In the palace, in a grand ballroom…

The ballroom is swarmed by maids, ensuring everything is in order, and adding finishing touches. The maid density is critical especially around the sitting area, where large round tables are laid out with white tablecloth, and prepared to receive meals soon. Straf is watching the maids work, alone in the room aside from them, and nodding his head lightly in approval with a little grimace on his face.

He holds his hands idly in his coat's pockets. The coat is far from necessary, as by this point, hearths and fireplaces all around the palace are blazing away, hungrily burning through stacks of firewood per day to provide warmth. Straf reaches into his [Portable Storage], and pulls out his peaked cap adorned by a grinning skeleton holding its thumb up, and a dragon spreading its wings, both metal. He sets it upon his head, and gives it a quick twist to adjust it.

「It wasn't long since I came here, huh?…」

Straf mumbles to himself, watching the maids lay out many silverware utensils on the still empty tables.

The ballroom itself is split into two portions, one for dancing, and the other for eating. The standing room is simply grand, and it's clear that it takes the lion's share of the palace space. The plaster walls are very busy with decorative gilding, along with immensely elaborate lacunar ceiling. The wooden floor is shining with polish, presumably after hours and hours of the maids' thankless work.

While the sitting space is much smaller, it's not any less decorated. However, it's a little less busy to allow the eyes to rest, and the diners to eat in peace. The area surrounding the tables is fenced off by a wooden balustrade, likely to prevent a stray dancer from spectacularly ruining a table's meal. It's also elevated by two steps, and covered by a red carpet, perhaps as a visual warning, or to simply stand out. Straf turns his eyes to one of the doors, where a group of men carrying instruments enter.

He spots many string instruments of varying sizes, with one as large as the man carrying it. The men approach one of the maids, and after a brief conversation, she nods, says something to a handful of others, and they quickly leave the room. Straf raises his brow while the men with instruments wait idly in a corner, discussing something. After a few moments, the maids return, each carrying one chair for the men. They nod with gratitude as the maids set them down in their corner, and sit down.

「…Did Lia organize this, or was it all the head maid?」

Straf rubs his chin, furrowing his brows.

「I believe it was the head maid, minister.」

「Huh?- Geh…」

Straf looks over his shoulder, and finds the lightly smiling, narrow-eyed face of Sir Vinis right over it.

「…Why are you here?」

Looking at the magnate with disdain on his face, Straf asks.

「Why, that's a strange question, minister. The year is ending, and the queen- Excuse me, empress is throwing a celebration.」

Sir Vinis casually replies with a shrug of his shoulders.

「Who invited you?」

Straf scornfully narrows his eye.

「Empress Cycelia, of course. The rest of the government is also invited, so I've heard. The Minister of Transport said he'll be arriving a little late with his wife…」

The long-haired magnate replies, shrugging one hand as he glances aside.

「That sounds like the start of a really shitty joke.」

Straf remarks with his mouth heavily scrunched to the side.

「It is not. They simply have young children, and want to put them to sleep before they depart.」

Sir Vinis shrugs, and places his hands behind his back.

「…You sure dressed up, huh?」

Straf takes a moment to size Sir Vinis up. He's wearing a rather eye-catching combination of black pants, and a tastefully purple, shiny vest that glitters in the light. A white neckcloth tied into a bow tops it all off, while his long hair drapes his shoulders. Additionally, his hands are covered by thin, white gloves.

「I chose what I thought to be extravagant… Tell me minister, is it a little too much?…」

「Tsk…」

Straf doesn't reply, and turns his gaze away with a click of his tongue as Sir Vinis spreads his arms a little, and presents himself.

「…You on the other hand… I know you are the Minister of War, but isn't it a little excessive to wear that coat indoors?」

The magnate takes a step closer to his side. Straf remains silent, though his mouth scrunches to the side.

「I must say, you've resolved quite a few issues that cropped up recently. Citizens from Parnatau Kingdom- No, our citizens from Parnatau Kingdom are now working our farms…」

The magnate shrugs, placing his hands behind his back again as the two watch the maids adjust the chairs, and look around for minuscule specks of dust or stains.

「…And the craftsmen from the city are sending their sons to Parnatau Kingdom to build their business there, using the cheap apprenticeship.」

「Already offshoring, huh?…」

Straf remarks under his breath, while Sir Vinis continues.

「I've heard the people there are willing to work for under a silver drake a day. I feel like I'm missing out… But then again, my wine profits are projected to rise high next year.」

「Oh yeah?… Why's that?…」

Straf asks with a disinterested, sarcastic tone, looking at Sir Vinis with his mouth aslant.

「…We are passing a morale law for the military men. A ration of fine wine every week for every man. The soldiers approve, the officers less so. The empress is likely to allow it.」

Sir Vinis replies with a smug smirk.

「… And it's all your wines, huh?」

「Precisely, which is why I don't feel particularly bad about missing out on Parnatau labor…」

The magnate nods, turning his amused smirk to Straf.

「…I also asked the marshal about our war readiness, just in case. He mentioned that the recruits from Parnatau Kingdom have high morale and are very motivated, if only a little weak.」

He adds, and turns his eyes to the door ahead. Olivia enters under an escort of a maid.

「Ah. It looks like the first of the ladies are arriving.」

Sir Vinis looks at Olivia, and a smile appears on her face when she sees Straf looking at her.

「Ladies? She's sixteen, you sicko.」

Straf replies, glancing at Sir Vinis with his mouth heavily scrunched.

「Straf. Good evening.」

Lily calls out from behind them.

「Lily…」

Straf replies, and lets out a large sigh while looking at her with his fists on his hips.

「Eh? Are you… Disappointed?」

Lily's head perks up in surprise, lightly startled by Straf's reaction.

「I'm not, Lily… But couldn't you have come two seconds earlier?」

「Huh? What would that change?…」

She tilts her golden head, blinking her scarlet eyes in confusion.

「Baroness… It's rather rare to see you at these hours.」

Sir Vinis turns around, and bows slightly.

「…I went to sleep early today.」

Lily nonchalantly replies with a quick, dismissive glance, and walks out ahead of Straf.

「Hm? Sleep?」

Sir Vinis furrows his brows in surprise, his head perks up, and he straightens out.

「Straf! Hello!」

Olivia walks up to the growing group with a smile on her face. With her arms crossed, Lily briefly glances at her, causing Olivia to take a frightened step back.

「What's up? Still painting the landscape outside the city?」

Straf asks with his fists on his hips as Olivia hesitantly approaches.

「Ah, no… That one's already finished!」

She shakes her head with a quick wave of her hand, smiling.

「Straf, who is this girl?」

Lily asks without bothering to glance at her.

「It's… Uh…」

Straf winces, rubbing his chin while furrowing his brows.

「I'm Olivia! I'm an aspiring painter! Hello.」

Olivia replies to Lily for Straf, bowing.

Snap.

「That. It's Olivia the painter.」「Aspiring, though, hehe…」

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Straf snaps his fingers, and paraphrases her introduction. She meekly tries to correct him, rubbing the back of her head.

「Hmpf.」

Lily glances at her, and turns her disinterested gaze away with a huff.

「So, what are you working on right now? Any people yet?」

Straf asks, casually shrugging his shoulders with his hands in his pockets.

「No, but I'm painting this thing outside! It's right outside the walls, and it's on this road of bricks that leads to nowhere!… It looks weird, and I thought that'd be nice to paint!」

Replying with a quick shake of her head and her eyes beaming unrestrained excitement, she blinks up at Straf with a smile.

With a tight-lipped grimace on his face, furrowing his brows, his gaze drifts up and away towards nothing in particular, thinking.

「…I'm naked without a sword!」

「And you're stupid with it. You're going to be an embarrassment!」

Greaves and Will arguing drags Straf's gaze back to one of the doors as their party walks in.

「Why are they allowed to have weapons then, huh!?」

Greaves points at Shien and Lian, who nonchalantly walk with their spears in hand.

While Greaves is dressed exactly as always and with his sword at his hip in a sheath, Will is not wearing his usual robes, and neither is Alicia. Both are instead wearing ordinary clothing, albeit it's visibly their cleanest, finest, and freshest set. Alicia has even clipped and braided her hair into a small braid at her side.

Meanwhile, Shien and Lian are both wearing their usual blue bodysuits, but Lian has furred bracers on her forearms, while Shien is nearly entirely covered in various pieces of white fur. Bracers on his forearms, most of his legs is covered in similar manner, as well as his chest. On his back there is a thick and furry hide hanging off him as a cape. Shien's face is as nonchalant and expressionless as ever, but when he sees Straf, he lowers his head in a long nod.

「…Because that's their culture! It's formal wear for them!」

Will shouts back, pointing at Lian as well. An amused huff visibly escapes her as her face gains a smirk, and her shoulders briefly jump up. She glances at Shien, who in turn looks at her.

「Well it's my culture as well! Buzz off!」

Greaves scoffs, and stomps further into the ballroom. The band draws his attention, and he walks up to pester them with questions while they try to tune their instruments.

「Straf. Good evening.」

Alicia bows politely as she walks up with Will reluctantly trailing behind her. Shien and Lian join them.

「Evenin'… What's up with you? A new fetish? Why are you covered in fur like that?」

Straf nods back, then turns his slanted mouth to Shien.

「It's trophies of my hunts, master. Every piece is another beast from the north… This I fashioned out of-」

Shien replies, and holds his furry bracer up as he begins explaining.

「Yeah, cool…」

Straf cuts him off, rolling his eyes. He notices the door open again and tries to peek over Shien and Lian's shoulders, but they're too tall for him to see.

「…Tsk.」

He clicks his tongue, and moves past Sir Vinis, walking behind him to see.

「Who's this girl?」

Straf rubs his chin, furrowing his brows as a tan-skinned woman in a black gown enters with a maid escorting her. Looking at her over her bare shoulder, she nods her brown head in gratitude at the maid while approaching Straf's large group. Shien, Lian, and the rest turn their gazes to her.

「Wasn't that?…」

Will adjusts his glasses, squinting heavily.

「Oh. Bank lady! You look nice!」

Greaves calls out from across the room when he sees the woman. She shrugs with her head lightly tilted, and turns her gaze to Straf.

「Huh?」

Straf's brows furrow in deep confusion when he looks at the approaching woman's orange eyes.

「Straf… How do I look?」

The woman asks with a light smile, tilting her head. She blinks her amber eyes at him innocently. Lily walks out from the crowd and scoffs, turning her gaze with arms crossed again.

「…First, who are you, again? You work at the bank? Where?-」

Completely clueless, Straf asks, shrugging with his hand.

「He he… Straf! Don't even joke like that! He he…」

A large grin appears on the woman's face, and she moves her fist to punch Straf in his ribs.

Tap.

He watches her hand with one brow raised, and simply lets her. His coat absorbs most of the impact, but the sensation is very familiar.

「…Nona?」

He asks, narrowing one eye. Though she sounds like Nona, her skin is tanned like hers, and her hair is brown like hers, she's nearly unrecognizable. Her usually messy hair is now wavy, with its volume remaining the same. Her eyes are outlined in black and her eyelashes are dark like coal, seemingly longer than normal, too. The dark colors act like a funnel for attention for her bright, unnatural amber gaze.

「Finally figured it, huh?」

She asks with a smile, tilting her head, innocently blinking her eyes up at Straf. His gaze drifts down to her low-cut cleavage. Her dress is tailored in a way that exposes both of her shoulders, and a sizable portion of the cleavage. Sir Vinis furrows his brows a little, and adjusting his glasses, Will turns his gaze away when Nona brings her arms closer, and squeezes her breasts together a little while Straf is rubbing his chin, looking straight at them.

「…Nice.」

Straf nods with a shrug. Alicia and Olivia seem to not have noticed where Straf was looking.

「Right?… Expensive, wasn't it? You really didn't have to go that far for me… He he… I like it though…」

She pinches the edges of her dress, showing it off a little with a small giggle, mumbling under her breath with a grin.

「Looks like it… How did you afford it?- Wait, you didn't steal it, did you? It'd be a problem if Ministry agents started thieving…」

Straf continues rubbing his chin, before his head perks up in alarm, and he holds his index finger out.

「Huh? You didn't buy it for me?…」

Nona asks, tilting her head.

「What? No. What gave you that idea?」

Shaking his head in confusion, Straf asks.

「Well, because… Never mind. I didn't steal it… Okay?」

Pouting a little, Nona replies with a shrug. After a momentary pause, Straf returns a nod with a grimace on his face.

「Right. I'll just trust your word on that…」

Straf shrugs his hands, and returns to looking at the dress. The cat necklace is hanging right underneath the chain of bright, lustrous pearls on her neck, slightly sunken between her breasts.

「…That's a really nice dress, though. Looks like good material, too. What is it? Silk?- Hm?」

He remarks, and feels a small tug at his coat from his side.

「Straf… I have a new dress too. Did you not notice?…」

Evading Straf's gaze, Lily asks with her arms crossed and a pout on her face.

「…Well, I guessed it's a new dress, since your other one was badly torn up… But it looks the same as others, to be honest-」

Fwap.

He replies, and Lily throws her arm up, presenting Straf her frilled sleeve.

「Touch it. Feel its material.」

Lily demands, staring up into Straf's eyes with an almost upset expression. He obliges, and gently brushes the sleeve between his thumb and finger.

「Huh. Nice and soft. Smooth, too. Silk?」

Straf asks, returning his fists to his hips. With a smug smirk on her face, Lily lets out a huff.

「Of course. And the frills are of chiffon. It's my finest dress. I nearly never wear it, in fear of it being dirtied or ruined.」

She replies with her tiny fists proudly on her hips as well. Nona bends forward a little to look closer.

「Hmmm… It does look really nice.」

Nona chimes in with a smile, causing Lily to cross her arms and turn her scarlet eyes away. The musicians begin playing first test notes, to see if their instruments are tuned.

「Ah!」

The door across the room opens, and Greaves exclaims with his finger pointed in its way.

Cycelia enters with a full escort of five maids, holding her beautifully ornate dress delicately pinched and raised as she walks in. Her emerald eyes turn to Straf, and she tilts her head with a warm smile. Sir Vinis breaks out of the group to approach her with his arms spread, smirking slightly. Straf clicks his tongue, and follows.

「Ahhh, your highness! You look wonderful!」

Sir Vinis declares, bowing slightly with his hand on his shoulder. Greaves seamlessly merges with the group as they swarm Cycelia.

「Thank you, Sir Vinis… It has been a while since I wore this. I'm glad it still mostly fits…」

She returns a nod, and turns her gaze to Straf.

「Straf… What do you think?」

Cycelia asks as she does a curtsy with a soft smile on her face…