’re a commoner, aren’t you?” Linela let the question hang in the air, and when she didn’t get a reply back - she grinned wolfishly. “Yes. As I thought. Lord Wraithtide has decided to take a pretty commoner over her betters, diluting the gene pool for superficial looks rather than good genetics with high affinities for the pillars or good heritage in wealth. A tragedy, but that’s how men work I suppose.”
Fay’s nostrils immediately flared, and she took an aggressive step forward - coming within Linela’s personal space and meeting the other woman eye to eye. Travis couldn’t exactly pinpoint what had set Fay off, but something in that line of sentencing had flipped a switch. Something Linela had said not only made Fay mad, but truly triggered her to a degree that Fay looked like she was going to strike the girl down.
How curious.
“And what if I am not nobility?” Fay asked curiously, green eyes narrowed with a venomous smile - fingers twitching and almost ready to cast a spell. “When I become Lord Wraithtide’s bride one day, I will be then. Won’t I? Does that hurt your pride, knowing you are being bested by a mere commoner? My name is Fay. I don’t need a house name and daddy’s money in order to secure a man, unlike you little flat-chested whores that continue to run ragged attempting to take other women’s belongings.”
Linela held up one dainty hand, laughing dramatically into the back of it with her head thrown back. “Quite the fangs on you! Well then, commoner trash. How about you put your bluster to the test. A bet, perhaps? One that is system-enforced by Elysium itself - we could even get a magistrate to recite the rites.”
“And what did you have in mind for that?” Fay asked with a fake smile that twitched at the edges. “I do love tests, especially if it involves putting you in your place.”
Linela snapped her fingers, summoning one of her man servants over while not looking away from her newly found arch nemesis - and held out a hand for her man servant to deliver a small pristine card.
Checkmate.
She took the small white card, laced with platinum trimmings, and extended it to Fay with a smug smirk. “This is a pass that allows you into the High Tide Women’s Tea Club. I wouldn’t expect you to know anything about it seeing as you’re lowly commoner trash, but it’s a well known establishment here on the top level of the capital. Inside, 7 days hence, we will have a competition between the two of us. It will involve things that proper ladies of the court and wives of the nobility must know how to do properly, in order to satisfy their men. Seeing that you are oh so desperate to be one of us, I’m sure you won’t shirk your duty to show us all just how superior you really are… right? If you have any questions about what I mean, of which I’m sure you will, perhaps you can ask my crippled brother about it. He should at the very least be able to tell you that much, even if he is otherwise useless.”
Allie scowled on the sidelines, and was about to come up and smack a bitch - but Lahn reached out to grip her wrist with a pleading glance.
Fay glanced down at the card, stiffly clasping it between her hands while glaring at the other blonde woman. “And what is it that you intend to bet, harlot? What exactly could you entice me with so that I would attend such a senseless kind of competition? What do I have to gain?”
“What is it you want?” Linela said with a wicked sneer - and by this point the clerk at the counter was spellbound, fascinated by the verbal catfight taking place in front of him. “I’m sure that I could come up with something to appease someone as poor and lackluster as you.”
Fay raised her eyebrows, thought about it for a moment, then grinned in satisfaction as her eyelids narrowed. “You obviously have the upper hand in this bet, so why not make the winnings all that more dangerous? If I win this pathetic little competition of yours, you have to work cleaning cow shit out of the stables for a week. It would be a fitting place for you.”
Silence followed.
Linela paled slightly, but regained her sneering composure when Fay began to snicker. She straightened, and to everyone’s surprise she agreed. “Fine. I accept, on one condition.”
Fay’s grin grew wider. “Which is?”
“If I win, I get to take your man to the royal ball on a date."
Fay’s smile immediately dropped, and Allie butt in a moment later. “You can’t pawn my brother off like that.”
“Can’t I?” Linela asked curiously, sizing Allie up before checking Travis out again with a grin. “I’m sure I’d do a much better job making him happy than this commoner could. Perhaps I’d even be able to steal him afterwards, just as this ‘Fay’ has accused me of trying to do. I think I’d like that very much.”
Fay hesitated, and her face grew dark with anger. “I can’t do that. We've already made plans.”
“Oh? Intimidated? Getting cold feet now after all that false bluster? How pathetic!” Linela laughed, then turned to wave at her man servants in the back. “Well if you change your mind, do let me know. I’ll be there in 7 days’ time, waiting for you at noon - just in case!”
“We can make another bet.” Fay stated promptly, only getting a side-eyed and demeaning look of one who thought themselves superior.
“No my dear. We can’t. You’re obviously not quality material, not confident enough in yourself to win against someone like me - as it should be. You are not worthy of someone like him, and it is a sad thing to see indeed. Sad that nobility like him would fall for trash like you.”
They glared at each other, both seething under their falsely polite smiles, before Lahn’s sister turned heel. With a humph and a straightening of her shoulders, Linela walked out of the store with Marsia and all of their servants carrying luggage quickly in tow - only looking back to blow Travis a kiss and seductively wink his way.