Just like she had promised, Cassandra was easily able to convince her parents to help them prepare for the event. There was still no clue as to what kind of event it was going to be, but based on the timing it was likely to involve a meal at some point. With that in mind, their outfits had been decided to be elegant dinner sets that would be appropriate for such an occasion regardless of their position.
Surprisingly, Elliot was the one who covered transport for all of them. His family ran a carriage business and they were happy to help, so long as they still got paid for the job. That was perfectly reasonable, and the travel was much nicer than they could have found at the last minute on their own. Elliot had an excellent memory as well, and was able to tell them exactly where the location was and about how long it would take to get there.
The other students had been incredibly busy as well as it seemed they had all been invited to their own similar events. Autumn was the only one who seemed to be confident he knew what he was doing, but he had joined Sage with Keane. Whether or not Keane was privileged with his inside information was difficult to say. It had been nice to get a break from Maximus’s constant attempts to win her over, since Wayde always dragged him back to their own preparations.
Before they knew it, the day of the event was upon them. Each of the new Tears prepared on their own before gathering in a predetermined meeting place. Rena had to guide Iris over as she was as bad with directions as she had warned. Elliot had arranged a couple carriages for all of them, giving them plenty of space for comfortable travel.
Their destination was a manor in the capital, and it seemed they weren’t the only guests. A variety of carriages had all gathered at the manor, dropping off students in various levels of formal wear. Some of the students were clearly a year or more ahead of them, but all of them were definitely students of Nobility and Tears.
Once they stepped off the carriage they were greeted by a tall girl with strawberry blonde hair. “Welcome! Is this your first Feast of Maidens?” she asked, but continued talking before they had a chance to answer, “I am May, currently in my third year at Nobility. I will show you where to go.”
“Feast of Maidens?” Elliot asked, “but I’m not a maiden at all.”
“You’ll see soon,” May promised him, “Maidens doesn’t refer to us, but them.”
Cassandra was the first to follow May through the grand entrance of the manor where they were greeted by a row of servants already serving or ready to serve. They took any coats or hats that had been brought and personally guided each individual to their seat at the table in the grand dining hall.
The gathering of Tears only fit at the one table because it was so massive in size. Seated around the head of the table were twenty-one people Cassandra could not help but recognize. Ten princesses, ten shadow maidens, and the queen of Tethia awaited them. That was why this was called the Feast of Maidens.
Once every last Tear had entered and taken a seat, the queen herself stood up to speak. “Welcome, all of you, to the annual Feast of Maidens,” she began, “I am Levina, the queen of Tethia and your host tonight. I am sure you all already know that the goal of Nobility is not only to learn, but also to gain an apprenticeship for your future position. This feast is my way of giving you the opportunity to meet each other. You may each stay as long as you would like after the meal.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
After her words, the queen sat once more, and the first princess stood. “Some of us, like myself, already have an apprentice. Don’t let that dissuade you from approaching us. While we are only allowed one apprentice each, we can always help you find someone suitable,” she assured, “I am Ophelia, so feel free to look to me when you need help or advice.”
The other princesses began to introduce themselves in order after Ophelia took her seat. It was a lot to take in all at once, but Cassandra made sure to take special note of who did and did not have an apprentice yet. It turned out that the majority of the princesses had yet to take an apprentice. The queen herself did not have one, but the pillars themselves rarely took an apprentice. That meant Alois was all the more special for being chosen by the headmaster himself.
There was one particular princess that completely captivated Cassandra. “I am the seventh princess, Rosalind,” she introduced, “Many of you may know my husband, Reginald, better than myself.”
Reginald? Wasn’t that the archmage? Given Caleb’s reaction she had assumed most mages would dislike the queen and her princesses. Then again, Reginald did not seem like the kind of man to hold those kinds of grudges. If he had charmed a beauty like Rosalind he must be even more amazing than Cassandra had imagined.
After the princesses, the shadow maidens introduced themselves. The shadow maidens led the shadow guard and shadow operatives in protecting Tethia from... Well, the shadows. They were still dressed with a formal elegance, but each had a presence that did not stand out, especially compared to the princesses. Well, except for the first shadow maiden, Nova. She was a ravenkin with feathered black hair, and the aura she gave off was fierce and dangerous. Even her introduction was short and curt, and she did not mention whether she had an apprentice or not.
Then, all eyes turned to the new Tears. So it was their turn. Each new group of Tears likely had to go through this very ritual, so Cassandra decided to step forward and lead the charge.
“My name is Cassandra,” she told the crowd, “I love magic, and I have always wanted to be in the position to help guide its future.”
She couldn’t very well declare her desire to become queen in front of this crowd, but she couldn’t hide it either. Not if she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity the queen had prepared for her. For a moment, Cassandra’s eyes met with Levina’s and she thought she spotted the smallest of smiles.
Rena jumped to introduce herself next. Her hair had become spiky again. Perhaps that was a side effect of nervousness? “I am Rena and I have always wanted to support the queen of Tethia since she is my hero,” she announced. Afterwards she flushed a bit and slammed back into her chair from embarrassment.
“I’m Iris,” the blue haired elf announced, trying to draw attention from the flustered beastkin, “I have always been interested in the workings of the shadow guard.”
Seeing that it was his turn, Elliot managed to mumble out his introduction. “I’m Elliot. I’ve always been told I would be good at shadow work.”
“Wonderful,” the queen said without leaving her seat this time, “Let the Feast of Maidens begin.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, servants appeared from the left and right entrances laden with trays of luxurious dishes to be spread about the table. A second set of servants came in with beverages of all kinds from hot teas to cool lemonades. Cassandra gratefully accepted the blueberry pomegranate punch that made it to their end of the table.
Unlike the headmaster’s refreshments, all of the delicacies here were exactly what they appeared to be. After finishing off her main course, Cassandra immediately zoomed in on the cookies being brought with all of the other variety of desserts. As expected of cookies provided by royalty, each bite was exquisite, delicately melting in her mouth.
Before she knew it the meal had ended, and many of the princesses and Tears had gone to another room to mingle. Queen Levina was still there, as was Nova. It seemed the duty of the first shadow maiden was to ensure the queen’s safety. It was certainly a respectable role, but Cassandra couldn’t waste time here watching them.
The whole point of this event was to mingle, and if Cassandra missed her chance today she may not get another one for the next year. More than anyone else, there was one princess Cassandra wanted to meet. The seventh princess Rosalind, who was not only beautiful but surely loved magic enough to marry the archmage himself.