I sat in front of the vanity mirror, watching as the servant brushes my hair. It was a tedious and often uncomfortable process that I would rather do myself, but I needed to keep up appearances in front of my servants. As she worked, she began to fill me in on reminders.

"Miss Elara, your birthday is already in a few months," the servant said, her voice gentle.

I smiled and nodded, acknowledging the reminder. "Yes, I'm aware," I replied, glancing at her through the reflection in the mirror.

"Good, because your uncle wanted to celebrate in your honor. He was thinking of a preliminary celebration before a grand ball. The preliminary festival will mark a week-long celebration of your birthday, with your actual birthday acting as the grand finale of the festivities!" The maid said so excitedly that I could not hope to match her tone.

"How very like him to celebrate so extravagantly," I remarked amusedly. "I do not object, although I am curious what he desires to celebrate so excessively."

"...Do you not know, milady? You are coming of age. That is obviously something to celebrate, your mother had a similarly grand celebration when she was your age! So many princesses and princes from far away visited her to give her their well-wishes. It is only fair that you receive the same treatment."

"Many royals...?" I asked, I knew my mother was important but I did not know her connections reached so far. Aristocrats kept connections worldwide due to blood relations and a mutual desire to maintain power, but still, many monarchs visiting a measly party sounded hard to believe.

"And you, Lady Elara, I'm sure you seek to follow your mother's footsteps in gracing others with your presence?"

I froze at the suggestion as I realized this celebration would be a more tremendous hassle than I anticipated. I was still the daughter of the eldest, I needed high-profile guests to make a good impression and increase my credibility. I slightly regretted my glacial treatment of Halimah, given that she would be a vital guest to have in this situation. Regardless, now was not the time for worrying but for planning. I had scheduled another appointment with my informant, this time at the local park.

It was difficult to move with so many servants about, but I simply stated my intention to wander the estate unaccompanied. This provided the perfect slip for me to leave and arrive in downtown Sternanborough. I kept my veil on tightly as I navigated the crowd before finding the park entrance, immediately seeing my informant sitting by the playground. I casually approached and sat a few feet away from him. He then brought out another envelope from his coat and handed it to me.

"Sources from Isaac's inner circle are buzzing with news and rumors about a rivalry between him and a certain Free Guard official, which is possibly culminating in him organizing a sports event to settle it."

"Let me guess, is it the Heretoch herself?" I asked, taking a peek at the file from the envelope. He nodded.

Blaire Hilde, Heretoch of the Free Guard. Heretoch during the olden days was a title akin to a general or army commander but is now used as a formality for young officers appointed as direct assistants to the Free Guard Chief of Staff. Blaire is described as friendly and down-to-earth. The decision was described as controversial due to her age and inexperience but the move paid off in public relations and caused the public to view the Free Guard more positively. Furthermore, she is described as incredibly industrious and eager to learn, which only bolstered her credibility as a reliable aide to the Chief of Staff.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Her appeal to the public is largely carried by her pleasant personality and her incredible swordplay. Her impressive fencing record has made her something of a celebrity among fencing enthusiasts, and many fan clubs have been established in admiration of her. Despite this, she remains humble and genuine, an admirable trait to have given most other people would let such power corrupt them.

She remains steadfast and loyal to the Free Guard and follows orders as instructed. This kind of reputation was bound to clash with Isaac's, and there have been whispers of the Heretoch surpassing Isaac, something he will not take lying down. If there was any chance to outshine him in the realm of sport, then it would have to involve her. With that in mind, I was already concocting a plan to make contact with her, and the informant could discern my intentions from the expression on my face.

"...What are you thinking about?"

I was wary of letting him know, yet I had to consider the off-chance of him being able to help me with this so I decided to be honest.

"Well, sir..." I paused, realizing I never asked for his name.

"Liam, just call me Liam."

"I am simply pondering a way I could reach out to the Heretoch."

"Why?"

"Well, given the likelihood of this event, I would like to see her in action and gauge the heights I'd need to achieve and excel in the event."

"Well, I have her phone number." He responded plainly, much to my shock.

"Would it be possible to ask if she has the time? It's a big thing to ask of you but given you've delivered well so far..." I paused, but Liam already brought out his pager to type a message.

"Sure, I'll text her and see if she has the time."

"You're serious?" I asked, surprised he even knew her on a texting basis given the gap in their rank. Based on my background check, Liam was only a freshly promoted captain of the Free Guard, so his lax attitude toward contacting her was strange.

"Under normal circumstances, I don't fraternize with anyone above my rank but Blaire's circumstances are special. I used to be her superior officer for a time before she was appointed as Heretoch, and after she assumed those duties, our relationship became more relaxed."

"So do you think she has the time to discuss some things with me?"

"I would say more than enough time. She sounds really excited to meet you." Liam said, still sending messages to the Heretoch. His choice of words unnerved me greatly as it seemed like he was framing it as some sort of informal meetup between friends.

"Ergh..." I grunted uncomfortably. "I was hoping for a more... professional discussion instead of pointless fraternizing?"

Liam then looked at me with a face sterner than his usual scowl.

"I will let you in on a little secret. If you are planning to converse with Blaire from a purely business approach outside of her office hours, you've lost her already. But come to her with a chance for connection and she will open herself to you quite easily. You said you needed to meet her on short notice, yes? This is the shortest notice you'll get."

I breathed out a defeated sigh and let him go ahead. He put the phone to his ear and started speaking:

"Hello, Blaire? Are you free sometime after work? Yeah? Good, let's eat someplace nice this time, I'm paying. I know you'll like her. Alright, sounds like a plan then. Bye." Liam said over the phone before closing it and glancing at Elara. "Alright, we'll be meeting her a few days from now. It'll be someplace nice so you don't need to hide your identity. I hope you're ready."

I only stared at him with subdued bewilderment.

"...Who are you to know the Heretoch so casually?"

"I don't seek people out, it just so happened that we became friends. I'm friends with Blaire, not the Heretoch." He shrugged.

Right, friends. I still had that other issue of having no one to invite to my birthday. No one of adequate standing, anyway. Strangely enough, Liam seemed to sense my distress again as he asked me what was wrong.

"My birthday is approaching, and I only realized now that it was the opportunity to put my influence on display with my guest list."

"You're still young, and given your background, I'd be surprised if you had any at all."

"Regardless, my mother had guests of great prestige, and though I hold little vanity, it would still be the pragmatic course of action to try and make the most of this opportunity. My mission has always been to take over the family on behalf of the people of Sternan, and I will not allow this opportunity to go to waste."

He stared at me, his expression unreadable before he sighed.

"I'll see what I can do."

I tipped my head at him, completely puzzled by his response. I did not even make a request yet he immediately obliged. Before I could even begin to question his motives, he stood up and walked away, leaving me confused as always.